Apple’s higher (and lower) MacBook pricing explained
Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Macworld explains that Apple MacBook Air M5 models start at higher prices ($1,099 for 13-inch, $1,299 for 15-inch), but now include 512GB of storage instead of 256GB.
- The M5 Pro MacBook Pro starts at $2,199 with 1TB of storage, while the M5 Max starts at $3,599 with 2TB of storage.
- Although they appear more expensive, the effective prices remain unchanged when comparing equivalent storage configurations on the M4 and M5 generations.
Apple introduced new laptops with new chips on Tuesday, as well as new prices. Usually it’s easy to tell whether something has increased or decreased, but this time it’s a little more complicated than that. Let’s take a look at the price development.
MacBook Air M5
The new 13-inch MacBook Air M5 now starts at $1,099, which is $100 more than the $999 MacBook Air M4. However, Apple doubled the M4 Air’s base 256GB SSD to $999, and the M5 Air now has a 512GB SSD. To make things even more confusing, the M4 Air with a 512GB SSD cost $1,199. So it looks like the entry-level MacBook Air has gone up in price – which it has – but with more context, it’s also gone down.
The same top-down effect happens with the 15-inch MacBook Air M5. It starts at $1,299, which is $100 more than the M4 version. But the M4 Air had a 256GB SSD, which was replaced by a 512GB SSD in the M5 Air. The 15-inch Air with a 512GB SSD was $1,399, or $100 more. The same goes for higher storage tiers. Learn more about the new MacBook Air M5.
MacBook Pro M5
The entry-level MacBook Pro, on sale since October for $1,599, now starts at $1,699. But instead of 512GB of storage, you now get 1TB of storage, which was $1,799 previously. All other storage options also cost $100 less, so the 2TB model will cost $2,099 instead of $2,199.
MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max
The MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max is in a similar situation, although it doesn’t have the same top-down effect as the MacBook Air M5.
The base 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 Pro costs $2,199, an increase of $200 over the base MacBook Pro M4 Pro. But with the M5 Pro/Max, Apple has ditched the 512GB SSD and now offers a 1TB SSD as an entry point for storage. So the $2,199 MacBook Pro M5 Pro includes a 1TB SSD. Upgrading to a 1TB SSD in the $1,999 MacBook Pro M4 Pro added $200 to the price, bringing it down to the same $2,199. So effectively, the price has not changed.
The MacBook Pro M5 Max is no longer available with a 1TB SSD; it starts at $3,599 with a 2TB SSD. The laptop it replaces, the MacBook Pro M4 Max, started at $3,199, but it came with a 1TB SSD, and an upgrade to 2TB cost $400, bringing its price to $3,599. So the price is essentially the same, but the starting price is higher due to the additional storage.
The same goes for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, which now starts at $2,699 with an M5 Pro processor and 1TB of storage, or $3,899 with an M5 Max chip and 2TB of storage. Access is more expensive because you are forced to opt for higher storage tiers. Learn more about the new MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max.
Overall, prices have not changed when comparing SSD specifications. But if you just look at the prices in terms of placement in the lineup, they’ve gone up. It also appears that the change in SSD storage and pricing has something to do with the next budget MacBook; Macworld contributor Mahmoud Itani offers more insight. Something to keep in mind when shopping for the new laptops.
