Need Help Choosing Which MacBook Air to purchase

[Teach Band Inst Online]

Which are most important specs to look for when purchasing new macbook air? I currently have a work-issued one (see pic below) but must purchase my own now. I am finding "refurbished" 2019 models from excellent rating Ebay sellers for around $700. For example: MacBook Air 13" 2019 1.6GHz Core i5 8gb RAM 128GB SSD Rose Gold Big Sur - $699.95.

Is 1.6GHz good? Core i5? <-- Can you help me understand those specs and if I should look for something different? I know what RAM and SSD are.

My current one as Big Sur. Isn't that the newest OS? Is it bad to get one with Catalina or Mojave OS? What is the best chip?

Does Release Year mean anything really? What is the most important spec to look for? Thank you!

I have been a band teacher for 20+ years and LOVE teaching middle school band kids. This last 2 years found me teaching online a ton, and I am now branching out to do it full time.

I cu

 

[0128672]

I'd recommend going with the latest chip, the M1 version. The latest public release OS is Big Sur, but we will see Monterey being released soon hopefully.

I'd also recommend only buying a refurb from Apple because of its thorough refurbishment process, its one year warranty (just like a new Mac), and the ability to purchase Applecare+ for it. I doubt any EBay refurbs come with a one-year warranty or details about their refurbishment process. For peace of mind, Apple refurbs have an excellent track record.

I don't believe there's an education discount for Apple refurbs though, but you might find a price that fits your budget via the regular education store.

Apple Refurb Store:

Refurbished Mac - MacBook Air

Save up to 15% on a refurbished MacBook Air. Tested and certified by Apple including a 1-year warranty. Free delivery and returns.

www.apple.com

Apple Education Store:

Buy MacBook Air

Trade in your eligible Mac for credit toward a new 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air laptop. Select a model or customize your own. Buy now at apple.com.

www.apple.com

 

[JPack]

Have to agree with getting a refurb M1 MacBook Air. Those perform significantly better than the Intel-based MacBooks. The newer the model year, the better processor performance. If budget is super tight, I'd get a used Intel-based MBA 2020. Those should be in the $600 range and come standard with 256GB (you don't want anything smaller).

You just missed cutoff for Apple's educational promo M1 MBA for $740. But the same MBA can be purchased from the refurb store for $849.

 

[James_C]

I really suggest you get the M1 MBA, even if you have to wait to save for it. It is a huge jump from the prior 2020 Intel MBA. In particular the 2020 Intel version due to the small form factor tends to get warm pretty quickly from just watching movies. It is not unusual to hear the fans come on. The M1 would last you much longer than the Intel variant. As you are a teacher you are eligible for education discount, although shop around as they are also discounted on sites like Amazon. My wife is a teacher and I got her a base M1 MBA and she loves it.

It looks like you have a base level M1 MBA ( 8GB Ram) from work at the moment, so assuming you are happy with that then you will be happy with the base model.

 

[dizmonk]

Agree with the previous posters. I had a work-issued Intel Macbook Pro and I hated how hot and slow it was. My M1 MBA is constantly cool and much faster. Refurbed M1 or Refurbed Ed discount.