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How many years do you think the base m1 air can hold up?
- Thread starter kang8609
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The only weak point I see are the USB-C / TB3 ports. I've bought a TB dock so I'm not using those tiny things all the time. I can't see those lasting well at all.
Obviously it's a new kind of setup so it's not really possible to say but I'm hoping for several years.
Obviously it's a new kind of setup so it's not really possible to say but I'm hoping for several years.
Given the use stated, it should last many years lag free.
Be careful you don't fall into the MR forum trap of allowing others to help you buy more than you really need.
Be careful you don't fall into the MR forum trap of allowing others to help you buy more than you really need.
Yes, but as OS gets updated and app gets updated, they will require more from the CPU and RAM
My sister’s 2009 MBP still works perfectly fine for Office and Web browsing. You’re overthinking this.
That is true. However, given the usage stated, it shouldn't be a problem. Like I said, many MR forum members are bad about convincing other members they need 16GB of RAM and 1TB of space, even though their usage hasn't and won't approach such levels.
The M1 is much more efficient than the Intel Macs. The Intel Mac can easily do what you stated with the same specs for years to come. In fact, many, many forum members with older Macs with the same specs are having no problems using their Macs in the same usage pattern.
Even with OS updates for the next 3 - 4 years, it shouldn't be a problem with the current M1. Should your usage change, then you may need to reassess your needs.
My macbook air late 210 is holding up very good, and i can get Catalina on the drive, but stopped at Mojave. Therefore i think these or any Macbook air can last as long as the logic board cranks data.
Base model is pretty good I'd say something along the lines of 4-5 years for casual use without rendering and gaming.
I am wanting 5 years out of my air. If the battery reaches a point where it can't hold a charge then I will just have it docked to my monitor until the 5 year mark hits
My 2012 i5/4/1Tb Air can do all that lag free on 11.1. So I would guess at least 8 years.
Apple probably won't let you run the latest macOS on 8 year old Mac if they have full control of the hardware.
Perhaps, but whatever macOS is its last will still handle most simple tasks as the OP suggested. My MacBook 7,1 is 10 years old and running a macOS 4 versions behind the current one and handles those tasks with ease.
I don't see what "full control of the hardware" has to do with it. If Apple didn't want people to run the latest Mac OS on Macs that old they could easily block access today. Sure, there would be ways around that, but that's already the case today and will probably be the case even for future ARM Macs - Mac OS isn't closed off like iOS.
The reason why iOS devices have much shorter lifespans is largely due to (traditionally) having much less powerful chips, combined with a much faster speed of advancement in hardware and software capabilities each generation - it was only about 7 years ago that iOS got "real" multitasking with iOS 7 for example, and Apple had to be extremely aggressive in cutting features just to get the OS to even run on devices that were 3 years older. That isn't something Apple really has to do today - the iPhone SE from 2016 runs iOS 14 with very few missing features at a very acceptable performance level. There's a reason why Apple only just began their ARM transition for Mac this year instead of a few years earlier.
MacOS is a mature operating system and has been for the last decade, we're probably not going to see that many massive advances in capabilities per generation that ends up locking out older hardware prematurely. And at the same time iOS's advancement is slowing down as well as it becomes just as mature, explaining why devices are lasting much longer (the most recent iPhones to loose support came out over 6 years ago). I expect that modern iPhones will probably have lifespans closer to your average Mac then iOS devices of old, and the same will be true for ARM Macs.
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Full control of the hardware means no UEFI firmware or access to the NVRAM like in Intel-based systems.
To run Big Sur on an unsupported Mac, current techniques require spoofing or patching. These things are unlikely to be possible with Apple Silicon.
Apple relies on hardware and software revenue. If they have a unified chip development cycle across the company, it’s likely software will follow the same process.
Yes, I agree. I assumed people wanted basic security updates for any machine connected to the Internet. But if you toss that out the window then you can double any machine’s longevity.
I've seen lots of comments on the forum from people saying since these are 1st gen devices they won't have a long life span. I completely disagree. These will last and be supported just as long as any previous Mac. Looking forward to using my M1 MBA for many years to come.
I had an 11" 2011 Air for seven years, and I only gave it up when my eyes decided they'd appreciate a larger screen, and the next OS would no longer support it. Now on an Intel 2017 13", and while I'd like to see it last at least that long, I suspect software / OS will be the deciding issue there.
Its hard to know how long the first M1 will last before showing its age - with greater power comes greater expectations from the software available, and app providers may be the ones who push the envelope. Plus, of course, there's that whole thing of buying a first edition of any hardware (especially from Apple), as not all of the kinks are always worked out - and its only the user that gets to find that out.
Its hard to know how long the first M1 will last before showing its age - with greater power comes greater expectations from the software available, and app providers may be the ones who push the envelope. Plus, of course, there's that whole thing of buying a first edition of any hardware (especially from Apple), as not all of the kinks are always worked out - and its only the user that gets to find that out.
Yes, and I don't think of the M1 as a true "1st gen" product anyway. The chassis, screen, keyboard etc. are unchanged and the M1 is based on the A-series, which they have 10 years experience with now. The defining factor is software which I believe will only get better.
Based upon iPads, I'd go with 5-ish years before you're likely going to be really tempted by what's on offer at that point.
This whole change away from Intel I think will surprise some folks in a few years (in terms of how much progress on updates there is)
This whole change away from Intel I think will surprise some folks in a few years (in terms of how much progress on updates there is)
Yes overthinking I agree. I have a 2013 MBP which still works fine for basic things. It still supports latest Big Sur which is 7 years of support!
Considering that it was the OS that brought mechanical drives to their knees (hello APFS), I would say that the fastest your computer will ever be will be the day you first boot it up. From then on, it will begin the slow, and natural progression towards molasses that have been the fate of all computers since the beginning of time.
Remember, you just bought the slowest M1 Macs ever to be made...
Remember, you just bought the slowest M1 Macs ever to be made...