Following the announcement of three new MacBook Pro laptops, Apple has not only confirmed that trade-in offers can help bring the purchase cost of a MacBook Pro down, it’s also heavily promoting the offer on social media.
But there’s a catch. The trade-in offers are limited to current Apple owners.
Who Is Eligible For A MacBook Pro Discount?
Apple has gated the specific value of the trade-in. Current Mac owners are asked to input their serial number before the offer is confirmed, although Apple’s default trade-in page suggests offers of up to $875 for a MacBook Pro and $445 for a MacBook Air. To get the highest value, your trade-in must be one of the most recent laptops with high specifications.
While there is a box for “other manufacturers” laptops when opting to trade in during the purchasing process, this doesn’t lead to an offer page. Instead, it leads you to a note about recycling your old hardware and the gracious offer from Apple to take it off your hands so it can be recycled responsibly.
Of the three new MacBook Pro laptops, the two professionally-focused laptops feel worthy of the investment of a trade-in. Both the 14-inch and 16-inch models come with a choice of either the M4 Pro or m4 Max Apple Silicon chipset, along with various storage and memory options. These are workstation-level laptops suitable for heavy-duty use, especially in the creative industry.
The third MacBook Pro is a different matter. It’s more in line with consumer expectations than with professionals’ expectations; the biggest giveaway is the use of the vanilla M4 chipset rather than anything more advanced. Yet, it is priced in line with this generation’s more advanced MacBook Pro laptops.
Is There A Better MacBook Option?
The best value for consumers would be a trade-in coupled with an M4-powered MacBook Air… except that Apple isn’t currently offering the M4 MacBook Air and may not do so until March 2025. At which point we’ll see just how many of the M4 MacBook Pro upgrades will be brought over to the M4 MacBook Air and how much more consumer-focused the base MacBook will be.
And there’ll probably be a trade-in on that laptop that will make for a far more attractive offer.
Now read more about Apple’s balancing act between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro…
