Hi y’all. I currently have a MacBook Air(early 2015). MacBook still works. However... it’s very slow, battery life drains fast and loosing storage. I’m thinking about upgrading to the MacBook Pro but I barely use it. Only use it for brief web browsing. Any suggestions or feedbacks?
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Is it worth upgrading?
- Thread starter Mariosciarrino
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If your usage is minimal (per your own assessment of "barely use it") and do not expect it to change anytime in the immediate future, then just get the battery replaced and keep on going. I don't see how plonking down $1000 for something you'd barely use is going to be a good idea.
My recommendation if you're getting a new device is the M1 Air honestly. The difference between the M1 Air and Pro isn't that big, so you'd be saving money relative to the Pro and higher end iPads are nearly as expensive as the MacBook Air.
But that's personal bias because I couldn't personally deal with iPad as primary device and not a supplementing device
I agree. For the amount of money that I’m spending on an iPad, it’s relative to the MacBook. Besides the battery sucking on my MacBook Air 2015, it is slow, freezes and loosing space for software updates. I’d rather spend that same amount on a laptop.
I have the same model but I upgraded the SSD to 1tb. Nice thing about that model is it was the last Air before the butterfly keyboard was released and the battery and SSD are user replaceable. Only downside is memory if I try to do too much stuff at once. 8gb just doesn’t cut it sometimes.
I’m not traveling as much now so my next Mac will likely be a M based iMac. I will keep the air for when I do travel. I use an iPad for a lot of things I used to use a laptop for. For me it covers maybe 90% of my mobile needs.
I’m not traveling as much now so my next Mac will likely be a M based iMac. I will keep the air for when I do travel. I use an iPad for a lot of things I used to use a laptop for. For me it covers maybe 90% of my mobile needs.
Have you thought about replacing the battery and using an NVMe M.2 storage drive? You mention that battery performance is poor (new battery will fix this) and you don't have enough space for software updates (installing an NVMe M.2 storage drive will resolve this and also speed up drive performance by almost a factor of 3 as compared to the original storage drive your MacBook Air came with when brand new).
I'm using a 2015 11-inch Air where I replaced the battery and updated the storage drive to an NVMe M.2 storage drive (in my case a Samsung 970 EVO 500GB storage drive) and am running MacOS 11.3 beta 5 on it without any issues in performance. Granted it is a 2015 i7 8GB and is not nearly as quick as the current MacBook Airs using M1 processors but I'm more than happy with the performance of my 11-inch Air for everyday tasks such as web browsing, email, watching videos and participating on forums.
Battery life would be better if I used an NVMe storage drive which uses less power than the Samsung 970 EVO drive I'm currently using but I get several hours of use as it is and have access to an AC source if I need it. There are options rather than having to shell out considerable more money to buy a new laptop...
I have thought about getting a new battery but not upgrading my storage. It is something I would consider
Ultimately it is up to you to decide whether or not it's worth upgrading. I am not impressed with the direction Apple is taking with their limiting our ability as owners of our own computers to either upgrade or repair them. Once you purchase the computer it is yours. In my opinion we, as owners of our own computers, should have the right to repair or upgrade them however Apple does not agree and as such, I would rather have computers that I can still repair and/or upgrade.
Buying the new M1 processor laptops, you will find there are absolutely no upgrade paths for them and like the current iPhones, you will find out that you won't be able to repair them as well. What you buy is what you will have to put up with whereas with your 2015, you still have options. I think for your usage, what you will find is that by upgrading your storage drive (getting a Sintech adapter and a decent NVMe M.2 storage drive as well as a new battery which is very easy to replace in the 2015 MacBook Air) you will find that the performance of your laptop to be more than adequate to do the job for you but that is my opinion.
Here is a link to a Sintech adapter on eBay ($19.08 with free shipping - you need the Sintech adapter to install the NVMe storage drive):
Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card for Upgrade MacBook Air(2013-2016 Year... 692757402086 | eBay
M.2 SSD Adapter Card Macbook SSD Adapter Card U.2 SFF-8639 SSD Adapter Card mSATA Adapter Card mPCIe/X1/UX31 SSD Adapter Card ZIF HDD Adapter Card. Date First Available: September 18, 2016. Color: M2 for Upgrade Mac.
www.ebay.com
and a Samsung 970 EVO NVMe M.2 Storage drive...
500GB ($77.95 with free shipping): https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-97...519371&hash=item217913b9e2:g:6YgAAOSwz0xfdedI
1TB ($139.95 with free shipping): https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-97...658294&hash=item217f412cf3:g:wqwAAOSwVrNfxnmr
The battery I would source from the iFixit web site:
MacBook Air Parts | iFixit
MacBook Air parts for DIY repair. Batteries, displays and small parts all tested and guaranteed with fast shipping and easy returns.
www.ifixit.com
One more thing.... Audit13 has good recommendations for other NVMe storage drive options that are not as power hungry as the Samsung drives are. Reach out to him for recommendations. He also has good inputs in this area.
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No problem, happy to help. You can see below in my signature the computers I am running... all of which are now running MacOS 11.3 with exception of my 2012 MacBook Pro which is running MacOS 11.2.3
It is not in Apple's interest for consumers to keep their computers beyond the two to three years before tossing them and upgrading. I think that is why Apple has started reducing our ability to upgrade our computers so that eventually we will discard them for the newer, better computers. Case and point with the computers I am using, this 2012 MacPro 5,1 that I'm typing this response on with MacOS 11.3 Beta 6 running on it. I have zero issues and have full functionality (bluetooth and wifi included). Apple would rather I ditched this computer for their newer higher priced ones instead.... for me no thanks. I will keep what I have and still enjoy years of good use with what I currently have.
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If only for web browsing, sell the Macbook and buy a cheap iPad gen8.
Want more space? Buy the iPad with 128GB storage.
Want to type? Buy a bluetooth keyboard.
=> the Ipad serve most consuming purposes.
Willing to spend money? Macbook Pro M1 is the best. It can be your working device, too, and a very good investment.
+1 on the iPad for web browsing, especially if it's casual web browsing without a ton of really intensive typing or intense web apps. It's pretty nice to be able to have the pad on a comfy couch, surfing the web! $329 for the basic model w/ a reasonably fast chip is really the cheapest option in Apple's lineup for larger-than-iPhone web browsing.
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If you wait for deals you can get a 64 GB iPad Air with Magic Keyboard for about $750. For most casual use, this is a pretty decent replacement for an entry level M1 MacBook Air.
Magic Keyboard $199 Amazon
iPad Air 64 GB $559 Amazon (I've seen it as low as $549) though.
Magic Keyboard $199 Amazon
iPad Air 64 GB $559 Amazon (I've seen it as low as $549) though.
Or get a base M1 MacBook Air through the refurb store for $850.
However, for web browsing get an iPad or iPad Air instead of a computer. Pencil can replace the keyboard in many cases.