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By the time you upgrade to 16/512 can get the 14" MacBook 16/512 pro for another $600AUD from apple refurb store, no airs on it here.
 
Yeah I think what is also impressive, and why the M1 Air gets so much praise, is the ultraportable form with a processor that handily beats the 2019 16" MacBook Pro in nearly all processor intensive tasks, while being an order of magnitude more efficient.
Agreed. That's the entire idea. Have the power to but without sacrificing your sanity in a slow environment.
 
Unless you have really demanding needs, I wonder if a well-spec'ed M1 Mini would work, and save you a bunch of money that you could put toward that gaming PC...

@ignatius345 makes a great point, but I would add that even the base M1 Mini ($589 Refurbed) is a beast on any desk.

Realistically I’ll be using my Mac Pro until I’m forced to give it up. It’s still more power than I’ve ever needed and I’ve got an entire spare set of internals for it. So it’ll keep running for quite some time at zero cost (other than the power bill).
 
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I'm debating whether I should even wait for WWDC and the BTS sale (I can access the education discount regardless, though I wouldn't get the AirPods of course). I also want to do 16GB RAM which already means an estimated delivery date of mid- to late-June... I know I'm just being impatient but I'm tempted!!
If you want a 8-core GPU, 16GB/1TB model they are sometimes available in Apple Stores and delivery is quicker. You need to select the Space Gray or Gold model though for some reason. I'm not seeing any stock at the stores but the shipping is June 7th.
 
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If you want a 8-core GPU, 16GB/1TB model they are sometimes available in Apple Stores and delivery is quicker. You need to select the Space Gray or Gold model though for some reason. I'm not seeing any stock at the stores but the shipping is June 7th.
Thanks! Unfortunately I want the 16/256; the 8-core/16GB/1TB would be a little more computer than needed and outta my price range (the storage upgrades add up fast!!). 16/512 would be the sweet spot but I can't bring myself to spend more on storage since there's always cloud storage and external drives, and those also aren't stocked around me anyway.

I kiiinda think I could get away with a base model (I probably could) and that's a bit tempting since it is in stock all around me, but the difference between base model and 16GB RAM is ~$250 after taxes here and given how extensively I use my computer for personal and professional uses that's a small sum when you think about it over the number of years I'll use the computer (especially since I can't upgrade RAM later on). So I'm thinking I should just do the 16GB even if it means a wait.

Okay, sorry for that little tangent there! lol.
 
Thanks! Unfortunately I want the 16/256; the 8-core/16GB/1TB would be a little more computer than needed and outta my price range (the storage upgrades add up fast!!). 16/512 would be the sweet spot but I can't bring myself to spend more on storage since there's always cloud storage and external drives, and those also aren't stocked around me anyway.

I kiiinda think I could get away with a base model (I probably could) and that's a bit tempting since it is in stock all around me, but the difference between base model and 16GB RAM is ~$250 after taxes here and given how extensively I use my computer for personal and professional uses that's a small sum when you think about it over the number of years I'll use the computer (especially since I can't upgrade RAM later on). So I'm thinking I should just do the 16GB even if it means a wait.

Okay, sorry for that little tangent there! lol.
I could have been fine with the 16GB/512GB MacBook Air but when it came out I didn't want to wait for delivery so I picked up one of the 16GB/1TB models that was available that day. Right now I'm hovering at about 500 GB used so at least I don't have to struggle to find space.
 
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Thanks! Unfortunately I want the 16/256; the 8-core/16GB/1TB would be a little more computer than needed and outta my price range (the storage upgrades add up fast!!). 16/512 would be the sweet spot but I can't bring myself to spend more on storage since there's always cloud storage and external drives, and those also aren't stocked around me anyway.

I kiiinda think I could get away with a base model (I probably could) and that's a bit tempting since it is in stock all around me, but the difference between base model and 16GB RAM is ~$250 after taxes here and given how extensively I use my computer for personal and professional uses that's a small sum when you think about it over the number of years I'll use the computer (especially since I can't upgrade RAM later on). So I'm thinking I should just do the 16GB even if it means a wait.

Okay, sorry for that little tangent there! lol.
Totally get where you're coming from. I want 16GB for the same reason, and because I tend to keep computers for quite a while. (My mid-2009 MBP is just shy of 13 years old, and was fairly usable until maybe 4 years ago.)

I do want the extra on-board storage - possibly 512GB but more likely 1GB - as I found myself frequently running out of space with the MBP after 4 or 5 years and don't want to go down that road again; plus, I will be sharing this machine with my wife, who has an enormous photo library, and I do like the extra peace of mind that stems from having our photo and music libraries on the machine itself as well as backed up on both our Time Capsule and in the cloud.

P.S., Good screen name. My wife and I definitely have both wine and carbs on the agenda for tonight!
 
Thanks! Unfortunately I want the 16/256; the 8-core/16GB/1TB would be a little more computer than needed and outta my price range (the storage upgrades add up fast!!). 16/512 would be the sweet spot but I can't bring myself to spend more on storage since there's always cloud storage and external drives, and those also aren't stocked around me anyway.

I kiiinda think I could get away with a base model (I probably could) and that's a bit tempting since it is in stock all around me, but the difference between base model and 16GB RAM is ~$250 after taxes here and given how extensively I use my computer for personal and professional uses that's a small sum when you think about it over the number of years I'll use the computer (especially since I can't upgrade RAM later on). So I'm thinking I should just do the 16GB even if it means a wait.

Okay, sorry for that little tangent there! lol.
What about the refurb store?
 
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Totally get where you're coming from. I want 16GB for the same reason, and because I tend to keep computers for quite a while. (My mid-2009 MBP is just shy of 13 years old, and was fairly usable until maybe 4 years ago.)

I do want the extra on-board storage - possibly 512GB but more likely 1GB - as I found myself frequently running out of space with the MBP after 4 or 5 years and don't want to go down that road again; plus, I will be sharing this machine with my wife, who has an enormous photo library, and I do like the extra peace of mind that stems from having our photo and music libraries on the machine itself as well as backed up on both our Time Capsule and in the cloud.

P.S., Good screen name. My wife and I definitely have both wine and carbs on the agenda for tonight!
Upgrading the storage makes complete sense in your case! Honestly, it probably would in mine too (at least to the 512), it's just hard for me to justify the premium and I'm okay with using cloud and external storage right now. My current 256GB daily driver has ~50GB free but that's probably because I happen to have another old laptop with media stored on it. You know what, I miiiight find myself pricing out notebooks again this evening... Haha. :p I hadn't really given much consideration to upgrading the storage but it might be worth considering.


Thanks re: the screen name! Enjoy those wine and carbs! Now I'm curious as to the carb of choice tonight!
 
What about the refurb store?
There are literally NO MBAs in Canada's refurb store right now! I'll keep my eyes peeled though. I have zero qualms with buying a refurb. I'm actually going to spend some time tonight pricing out different configurations (and seeing if they're available locally!), lol.
 
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There are literally NO MBAs in Canada's refurb store right now! I'll keep my eyes peeled though. I have zero qualms with buying a refurb. I'm actually going to spend some time tonight pricing out different configurations (and seeing if they're available locally!), lol.
Same problem here in the U.S. Not a single refurbished MBA in the online store. I find myself wondering if I should have gotten my desired configuration when it was available at the beginning of the week.

Oh, carbs tonight were not particularly interesting, but the wines were pretty good: a French rosé (Tavel) and then a cabernet from the Red Mountain AVA.
 
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Yes. This is easily the best laptop I have ever owned. The fact that it loses no performance on battery, the battery life is ridiculous, and the fact that the computer doesn't attempt to make me infertile through excessive lap heat like my Windows gaming laptop, I only have positive things to say about it. I love this thing.

I find it almost impossible to go back to my gaming laptop, so I've decided to just stick with the M1 and just use my PS5 for my gaming needs. My workflow is so much more productive on the Mac anyway.
 
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Great machine!

Good luck with iCloud though. Extremely unreliable. Often it doesn’t finish to sync and gets stuck. If you need files on the go reliably, you are better off looking at other options unfortunately

For that I use the Samsung T7 SSD. The size of a credit card and the fastest external I've ever used, perfect for massive Photos libraries. Cost me €280, a whole lot less than the 2TB internal upgrade.
 
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Well, like I stated a post ago, Airs are not meant to be work horses. They are meant to be ultra-portable computers that pack a punch if need be. Normally, Airs are used for light workloads and nothing fancy.

This is what I keep saying. In other words, don't bother with the 16GB RAM version, the 8 will do just fine. And like I also said, get something like the Samsung T7 for extra storage and save on the internal upgrade too.
 
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Well, like I stated a post ago, Airs are not meant to be work horses. They are meant to be ultra-portable computers that pack a punch if need be. Normally, Airs are used for light workloads and nothing fancy.
They can do heavy workloads as well. They might not be able to do them as quickly as some of the more powerful M1 iterations, but I'm honestly shocked what this thing can do for what it is ... and without a fan.
 
At the time it came out I predicted to some friends that the M1 MBA would be the best value-for-money Mac that Apple has released in many years. Glad to see I was not wrong and its getting the kudos it deserves.

I’ve been really tempted to upgrade my 1st gen 12.9” iPad Pro to an M1 MBA but I cant really justify spennding the money right now. I think the old warhorse will soldier on for a few more years, we will see what happens. Maybe an M-series chip will come out with hardware raytracing which I wont be able to resist…
 
No... memory capacity is a function of the needs of the person.
Yeah. 8 GB would be utterly useless to me. Need 16 minimum. Storage capacity is also a function of needs. External storage is also irrelevant if you fill up the entire drive with just apps because there isn’t enough space. You buy what you need.
 
Yeah. 8 GB would be utterly useless to me. Need 16 minimum. Storage capacity is also a function of needs. External storage is also irrelevant if you fill up the entire drive with just apps because there isn’t enough space. You buy what you need.
Agreed. People seem to have problems grasping that memory and storage capacities are user dependent.
 
No... memory capacity is a function of the needs of the person.

I know that, I don't have a problem grasping such things, which is why I don't put a 450 Hemi in my Ford Fiesta (for lack of a better comparison). In other words, if I really needed a computer with 16GB RAM I would get a 15" Pro or the like. I believe the 13" Air is intended as an on-the-go computer. I do not need to edit 4k video with 250 open browser tabs in a coffee shop.

If I had to buy into all this future proofing hype I would be regretting my 8. I am not. I am as happy as a pig in ***t with my choice, and it is already capable of way more than I need it to do right now. If you really need 16 RAM you should know it already and should not need to ask such questions. The fact that people ask means they are doubting, in which case I just say get the entry level machine and be done with it.

Oh, and who needs to put over 200GB of apps on a 13" entry level laptop? I'm genuinely curious.

And for the record, I have no problem with people buying specced out machines, it's their money. I only share my experience so those who think they may have similar needs can make an informed decision.
 
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