macnn/electronista

07/03/2008, 1:55pm, EDT

Thursday, July 3rd

Apple slashes $500 from MB Air SSD price

Apple on Friday has quietly cut the price on the MacBook Air's solid-state drive by $500, bringing the price of the pre-built 1.8GHz model with the 64GB flash drive to $2,598 from its previous $3,098. The cut also sees Apple drop the price of adding the solid-state drive to a 1.6GHz model to $599 from its original $999 and reduces the price of adding the faster 1.8GHz processor to $200 from its previous $300.

Apple has not provided an explanation for the price drop.

The discount comes as manufacturers are introducing a greater number of solid-state drives that double the capacity over previous models while in some cases reducing prices. Samsung, which supplies the 64GB drive used in the MacBook Air as well as multiple other ultraportable notebooks, expects to release an inexpensive 256GB drive late this year that will reduce the price for its level of storage while doubling the transfer speeds of existing drives; it should also maintain the same longevity as earlier disks. Enthusiast-oriented firm OCZ also plans a sub-$500 128GB drive for the near future.


Filed under: computers, industry, upgrades/storage, Apple
Other story tags: Samsung, MacBook Air, OCZ

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does this mean

-5
07/03, 2:08pm, EDT

early MBA buyers are going to protest that they got rooked and deserve a rebate????

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Aug 2001
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re: does this mean

2
07/03, 2:25pm, EDT

Nope.. it was over the "3 month protest rule" as stated by the EULA on all Apple products

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Feb 2004
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Considering

1
07/03, 2:31pm, EDT

with a decent price for the 256GB SSD, this is something I would consider buying.

Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined May 2005
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Good deal for u.s.a.

3
07/03, 2:55pm, EDT

...but price remains at the equivalent of $4,500 inc. taxes within the eurozone. Yup, this is not a misprint!

Forum Regular
Joined Oct 1999
User is offline

expect more...

4
07/03, 7:24pm, EDT

Expect the price cuts to keep coming over the next year or two. SSDs are a disruptive innovation and they will eventually overtake magnetic spinning disk technologies in laptops. But it's a classic problem -- prices will be high until volume production increases. Similar to the flat screen TV market, it could take awhile to get the ball rolling...

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Joined Jul 2008
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