Apple's old MacBook Air is still on sale

If the new MacBook Air seems too expensive, you'll still be able to buy the previous version for $999.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.

Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials

Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer

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David Carnoy

Oct. 30, 2018 9:39 a.m. PT

2 min read

Apple's new MacBook Air starts at $1,199 (£1,199, AU$1,849), which is $200 more than the old MacBook Air. But in a move that could prove confusing, the old MacBook Air will remain in the MacBook Air line and retain its $999 starting price.

The new MacBook Air has a high-resolution Retina display, is a little lighter and has other performance enhancements. All things considered, it makes sense to pay the extra $200 to get it if you're in the market for a MacBook Air. However, we do expect to see significant discounts on the old MacBook Air at retailers like Best Buy that may make it more tempting. In other words, don't buy the old MacBook Air at full list price.

While we were perusing Apple's new MacBook Air choices on its website, we also clicked around to see if any other products had disappeared or were upgraded.

The iPad Mini 4 is still around and hasn't been updated (it still has an A8 chip) and remains overpriced at $399 for the 128GB model. Some rumors had Apple releasing an iPad Mini 5, but no new Mini model materialized at its event in Brooklyn.

The iPod Touch is still kicking but it hasn't been updated either. It starts at $199 for the 32GB model with an A8 processor. Apple's new iPad Pro models are powered by an A12X processor.

MacBook Air 2018 gets Retina display, Touch ID for $1,199, available Nov. 7

Apple's new iPad Pro is more like iPhone X, starts at $799