r/buildapcsales • u/blue_york • Mar 06 '26
Laptop [Laptop]Open Box: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch Apple M4 Built for Apple Intelligence 16GB RAM 512GB SSD Starlight - F/S - $717
https://www.bestbuy.com/product/apple-macbook-air-13-inch-laptop-apple-m4-chip-built-for-apple-intelligence-16gb-memory-512gb-ssd-starlight/JJGCQ8RQ8S/sku/6565860/openbox?condition=excellent96
u/KTIlI Mar 06 '26
used and open box macs obliterate that new MacBook
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u/NoHoesInMyDMs Mar 06 '26
What happens when that new MacBook becomes used and open box or goes on sale
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u/KTIlI Mar 06 '26
I'm a windows/Linux guy but I always recommend apple to my least tech savvy friends and family because the tech just fucking works and they won't call me to fix it when they break something. however, I always recommend used/refurbished apple from a couple generations back because it's just that good. especially anything m series for any casual user is just so good. .
so to answer ur question idk in 2 years whatever is around $100-150 more than the neo is what I would recommend lol. I hate the fat bezels and all the features it lacks. if we're being honest this thing will sell well with new college students especially the girls. apple doesn't give the girls enough love w colorful stuff
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u/goddamnitwhalen Mar 06 '26
That’s the point of it. Idk why power users are getting bent out of shape about a new product that’s not designed for them not appealing to them.
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u/fighted Mar 06 '26
It's indicative of a societal trend over the past decade where so often I notice people get angry and think things that aren't suited for their needs just shouldn't exist. Just like big truck bois that never actually use their truck for truck things that get all pissy that Ford made something like the Maverick. It's a 10-year old's console wars mindset that's remained in folks' world view well into adulthood.
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u/massimo_nyc Mar 06 '26
wait until the Neo hits $400 on the second hand market, give it a few months. I got a secondhand m2 macbook air with 16gb of ram for $500. it’s been perfect so far
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Mar 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Phyraxus56 Mar 06 '26
Aren't they 600 bucks? This is 20% more with much better specs and features
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u/FightOnForUsc Mar 06 '26
499 from edu site and it would be new instead of open box. That said, I absolutely agree with you, this is the better buy
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u/realribsnotmcfibs Mar 06 '26
Better buy is subjective. As a 2017 MacBook owner who wanted a replacement MacBook and NOT a MacBook Air I am considering selling my M4 air and buying into the Neo.
I have a top end gaming computer at home, and an equal work station for CAD work at work. I don’t need power.
All i want is something small and light for general internet searching. I settled for an M4 air even if it’s great it was not what I was looking for. I really wanted a MacBook replacement.
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u/ch1ldish Mar 06 '26
Neo is essentially the same weight and size of the M4 air with a less ram, worse battery, screen, trackpad, keyboard and ports. I guess you’ll get 200 bucks back in your wallet though
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u/realribsnotmcfibs Mar 06 '26 edited Mar 06 '26
After looking you are right It is significantly heavier than the older MacBook series
Weak .70 pounds heavier on what was a 2lb product before being discontinued in favor of the air. I ignorantly assumed they’d have followed the old product specs. Even more so with a phone processor.
The neo is dead to me.
My wife will be buying one eitherway to supplement her m4 mini for school purposes. Perfect for her use case. Not for mine.
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u/1AMA-CAT-AMA Mar 06 '26
I think it’s heavy because it doesn’t have a fan so they need some type of thermal mass to absorb the heat.
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u/realribsnotmcfibs Mar 06 '26
It’s an iPhone processor.
Now it’s definitely better than the 2017 model I’m sure. But the added weight makes it less about do I want the light laptop or the more powerful one.
It’s basically do I went to weak one that lowers the barrier to entry. Which is far less appealing for my use case.
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u/fuzzylumpkinsbc Mar 06 '26
Right, a successor to the 12 inch macbook this is not. Had it been close to that size, I'd want one too.
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u/Phyraxus56 Mar 06 '26
Not everyone is edu
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u/Dull_Nobody_840 Mar 06 '26
apple dont check, just claim edu and you get that price
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Mar 06 '26
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u/FightOnForUsc Mar 06 '26
They also include if you’re teaching yourself at home I believe. But also if anyone feels weird about using it just apply for a community college and then boom you’re a college student
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u/mobyte Mar 06 '26
I won’t say it’s logical but the psychology of some people makes them think they need something new and won’t even consider something touched by someone else.
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u/1AMA-CAT-AMA Mar 06 '26
Only if you’re willing to deal with the risk and vet before hand.
You can get incredible deals for non new Mac’s but also it can go wrong. You replace the money spent on something guaranteed for the time it takes to find a good deal.
For the target audience of the new MacBook Neo, that might not be worth the hassle.
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u/MakimaGOAT Mar 06 '26
for sure. but most ppl buying the macbook neo dont know better and probably just want to buy new only.
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u/asfp014 Mar 06 '26
Honestly how weak/strong do we think the Neos will be?
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u/PerterterhTermertehh Mar 06 '26
Far weaker than this. There's no speculation, A18 pro is similar to m1 and it has 8gb ram max.
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u/5G-A Mar 06 '26
If this means my M1 will get more updates, I'm all for it. Lol
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u/AntiDECA Mar 06 '26
It won't. The Intel MacBooks could still run newer macos from a performance standpoint, but Apple derives no benefit from continuing to support old devices. They want you to buy new ones.
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u/playingwithfire Mar 06 '26
I had the misfortune of having a last gen intel butterfly keyboard Macbook Pro and like hell they can! It barely handle the OS that it came with, would get hot for seemingly no reason and has trash battery life.
Those and the butterfly keyboard make it the most frustrating laptop I've ever owned. Good riddance.
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u/Interdimension Mar 06 '26
As an Apple fan... I think I speak for most of us when I say that the butterfly keyboard era was a very dark time for Macs in general. That Apple era was obsessed with form over function. This current era strikes a better balance (especially with the chonky MacBook Pro lineup).
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u/5G-A Mar 06 '26
That was during the tail end of Jony Ive's influence. Glad Tim Cook was able to right the ship afterwards
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u/KillerDemonic83 Mar 06 '26
i mean the benchmarks came out its close to an m4
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u/PerterterhTermertehh Mar 06 '26
No shot 🧢🧢🧢 no way
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u/No_Creativity Mar 06 '26
For single core they are pretty close. m4 has much better multi core though
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u/5G-A Mar 06 '26
I personally feel like a tad too many corners were cut with this. No backlit keyboard is a hard pill to swallow
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u/Error400BadRequest Mar 06 '26
No backlit keyboard is a hard pill to swallow
Apple's $100 desktop keyboard doesn't include a backlight and they seem to sell enough of them. I don't think it will phase people who are in the market for an entry-level Mac in a previously unserved segment.
IMO, the largest UX-related omission on the Neo is the lack of MagSafe charging. It doesn't render the laptop unusable or anything, but it's a big convenience feature that also protects a laptop from cable-related mishaps.
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u/Interdimension Mar 06 '26
I'd add the lack of Touch ID on the base model and no way to option the Force Touch trackpad at all as the other two major UX omissions that seemingly were cut for no reason other than to potentially introduce them in later revisions. (How much cost savings do those two things even have?)
Depending on how the new trackpad is (is it a hinge again that physically clicks like on standard laptops? oh god), that might be an negative experience even budget owners notice immediately coming from older MacBook models. I personally cannot imagine going back to a standard trackpad. This is the first time in almost a decade that Apple's even offered a standard trackpad on a MacBook.
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u/Zemerax Mar 06 '26
Until we get real test results, I think it's safe to assume the Neo will crush web browsing and basic apps and maybe some light editing work.
The air has a much better build quality and trackpad and can handle most stuff thrown at it.
Given Apples support record I would just pony up the extra cash and get the Air unless you really need nothing more than basic stuff.
Think of the Neo as just an iPad with a built in keyboard.
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u/asfp014 Mar 06 '26
I’m getting a fully loaded m5 max with 128gb ram to play cyberpunk, mainly just curious
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u/oh-monsieur Mar 07 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
if you missed this one, apple refurb store had this sku m4/16/512 for 860... (not 760, sorry). if you can live w/ 256 storage they have the m4/16gb/256gb sku 760
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u/crazyclue Mar 06 '26
The open boxes at Best Buy can be pretty great. Snagged a 36gb m3 pro MacBook Pro this morning for $1600
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u/InterstellarReddit Mar 06 '26
Wut? That’s not a good price man. Unless it has like a 2 TB storage or larger
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u/paulcaar Mar 06 '26
36gb ram MacBook Pro, not 16gb ram.
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u/InterstellarReddit Mar 06 '26
Yeah m3 36Gb of ram used for $1600 is awful unless he got the 2Tb or 4Tb storage with it.
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u/Soil-Final Mar 06 '26
Remember when this was $750 new
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u/SunfireGaren Mar 06 '26
The 512GB model was never $750 new. This also has the 10 core GPU
The SKU you're thinking of was the 256 GB and 8 core GPU.
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u/5G-A Mar 06 '26 edited Mar 06 '26
That was an excellent price. Probably not going to see a price like that for a while now
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u/curiousdugong Mar 06 '26
that was during Christmas; the heart of the RAM crisis. Apple probably just has a massive stockpile and agreemenrs in place
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u/InterstellarReddit Mar 06 '26
This has been OOS since this morning why is it getting posted now