I've officially joined the MacBook family!

[Iwavvns]

My housemate just sold me her MacBook Air M1, 2020, Silver. She wasn't using it and told me she planned to sell it so I offered to buy it. The battery is at 100% capacity with 12 cycles on it. We agreed to $600.00 US and I couldn't pass it up - especially since it's practically brand new and the Apple Refurbs are going for over $800.00 US. It has no scratches and not even a fingerprint on the screen.

So, I have officially joined the MacBook family! Now I have questions:

1) I usually charge my iPhone 13 when it reaches 20% and charge it until it reaches 80%. Is this the best thing for the MacBook Air M1?

2) I don't usually go outside official App Stores but am willing to make an exception since this is a desktop-class machine. Are there any apps I need? I don't do gaming, TV/movies/videos or social media.

3) How long should I expect OS upgrades for this machine?

4) System Information shows cycle count = 12 despite the machine being 4 years old? I'm guessing Apple is still manufacturing these.

5) The screen doesn't seem to go blank when I close the lid. Did I miss a setting somewhere? Shouldn't it go blank upon closing the lid?

Thank you in advance.

 

[russell_314]

The first thing you should do if you haven’t already done it is make sure it’s been reset to factory and removed from her iCloud account. I suspect since you’re housemates, you don’t have anything to hide from each other so it’s not based on that but rather if you want to keep documents separate and also five years from now maybe you’re living somewhere else and you want to try and sell it or just restore it to the factory settings, this will be impossible.

80% is a good level to charge to but if you’re using the computer every day I wouldn’t stress over it. if you’re going to put it in storage then perhaps don’t charge it to 100%. Also, not running any battery down to zero is best practice but try to make the device work for you rather than you working for the device.

Other than perhaps your favorite web browser, I can’t think of anything offhand that is a must have download. Usually software is based on specific needs so if you edit photos then you’ll want something for that, etc. is this replacing a windows computer and if so, what tasks are you trying to accomplish?

This being said, the App Store on the Mac is not the primary place most people get applications. macOS is not locked down like iOS so many app developers just put their applications online. Be sure to download apps from reputable websites. Malware is a thing on the Mac so if you’re downloading Adobe Photoshop, for example, make sure to only get it from official sources.


I have the M2 air and I’m pretty sure the screen turns off when I close the lid. Perhaps this is a setting

 

[hurt97]

A Macbook without BetterTouchTool is a wasted Macbook in my opinion.

 

[Iwavvns]

The first thing you should do if you haven’t already done it is make sure it’s been reset to factory and removed from her iCloud account. I suspect since you’re housemates, you don’t have anything to hide from each other so it’s not based on that but rather if you want to keep documents separate and also five years from now maybe you’re living somewhere else and you want to try and sell it or just restore it to the factory settings, this will be impossible.

80% is a good level to charge to but if you’re using the computer every day I wouldn’t stress over it. if you’re going to put it in storage then perhaps don’t charge it to 100%. Also, not running any battery down to zero is best practice but try to make the device work for you rather than you working for the device.

Other than perhaps your favorite web browser, I can’t think of anything offhand that is a must have download. Usually software is based on specific needs so if you edit photos then you’ll want something for that, etc. is this replacing a windows computer and if so, what tasks are you trying to accomplish?

This being said, the App Store on the Mac is not the primary place most people get applications. macOS is not locked down like iOS so many app developers just put their applications online. Be sure to download apps from reputable websites. Malware is a thing on the Mac so if you’re downloading Adobe Photoshop, for example, make sure to only get it from official sources.


I have the M2 air and I’m pretty sure the screen turns off when I close the lid. Perhaps this is a setting

Yeah, I walked her through erasing the machine and removing it from her iCloud account.. that was one thing I would actually require or I wouldn't buy it. I had to explain why this separation was necessary and then she agreed to it.

I do plan to use the machine daily, so I won't stress over the battery. Thanks for that tip!

I do plan to do some computer graphics. I came from 20+ years on Linux distros, haven't used Windows since Windows 98 SE. I downloaded GIMP since that is what I've used for many years. Yes, reputable sources, this is a thing in Linux too so I research all apps before downloading anything.

So, the screen does blank when closing the lid? I'll have to look through the settings again.

Thank you very much!

 

[Iwavvns]

I have the M2 air and I’m pretty sure the screen turns off when I close the lid. Perhaps this is a setting

I was wrong, the MacBook Air M1 2020 does go to sleep when the lid is closed.. I wasn't closing it far enough to check. However, once I open the lid again the entire machine is frozen - trackpad, keys, keyboard light.. nothing works. The only way to recover is to hold the power button until the machine turns off. Perhaps I need to prevent it from sleeping?

 

[Iwavvns]

For anyone who is experiencing the MacBook Air M1 2020 freezing up completely after closing and reopening the lid, I found a fix

I followed instructions from Apple's support website to boot into Safe Mode. I did some digging and couldn't find the problem there so I shutdown and restarted the machine - I didn't change anything in Safe Mode - and the problems is resolved. I don't know what Safe Mode does, but it fixed the freezing issue because I didn't do anything. Maybe Safe Mode reset the NVRAM or something?

Thank goodness for Safe Mode. Thank you, Apple!

 

[halledise]

unless i’m missing something here …
when you disassociated your housemate’s ownership from the mac, i presume you did a full erase of the HDD and reinstalled macOS, then set it up for your account etc, thus making it entirely your machine.
the default settings in macOS would cause the machine to sleep on closing the lid and then instantly awake upon reopening same.
if it was freezing then you’ve inherited some weird settings from previous owner because ’safe mode’ is rarely needed in the greater scheme of thing these days
hence my earlier suggestion of full erase and install of OS.
when you change settings in preferences to suit your own style, i can’t think of any setting that’d cause it to behave the way you’ve mentioned.
keep your software updated and you should be fine
also, there are some excellent videos available from Mac 101 basics to more advanced tutorials.
Mac Tips etc

 

[Iwavvns]

unless i’m missing something here …
when you disassociated your housemate’s ownership from the mac, i presume you did a full erase of the HDD and reinstalled macOS, then set it up for your account etc, thus making it entirely your machine.
the default settings in macOS would cause the machine to sleep on closing the lid and then instantly awake upon reopening same.
if it was freezing then you’ve inherited some weird settings from previous owner because ’safe mode’ is rarely needed in the greater scheme of thing these days
hence my earlier suggestion of full erase and install of OS.
when you change settings in preferences to suit your own style, i can’t think of any setting that’d cause it to behave the way you’ve mentioned.
keep your software updated and you should be fine
also, there are some excellent videos available from Mac 101 basics to more advanced tutorials.
Mac Tips etc

Yes, the first thing we did, after she backed all of her files, was to erase the machine and reinstall macOS Sonoma. I then signed into it with my iCloud ID and began setting it up. It is entirely my machine now and it works fine.

Thank you for the link, I'll be spending some time looking it over.

 

[Iwavvns]

Well, I guess I won’t be joining the Mac family. The machine was freezing up again. So, I went into reinstall macOS Sonoma and it told me it’s going to take six hours. Seriously Apple?! Six freaking hours??? I used to build computers and I built a few for around $300 US that ran better than this piece of junk. I think I’ll go back to building my own computer and installing Linux, at least that way I know it will work.

 

[Surfsalot]

lol quick turn of events, should of bought a M3 14” MacBook Pro Instead of used, you payed overs anyway.

 

[Iwavvns]

lol quick turn of events, should of bought a M3 14” MacBook Pro Instead of used, you payed overs anyway.

There was no way I’m paying more than $800 for a laptop. Yeah, I’m never buying another MacBook. This is the kind of garbage Apple is putting out.. hell I can do better than that. I used to be able to build a computer from parts in less than a day and have Debian Linux installed and set up by dinner time. This thing is nothing but a sad product from a multi billion dollar company, it’s sad.

 

[halledise]

Well, I guess I won’t be joining the Mac family. The machine was freezing up again. So, I went into reinstall macOS Sonoma and it told me it’s going to take six hours. Seriously Apple?! Six freaking hours??? I used to build computers and I built a few for around $300 US that ran better than this piece of junk. I think I’ll go back to building my own computer and installing Linux, at least that way I know it will work.

don’t be so quick to blame Apple.
it’s probably the speed of your interweb connection.
an M1 MBAir is hardly a ‘piece of junk’ and it doesn’t take 6 hours to install macOS
methinks you are comparing entirely different animals.
plus, you’re obviously doing something incorrectly … and are frustrated by it.
if you have an Apple store or authorised repairer nearby - or even a friend who’s familiar with Macs - then seek assistance.
the process really ain’t that hard.

but if your brief experience causes you to throw the toys out of the cot, then i’d say your house mate is having a bit of a laugh .
ps - have a re-read of your signature quotes there old mate.
quote:
Truth and fact have value. Comfort and convenience are synonymous with laziness and ignorance. Never rely on someone else’s research without doing your own.

 

[Iwavvns]

don’t be so quick to blame Apple.
it’s probably the speed of your interweb connection.
an M1 MBAir is hardly a ‘piece of junk’ and it doesn’t take 6 hours to install macOS
methinks you are comparing entirely different animals.
plus, you’re obviously doing something incorrectly … and are frustrated by it.
if you have an Apple store or authorised repairer nearby - or even a friend who’s familiar with Macs - then seek assistance.
the process really ain’t that hard.

but if your brief experience causes you to throw the toys out of the cot, then i’d say your house mate is having a bit of a laugh .
ps - have a re-read of your signature quotes there old mate.
quote:
Truth and fact have value. Comfort and convenience are synonymous with laziness and ignorance. Never rely on someone else’s research without doing your own.

Oh I’m not blaming Apple for the speed of my Internet, I’m blaming them for making $1000 laptop that freezes randomly, it even froze up in recovery mode while I was trying to reinstall Sonoma, it looks like a hardware issue. My housemate wanted to sell this laptop because it froze on her too. I wonder if I can install Debian on this thing.

 

[halledise]

Oh I’m not blaming Apple for the speed of my Internet, I’m blaming them for making $1000 laptop that freezes randomly, it even froze up in recovery mode while I was trying to reinstall Sonoma, it looks like a hardware issue. My housemate wanted to sell this laptop because it froze on her too. I wonder if I can install Debian on this thing.

try running Apple Diagnostics to identify any possible hardware issues.
like possible issue with open/close sensor
Diagnostics

 

[halledise]

another thing you could do is run first aid on your internal HDD and repair any anomalies.
you find it in Disk Utility
info here

 

[dumastudetto]

Please don't leave the family. It's far too soon.

 

[dasjati]

My housemate wanted to sell this laptop because it froze on her too.

I'm not sure I understand your thinking. Why did you buy it when you knew about this problem beforehand? Maybe she spilled some liquid and it fried something inside. It's a computer. It can be damaged. Would you also buy a Mercedes with a leaky engine, because it was a good price?

Other people have given you some pointers and ideas. You can act and do something about it. Or you can keep blaming someone else for your own mistake of buying a device you knew wasn't functioning right.

I mean I blame Apple for a lot of things. But this is not one of them.

 

[OrenLindsey]

If you really want to install Linux you can install Asahi (which is basically just Arch with a custom kernel).
But that's the only distro that works right now (that I know of).
Also, it sounds like you got a defective model. Your problems are definitely not common. I would get Apple to fix it.

 

[Iwavvns]

If you really want to install Linux you can install Asahi (which is basically just Arch with a custom kernel).
But that's the only distro that works right now (that I know of).
Also, it sounds like you got a defective model. Your problems are definitely not common. I would get Apple to fix it.

I went to an Apple Store, they won't fix it (out of warranty) and they don't know what the problem is - basically they already got their money and can find a justification to avoid the work.

After some troubleshooting I found that it is only the keyboard and trackpad that is frozen. I bought a cheap bluetooth mouse that works fine while the freeze in happening so I'm going to use the BT mouse instead of the trackpad from now on and I'll use the on-screen keyboard when necessary before forcing a shutdown to resolve the freeze.

 

[halledise]

I went to an Apple Store, they won't fix it (out of warranty) and they don't know what the problem is - basically they already got their money and can find a justification to avoid the work.

After some troubleshooting I found that it is only the keyboard and trackpad that is frozen. I bought a cheap bluetooth mouse that works fine while the freeze in happening so I'm going to use the BT mouse instead of the trackpad from now on and I'll use the on-screen keyboard when necessary before forcing a shutdown to resolve the freeze.

i’m sure you could find a reputable apple repairer who would fix it for you.
i tend to agree with dasjati - liquid has been spilled on it.
being out of warranty you can’t really blame the apple store tech for not wanting to touch it, though i’m sure they guessed the issue.
also, they do tend to pick up on peoples’ attitudes pretty fast.
if one goes in there happy happy and they are most helpful.
go in grumpy and well … …

 

[JPack]

4) System Information shows cycle count = 12 despite the machine being 4 years old? I'm guessing Apple is still manufacturing these.

Cycle count doesn't tell you much about battery health.

If someone keeps it plugged in all the time charged to 100% as a desktop, the cycle is low, but health may be poor.

 

[kitenski]

My housemate wanted to sell this laptop because it froze on her too.

I'd be giving it back to her and asking for my money back, you've bought a broken laptop!

 

[iHorseHead]

OP; what OS are you on? My MacBook Air M1 used to freeze like crazy when I first bought it. Everybody told me here to bring it back but I didn't. It was freezing on Big Sur and getting kernel panics just sitting on the desktop.
Ever since I upgraded to Monterey (now on Sonoma) the issue has gone away.
Nvm, I read the other posts. Your issue seems to be far more serious.

 

[Mainsail]

As for the battery, there is a setting that optimizes the charging to increase life.

Go to System Settings> Battery>Battery Health i>Optimized Battery Charging.

 

[Iwavvns]

If you really want to install Linux you can install Asahi (which is basically just Arch with a custom kernel).
But that's the only distro that works right now (that I know of).
Also, it sounds like you got a defective model. Your problems are definitely not common. I would get Apple to fix it.

It's nice to know that it is an option, thank you.