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Mac Trade-Ins Surge Amid MacBook Neo Launch

Apple this week saw an unusual surge of Mac trade-ins amid the launch of the MacBook Neo.

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A reliable source speaking to MacRumors revealed that the quantity of Macs traded in at Apple retail stores this week increased over 100% compared to previous weeks, likely driven by demand for the ‌MacBook Neo‌ and M5 MacBook Air.

Older, low-end models dominated this week's trade-ins, suggesting that customers are upgrading to the ‌MacBook Neo‌ and the M5 ‌MacBook Air‌, rather than the new MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips.

The scale of increase is noticeably different from most previous Mac launches. While the launches of new Macs understandably cause a slight surge of trade-ins, the increase is typically much smaller than the one seen this week, suggesting heightened consumer enthusiasm for the new models. Evidence suggests that this is the biggest surge in Mac trade-ins since the launch of the first Apple silicon Macs between 2020 and 2021.

Related Roundup: MacBook Neo
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Neo (Buy Now)
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Top Rated Comments

jarman92 Avatar
9 weeks ago

This is Apple Marketing department at full throttle. Stores are still empty.
No Apple Store has been close to "empty" in like 20 years.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Non-Euclidean Avatar
9 weeks ago
"Apple Specialists are outraged at the number of people turning in MBPs for Neos. When told that a customer intended to use a Neo for travel, a nearby Genius started crying."
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
9 weeks ago
Love it!
Fill up that refurb store!

Still watching for my elusive M4 MBA 15" with 16/2TB combo.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 weeks ago
Based on my own informal survey of social media, Reddit, YouTube, the Neo is generating a lot of excitement among Apple and non-Apple users alike.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
9 weeks ago

I just ran some SNs on Apple's site and the oldest MBA they'll give money for is the 2018, only worth $95. Oldest MBP is 2017, worth as low as $40 for the base model.
I should put my 15" 2015 MBP into the Apple "how much we'll give you" site so I can see this pop up on screen👇



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Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KENESS Avatar
9 weeks ago
That it is mostly older low-end models mostly is a good sign for the product mix as a whole I think. It means people want to keep up to date with a new machine, a new warranty, etc, but know their needs aren't overly demanding. It also means the Neo isn't cannibalizing more expensive machines, as people are basically just upgrading older equivalent machines.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)