M3 MacBook Air preorders live now — here's how to get the latest MacBook on the release date

Buying Guides
By Tammy Rogers
published

Get a new MacBook on release date.

Where to preorder MacBook Air M3
(Image credit: Apple/ Future)

On March 4, 2024, Apple unleashed a surprise press release — M3-powered MacBook Airs are on the way. The biggest surprise of the whole thing? It’s only a few days until you can slip one into your bag.

The M3 MacBook Air is available to preorder now, for delivery on Friday, March 8th. That’s not far away at all, although if you want to make sure you can get your hands on one as soon and as close to the release date as possible, then you’ll want to preorder.

There are a few ways to preorder the M3 MacBook Air, in both its 13 and 15-inch sizes. The first is to head over to the Apple website, where you’ll find preorders live now. There are other places you can preorder as well, with a number of third-party retailers putting the newest MacBook Air up for order.

What's inside the new M3 MacBook Air?

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The new MacBook Air brings the much-lauded M3 chip to the thin and light line, replacing the M2 models from yesteryear. If you’re looking for a visual update with the latest MacBook you’re going to be out of luck — all of the improvements come with the M3 chip rather than with new design features.

That new chip is a doozy, however, trouncing the M1 and outperforming the M2 in all computing tasks. Gaming is 60% faster than the M1, for a start, and there are more performance gains across the board. It’s a very powerful chip that lies at the heart of the new M3 MacBook Air, and it makes it a great update opportunity for old Intel Mac users and those who rock an M1-powered machine.

Where can I preorder the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air?

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,099 at Apple

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,099 at Apple

You can preorder the latest MacBook Air directly from Apple, where you can choose the internals that you want to have in your computer. That means you can opt for more RAM or a larger hard drive. We’d go for the former — 16GB of RAM is plenty and more than the less useful 8GB the laptop comes with as standard.

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M3 MacBook Air | From $1,099 at B&H Photo

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,099 at B&H Photo

This is another great option if you want to choose the internals of your MacBook Air. There are all the same options as you’ll find on the Apple Store, letting you choose your RAM and storage SSD size. Again, if you can afford the extra, get more RAM in your MacBook Air, so that you can do more multitasking and perform more intensive tasks.

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M3 MacBook Air | From $1,099 at Best Buy

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,099 at Best Buy

Best Buy has the MacBook Air available too, with all the colors to choose from. There’s a configurator here too, so you can choose what internals you’d like your new MacBook to have. You can order to a store for pickup with this option as well, if you know you’re not going to be in when it might get delivered.

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Where can I preorder the 15-inch M3 MacBook Air?

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,299 at Apple

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,299 at Apple

You can preorder the 15-inch version of the MacBook Air straight from the horse's mouth, where you can find all the available color, RAM, and storage options. Just like the 13-inch, you should upgrade your MacBook to something with more RAM so that you can do more multitasking, and crucially, have more web browser tabs open.

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M3 MacBook Air | From $1,299 at B&H Photo

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,299 at B&H Photo

Just like at the Apple Store, you can choose the internals of your brand-new MacBook Air. That means you can also opt for that all-important extra RAM, giving your computer a multitasking and performance boost. There’s an expedited shipping option here as well, so you can be sure you’ll get your new laptop as close to release as possible.

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,199 at Best Buy

M3 MacBook Air | From $1,199 at Best Buy

You can spec out a machine at Best Buy as well, choosing RAM and Storage. You get 3 free months of Apple TV+ if you buy your MacBook here too, so you can sample all the best Apple TV+ shows on that sumptuous Liquid Retina display.

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Tammy Rogers
Tammy Rogers
Senior Staff Writer

As iMore's Senior Staff writer, Tammy uses her background in audio and Masters in screenwriting to pen engaging product reviews and informative buying guides. The resident audiophile (or audio weirdo), she's got an eye for detail and a love of top-quality sound. Apple is her bread and butter, with attention on HomeKit and Apple iPhone and Mac hardware. You won't find her far away from a keyboard even outside of working at iMore – in her spare time, she spends her free time writing feature-length and TV screenplays. Also known to enjoy driving digital cars around virtual circuits, to varying degrees of success. Just don't ask her about AirPods Max - you probably won't like her answer.