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kp98077

macrumors 601
Original poster
Oct 26, 2010
4,159
2,662
For those who have purchased an M2 Air, do you feel a Pro would be better for long term? (Investment, sale, longevity) etc?
 

Flash1420

macrumors regular
Sep 17, 2022
180
376
For those who have purchased an M2 Air, do you feel a Pro would be better for long term? (Investment, sale, longevity) etc?
I initially bought an M2 Air, but it kept overheating and the build quality wasn't that great so I exchanged it for the 14-inch MacBook Pro. The display is far superior and the performance is amazing. Although the unit I got still had some build quality issues, the computer itself is good. Just wished Apple would improve build quality a little bit.
 

johnb300m

macrumors member
Dec 15, 2008
74
91
Chicago, IL
Jeez, I'm still rocking my 2015 MBP and only just recently have I noticed it acting a LITTLE pokey with certain things. Namely gaming, or Apple Maps app. Otherwise, it's hard to justify something new yet.
So, because of that amazing historic operability, I wouldn't hesitate getting anything new, at any time. Because it'll be great for years, no matter what's new being around every year's corner.
 
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1BadManVan

macrumors 68040
Dec 20, 2009
3,153
3,289
Bc Canada
For those who have purchased an M2 Air, do you feel a Pro would be better for long term? (Investment, sale, longevity) etc?
Not really, unless you think long term you may invest into some heavier duty tasks that require the pro. Technically the air is the most popular laptop and would be the easier one to sell down the road. It might sound like its more popular on a mac forum, but the air WAY outsells the pros lol
 

whitby

macrumors 6502
Dec 13, 2007
304
326
Austin, TX
Repeating the advice given here, get what you need when you need it. You can always wait to get the next latest thing, but if you can wait, you do not need it, so wait until you do.

What might be is always tantalizing but it is a trap you can never escape. If what you have is adequate and you have a choice, and the current models are about to be made obsolete, then by all means wait. The best thing is that last year's models can usually be had at a bargain price once the new model is released and it is not much different.

Also it is worth bearing in mind that if you are someone who wrings the last ounce of functionality out of a device before they change, getting the latest model is pointless, because the trade in value of your old device is zero. If however you always want the latest thing and trade regularly, then waiting for the latest model is probably your best bet to reduce your already high costs of ownership since in trade in will be higher.
 
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kp98077

macrumors 601
Original poster
Oct 26, 2010
4,159
2,662
I initially bought an M2 Air, but it kept overheating and the build quality wasn't that great so I exchanged it for the 14-inch MacBook Pro. The display is far superior and the performance is amazing. Although the unit I got still had some build quality issues, the computer itself is good. Just wished Apple would improve build quality a little bit.
Yes build quality has been an issue for sure. To me the 14 seems more well built.
 

ilikewhey

macrumors 68040
May 14, 2014
3,592
4,637
nyc upper east
According to this article - pretty much everyone should hold on any purchases until the M3 arrives. 🤔

theres some really good deals on the m2 mba right now though. base model going for around 900 which is 200 bucks cheaper than what a new m3 would cost whenever that gets released. mba already have ridiculously long battery so i'm not sure if apple squeezing out potentially 20% longer battery would be enticing enough.
 
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ilikewhey

macrumors 68040
May 14, 2014
3,592
4,637
nyc upper east
For those who have purchased an M2 Air, do you feel a Pro would be better for long term? (Investment, sale, longevity) etc?
what do you mean investment like doing investment work such as stocks? or having the mac as an actual investment, cause if its the latter then as soon as you open the box it's already a terrible investment 😂
 

Burnincoco

macrumors regular
May 6, 2007
120
106
what do you mean investment like doing investment work such as stocks? or having the mac as an actual investment, cause if its the latter then as soon as you open the box it's already a terrible investment 😂
It’s meant more like a relationship “investment”. But you are right that you shouldn’t financially invest in laptops lol.

Unless Taiwan gets invaded, then get your hands on any M1 and M2 you can get your hands on because bye bye new computers for a while
 
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ilikewhey

macrumors 68040
May 14, 2014
3,592
4,637
nyc upper east
It’s meant more like a relationship “investment”. But you are right that you shouldn’t financially invest in laptops lol.

Unless Taiwan gets invaded, then get your hands on any M1 and M2 you can get your hands on because bye bye new computers for a while
lol relationship investment. i guess these who upgrades every 2 years are some cold emotionless bastards 🤣
 
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Allen_Wentz

macrumors 68030
Dec 3, 2016
2,741
3,017
USA
what do you mean investment like doing investment work such as stocks? or having the mac as an actual investment, cause if its the latter then as soon as you open the box it's already a terrible investment 😂
IMO one's Mac is an investment in a tool with which to accomplish things. A carpenter can hammer nails with a cheap hammer or a good hammer, but a competent carpenter will do better work and feel better about working with a good hammer. It is the exact same thing with one's computer tools.
 

kp98077

macrumors 601
Original poster
Oct 26, 2010
4,159
2,662
lol relationship investment. i guess these who upgrades every 2 years are some cold emotionless bastards 🤣
haha, meaning (value retention), which would be easier to sell in two years for example. I just feel when I look online and see MBA they are selling for next to nothing, but MBP hold their value.
 

lfaa

macrumors regular
Dec 15, 2019
117
68
Usual rubbish. Apple always has 'something' coming worth waiting for. Should you wait for the M3, M4 and so on? No. The vast majority of Apples laptop users will gain nothing in their daily usage.
Agreed. What I need is a robust OS running on reliable hardware, and 2Tb of SSD. The CPUs I'm 'really' using aren't those of my mac, but those of remote computers processing Tb of data. i9 or M1 or M2 on my Mac are still ok for developping locally. The touchbar of my 2019 intel MBpro blinked for a while, then got replaced by Apple, blinked again 1yr later and now is dead. And bugs in Music are annoying :) Otherwise my MB is fine :)
 

JustAnExpat

macrumors 6502a
Nov 27, 2019
959
970
Forbes is clickbait, almost AI written garbage. Don't bother reading it.

Do you need a new computer? If yes, get a new computer. Otherwise;
Do not buy a new computer, something new will be released soon.
 
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arcite

macrumors 6502a
what do you mean investment like doing investment work such as stocks? or having the mac as an actual investment, cause if its the latter then as soon as you open the box it's already a terrible investment 😂

I use my Apple products until they die. I either give them away, or retire them to a secondary function (ie. music server). Computers aren’t ‘investments’ they’re tools that inevitably become obsolete over time. I guess a Mac can be an investment in yourself, if it helps you make money. ;)
 

ilikewhey

macrumors 68040
May 14, 2014
3,592
4,637
nyc upper east
I use my Apple products until they die. I either give them away, or retire them to a secondary function (ie. music server). Computers aren’t ‘investments’ they’re tools that inevitably become obsolete over time. I guess a Mac can be an investment in yourself, if it helps you make money. ;)
same here, i turn my old macs into living room media devices where they live out the rest of their lives, however OP was talking about resale value.
 

Allen_Wentz

macrumors 68030
Dec 3, 2016
2,741
3,017
USA
For those who have purchased an M2 Air, do you feel a Pro would be better for long term? (Investment, sale, longevity) etc?
That question primarily addresses the state of mind of new M2 MBA owners. Sounds like you are researching for a college psych term paper rather than looking for real info about laptop choices.

E.g. I bought an M2 MBP so I am not in the cohort you are addressing.
 
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Rychiar

macrumors 68030
May 16, 2006
2,571
5,662
Waterbury, CT
I just bought an Intel 2020 27” iMac. I love the apple silicon chip, especially for laptops, but this Mac is still amazing (especially with the large screen).

I bought this because ive been waiting for a big screen all in one with an apple silicon chip to be released and I got tired of waiting and now I’m happy.
I’m using one of these at work right now and wishing i had a Mac Studio cus even with 40+ gigs of this thing is slower than a bottom of the line m2 Mac mini… intel has been horrible since the 5k iMacs started. Never any speed gains over the previous gens. The last one i had where is as like wow this is fast was my 2013 imac.
 

Lioness~

macrumors 68040
Apr 26, 2017
3,033
3,758
Sweden
I just bought an Intel 2020 27” iMac. I love the apple silicon chip, especially for laptops, but this Mac is still amazing (especially with the large screen).

I bought this because ive been waiting for a big screen all in one with an apple silicon chip to be released and I got tired of waiting and now I’m happy.
Good that you are happy now. But you won't be so happy when you need to replace it 😉

I wasn't overwhelmed at the price of MacStudio and the Studio Display, but I will be very happy the day I will replace the Mac, and still have a gorgeous Display.

Summary: Total happiness all the time isn't possible through Mac's - it must be acquired differently.
 

phillytim

macrumors 68000
Aug 12, 2011
1,747
1,242
Philadelphia, PA
For those who have purchased an M2 Air, do you feel a Pro would be better for long term? (Investment, sale, longevity) etc?

Not at all - build quality on the Air is as solid as my ol' MBPro. Chips and specs go out of date as quick as ever.

Buy how much you can afford, when you need it, and use it 'til you no longer can or want to.

I'm a tech - a hardcore tech - but my new M2 Air fits all of my requirements.

Part of the value-add of my last MacBook Pro was that I could have macOS, but also VMs for Windows and Linux - but Apple Silicon pretty much cut those out, due to ARM.

I spent a lot of time convincing myself to buy this new Mac - because the value-add of Mac is gone for me - for having all the various OS's on one laptop, Mac ram/ssd can no longer be user-upgraded, and Apple's ram/ssd upgrade costs are ridiculous.

I am able to get by with an Air: I moved my data to an external SSD, and chose not to give Apple so much of my money.
 
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Lioness~

macrumors 68040
Apr 26, 2017
3,033
3,758
Sweden
And the MacBook Air still won't be able to run two monitors at a time...
See if M3 will?

If you need a new computer now, buy now.

If you don't need a new computer now, don't buy one until you do.

It's really very simple.
It also depends on HOW much you need it and /or why - if it's desperation technically etc, or just wanting a new one.

My old MBA is old and I very much need a new one, but a scale on how desperate I am now, it's maybe 50%, so I can hold on to later this year. I have another Mac too, so...
I hope for some sweet improvements on the M3, that will make ups for the wait.
 
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