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Macbook air M1 !! buy now or wait for new design ?

Zazoh said:
Given the Trackpad represents the screen and is already where your fingers are, what advantage does lifting my Cheeto stained fingers to the screen give me over the Trackpad?

If Apple execs honor Steve Jobs, they will never let it happen ... I hope.
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It's called options, I'm aware of the staunch Apple faithful Will disagree however the consumer should still have that option.

Another option I'd like to see Apple adopt, a detachment screen to use a tablet. I know its radical but It's hardly beyond the realms of technology.

However, I concur it would be never be allowed.
 
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As tempting as it is, my 2017 Air works just fine.

And frankly, v.1 models of hardware and software (even / especially Apple) end up having the user being the guinea pig to things that will go wrong. Either the manufacturer didn't experience them in development, or knew it was a problem and thought it a calculable risk to produce anyway. Profit more important.

Apple in particular has long relied on its more rabid Macolytes to dismiss (or actually verbally attack) any user who experiences issues - regardless of how many report the same problem - and until the issue makes the Media and Apple is forced to do something with a mea culpa attached, its reliance on the fan base to quell dissatisfaction is more cost effective. But we can't all be 'holding it wrong'.

I'm more interested in this Fall's version of the Mac and the OS that will come with that. Some wrinkles ironed out in both cases.
 
Bazza1 said:
As tempting as it is, my 2017 Air works just fine.

And frankly, v.1 models of hardware and software (even / especially Apple) end up having the user being the guinea pig to things that will go wrong. Either the manufacturer didn't experience them in development, or knew it was a problem and thought it a calculable risk to produce anyway. Profit more important.

Apple in particular has long relied on its more rabid Macolytes to dismiss (or actually verbally attack) any user who experiences issues - regardless of how many report the same problem - and until the issue makes the Media and Apple is forced to do something with a mea culpa attached, its reliance on the fan base to quell dissatisfaction is more cost effective. But we can't all be 'holding it wrong'.

I'm more interested in this Fall's version of the Mac and the OS that will come with that. Some wrinkles ironed out in both cases.
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V.1 was more than 10 years ago. This isn’t Apples first go round at making a chip. Not to mention, we are now months in with very few issues. If anything, people are surprised at how well the M1 MacBooks are performing.
 
The current M1 MBA has an almost identical hardware layout as the old Intel MBA. As this is a proven design, I felt quite confident that there wouldn't be major troubles. A major redesign plus a new chip would have been a much more risky step, IMO.

Sold my 2015 MBP and got a 16GB M1 MBA. No regrets, great computer. Knock on wood.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
Chasing tech is a fools game. If you want or need a new Mac, get one now. No matter when you buy, there is new tech being released right behind what you want to buy. In fact, the M1 MBA I just bought, is already old tech. We just haven't seen the successor, yet.
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Mostly agree, but there are times when it is obvious to wait. The key is timing it around the BIG jumps in tech, or if you know regularly scheduled releases will be due out in say, 3-6 months (depending on your tolerance and how old your machine is).

For example, I want a 16" laptop, but it would be pants-on-head insanity to buy an intel 16" macbook right now for $2500+, despite the newer models being 6-7 months away.

Big leaps:
- intel->new architecture where you see 100%+ performance increases
- changes that fix broken things, like the butterfly keyboard

Minor changes prob not worth waiting for:
- new screens (mini-LED)
- wi-fi 6E
- better speakers, microphone, webcam

Debatable: ports. I want 4 usb-c ports, but don't care about SD/HDMI/ethernet/etc.
 
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geejay9876 said:
The current M1 MBA has an almost identical hardware layout as the old Intel MBA. As this is a proven design, I felt quite confident that there wouldn't be major troubles. A major redesign plus a new chip would have been a much more risky step, IMO.

Sold my 2015 MBP and got a 16GB M1 MBA. No regrets, great computer. Knock on wood.
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I agree. how about 8 GB vs 16 GB for MBA? Been pondering over this now... I have read that this RAM is new architecture too and behaves as unified memory and real-world-tests on youtube videos show 16 GB is just marginally better than 8GB.
 
ls1dreams said:
Mostly agree, but there are times when it is obvious to wait. The key is timing it around the BIG jumps in tech, or if you know regularly scheduled releases will be due out in say, 3-6 months (depending on your tolerance and how old your machine is).

For example, I want a 16" laptop, but it would be pants-on-head insanity to buy an intel 16" macbook right now for $2500+, despite the newer models being 6-7 months away.

Big leaps:
- intel->new architecture where you see 100%+ performance increases
- changes that fix broken things, like the butterfly keyboard

Minor changes prob not worth waiting for:
- new screens (mini-LED)
- wi-fi 6E
- better speakers, microphone, webcam

Debatable: ports. I want 4 usb-c ports, but don't care about SD/HDMI/ethernet/etc.
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I can agree with your point. My post was more about habitual waiters (in need or want) who are waiting on some mysterious time frame for something that is not confirmed.
 
vivek28 said:
I agree. how about 8 GB vs 16 GB for MBA? Been pondering over this now... I have read that this RAM is new architecture too and behaves as unified memory and real-world-tests on youtube videos show 16 GB is just marginally better than 8GB.
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For a normal user 8GB is usually enough. My reasoning was that I wanted to upgrade substantially to have a future proof machine, so I went for 16GB.
 
tis said:
V.1 was more than 10 years ago. This isn’t Apples first go round at making a chip. Not to mention, we are now months in with very few issues. If anything, people are surprised at how well the M1 MacBooks are performing.
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This ain't no iPhone (or iPad) - and while they may have figured out the chip for those, its still a substantial leap from those to the M1 in a 'real' computer. They can guess how its going to act (especially when tying it in with older tech), but the M1 is still v.1. Plus the software (OS and apps) - to be best compatible with the M1 (not just relying on Rosetta) - has meant a rethink, too.

Glad its gone so well for many - but clearly for some (based on this and other Forums - including Apple's) it hasn't been entirely butterflies, rainbows and unicorns, either.

And yeah, Apple will probably redesign the whole thing this year. Whether that'll be simply re-arranging the deckchairs in a 'cool' form, or actually bringing the guts up to speed with the M1 remains to be seen. So far all I'm hearing is a new case, less bezels, adding back the ports they previously got rid of.
 
Bazza1 said:
This ain't no iPhone (or iPad) - and while they may have figured out the chip for those, its still a substantial leap from those to the M1 in a 'real' computer. They can guess how its going to act (especially when tying it in with older tech), but the M1 is still v.1. Plus the software (OS and apps) - to be best compatible with the M1 (not just relying on Rosetta) - has meant a rethink, too.

Glad its gone so well for many - but clearly for some (based on this and other Forums - including Apple's) it hasn't been entirely butterflies, rainbows and unicorns, either.

And yeah, Apple will probably redesign the whole thing this year. Whether that'll be simply re-arranging the deckchairs in a 'cool' form, or actually bringing the guts up to speed with the M1 remains to be seen. So far all I'm hearing is a new case, less bezels, adding back the ports they previously got rid of.
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As stated, we are now months in and there are no more issues than the intel machines had. So what is your argument? That everyone should be as paranoid as you, and just never buy a new computer?

There are reports that also suggest the new update may not come until far into 2022, and it's going to be more expensive. The current M1 model will remain in the lineup. The 14" MBP is going up in price, the new Macbook Air is going up in price, and the current Air will still be available.
 
JLH81 said:
Just upgrade now. You can always sell your M1 and upgrade at another time.
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Best answer. These days with such a robust marketplace for second hand Apple devices, there's no reason to wait. If you take good care of the laptop, you'll be able to get a good price for it in a year.
 
There’s always new tech around the corner so go for what’s available now. M1 air will still work amazing when the redesign air is out which is likely still another year away anyway
 
Just upgrade. People act like you can't sell used Apple products in a year at about 90-95% of the original price. I'll be shocked if I even take a $100 hit when I sell my M1 in fall 2021.
 
moldy lunchbox said:
Just upgrade. People act like you can't sell used Apple products in a year at about 90-95% of the original price. I'll be shocked if I even take a $100 hit when I sell my M1 in fall 2021.
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Base models tend to hold the highest % of value. If you upgrade ram/ssd/etc it gets worse.

$100 hit is probably ambitious though. I'd expect maybe $200-$300 hit on most models (and don't forget you'll also lose ~6-7% tax on your purchase as well).
 
okay, going by the rumors and discussion here.. base Macbook Air M1 is here to stay.

New MBA would be priced higher only and probably a candidate for 2022 it seems.

What do you think this has been the best update for macbook air !! Fast chip, upgraded P3 display, Faster SSD, good keyboard. Best one since Jobs put it out of an envelope ;)
 
I just ordered a M1 MBA with 16GB RAM and 512GB ssd with trade-in of my 2018 15” MBP to apple. I also returned my 11” iPad Pro just days before return eligibility expired. I figured I don’t use the 15” MBP much anymore for laptop duties and it’s value will plummeting fast with its sucky keyboard and old gen 8 intel processor. I basically need a movie watching/light laptop duty apple device around the house that’s light and has great battery life. So instead of holding onto the MPB and owning an iPad Pro, I decided to combine the two into this M1 MBA and save some money in the meantime. Hope I don’t regret this decision.
 
ls1dreams said:
Base models tend to hold the highest % of value. If you upgrade ram/ssd/etc it gets worse.

$100 hit is probably ambitious though. I'd expect maybe $200-$300 hit on most models (and don't forget you'll also lose ~6-7% tax on your purchase as well).
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I got a military discount that knocked $200 or so off the retail price..so one of my upgrades was just a freebie. And I can still ask a higher price for it than a base. Ignoring the lowball offers, someone will indeed buy it near the asking price. I've sold enough Apple products to know that. I still doubt I'll lose much on this one.
 
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kevjen888 said:
I just ordered a M1 MBA with 16GB RAM and 512GB ssd with trade-in of my 2018 15” MBP to apple. I also returned my 11” iPad Pro just days before return eligibility expired. I figured I don’t use the 15” MBP much anymore for laptop duties and it’s value will plummeting fast with its sucky keyboard and old gen 8 intel processor. I basically need a movie watching/light laptop duty apple device around the house that’s light and has great battery life. So instead of holding onto the MPB and owning an iPad Pro, I decided to combine the two into this M1 MBA and save some money in the meantime. Hope I don’t regret this decision.
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Why do you need 16/512 for that use case? The base model 8/256 is more than capable of satisfying the above need. My general philosophy is buy what you need now and upgrade early instead of trying to future proof.
 
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ghanwani said:
Why do you need 16/512 for that use case? The base model 8/256 is more than capable of satisfying the above need. My general philosophy is buy what you need now and upgrade early instead of trying to future proof.
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thanks, I took your advice and downgraded to the 8/512 configuration.
 
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