New charger or New MBA?

[Zevertan]

Heya!

I am currently using a MBP mid 2014 13' that are working fine for me even though it has 1800 cycles and dusty fans. However, I am of course planing to upgrade soon, but this is where my dilemma is at:

My Magsafe charger is on it's last verse and a new one for me is $120.
My other option is to instead buy a new MBA M1 and get on it with it. However, I am quite unsecure of how well the M1 is doing when it comes to getting rid of all the first year problems and the reason for me not hopping on the train is hoping that a refresh will come out Q2/Q3.

So what do you recommend me doing? Investing in a new charger for 1/10 of the money a new MPA costs, or invest it all in a new MPA and hope that no refresh comes out soon? HELP!

 

[4sallypat]

Considering how old the hardware is and since Apple won't support future OS upgrades - yours maxes out at Big Sur...

Unless you run Windows ....

I'd get the nifty priced M1 MBA base which will run circles around your Intel MBP.

There have been prices as low as $879 for the base M1 MBA or if you go to school $899 EDU pricing so it's a steal!

 

[Zevertan]

Considering how old the hardware is and since Apple won't support future OS upgrades - yours maxes out at Big Sur...

Unless you run Windows ....

I'd get the nifty priced M1 MBA base which will run circles around your Intel MBP.

There have been prices as low as $879 for the base M1 MBA or if you go to school $899 EDU pricing so it's a steal!

How do you face the possibility of a refresh fixing all the first year problems of the Air? Worth waiting?

 

[4sallypat]

Well then you should wait for the Mx 10 years down the line.

I never fear the "first year model" - as a matter of fact, I have the first year model: iPad Pro & 12" rMB that I still use from 2015 for daily & travel.

As long as the device works for what I want it to do, I am fine without stressing over the next version or next refresh or next design changes...

My signature below shows that I am not scared of newer models...

BTW I do buy AppleCare for all my mobile devices just in case. I don't buy AC+ for the M1 Mini as it never leaves my desk and my credit card doubles the 1 year warranty so I am covered for 2 years.

 

[mtneer]

Heya!

I am currently using a MBP mid 2014 13' that are working fine for me even though it has 1800 cycles and dusty fans. However, I am of course planing to upgrade soon, but this is where my dilemma is at:

My Magsafe charger is on it's last verse and a new one for me is $120.
My other option is to instead buy a new MBA M1 and get on it with it. However, I am quite unsecure of how well the M1 is doing when it comes to getting rid of all the first year problems and the reason for me not hopping on the train is hoping that a refresh will come out Q2/Q3.

So what do you recommend me doing? Investing in a new charger for 1/10 of the money a new MPA costs, or invest it all in a new MPA and hope that no refresh comes out? HELP!

If you think that your machine can keep going for another 2-3 years with the new charger, then it makes sense to purchase the charger and amortize it. It will also set you up to pick up a 3rd or 4th gen Apple Silicon Mac which could bring a very mature ecosystem by then.

 

[Zevertan]

If you think that your machine can keep going for another 2-3 years with the new charger, then it makes sense to purchase the charger and amortize it. It will also set you up to pick up a 3rd or 4th gen Apple Silicon Mac which could bring a very mature ecosystem by then.

I think it can, but with the 1800 cycles on it, it's more of a stationary computer than a laptop already. So buying a new charger is more of making it last until a refresh comes out, instead of keeping it for several more years

 

[mtneer]

I think it can, but with the 1800 cycles on it, it's more of a stationary computer than a laptop already. So buying a new charger is more of making it last until a refresh comes out, instead of keeping it for several more years

I see. If your horizon to get a new machine is only a few months. Then it makes to not spend any money on the obsolete charger and instead go for the new machine.

 

[ctjack]

If you are in the US, you can buy one unopened from Craigslist. I did buy a new magsafe that way for $65 which didn't trigger the question of changing the laptop for me at this price point.
But after 1.5 year with new charger, i can see it started degrading already, so keep that in mind.
If you are looking for refresh then i don't think that they will come up with something new in 2021 with Air. But they will introduce higher end 13 MBP and 16 MBP. But that is another price league.
If you buy Air now, more likely that it will be new generation at least until the end of 2021. And even at that point when the refresh comes out, you can sell your M1 Air and add $200 and get yourself new Air.

 

[Zevertan]

If you are in the US, you can buy one unopened from Craigslist. I did buy a new magsafe that way for $65 which didn't trigger the question of changing the laptop for me at this price point.
But after 1.5 year with new charger, i can see it started degrading already, so keep that in mind.
If you are looking for refresh then i don't think that they will come up with something new in 2021 with Air. But they will introduce higher end 13 MBP and 16 MBP. But that is another price league.
If you buy Air now, more likely that it will be new generation at least until the end of 2021. And even at that point when the refresh comes out, you can sell your M1 Air and add $200 and get yourself new Air.

Trying to get one via FB Marketplace and such. However, most of them seems to be in a state which means they will be broken within a month, and people are asking 50 dollars for it.

I never thought about buying a MBA and then reselling it quickly after... Is it possible to get that amount of money for a year old Mac?

 

[ctjack]

I never thought about buying a MBA and then reselling it quickly after... Is it possible to get that amount of money for a year old Mac?

Old wisdom says that upgrading every year might be cheaper than waiting for 5-10 years, when Air will be worth 0 at that point.
So I guess if you bought it for 1200 Euro, then you can resell it for 900-1000 Euro when the new Air comes out. But that will be 1st year price. If you hold on to it for another year, then you will get only 800-900 Euro and so on.
Take a look at the Marketplace for the prices of old Mac laptops and post here some examples. I think we can find out, what will be the minimal selling price of your Air in 1 year.

 

[tis]

How do you face the possibility of a refresh fixing all the first year problems of the Air? Worth waiting?

What first year problems? There are none. People dismiss the fact that Apple has been making their own chips for over 10 years. This isn’t a new thing for them.

There also won’t be a Q2/Q3 Air update either. They are focused on the other laptops.

Buy the new MBA and be done with it.

 

[darngooddesign]

I am currently using a MBP mid 2014 13' that are working fine for me even though it has 1800 cycles and dusty fans. However, I am of course planing to upgrade soon, but this is where my dilemma is at:

If your fan is dusty, clean it out.

My Magsafe charger is on it's last verse and a new one for me is $120.

You can get a 60W Apple MagSafe2 charger for like $30 on eBay.

My other option is to instead buy a new MBA M1 and get on it with it. However, I am quite unsecure of how well the M1 is doing when it comes to getting rid of all the first year problems and the reason for me not hopping on the train is hoping that a refresh will come out Q2/Q3.

My M1 Air has been great.

FWIW, the air won't get a redesign, they're not going to change the wedge shape everyone loves. What we will likely see this year is a 16" M1 (definitely this year); a 14" MBP to replace the 13" (maybe this year); and the Air will stay as 13" but get a Mini LED display (likely next year).

Think about it this way, Apple has had such a hard time meeting demand for the 13" M1 laptops that they simply don't have have bandwidth required to revamp everything again this year.

 

[xboxbml]

Heya!

I am currently using a MBP mid 2014 13' that are working fine for me even though it has 1800 cycles and dusty fans. However, I am of course planing to upgrade soon, but this is where my dilemma is at:

My Magsafe charger is on it's last verse and a new one for me is $120.
My other option is to instead buy a new MBA M1 and get on it with it. However, I am quite unsecure of how well the M1 is doing when it comes to getting rid of all the first year problems and the reason for me not hopping on the train is hoping that a refresh will come out Q2/Q3.

So what do you recommend me doing? Investing in a new charger for 1/10 of the money a new MPA costs, or invest it all in a new MPA and hope that no refresh comes out soon? HELP!

2 things...

1. Why do you say charger on last verse? Is it damaged?
2. 1800 cycles on battery? I'm guessing you need a new battery.. I believe Apple specs them out at 1000 cycles.

As has been previously stated, I believe you're on last version of supported OS. It's all what you want/need and can afford. If you like current hardware and is in good shape and don't need newer faster hardware, fix it. Get a new battery and charger if needed. Upgrade SSD if you want.. If you can afford new, do it. But if you go new, go with the max you can afford. (16gb RAM, biggest storage you can afford.) You can't upgrade anything but OS after purchase on new hardware. That's one of the reasons I didn't go new when I went with Mac. Got this 2015 MBA a couple years ago and upgraded to 2tb SSD and new battery. I've also recently heard they may be bringing back MagSafe. Could just be rumor but you never know.. New M1 Air will run circles around your current machine, plus I believe a better screen, and overall better battery life. They also supposedly fixed the keyboard design issues they've had last few years.. Like I said, it's all about what you want/need, and can afford... There's always gonna be the next and "better" version of something.. If you always wait to see, you'll never do it.. Now that they've fixed the keyboard design issue and may possibly bring back MagSafe in some form, maybe I'll get one when this one kicks it..in 5 years or so..