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A good use case for a spare 2019 Air?

SnowCrocodile

SnowCrocodile

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 21, 2022
586
599
SouthEast of Northern MidWest
I have a base 2019 Air that had a keyboard issue which I seem to have fixed. The previous owner had already moved on to a M4, so now I have a spare Intel MBA (I already have a M2 one).

So, what’s a good use case for it outside of just being a spare / travel device? It’s completely barebones (8/128) but still - surprisingly - not laggy and the battery life is “Normal” so should be above 80%.
 
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It’s hard to say depending on your use. You could use it to stream music over HomePods and as a kitchen laptop to look up recipes.

If you have a younger relative that isn’t extremely spoiled it could be a nice gift. I know this is highly unlikely with younger people today though.

It would make a good travel laptop if risk of theft is high. Even still you’re would have to be careful because thieves will steal anything they can get.
 
I have a 2017 Air - running Monterey. I use it for the occasional work travel or for locations where I don't feel particularly precious about it being dinged about (cafes, airports, transit, etc) - but, in truth, short of very few apps, it has all the functionality and files on it that I use regularly on my M2. And, essentially, its another backup.

Once a month, I use Airdrop and send files I know have changed from my main computer over to it. Its slower, sure, but if I feel a need to drag it out with me, I can work on the files (or watch video or listen to music or check out the net) - and, if need be, send them back to the M2 or into cloud storage.
 
IJustWannaTalk said:
I hear this thing a lot.

For us non-programmers, what does "mess around with" actually mean?
Click to expand...

In my (limited) experience, it meant looking for software that is actually useful, works as expected and is compatible with everything in the computer and all else I might want to attach to the computer. So essentially, a harder computer experience and is why Mac and Win OSs end up being the go-to.

Great for those deeply concerned with security and / or hobbyists, but otherwise...?

That said, I understand there's even ChromeOS versions you can stick onto older Macs - but again, why? Limitations.
 
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Bazza1 said:
In my (limited) experience, it meant looking for software that is actually useful, works as expected and is compatible with everything in the computer and all else I might want to attach to the computer. So essentially, a harder computer experience and is why Mac and Win OSs end up being the go-to.

Great for those deeply concerned with security and / or hobbyists, but otherwise...?

That said, I understand there's even ChromeOS versions you can stick onto older Macs - but again, why? Limitations.
Click to expand...
Meh. I'll stick with selling my older computers to those types of people.
 
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IJustWannaTalk said:
I hear this thing a lot.

For us non-programmers, what does "mess around with" actually mean?
Click to expand...
Well, to do whatever you want with. My old 2013 MacBook Pro ran like a dog with Big Sur which was the last supported version of macOS. Yet when I wipe it and install Fedora it runs like a super computer from the future. It's ridiculous.

Of course if you have no interest in operating systems or learning about Linux then it's not really worth it. But if you do, then it's a great way to make use of old redundant hardware.
 
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Steve121178 said:
Well, to do whatever you want with. My old 2013 MacBook Pro ran like a dog with Big Sur which was the last supported version of macOS. Yet when I wipe it and install Fedora it runs like a super computer from the future. It's ridiculous.

Of course if you have no interest in operating systems or learning about Linux then it's not really worth it. But if you do, then it's a great way to make use of old redundant hardware.
Click to expand...
Okay, cool?
 
I used to enjoy dabbling in Linux distros on older devices, but now I lack the desire and/or motivation, so I sell them or give them away.
 
I was running Linux distros for a while. Mainly Mint or Elementary, as I came to like them the most. But, for me at least, it fails to provide a complete ecosystem that I can live in. It’s an interesting OS (with many vastly different flavors) but it’s little more than that. Apple and Google have complete ecosystems, and MS has an incomplete one (no native mobile) but with some very powerful tools. Linux barely has an ecosystem at all.

Given that this 2019 MBA is still surprisingly snappy - or at least not slow - loading Linux on it is probably not something I’d want to do just yet.

Although it’s a valid and very good suggestion.
 
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