Apple Now Selling Refurbished M2 MacBook Air Models

[kjvmartin]

Should be enough for the home and college user?

Not at all.

I am not a pro. I had the 8GB M1 Pro. A pro device, for a guy like me, should be overkill. It was anything but, my ram usage was constantly in the yellow and sometimes red in the memory pressure in activity monitor. I wondered why it didn't seem as "snappy" as everyone said it would be. We are talking about running mail, messages, safari a few tabs, music, podcasts, tv, calendar, personal finance spreadsheet in numbers.

I would have to keep things closed, remember to close apps in the background regularly or I would live in the yellow to red memory pressure range. Per Apple Support, if you are often in the yellow it means you may need more memory.

I am not doing any pro level work right now on my 14" MB Pro M1. I have an eBay listing open, this page, my personal finance spreadsheet, mail, messages, music playing, and an apple support safari tab. Sometimes I have photos, calendar, notes, and reminders open. I never have to think about closing apps anymore. I am at 13.28 GB of memory used in the green. This Mac has never reached yellow memory pressure once, to my knowledge.

 

[code-m]

Agreed.



The 8GB standard came in 2017 I believe. I believe 4GB was standard since 2012. So, 5 years.

There maybe a chance that the entry level models RAM will be bumped to 12GB in 2023/24 as the entry level iPad Air/Pro with M1/2 have 8GB.

I suspect 12GB RAM as the M2 MBA comes in RAM options of 8/16/24. I suspect going forward it will be 12/16/24GB for consumer Mac hardware and 16/32/64 for semi-pro/pro while the high-end will probably be 32/64/128/256 RAM options.

8GB of RAM should still be supported by Apple for another 5 years after the M2 cease being on sale, let’s say 2024/26 timeframe. Support to end on 8GB 2029/2030.

 

[code-m]

Not at all.

I am not a pro. I had the 8GB M1 Pro. A pro device, for a guy like me, should be overkill. It was anything but, my ram usage was constantly in the yellow and sometimes red in the memory pressure in activity monitor. I wondered why it didn't seem as "snappy" as everyone said it would be. We are talking about running mail, messages, safari a few tabs, music, podcasts, tv, calendar, personal finance spreadsheet in numbers.

I would have to keep things closed, remember to close apps in the background regularly or I would live in the yellow to red memory pressure range. Per Apple Support, if you are often in the yellow it means you may need more memory.

I am not doing any pro level work right now on my 14" MB Pro M1. I have an eBay listing open, this page, my personal finance spreadsheet, mail, messages, music playing, and an apple support safari tab. Sometimes I have photos, calendar, notes, and reminders open. I never have to think about closing apps anymore. I am at 13.28 GB of memory used in the green. This Mac has never reached yellow memory pressure once, to my knowledge.

Aren’t most of those tasks handled by lower spec iPad without issue, something does not seem right about your system is there anything running in the background, memory leaks, trojans, etc.

Asking as I have not come across any of these issues on an M1 MBA, I did upgrade to 16GB but that was due to using Affinity Photo, DaVinci, etc.

 

[boswald]

Hardly "paltry". It's more than what most people need. If someone truly needs more, they're likely looking at MacBook Pros anyway.

I disagree.

I, personally, prefer the size and form factor of the Air with some of the power of the Pro (16GB/512GB). Best of both worlds and a little bit of room for future-proofing.

 

[usagora]

I disagree.

I, personally, prefer the size and form factor of the Air with some of the power of the Pro (16GB/512GB). Best of both worlds and a little bit of room for future-proofing.

I said "likely" not "definitely" so we're actually not in disagreement 😉 But most people would be fine with 8GB.

 

[bibasik7]

Apple today added refurbished M2 MacBook Air models to its online store, offering the machines at a discounted price for the first time. The M2 MacBook Airs first launched in July, and refurbished models have not previously been available.

There are several variants available with different configurations and colors, but the base model MacBook Air with M2 chip, 8-core GPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD is available for $1,079, a $120 discount off of the original $1,199 price.

The M2 MacBook Air is the first machine to feature the upgraded M2 chip, along with the 13-inch MacBook Pro. It also offers a full redesign, with Apple doing away with the tapered chassis the MacBook Air used for years and instead introducing a more MacBook Pro-like look. It features slimmer bezels and a lighter weight compared to prior MacBook Air models, plus it adopts MagSafe and more USB-C ports.

Supplies of the refurbished M2 MacBook Air models will shift over time as Apple adds new machines, so if you're wanting a specific configuration or color, you may need to check back often.

Refurbished products from Apple are almost identical to new products, and are subject to a refurbishment process that includes full functionality testing. Refurbished products are eligible for AppleCare+ and have the same 14-day return period as new Apple devices.

Article Link: Apple Now Selling Refurbished M2 MacBook Air Models

The only options are 8/256 and 8/512. 8GB RAM may be usable now, but it'll feel really cramped in a few years.

 

[boswald]

I said "likely" not "definitely" so we're actually not in disagreement 😉 But most people would be fine with 8GB.

Ok, fair enough. But what about those who use the base model Air with the slow SSD? Won’t 8GB fill up fast and do a lot of disk swapping?

 

[usagora]

Ok, fair enough. But what about those who use the base model Air with the slow SSD? Won’t 8GB fill up fast and do a lot of disk swapping?

I'm one of those with the base model Air (M1 version). I don't find the SSD slow at all and I'm not concerned about disk swapping (see post 54). I've been using base model Airs since 2013 without issue.

 

[MacRumorUser78]

That many returns, interesting.

I returned a MBP about a year ago. Decided I should have bought more RAM and storage, so I returned the unit and ordered the one I wanted. I imagine lots of gifts are returned to get exactly what one wants. Some people will order two different ones at the same time and keep the one they want. Etc.

 

[sorgo †]

So, the luster of iPad out of your life, if so, don‘t you miss iPad, or was your 9th gen not your only iPad?

I do now have an iPad-shaped hole in my heart, yes, but I think this time it’s mini-sized. I’ll probably spring for a seventh-gen by the time it’s released to bridge the gap between iPhone and MacBook.

 

[Tozovac]

That many returns, interesting.

Always curious of…could a large portion of those also be internal rebuilds where 1 small part was changed, either due to a cosmetic blemish or failed functional test? Does anyone know if the majority or minority of refurbs for sale acasually came from a customer return?

 

[Bremse]

Interesting question. I think if they catch and correct issues before the unit ships they can still sell it as new. Do they sometimes use the refurb channel to dump overstock inventory? I wouldn’t be surprised.

 

[rp2011]

The only options are 8/256 and 8/512. 8GB RAM may be usable now, but it'll feel really cramped in a few yearThe base 8

For an iPad it may be fine. But any Mac, even an entry level base model with 8/256 should not exist in 2022.

 

[lazyrighteye]

Thanks for justifying your purchase without any reason.
I have a starlight mba too, it’s great and midnight is also great because the fingerprints aren’t that bad if one is not a neat freak. Has beeen said a million times now. Now go and focus on the important things in life!

Interesting. Even going back and re-reading, the reason seemed pretty straightforward: I find Starlight less smudge-prone. That seems no better/worse of a justification than color preference, RAM configuration, storage size, screen size, etc. It's exactly why they offer more than one color way and configuration: people have different needs/values/preferences. Breaking news.

I have to admit... At first, I found it one part funny, one part weird, that you took time out of your day to wag a finger at a completely harmless post from a total stranger buried in a super niche thread on a nerdy tech forum (that's the weird part) whilst simultaneously recommending I focus on the important things in life (that's the funny part). But then I thought "you know, maybe they were having a bad day - it certainly happens." So I did my due diligence and scanned some of you previous posts. Turns out you either have an uncanny knack for only posting when having a bad day or finger-wagging is your preferred way to human. Either way, best of luck out there.

 

[knarzie]

Think I might get one and get rid of my iPad Pro, which predictably has proven unnecessarily heavy when travelling.

 

[chucker23n1]

Aren’t most of those tasks handled by lower spec iPad without issue,

iPadOS will (mostly) kill background apps, so its RAM requirements are lower. Exceptions include features like background refresh, and also Stage Manager.

macOS has some facilitates to kill background apps (and bring them back if needed), but most apps don't behave that way; instead, they get swapped, which puts more strain on RAM.

I'd argue by next year or the year after, all Macs should start at 16 Gigs. It's time.

 

[code-m]

iPadOS will (mostly) kill background apps, so its RAM requirements are lower. Exceptions include features like background refresh, and also Stage Manager.

macOS has some facilitates to kill background apps (and bring them back if needed), but most apps don't behave that way; instead, they get swapped, which puts more strain on RAM.

I'd argue by next year or the year after, all Macs should start at 16 Gigs. It's time.

I share you sentiment to some degree, I suspect that since the M2 iPad Pro has more memory bandwidth compared to the M1 and “desktop class apps” being introduced and marketed with iPadOS 16, going forward it is not hard to imagine that we get a forked version of iPadOS 17, technically iPadOS 16 is forked as some features depend on hardware capabilities and macOS has done incorporated this in the part due to hardware limitations.

What believe we will see with the iPhone, iPad and Mac line may look something like:

iPhone SE = 4GB RAM
iPhone = 6GB RAM
iPhone Pro = 8GB RAM

iPad (entry) = 4GB RAM
iPad mini = 6GB RAM
iPad Air = 8GB RAM
iPad Pro = 8-16GB RAM (would prefer 12-16GB or iPad Air rebranded as iPad)

MacBook Air/ MacMini/iMac = 12/16/24GB RAM
MacBook/MacStudio/MacMini (Pro)/ iMac (Pro) = 16/32/64GB RAM
MacPro = 32/64/128/256GB RAM

 

[ThomasJL]

How does Apple make money selling used MacBooks that they refunded?

Because Tim Cook is a greedy a**hole who raised prices so much and set much higher profit margins than Steve Jobs and gives stingy discounts on refurbished products.

 

[Whathappened]

Interesting. Even going back and re-reading, the reason seemed pretty straightforward: I find Starlight less smudge-prone. That seems no better/worse of a justification than color preference, RAM configuration, storage size, screen size, etc. It's exactly why they offer more than one color way and configuration: people have different needs/values/preferences. Breaking news.

I have to admit... At first, I found it one part funny, one part weird, that you took time out of your day to wag a finger at a completely harmless post from a total stranger buried in a super niche thread on a nerdy tech forum (that's the weird part) whilst simultaneously recommending I focus on the important things in life (that's the funny part). But then I thought "you know, maybe they were having a bad day - it certainly happens." So I did my due diligence and scanned some of you previous posts. Turns out you either have an uncanny knack for only posting when having a bad day or finger-wagging is your preferred way to human. Either way, best of luck out there.

I just read and when I come across such unasked justification like you did with the first post or your try to turn your obvious justification into something else like accusing me of finger wagging with your second post – I indeed like to put my finger into that wound.
And yes, I mostly comment that way and I don’t do “my hardware choice was better“ posts like your do because I usually don’t post in a super niche thread on a nerdy tech forum, which I read out of simple interest.
I just can’t stand it when someone like you abuses a harmless topic to mock other people´s choices.
You did not just say „I am happy with my starlight“.

 

[lazyrighteye]

I just read and when I come across such unasked justification like you did with the first post or your try to turn your obvious justification into something else like accusing me of finger wagging with your second post – I indeed like to put my finger into that wound.
And yes, I mostly comment that way and I don’t do “my hardware choice was better“ posts like your do because I usually don’t post in a super niche thread on a nerdy tech forum, which I read out of simple interest.
I just can’t stand it when someone like you abuses a harmless topic to mock other people´s choices.
You did not just say „I am happy with my starlight“.

Neat. It appears you completely missed that I was actually agreeing with @dantracht who said “Cool, though I wouldn’t go near a base model or that midnight fingerprint magnet color. That’s just me though.”

I merely told my tale of really wanting the Midnight and then at the last second switching. Ended up being glad I did as I enjoy my Starlight. So @dantracht was not alone on his feeling about the Midnight.

Literally nowhere in my response was there any abuse or mockery, on any level. That you could even make that claim is both flat out false and straight up weird. But as we have seen, that’s apparently par for the course. Again, good luck.

 

[BillBlodgett]

Plenty for an office user as well. I manage a day spa off mine. 20+ active Safari tabs, Mail, WhatsApp, Canva, etc all run congruently without issue.

Uh, NO !

 

[dustin_]

Uh, NO !

Uhhh... yes. Source: Me, using my own 8GB M2 as I previously described.