Apple’s official Black Friday sale doesn’t start until, well, Friday Nov. 27 and you’ll have through (Cyber) Monday Nov. 30 to take advantage of it. Its discount amounts to “$150 gift card with purchase of eligible models,” which includes at least an Intel-equipped MacBook Pro 16-inch. Given that you can find models with an effective discount of $200 or more — even if they’re not traditional Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales — don’t wait around for Apple.
You likely won’t find significantly lower prices on the new M1 MacBooks that use Apple’s own silicon, the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, just the older Intel-based models, though we’ve seen minor discounts appear (and disappear). That means you may want to wait, since the early returns on the M1 machines show they could offer a significant performance boost over their Intel-based predecessors. Plus, the M1 MacBook Air boasts a fanless design for blissfully silent operation.
While the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro lines received the M1 update, the 16-inch MacBook Pro line did not. The current models of the big MacBook Pro still use an Intel Core i7 or i9 chip. In addition, Apple still sells two higher-end configurations of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Intel parts. Lastly, Apple has stated that it will support all the Intel-powered Macs for years to come.
It’s also worth noting that the Apple Store offers students an educational discount, which can trim hundreds of dollars from the price of a new laptop or tablet.
Pricing for new M1 MacBooks
The new MacBooks maintain the pricing of the models they replace; the new MacBook Air starts at $999, and the new MacBook Pro starts at $1,299. (Those prices drop to $899 and $1,199 for students and educators.)
You might see a $50 discount on the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1, the first price break we’ve seen on any of the new models, moving from retailer to retailer. For instance, it was at Amazon, then jumped to B&H. One benefit of paying full price and buying from Apple is you can customize the machine and add more RAM or a higher-capacity SSD; the models sold on Amazon are fixed, baseline configurations.
MacBook discounts, compared
| Model w/ CPU (and storage capacity) | List price | Best price (current) | Best price (all-time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New MacBook Air w/ M1 chip (256GB) | $999 | $999 | $999 |
| New MacBook Air w/ M1 chip (512GB) | $1,249 | $1,249 | $1,249 |
| MacBook Air w/ 10th-gen Core i3 (256GB) | $999 | $899 | $850 |
| MacBook Air w/ 10th-gen Core i5 (512GB) | $1,299 | $1,140 | $1,050 |
| New MacBook Pro w/ M1 chip (256GB) | $1,299 | $1,299 | $1,250 |
| New MacBook Pro w/ M1 chip (512GB) | $1,499 | $1,449 | $1,449 |
| 13-inch MacBook Pro w/ 8th-gen Core i5 (256GB) | $1,299 | $1,149 | $1,099 |
| 13-inch MacBook Pro w/ 8th-gen Core i5 (512GB) | $1,499 | $1,300 | $1,299 |
| 13-inch MacBook Pro w/ 10th-gen Core i5 (512GB) | $1,799 | $1,699 | $1,599 |
| 16-inch MacBook Pro w/ 9th-gen Core i7 (512GB) | $2,399 | $2,149 | $2,079 |
| 16-inch MacBook Pro w/ 9th-gen Core i9 (1TB) | $2,799 | $2,499 | $2,449 |
Dan Ackerman/CNET
The new, fanless MacBook Air starts at $999 and features Apple’s M1 processor that has an 8‑core CPU, 7‑core GPU and 16‑core Neural Engine. The system also supplies 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. It lacks the Touch Bar (which could be viewed as a net positive) but features a 13.3-inch Retina display, Touch ID and the Magic keyboard.
Apple / screenshot
The step-up MacBook Air model delivers the M1 processor with a slight difference from the baseline model — it has an eight-core GPU versus the seven cores you get in the model above. It also doubles the storage capacity with a 512GB SSD.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
The baseline Intel-based MacBook Air model features a Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD as well as the updated Magic Keyboard. The Intel Core i3 processor is newer but offers less power than the Core i5 that comes with the 2019 base model. It’s currently selling for a $100 discount on Amazon. This discount shouldn’t be enough to tempt you over the new M1-based Air, especially since students may be eligible for a discount on the new M1-based model with the Apple Store’s educational discount.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
More processing power and more room for storing files, photos and videos. The step-up model of the Intel-based MacBook Air upgrades the CPU to a Core i5 chip and doubles the SSD capacity to 512GB. It’s currently $159 off at Amazon, which isn’t a big enough break to pass on the new M1 version.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro uses Apple’s new M1 processor, which is an 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, an 8-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. The baseline model also features 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, a Retina display, the Magic keyboard and the Touch Bar with Touch ID. Last week, it was selling on Amazon with a $49 discount — now it’s $50 off at B&H. The Amazon price cut is gone, but it’s worth monitoring Amazon for its return. If you want to upgrade the RAM on a new MacBook Pro, however, you’ll need to buy from Apple.
Apple / screenshot
The step-up MacBook Pro model doubles the storage capacity with a 512GB SSD. As with the baseline model above, last week’s $49 Amazon discount has moved to B&H.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The baseline Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro has a list price of $1,299 and is currently selling for $150 less than list at B&H. It features an eighth-gen 1.4GHz Core i5 processor along with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
The step-up model of the Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro model doubles the storage capacity to 512GB for an extra $200. It’s currently discounted by $150 at Amazon with an additional $49 savings at checkout.
The top-end model of the three default configurations of the Intel-based 13-inch MacBook Pro series carries a list price of $1,799 and is currently selling on Amazon with a $150 discount. Unlike the lower-cost models, it features a 10th-gen Core i5 CPU and doubles the RAM to 16GB. If you are spending this much on a MacBook, however, you ought to be looking at a new M1 configuration.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
The current 16-inch MacBook Pro was the lone MacBook not to receive an M1 upgrade. It features a 9th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, AMD Radeon Pro 5300M graphics and a 512GB SSD. It boasts a bigger screen with a higher resolution than its smaller, 13-inch sibling and currently selling at a $250 discount.
Óscar Gutiérrez/CNET
You can save $300 on the step-model of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which bumps up the CPU to an eight-core Core i9 chip and the GPU to the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M while also doubling the storage capacity to 1TB.
Watch this:
Hands-on with the entire new Apple Mac M1 lineup
9:02
