Base model has 16GB RAM (finally?!). Can run three displays (finally?!).
Personally I feel like it’s the game changer the base M4 Mac Mini was.
Cheaper again at AOC here.
MacBook Air 13.6" M4 (10c CPU, 8c GPU, 256GB SSD, 16GB RAM) $1549 Shipped + $299 AirPods/Pro Credit @ Apple EDU Store
2630
Bigfellaborham on 06/03/2025 - 10:09 apple.com (10023 clicks)
Last edited 15/03/2025 - 13:24 by 3 other users
Last edited 15/03/2025 - 13:24 by 3 other users
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@Member 0230: In my experience Catalina runs best for these early Intel Macs. I've got that running on my MIL's 2008 iMac / 8GB RAM / 250GB SSD and runs great.
However you'll have to use dosdudes Catalina Patcher as OCLP supports from macOS 11 onwards.
The only problem with Catalina now is that support for it has been dropped by a lot of third party app developers (i.e. Chrome). Painfully annoying to get modern apps to run on it. To that I'd say Monterey is the highest you should go with for these older Macs to expand that compatibility reach.
I'm only running Sequoia on my 2008 MBP for the novelty aspect. It takes about 3 minutes to boot up, but once you're in it's ok. Takes a bit of patience to open apps sometimes. 1080p streaming works a treat though. It does make the CPU/GPU work overtime so expect the fans to run constantly due to how much heat its forced to produce!
@RX7: Thanks for sharing your experience. It's currently on the latest possible official release macOS 10.11.6 El Capitan.
If I can push it even 5 versions to Big Sur - one before Monterey - without killing it in the process, that'd be a win.
Idk if you are dailying it but if you are you really need to put an SSD in the thing. It will perform so much better (put one into my 2012 a few years back when I was dailying the thing)
will I be disappointed with MBA M4, 10 core CPU, 10 core GPU, 24GB unified memory?
No, but personally I would just take the 16 GB, the 24GB adds 16% to the price. Unless you know you need the extra RAM for some specific purpose (LLMs, VMS, …), it doesn't sound like it but if that's the case maybe it's the wrong machine anyway.
FWIW I have the exact same model 2015 MBP as you although it doesn't get used much now. The M1 Air is already night and day to it, the M4 will be … even more.
I'm planning to start with video editing and content creation while traveling, think 4K perhaps even 8K videos in the future so will need something portable but powerful enough. Do you think 16GB is sufficient for the next 8 yrs or so?
8k video, I really don't know, perhaps you can find some youtube videos on the subject? TBH I think future proofing for 8 years is probably unrealistic, the extra spent on future proofing could instead bring forward the next upgrade.
@Mostly Fanless: I like the way you think. Having said that, I expect the 24GB will definitely benefit any serious video editing work now and in the next 2-4 years.
Do you think 16GB is sufficient for the next 8 yrs or so?
no, i’d have 24gb - extra memory helps with both video editing and future-proofing, as insufficient memory can be more of a limitation/bottle-neck than a slower processor, and cannot be added/increased later - over 8yrs it’s only <$40/yr more :)
@tonester: thank you! my iphone is currently at 1TB as my previous one with 512GB would always go full.
I will consider 1TB SSD or even 2TB.
@savingmoney: no worries, but unlike iPhones, MacBooks can have external storage, so no need to be overcharged for larger SSD, when you can instead just buy a Samsung T7 (Shield) whenever cheap/needed :)
@tonester: you are not wrong, one can get a m2 ssd super fast 1tb or 2tb with enclosure for that 300 dollar they charge,
but you just let the dongle hang to the side? flip flopping around? with a cable?
I ordered the MBA M4, 10 core CPU, 10 core GPU, 24GB spec with 256gb storage. I find 16GB isn't quite enough on my work macbook. I'm just a little concerned about the 256GB storage… as I have a NAS and I won't be storing videos/photos on it so I'd say it should be fine.
That’s the exact machine I’m going for….. Coudln’t see a reason to bump to 32gb
Coudln’t see a reason to bump to 32gb
VMs or Docker (which on a mac needs to run inside a VM).
@PainToad: Good one, and more RAM is (almost always) better, but shouldn't 24 GB be reasonably comfy to run a single VM or Docker with?
Answering my own question 😂 but I guess it'd depend on how you set up the VM or Docker and what you run in it.
I tried (operative word) running DeepSeek R1 in Docker on my 2020 M1 8 GB, and. it. would. write. one. word. every. 60. seconds.
To say it was painful is an understatement.
Apparently the pain was more to do with the RAM bottleneck than with the M1. I was dreaming of 16 and 24 GB at that point.
Plus one for two ‽.
OzB was the reason I upgraded to 16gb/512gb when purchasing a M2 MBA (c$2.1-2.4K I think). If I recall, the HD upgrade was due to the 256gb HD being slower or something - I’m assuming this is a non-issue for the new MBA M4? I never needed 512gb. So trading in/selling my M2 16gb/512gb to buy a M4 16gb/256gb carries no downsides?
You fell for the internet idiots before. If you fall again, it's not a coincidence.
[256Gb vs 512Gb] The only people who make a big deal are YouTube jockeys who run extreme synthetic benchmarks and need something to call out so people can watch their videos.
https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookair/comments/w6w6tm/is_the_n…
256gB iN 2o25 LoL
Do they accept pay pal? Pay in 4?
They don’t.
Too late. Already bought a new (Windows) laptop. Probably would have bitten at this price though…
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/886250 - no regrets so far, except a weird screen issue where the glossy screen produces a warped reflection… a magic mirror sort of effect, which is hilarious but also a bit distracting.
OLED screens are necessary for daytime use imo
Why? One of the few weaknesses of OLED is that they are often less bright for daytime use than cheaper screen tech. OLED excel in low energy use and true blacks.
My OLED display is great for daytime. Non oled tv is terrible for daytime
Company motto for Apple (according to Sam Tucker): Innovation has taken a vacation.
XDhehe Sam. I love that he doesnt take sides and is happy to rip into every tech company and chin there is. Thats just incredible
I recommend getting the 512GB version since macOS takes up a lot of space these days
Agree!
wait for someone to be cheaper then offceworks and price beat then stack with 10% off vouchers
Can't beat Apple Education pricing…you can still stack with Apple GC Card and getting a free pair of AirPods until 13th March,
maybe dumb question but do you need an EDU email to access?
no !
AOC is $100+ cheaper than Education but does not offer "Airpod"?
yes that is the trade off - u could sell the airpods for 200minimum to 250 on facebook probably - careful not to get robbed by teenagers on marketplace haha
not true, apple education pricing is only 70 lower and does not let you choose a airpod on the checkout
it does after specifying macbook
Costco pre-order is $1599 and officeworks pre-order is $1697.
https://www.costco.com.au/c/fy25-MacBook-Air-M4?mobileLink=c…
https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/macbook-ai…
Not sure if the price beat works on pre-orders since it requires items to be in stock?
$1500 is a sweet spot for the avg person. convinced a bunch of mates to jump on the new airs. have pro's for work but always use airs for personal & on the go. got the highest spec m3 air last year cheap as overseas and its almost taken over completely. apple silicon is beastly.
Could you run this closed like a Mac mini.
But then still have the benefit of it being portable?Parents want a new M4 mini. This just seems a better deal?
I mean yeah you can, but then you may as well save money and get a mac mini..? Like do they need it to be portable?
you can run it closed with external monitors.
but, how much will it heat up under load? that's when you want fans.
Then AOC store does not offer the 'free of airpods"?
yeah
Thanks - will get GST back, and can salary sacrifice through work. So even cheaper.
how far away can i depart country until the GST claim doesnt work anymore?
Usually it’s the distance between your home and the airport.
salary sacrifice through work
To salary sacrifice you need to claim that you’re using it the majority of time for work purposes. Yet your invoice is going to say “student”.
Sounds like audit trigger to me. Not worth the risk.
You do realise you can work and study at the same time right ?
Putting aside the work / study point above, what’s the worst case scenario if you get audited on this? Just have to pay back the difference?
PS: How would you do GST and salary sacrifice? Salary sacrifice refunds the GST component anyways so are you looking to double dip? That’s probably more likely to trigger the audit!
I got the 2024 MacBook Air 13.6-inch M3 with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage a few weeks ago. Is this a better deal? It's also cheaper than the M3 model was.
Yes this is better. Return the m3 and buy this
Truly an apple specced for 2024. Finally.
AOC cheaper at $1487.20
No airpods via AOC.
Yes, $61.80 cheaper that way if you don't want Airpods.
Noticed the use Apple Gift cards option so used 8 from a previous 10% off Apple Gift card sale.can i get some now? even if its like %5
The notch is ugly as fk
Should I upgrade from a M3 air for $39? Assuming getting Apple's gift card for Woolies (10%) and sell mine to Mobile Monster for $1155 and Airpods for $200??
Yes.
I have an M3 air too. Can you run me through how you’re planning on doing this?
My plan is to buy Apple gift card from Woolies to get 10% off. This will bring down the cost of $1550 to $1395.
Sell my air to Mobile Monster for $1155 (I got a voucher for $30 extra), then sell the airpods for $200.Ah thanks, that’s a no brainer! I received a voucher from my M3 which could work out similar
kinda want one but i dont want to buy into the software. oh well.
Bill Gates apparently said "software is more important than hardware" — something I mostly agree with.
Figure out what software you absolutely must run.
Buy the hardware that runs it best.
I have the 2022 Skylight MBA, but the Sky Blue really appeals.
Who else is loving the new colour?
I liked it enough that it's the one I ordered. Upgrading from an M1 Air that's rose gold, bought through JB Hifi advertising it simply as 'gold'. So after living with a pink laptop for four years I'll now switch to a colour I should actually like.
The rose gold isn't really that bad, it just wasn't what I expected or would've chosen had I realised what it was.
I'm imagining a group of boys in the playground pointing and teasing "girls mac! girls mac!" and you screaming "JB SAID IT WAS GOLD" and then bursting into tears and running away.
OH MY GOD WERE YOU THERE?!
Also my new one arrived today and it looks very nice.
if one offloads the airpods for 250 its $1300 fuakkkkk im fighting an internal battle to not get it coz like i got a intel nuc m15 intel laptop 2 years ago and used it 5 times,
Thanks bought this deal with airpods pro 2. Woolies GC. Great price!
What is it with Apple and the ridiculously small SSD storage options? You'd think this was a 2014 laptop or something.
It is available to test the performance in-store or does it only become available on display when its GA?
Not until the 12th
great. order one
Got the 512gb version with Woolies GC + GST back + sell AirPod for $200
Works out to be around $1276.00Ive never used GCs, and ive read a lot of comments abkut 10% apple GCs in this thread, but cannot seem to find them. Am i too late?
this is confusing, do i have to buy 15x $100 gift cards to get 150 dollar credit? or can i buy the highest increment $500 custom entry and would that give me 5x$10=50? or is it only $10 no matter how much you buy?
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/895930
Refer to the above link. You can still get them at Woolworths if they have stock. Just make sure you don’t purchase a tampered one.
There is no way to make sure.
Can someone please comment on invoice situation?
Does it show you paid full price for the laptop and $100 for the airpods or that you paid full price for the airpods and got a discount on the laptop?
Thank you!
I looked at the last time I got a free set of AirPods with an iPad Pro: shows the AirPods full price and then a negative line item called “Price includes redeemed coupon”. This was January 2022 mind you.
I’m going to go for this but upgrade to 24gb (which get the processor bumped to 10 core). Just a shame there;s no Space Black
same, i did 24/256 spec and i traveling to asia soon, gonna replace that 256ssd with a 2T for much much cheaper than apple asking…
traveling to asia soon, gonna replace that 256ssd with a 2T for much much cheaper than apple asking…
and void your warranty?
This is a joke right?
worth going the 15inch ?
no mate it too big kinda lost all idea of a small laptop
absolutely. 15 air was built for me. always wanted bigger than 13 but pro was too thick and heavy.
I will never go back to 13.It really depends on what screen you need. The 15" is the perfect size for working on all day. The 13" is for smaller jobs on the road, or connecting to external displays.
Is this only a pre order price. Would the price go up after tomorrow (12th March)?
Standard price.
JB should price match from tommorow
I managed to get JB to price match this price (without the AirPods) $1549
@tonester: Indeed.
It's a well-written post, but I was keen to find out if RX7 would recommend it in hindsight since he has a Mac that's maybe kinda sorta not too far off what I have, all things considered (his 2008 MBP has 2GB more RAM, my 2008 iMac has better everything else I think).
From the same article, the author compares his maxed-out 2010 MBA to a base 2007 iMac: