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MacBook Air M5 has launched this week but many are now waiting to see what Apple decides to do with the budget model.
Apple’s new MacBook version is likely to sit below the Air variant in the lineup and priced well below it as well.
Apple has launched the new MacBook Air M5 model along with the higher-end MacBook Pro M5 Pro and M5 Max variants. The company has changed the base model strategy by offering 512GB as the starting variant on the M5 MacBook Air, while going up to 1TB for the higher MacBook Pros.
Many have noticed this as an upgrade but people in countries like India will now pay Rs 20,000 for that added storage.
So Apple has effectively increased the entry point for a MacBook Air, which was supposed to be its lighter and more compact model. And with all the news around the budget MacBook launching soon (this week maybe), the price revision will have a direct impact on this model.
Budget MacBook: What Does Apple Have In Mind
The budget MacBook, which could be named Neo, is rumoured to be priced around $599 or $699 when it launches. This is not exactly budget pricing for a laptop but for Apple and its recent prices, this is definitely in that bracket.
However, the MacBook Air M5 price going up (with 512GB storage as base) means the company has more room to fit this Neo model into its lineup without taking a hit on its price.
This means the MacBook Neo priced around Rs 70,000 allows Apple to have buyers for the new model as well as cater to those willing to spend big on the M5 MacBook Air. Apple’s storage prices have never added up and this Rs 20,000 premium to buy the 512GB Air model puts that well into perspective.
Many would say that for 70K you can get a decent Windows laptop in the market, but Apple could have a big say on how people view the badge on the Neo model and decide whether they are happy to take a hit in terms of the features just to use a MacBook. History suggests it could go either way for the company and the recent example of iPhone 16e might not give Apple too much to be excited about. But worth trying nevertheless.
Best Time To Buy The M4 MacBook Air?
The launch and the price hike for the M5 MacBook Air will obviously bring the M4 model back into the picture in a big way. Purely because the last-gen M chip is still quite powerful, you get it with 16GB RAM as the base model, and the price offers could make it extremely appealing, almost as much as the budget MacBook in some regions.
Delhi, India, India
March 04, 2026, 12:53 IST
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