Same deal as https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/858512
Amazon also got it at $1497 delivered
https://amzn.asia/d/bF6BWjO
JB HI FI $1497
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/apple-macbook-air-13-inch-with-m3-chip-8-core-gpu-256gb-8gb-midnight2024
Get 10% or 15% off at JB HI FI with your gift cards :)
Happy hunting
P.s yes yes 8gb ram on an apple is bad etc etc. We all get it. What can one do? Write a letter to Mr Cook?
As much as I like Apple products getting ripped off for storage and memory is getting old
yeah, same comments on every post like clockwork
objectively nothing wrong with these machines for sitting on the couch, web surfing, watching videos, study, whatever.
If that's the use case an iPad air is probably a better fit given they are both m2 or m3.
Both have 8gb of ram too.
@Commodore64: IPad Air and an MBA are very different devices. If you need to type, even with the Magic Keyboard, the experience on an iPad Air will not be as good as an MBA.
@ihfree: This is true, however when plugged into an external display and keyboard/mouse it acts very much like a macbook.
I personally use my iPad pro alot for browsing and watching movies because I can just pick it up and go, and it supports my thunderboltdock on desktop.
@Commodore64: Once again, laptop vs tablet. They're quite different. You're not going to have your dock, monitors, keyboard/mouse in a cafe, on a plane, on holiday, etc. If you're relying on a dock, may as well go the other way and recommend a desktop PC.
You can build a very respectable system for $1500 and you could run something like elementary OS for that MacOS feel.
You could also factor in a keyboard for the iPad Air, but you're getting a substandard experience in some way(eg: folio that needs to be propped up, lack of function keys, etc).
nothing wrong with these machines for sitting on the couch, web surfing, watching videos, study, whatever.
If that’s all you’re doing you don’t need an M3.
I think you're missing my point. I don't deny that many people could get use out of a web browsing and word processing machine with 8GB of ram.
But if they pay $1500 for the privilege because it's weirdly tied to an M3 chip then they are getting absolutely fleeced
@Gorby: Doesn't matter what you think, sheep gonna buy and keep claiming how it's the best thing ever.
if that's all you're doing why are you spending $1500 on a laptop? it's bad value and this is a value-oriented site. the comments are pretty valid.
@lachlantula: Was just listing basic computing tasks.
It's bad value relative to its windows/intel/amd/ibm counterparts. I bought this as a gift for my partner for $1,162.
In reality, the people that buy Macbooks are very rarely going to buy Dells or Lenovos. Would I buy this device for myself? no - but I try my best to understand the apple market.
this is a value-oriented site
That's your perception/opinion, my understanding: it's for deals, coupons, discounts and freebies.
Value is subjective.
Lots of people need that. Some don’t. But lots do.
If you don't need more than 8GB of ram then you also don't need to spend $1500 on an M3 laptop, which is why this isn't a deal
What should you be spending money on instead?
@ihfree: Any good cheaper Windows machine that pops up on this site frequently, or if you must have Apple then an iPad, or of you must have a laptop form factor then a second hand/refurbished one for a fraction of the price
@Gorby: Ahh yeah, the refurbs are great and would serve many users well. I've set family and friends up with a few devices costing between $200 and $400. An iPad is an entirely different class of device - why not a desktop? why not a mobile phone?
The appeal of the MBA is a quality screen, aspect ratio, keyboard, touchpad, battery life, lack of a fan, decent speakers. You'll also find an equivalent (new) Windows device with similar attributes costs a similar amount. I would tend to agree more with @PainToad in terms of purchasing a older model.
@ihfree: You will find "equivalent" new Windows devices for substantially less.
As above, if the point was to have an computer in the apple ecosystem, ipad. If you want the form factor of a MacBook, second hand MacBook. I'm not sure if it needs more elaboration than that
@Gorby: The iOS ecosystem and MacOS ecosystem are very different. MacOS is not locked down. As an example, you'll be limited to Safari's WebKit's browser engine on a iPad.
Do you have an example "equivalent" new Windows devices?
@Gorby: I know how to use OzBargain. I'm just wondering what you would consider to be an equivalent.
@ihfree: I'm not keen on getting into "oh but that one doesn't have X" debates on this, and nothing will be spec-for-spec equivalent because it's just dumb putting such a high spec chip behind a non-upgradable 8gb/256gb configuration. It means that any tasks the CPU and GPU in the M3 could do better than other machines… it can't.
Functionally , if you're looking for something for day to day usage, mostly browsing and office tasks, any $300-range 8th gen or later machine will do you fine. You want that with ages of battery, go chromebook. You want a nice screen, grab one of the many oled systems that get posted.
I think the takeaway is that Apple really just doesn't have a horse in the race in the mid to low tier market anymore and it keeps pumping out these machines with awful specs because people who don't know better buy them to have the latest new and shiny, and because it keeps their "from" price artificially low.
@Gorby: Interesting. One must wonder how luxury car makers get by when the second hand market exists.
@ihfree: I think this would be the equivalent of a base model Tesla Model X having 75km of range, and then people get mad at saying it's a bad car because some people only need to drive to the shops and back.
@ihfree: The cheapest, lowest spec MBA you can get. With 8/256 it’s not a long term purchase. Might as well minimise the cost.
@PainToad: I would largely agree that the older MBAs are much better value.
I don't really see them as "not a long term purchase." I've had a MBA for 3.5 years now and I don't see any reason why I it wouldn't last another 3 or more years.
In many respects, minimising cost and buying a better, newer laptop if your needs change is a decent strategy.
100% agreed. 8GB in 2024 is a crime!
8gb unified… as in the gpu shares this as well
I brought this laptop last month. The performance of this laptop is fine. Even the next model up doesn't come with 16Gb of RAM.
8Gb is decent for general use (i.e. Safari & MS Office use). If you run VM's, Developer tools, Lightroom, Machine Learning, and other hungry apps it's not for you. Buy a MacBook Pro instead.
Good to see the Apple fanboys out in force with the down votes. Gotta love paying that steep, steep Apple tax
Dos Dudes will flip chips
Mine is on 8, good enough to complain about a soggy burger.
sigh $1500 and only 8gb of ram.
Doesn't matter. Sheep gonna buy, what you gonna do
grabs some popcorn for the incoming replies …
10-15% off JB Gift cards ?
If you know you know. If you dont you dont.
You have been a Ozbargain member since 2014 :(
It is a reference to the gift card deals that routinely happen for TCN gift cards and Ultimate gift cards. Some of the Ultimate and TCN gift cards feature JB Hi-Fi as a participating retailer.
You usually actually see 20x Everyday Rewards points or 20x Flybuys points on these deals, but you occasionally see 10% off deals (and on particularly rare occasions, 15% off).
Three deals that are worth pointing out:
20x Everyday Rewards points with selected Ultimate gift cards @ Woolworths
2000 bonus Flybuys points with $100 TCN Him gift card @ Coles
There is also FAQ for gift cards, where it contains FAQs for the number of Ultimate / TCN gift cards you can redeem in one transaction at JB Hi-Fi.
Thanks!
when was the last time 15% off GC happened?
maybe muzeeb can put more memory in?
works well…
hahahahhah
Two other current deals which may be off interest:
M2 Air - $1297
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/862716
M1 13" Pro 16gb $1099 ( caveat warranty - see comments)
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/861510
M1 13" Pro is 16g* too
I have this. I keep saying this, but it is not fallible.
But it is still much better than my 8gb windows laptop by far (except the user experience sux compared to windows).
But then again, my windows machine was a refurb $330 i5 7th Gen, compared to a MBP M1.
Underspecced. For some reason, this guys employer won't give them a proper tool to do their job.
Came here for the 8gb replies, but some other notes:
Hoping when M4 versions come along they move up to a 12GB minimum.
The problem is that 4GB extra does not cost apple even peanuts. They want people to spend more to buy the basic 16 GB version. 8GB works fine? OK fine, but at that cost why not put 16GB in there? If it was a cheap laptop understandable.
You know what, a base of 12gb would be not that bad… if they do the same "$300 for 8gb" thing, the brackets up are a little better - 20, 28, 36gb. It would make it trickier to compare as well (is it fair to compare a 32gb machine to a 36gb one?)
Hoping when M4 versions come along they move up to a 12GB minimum.
Prepare to be disappointed…
Wtb cheap mba 15
8gb of non-upgradeable unified memory is not even good in one of those el cheapo laptop deals that come on here all the time, let alone sinking $1500 on a MacBook.