I just wanted to ask this forum if I made a right decision purchasing base model MBA M1 over MBA M2. I feel like I am having a bit of buyers remorse purchasing the M1 vs M2. The reason I chose M1 was because of the education deal and I wanted to save money. Also hearing the SSD issues on the M2 made me feel like the M2 wasn’t worth the price tag. I just wanted to hear what everyone thinks if I made the right choice or not. I chose base model because I don’t feel with my usage that any upgrades would be beneficial for me. My biggest thing is I’m worried the M1 won’t last as long as the M2 and won’t be future proofed as long. Any help would be appreciated.
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Buyers remorse
- Thread starter ldsanders
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Based on what you say for your use case the only deciding factor for you should be how much you want to spend. The M2 Air in my opinion is just better. The new screen is noticeably better and bigger, the form factor is very nice and i like it better than the m1. As for performance and the “SSD issue” I didn’t notice a difference between the 2 models. If anything for some tasks the M2 feels a bit faster. As for the future proofing part i doubt the performance delta in the 2 chips will have any meaningful difference as to what is going to be supported or not in the future.
Apple officially supports all its Macs for 5 years after they stop selling them as new. The M1 will likely be sold as new for at least another year, so you should be OK. The performance difference between the M1 and M2 is nowhere near the jump between the Intel and M1 models. The biggest criticism of the M2 model is that it doesn't warrant the price difference from the M1 model. You should feel good about your purchase.
Price was the determining factor it seems for you, so there should be no remorse. The M1 MBA Base model is still a great computer and the wedge design makes it easy to type on. Sure the M2 is mostly better, but from what you've said you need the computer for, you don't need to worry.
It's an excellent choice if you don't want to spend more money on the M2. It's quite a saving and the machine is very powerful (I am typing on an older Intel Air which is multiple times slower than your M1 and the speed is fine for general use). Don't waste time regretting your decision.
You are correct—you made the wrong choice.
I would have gotten the m2. Lots of improvements and much mess dated design
I have always said that when it is difficult to decide between two choices, it usually doesn't matter much which you pick, the most important thing is to make a decision and move on.
This is difficult for some people, they get paralyzed with indecision.
This is difficult for some people, they get paralyzed with indecision.
you'll be fine; either mac is new for you, and both work, are fast, light. it's not like you're choosing between a 2008 macbook and the new one... ☺️
M1 won't be supported as long and M2 - that part is true. But at the same time, you saved money.
I'm writing this on an M1 MBA that I bought this year. Also a base model. In fact, I bought it shortly after the announcement of the new ones. Price was a factor and I didn't feel like I benefited from any of the hardware upgrades enough or at all - similar to what you said.
I love this computer and I'm confident it'll last me a couple of years. So no, I don't think you made the wrong choice at all.
An Intel MBA would have been the wrong choice but that would have been a pretty obvious wrong choice
I love this computer and I'm confident it'll last me a couple of years. So no, I don't think you made the wrong choice at all.
An Intel MBA would have been the wrong choice but that would have been a pretty obvious wrong choice
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I wouldn't feel any buyer's remorse, the M1 MacBook Air is one the best value per $ products Apple has ever made, it'll easily last 5-6 years and likely even more. It's very unlikely that unless you're pushing it with heavy workloads you would notice the difference between the M1 and the M2 chip. I guess if you really care about the new design or colors you could go for the M2 version but personally I don't think the new upgrades are worth the $200 price difference.
Honestly if I were you, I would return the M1 and just get the M2. Just do it.
The time and energy you'll spend on buyers remorse will be substantial. This thread is already stealing time from you. Just get the one you really want and avoid all that.
The time and energy you'll spend on buyers remorse will be substantial. This thread is already stealing time from you. Just get the one you really want and avoid all that.
Buyers remorse is pretty par for the Apple experience, because there is always something better coming along and Apple is great at convincing us we'd be stupid to be using the old one.
If you are worried about it, I would return it and get the latest model. Keep in mind you will have to pay a premium for your decision.
Realistically, I would save the money and upgrade when the machine is no longer useful, broken, or damaged. Based on my past experience, a mac can easily last 5+ years and there is a decent 2nd hand market for them.
Realistically, I would save the money and upgrade when the machine is no longer useful, broken, or damaged. Based on my past experience, a mac can easily last 5+ years and there is a decent 2nd hand market for them.
Return the M1 MBA and get the M2 version. You won't regret it. Keeping the M1 MBA to save a few bucks, YOU WILL regret it.
You made the right choice. If you are comparing base models, the M1 MBA is a better value.
Stick with the M1, your initial response was correct. The value proposition just isn't there for the M2. For all the extra money of the M2, all you get is a slightly better display and magsafe, and meanwhile you loose out on SSD performance, which absolutely does impact things with everyday use, thanks to the need to swap to the SSD with how little RAM Apple puts into the base model.
Also, while the M1 might loose software support a year or so before the M2, you are saving several hundred dollars, so in terms of cost of ownership per year, you are still saving money.
Edit: The only way the M2 makes sense to me is if you move beyond the base model. But that makes it even more expensive, and might as well just get the M1 Pro at that point. For base models only, the M1 is the better buy.
Also, while the M1 might loose software support a year or so before the M2, you are saving several hundred dollars, so in terms of cost of ownership per year, you are still saving money.
Edit: The only way the M2 makes sense to me is if you move beyond the base model. But that makes it even more expensive, and might as well just get the M1 Pro at that point. For base models only, the M1 is the better buy.
Actually the M1 chips in iMacs and iPads pretty much wiped out any value many older models had. Whenever anyone asks me about what iPad to get, I say not to get anything w/o an M1 chip if you plan to keep it a while. The only entry level iMac I'd tell them to get was a 24" m1 iMac, buying a used 21" iMac is like throwing money away. Don't ask me what my 2013 MacBook pro is worth or my old 2015 27" iMac with a 512gb SSD is worth now.
I recently grabbed a used 2019 27" imac just so I can upgrade the osx one more year. I got a good idea what the used market was for this stuff. People who didnt buy the 2019's with a ssd made really bad decisions that hurt their resale value.
In 5 years people are going to be looking for M2 MacBook air with 512gb and 16gb of memory. if you have a lower spec machine, your not going to be able to sell it as easily.
There may be some niche apple products like the OG home pods, but the new M1 chips really dropped the value of a lot of old apple stuff.
The M1 will last you longer due to its good management of heat.
To be fair, a few bucks in this case is over 20% of the purchase price.
Meh. Future proofed...phfffbbtt. If it gets the job done, it gets the job done. In a few years, when it gets too slow, the low-end will be much faster than today's top of the line.
Get what you need now at the price you can afford now. There will always be something newer, something better in the future. And it'd would be better bargain in the future as well. When the time comes to retire your M1, you'd probably get an M4 Extreme, eventhough an M5 Super Special Ultra Deluxe🙃 is available at 2x the price.😙
Price seems to be the biggest factor in your decision. Be content that the money you saved today will be available to you when the time you decide to buy a replacement.
The fact you made this thread shows you really wanted the M2 model.
Just get it. Life's short, be happy.
Just get it. Life's short, be happy.
Lots of opinions rendered here in a vacuum. So, let me ask the important questions: What will you be doing with the computer most of the time? What is the most resource-intensive operation that you expect to be doing, outside of rare one-off tasks?
Give that a late 2013 rMBP does everything I need in terms of "office" tasks (web, email, small-ish documents and spreadsheets, etc), I rather doubt that having an M1 vs M2 is going to make any actual difference in your life if you're using it for similar tasks
Give that a late 2013 rMBP does everything I need in terms of "office" tasks (web, email, small-ish documents and spreadsheets, etc), I rather doubt that having an M1 vs M2 is going to make any actual difference in your life if you're using it for similar tasks
sure, but if you're buying a new mac today, a silicon chip is future-proofing. no point in buying a new intel mac in 2022...