Windows Laptops Still Can't Compete with MacBooks(0)

This two-year-old laptop, which Apple still sells, remains an extremely attractive little device. The 13-inch model officially starts at a price of $999, and considering it only comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, that might not sound too impressive. In fact, the Surface Laptop 7th Edition starts at $999, but comes with twice the memory.

That $200 difference might not sound like a huge deal, but margins are very tight at this price point.

Of course, you’re getting an older laptop with the M2 MacBook Air, but it’s identical in terms of chassis and features to the M3 model that was released earlier this year. You get better GPU performance with the M3, but so long as you’re not trying to play games, you likely won’t notice the difference too much.

You can take things even further if you want and opt for the M1 MacBook Air, which now sells for $649. If you’re shopping for a MacBook, I’d recommend the M2 model though, as you get a better display, webcam, speakers, and port selection. It’s more than worth an extra $150.

The affordable price of the M2 MacBook Air makes even today's Chromebooks harder to recommend.

I'd expect Copilot+ PC prices to drop over time, and Qualcomm has hinted at cheaper Snapdragon X PCs coming next year. But for now, Apple has a small share of the laptop market, and Windows laptops are having a hard time keeping up with that share, even if they're making some significant inroads into the $1,000+ price point.

But for now, you won't find a better sub-$1,000 laptop than the M2 MacBook Air.