Approaching 1.7 Million Won, Might as Well Buy a MacBook Pro Instead of Air

M2 Chip Equipped Air Priced at 1.69 Million KRW Launching Soon
40 Million KRW Increase Compared to Previous M1 Chip Version
MacBook Pro at 1.79 Million KRW, 100,000 KRW Difference

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] Kim Jaehyun (pseudonym), a self-proclaimed ‘Apple maniac,’ recently found himself in a dilemma after seeing the new MacBook Air equipped with the M2 chip unveiled by Apple. Despite claims that the new model offers a 20% performance improvement over its predecessor, the nearly 1.7 million KRW starting price based on the basic specifications makes it difficult to make an easy purchase decision.

According to the National Radio Research Agency on the 29th, Apple Korea obtained radio certification for a specific low-power wireless device (model number A2681) on the 27th. Judging by the model number A2681, it is presumed to be the new MacBook Air model recently unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Apple Korea’s official website also indicates that the product is scheduled for release in July.

Earlier this month, Apple introduced the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models at WWDC held at Apple’s headquarters in California, USA. These models are equipped with Apple’s silicon M2 chip, which Apple explains offers up to 20% faster speed when applying filters in Photoshop compared to the previous M1 chip MacBook Air, and about 40% faster speed in Final Cut Pro tasks. The battery can last up to 18 hours based on video playback.

Among domestic consumers, there is both eager anticipation and complaints about the increased price burden. This is because the relatively affordable entry-level MacBook Air price has surged. The new MacBook Air starts at 1.69 million KRW, about 400,000 KRW more than the previous MacBook Air M1 chip model. It is only 100,000 KRW cheaper than the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip priced at 1.79 million KRW. One user on an online community commented, “If you add just a little option like extra RAM to the MacBook Air M2, you can buy the MacBook Pro M1 at that price, so it came out too expensive.” Another user expressed, “I’m wondering if it’s really worth paying more than 400,000 KRW for the M2 chip version compared to the M1 chip version.”

Besides the new MacBook Air, Apple has been raising prices each time it releases a MacBook. The MacBook Air M1 chip model released in 2021 is currently listed on the official website starting at 1.39 million KRW. Although the original price was 1.29 million KRW, it was raised by 100,000 KRW without significant changes in semiconductor chips or other specifications. The 13-inch MacBook Pro also had a starting price of 1.69 million KRW for the M1 chip version, but with the switch to the M2 chip, the starting price was set 100,000 KRW higher at 1.79 million KRW.