Longevity of Macbook Air M1?

[MBAir2010]

How did you get that specific version of Monterey?

I tried to find it but couldn't. Is there a website where you download the installer to be put on a USB? Lime the installer you download in the apple website or the installation method is different?

I have that version on a usb_c thumb drive from 2023
there are older versions on Monterey on the  website which is tricky but findable.
I will see if I can find that site with links.

Monterey is is my favorite  headache!

 

[MBAir2010]

All of the arguing back and forth about the M1 MBA as it relates to the OP is meaningless. He is happy and his daughter is happy with the M1.

And furthermore, it also doesn’t really matter what tech elites here think about the longevity of the M1 MBA. The current price point is such that many people who normally wouldn’t be able to afford it for themselves or their children can now afford a very nice Mac that will more than accomplish the needs of people who aren’t obsessed with the latest specs. Believe it or not, most of you are in the minority when it comes to the average consumer and you argue as if what you espouse is the current consumer mindset; it isn’t.

Give it a rest already.

thank you,
I was going to post something similar, as only time will tell how long they will be supported.

 

[gd2024]

Hey guys, in terms of software support, how many years do you guys think are left in the M1 MBA? Appreciate this is a "how long is a piece of string" kinda question!

I'm looking to buy an M1 for my kid as don't want to spend to much as chances are they won't look after it properly.

Thanks

You didn't say how old the kids were, but I'd side many here to say a new M1 Air is going last them 3-5 years easily. I had a 13" M1 (still working great and was terrific as a travel mac for the size) and traded up to an M2 15" for 1) bigger screen and 2) such a sweet deal at the time - $400 on a 1TB model plus over $400 in trade. Still can't believe what deal that was.

 

[aespana]

I have that version on a usb_c thumb drive from 2023
there are older versions on Monterey on the  website which is tricky but findable.
I will see if I can find that site with links.

Monterey is is my favorite  headache!

Ooook ok got it. Will search a little more then.

Thank you!

 

[tonmischa]

Ooook ok got it. Will search a little more then.

Collection of Download links to full Monterey Installers - directly from Apple servers.

macOS 12 Monterey Full Installer Database. Download Directly from Apple!

Download macOS Monterey full installer with one click straight from Apple! Every version of Monterey Beta & Final available all in one place!!

mrmacintosh.com

Apple pulled most versions this year from their servers. Only 12.7.4 is still available as a standalone installer. (Which then can be upgraded OTA to 12.7.6)


EDIT:
If you need to create USB installers, I can also highly recommend Mist.

GitHub - ninxsoft/Mist: A Mac utility that automatically downloads macOS Firmwares / Installers.

A Mac utility that automatically downloads macOS Firmwares / Installers. - ninxsoft/Mist

github.com

Will find all available downloads (Full Installers, ipsw Firmware files) and can create USB installer sticks and other formats. Saved me several times already.

 

[MBAir2010]

Collection of Download links to full Monterey Installers - directly from Apple servers.

macOS 12 Monterey Full Installer Database. Download Directly from Apple!

Download macOS Monterey full installer with one click straight from Apple! Every version of Monterey Beta & Final available all in one place!!

mrmacintosh.com

Apple pulled most versions this year from their servers. Only 12.7.4 is still available as a standalone installer. (Which then can be upgraded OTA to 12.7.6)

somehow 12.7.2 (21G1974) circumvents or does not have several 12.7.6 flaws
as textEdit crashes when opening a recent file,
the screen brightness need a lid closure to operate after start up
and two others pains I forgot that annoyed my MBA 2020 M1.

sometimes older is better!

 

[scouser75]

All of the arguing back and forth about the M1 MBA as it relates to the OP is meaningless. He is happy and his daughter is happy with the M1.

And furthermore, it also doesn’t really matter what tech elites here think about the longevity of the M1 MBA. The current price point is such that many people who normally wouldn’t be able to afford it for themselves or their children can now afford a very nice Mac that will more than accomplish the needs of people who aren’t obsessed with the latest specs. Believe it or not, most of you are in the minority when it comes to the average consumer and you argue as if what you espouse is the current consumer mindset; it isn’t.

Give it a rest already.

Absolutely, she's as happy as Larry with her new gadget 😆

And as much as I love, I know her too well and there was no way I was going to buy her anything new or expensive. And I most certainly wasn't going to buy her or my eldest a Mac. But when this came up at the price it did, it had to be done. And then got a little bit more off so that was icing on the cake.

You didn't say how old the kids were, but I'd side many here to say a new M1 Air is going last them 3-5 years easily. I had a 13" M1 (still working great and was terrific as a travel mac for the size) and traded up to an M2 15" for 1) bigger screen and 2) such a sweet deal at the time - $400 on a 1TB model plus over $400 in trade. Still can't believe what deal that was.

The youngest is 12. And eldest is 16. The eldest had a Lenovo a few weeks ago, which I picked up super cheap. And then when the M1 came up at the price it did, it had to be bought. I thought the eldest might have got upset she didn't get the Mac, but both are great and not at all materialistic so she simply didn't give a p00p 😂

But tell you what, I must admit, I feel a little gutted I went for the 16" MBP for myself. Using the 13" M1 has told me the 14" MBP would have been more than enough.

 

[nigelbb]

I just bought my wife a used M1 MBA with 16GB RAM & 1TB SSD in 'as new' condition for just £450. It was to replace her much loved 12" MacBook that was purchased new from Apple seven years ago. The 8GB of RAM was constraining performance.

I have been really impressed with the build quality & performance of the M1 MBA. For all the reasons detailed in this thread I predict that there will be years of useful life. It's compact but really emphasises how tiny the 12" MacBook is. For many years I have been using a 2015 16GB MBP with 2TB SSD but am now seriously contemplating a used 15" M2 MBA for the light weight & long battery life.

 

[Siliconguy]

I'm very happy with my M1 MBA too. It's still on Sonoma which is running very well. I'm not inclined to update it.

The Other nice thing about the M1 and M2 is that Linux support is nearly complete and is already quite functional now. So when Apple drops support there is an alternative. And that "M1 MBA with 16GB RAM & 1TB SSD" configuration will have no problem running it.

8 GB RAM seems to be plenty for Linux, Mac OS is a bit bloated now in comparison, the 256 GB storage is a bigger problem for me. It appears that you have to leave a small MacOS partition on the Linux machine and with only 256 GB that is pretty tight. The 512 GB option would be plenty though. Note I could be wrong about needing to leave a Mac partition on the drive, or that could be true now but not in the future.

I wonder if I could find an M1 MBA with a broken screen and 512 GB storage and swap the logic board.

 

[MultiFinder17]

Given that the performance of the M1 is still astoundingly snappy for my needs, I just decided to give my M1 Air a nice little upgrade. I found an M1 Air with 16GB RAM and a broken screen cheap on eBay, and am going to be swapping its logic board into my Air. I'll have plenty of leftover parts to sell to recoup much of the cost, so I'm quite looking forward to this upgrade! The 16GB should give me plenty of breathing room to keep my M1 Air as my primary work laptop for the next several years 🙂

 

[scouser75]

I've been using my daughter's M1 a fair bit for general surfing and emails as prefer the 13" for that stuff (wish I'd bought the 14 M2 pro over the 16 M2 pro), and really cant tell the difference in speed.

 

[sracer]

It's just 2 weeks shy of 2 years that I bought my 8GB/256GB M1 MBA at Costco for $650. I'm keeping it on Mac OS Ventura and it is just as responsive and capable as the day I bought it. I remember how many were trashing anyone's decision for buying one back then (when Walmart first started selling them at a discount).

But I did freshen it up a bit with a new skin. 🙂 (would've been better if we had logos that lit up like the old days)

 

[loby]

It's just 2 weeks shy of 2 years that I bought my 8GB/256GB M1 MBA at Costco for $650. I'm keeping it on Mac OS Ventura and it is just as responsive and capable as the day I bought it. I remember how many were trashing anyone's decision for buying one back then (when Walmart first started selling them at a discount).

But I did freshen it up a bit with a new skin. 🙂 (would've been better if we had logos that lit up like the old days)
View attachment 2603838

I remember when this movie came out and saw it in the threatres when I was young. I was always waiting for the next movie, but it sadly never came....

 

[nigelbb]

I just bought my wife a used M1 MBA with 16GB RAM & 1TB SSD in 'as new' condition for just £450. It was to replace her much loved 12" MacBook that was purchased new from Apple seven years ago. The 8GB of RAM was constraining performance.

I have been really impressed with the build quality & performance of the M1 MBA. For all the reasons detailed in this thread I predict that there will be years of useful life. It's compact but really emphasises how tiny the 12" MacBook is. For many years I have been using a 2015 16GB MBP with 2TB SSD but am now seriously contemplating a used 15" M2 MBA for the light weight & long battery life.

I found a great deal on an immaculate 24GB 1TB M3 15" MacBook Air for £800 & can see this is going to last me the next 5-10 years. It's a fabulous machine that does all. It's light & portable with amazing battery life plus looks really cool in Midnight.

 

[wolfpackfan]

It's just 2 weeks shy of 2 years that I bought my 8GB/256GB M1 MBA at Costco for $650. I'm keeping it on Mac OS Ventura and it is just as responsive and capable as the day I bought it. I remember how many were trashing anyone's decision for buying one back then (when Walmart first started selling them at a discount).

But I did freshen it up a bit with a new skin. 🙂 (would've been better if we had logos that lit up like the old days)
View attachment 2603838

I'm curious where you buy covers like that? Amazon? I'd love to have one.

 

[sracer]

I'm curious where you buy covers like that? Amazon? I'd love to have one.

I bought it from DecalGirl. It was their "upload your own image" custom option.

 

[Woodstockie]

I just got my wife an open box M1 8/256gb in gold for $400 from Walmart. Battery is from 2025, so one of the last made ones. Came with Tahoe installed, decided to run it for a while to see how it goes and maybe downgrade if needed. Only thing she actually does on it is browse and watch YT. She was using a 2012 MBP 13” with OCLP before, but wanted to give her something newer. She is happy with it and will serve well for the coming years.

 

[loby]

I just got my wife an open box M1 8/256gb in gold for $400 from Walmart. Battery is from 2025, so one of the last made ones. Came with Tahoe installed, decided to run it for a while to see how it goes and maybe downgrade if needed. Only thing she actually does on it is browse and watch YT. She was using a 2012 MBP 13” with OCLP before, but wanted to give her something newer. She is happy with it and will serve well for the coming years.

Sounds like an iPad would work fine for her usage.

 

[Woodstockie]

Sounds like an iPad would work fine for her usage.

Maybe, maybe not, but for sure she is not an iPad person.

 

[LeeW]

I got my wife the M1 MBA on release, she still loves it and refuses to upgrade. It will have to die, or Apple will stop supporting it, before she gets a new one.

 

[Tyrannosaurs]

I'm upgrading my M1 right now but I'm handing it down to my wife who I think could get 2 or 3 years out of it *but* it does have 16Gb RAM.

She currently has the final Intel Air with 8Gb RAM and that's on its last legs. While the better CPU will help, I think an M1 with 8Gb RAM has got maybe 18 months in it before it starts to struggle (depending on use cases and all).