The M1 MacBook Air lives on for $699 at Walmart of all places

When Apple announced the new M3 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops the company took the decision to keep the M2 13-inch model around as the new entry-level option, priced at $999. That meant that there was no space in the lineup for the older M1 MacBook Air with Apple choosing to discontinue it entirely. However, those who still want to pick up the older 2020 model still can, and it's at an incredible price from an unlikely source.

That source is Walmart, making this the first time that the MacBook Air has been available from the company as a first-party sale. There were third-party sellers offering the laptop via the Walmart website but this is a first for Walmart proper. But that isn't even the most interesting part here - that distinction goes to the price that buyers will pay. At just $699, the M1 13-inch MacBook Air is a bargain and one that might be enough to get more than a few people to switch.

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Switching from Windows to macOS is of course easier to do when you can get your hands on a bargain laptop at this kind of price and that could be a real benefit to Apple here. But this special price could also prove to be just low enough to get any Intel stalwarts to upgrade from their older model to a new Apple silicon Mac for the first time.

The MacBook Air being sold for $699 comes with the M1 chip, 256GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM in either Gold, Silver, or Space Gray. These are brand-new models, not refurbished stock, making this a great option for any potential new MacBook Air owner. In fact, this price is around $160 cheaper than Apple's refurbished store currently sells the same laptop. The jump to the $999 M2 model is quite large which might see a lot of people choose the cheaper model while thee M3 MacBook Air's starting price point of $1,099 now seems very expensive indeed alongside the M1 version.

While it's true that the M1 MacBook Air isn't getting any newer at this point, it's still a very good machine in terms of performance. That's especially the case if you're going to spend your time working within web apps, for example, while most people are unlikely to push the M1 beyond its limits during day-to-day use regardless. Those looking to work with large media files or need to compile apps in Xcode might want to consider spending the extra to upgrade to a newer model, however.