Sanity check - should I upgrade from my M1 MBA?

[bodonnell202]

I currently have a base M1 MBA (8/256) which honestly still suits my needs just fine as my personal computer needs are fairly basic and I have a company provided (Windows) computer that I use for work. A couple things has me thinking about upgrading now though:
1. tariffs and the associated trade wars could make computers significantly more expensive very soon
2. 8 GB of RAM could start to become a liability soon enough and the M1 may only have a little over a year of software updates ahead
3. Resale value of M1 MBAs is still not too bad so I could recoup a decent portion of the upgrade by selling my M1

Am I overthinking this? What would you do?

Also while I'm at it there's currently a pretty good deal on refurbished M3 MBAs with 16 GB of RAM on Apple Store website. Would you buy an M3 now or would you pay extra for the M4 for the longest possible support?

 

[russell_314]

I currently have a base M1 MBA (8/256) which honestly still suits my needs just fine as my personal computer needs are fairly basic and I have a company provided (Windows) computer that I use for work. A couple things has me thinking about upgrading now though:
1. tariffs and the associated trade wars could make computers significantly more expensive very soon
2. 8 GB of RAM could start to become a liability soon enough and the M1 may only have a little over a year of software updates ahead
3. Resale value of M1 MBAs is still not too bad so I could recoup a decent portion of the upgrade by selling my M1

Am I overthinking this? What would you do?

Also while I'm at it there's currently a pretty good deal on refurbished M3 MBAs with 16 GB of RAM on Apple Store website. Would you buy an M3 now or would you pay extra for the M4 for the longest possible support?

Your list of reasons sounds like excuses you’re trying to make for yourself. For example, upgrading now for some future need doesn’t make sense. Sure you’re going to recoup more of your money, but you’re also going to take a loss on the new MacBook depreciation. I think there’s no win there.

If you want a new MacBook Air just get one. The screen is nice so it’s an upgrade. Unless you’re hurting financially, it’s not a bad purchase. Maybe go to the Apple Store pick one up and look at it. I think the newer design is more modern looking than the old M1/ Intel design

 

[Bigwaff]

and the M1 may only have a little over a year of software updates ahead

Not necessarily. Even if base M1 MBA is cut off with this summers macOS release, Sequioa should be getting security updates for at least 3 more years. Ventura has had several updates and it’s 3 versions old. And just because the version of macOS isn’t getting updates, it doesn’t mean the software you use will stop getting updates.

I would guess your M1 MBA should serve your described computing needs for at least 5 more years.

 

[fatTribble]

Just my opinion, it doesn’t sound like there is a bad answer. You lay out valid reasons to upgrade and to keep what you have. Personally I’d just keep what you have. I say that with the idea of making each upgrade a larger jump.

 

[bodonnell202]

Your list of reasons sounds like excuses you’re trying to make for yourself. For example, upgrading now for some future need doesn’t make sense. Sure you’re going to recoup more of your money, but you’re also going to take a loss on the new MacBook depreciation. I think there’s no win there.

If you want a new MacBook Air just get one. The screen is nice so it’s an upgrade. Unless you’re hurting financially, it’s not a bad purchase. Maybe go to the Apple Store pick one up and look at it. I think the newer design is more modern looking than the old M1/ Intel design

Ha, yeah ultimately I can afford whatever, I just try to make smart financial choices and not waste money on things I don’t really need, but yes you called me out on justifying buying a new Mac by pretending it is somehow saving me money… fair enough.

 

[russell_314]

Ha, yeah ultimately I can afford whatever, I just try to make smart financial choices and not waste money on things I don’t really need, but yes you called me out on justifying buying a new Mac by pretending it is somehow saving me money… fair enough.

Yeah, I understand the smart financial decision thing. I think the smartest decision just based on finances would be to keep your current M1. The question you have to ask is would you get some sort of joy out of having a newer Mac? If so, is that joy worth would it costs?

I don’t know how you spend money but a lot of us waste a considerable amount of money on stuff that’s not beneficial and sometimes harmful. For example people only need to drink water. It’s healthier than the various flavored beverages that are bad for us and cost a fortune over the long run. Still people get satisfaction from those beverages.

 

[Mity]

I currently have a base M1 MBA (8/256) which honestly still suits my needs just fine as my personal computer needs are fairly basic and I have a company provided (Windows) computer that I use for work. A couple things has me thinking about upgrading now though:
1. tariffs and the associated trade wars could make computers significantly more expensive very soon
2. 8 GB of RAM could start to become a liability soon enough and the M1 may only have a little over a year of software updates ahead
3. Resale value of M1 MBAs is still not too bad so I could recoup a decent portion of the upgrade by selling my M1

Am I overthinking this? What would you do?

Also while I'm at it there's currently a pretty good deal on refurbished M3 MBAs with 16 GB of RAM on Apple Store website. Would you buy an M3 now or would you pay extra for the M4 for the longest possible support?

1. Price increases are a genuine factor due to inflation and tariffs but I can't say this administration has the wherewithal to see through a real trade war. Tariffs may just be a negotiating tactic and in that case, prices may not rise as much as what the media is reporting.

2. 8GB is low for some demanding tasks but if you're doing productivity work like web browsing, email, Word, Excel, it'll be fine. I assume you're not one of those people (like me) that have tons of Chrome tabs open all the time. When I started learning to code, it was on a mid-2014 8GB 13" MBP and I was able to run Python and SQL just fine.

And no one really knows the official support life for Apple Silicon Macs but the most common number I've come across is 7 years. According to this, you will still have security updates until November 2027.

3. Last I checked, the resale value for the M1 models was $300. I think even Costco started a trade-in program recently https://www.costco.com/trade-in-program-phobio.html so you're not restricted to just the Apple Store. A base model M4 MBA would cost net $650 ($950-$300) + tax at Costco.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I agree with @fatTribble that there is no wrong answer.

 

[Abazigal]

I currently have a base M1 MBA (8/256) which honestly still suits my needs just fine as my personal computer needs are fairly basic and I have a company provided (Windows) computer that I use for work. A couple things has me thinking about upgrading now though:
1. tariffs and the associated trade wars could make computers significantly more expensive very soon
2. 8 GB of RAM could start to become a liability soon enough and the M1 may only have a little over a year of software updates ahead
3. Resale value of M1 MBAs is still not too bad so I could recoup a decent portion of the upgrade by selling my M1

Am I overthinking this? What would you do?

Also while I'm at it there's currently a pretty good deal on refurbished M3 MBAs with 16 GB of RAM on Apple Store website. Would you buy an M3 now or would you pay extra for the M4 for the longest possible support?

My general buying philosophy with Apple is to always get the latest, and then use it for as long as possible before replacing it.

I guess right now, the biggest uncertainty is well, the uncertainty. We don't know much Apple prices are going to be affected by incoming tariffs. For all we know, Apple is able to negotiate an exemption from Trump at the last minute, or maybe Trump ends up backing off on his threats altogether, meaning last-minute panic buys were all for naught. Or Apple gets no exemption and prices rise significantly. Nobody can really say for sure.

I am in the exact same situation as you. I am also using the M1 base model MBA, it suffices for my needs, and I do feel tempted by the larger screen of the 15" air. I am also contemplating getting the 32gb / 1tb storage model, not necessarily because I feel I will need it, but simply because I can.

I realise I am not really helping you in making a decision. For me, it's either get a 15" MBA or stick with my current model. If you don't see yourself getting a larger screen, then I say - stick with your current model and use it until it no longer gets software updates. Buy only when you need it, not because you want to try and time the market or get ahead of something you think might happen. 😬

 

[Buadhai]

I also have a base model M1 MBA. It still satisfies all the needs I had for it when I bought it at a steep discount. I feel no need to replace it now. (I keep it at a holiday condo where I mainly use it for web browsing, email, and SSH logins to local and remote computers; mostly Raspberry Pies.) By the way the M1 MBA replaced a 2009 White MacBook on which I had upgraded the RAM to 8 GB and the drive to a decent SSD.

I also have a 2019 Intel iMac. I'd love to replace it with a new M4 MacMini. But, the old iMac still meets all my needs. So, although I could afford it, no real need to consider replacing it.

I don't live in the US so I'm not much worried about the effects of Trump's tariffs on Apple products. (I will not mention the dramatically bad effect those tariffs have had on my retirement investments.)

On the other hand buying a new toy is sometimes just what you need to liven up your life.

 

[chrono1081]

I currently have a base M1 MBA (8/256) which honestly still suits my needs just fine as my personal computer needs are fairly basic and I have a company provided (Windows) computer that I use for work. A couple things has me thinking about upgrading now though:
1. tariffs and the associated trade wars could make computers significantly more expensive very soon
2. 8 GB of RAM could start to become a liability soon enough and the M1 may only have a little over a year of software updates ahead
3. Resale value of M1 MBAs is still not too bad so I could recoup a decent portion of the upgrade by selling my M1

Am I overthinking this? What would you do?

Also while I'm at it there's currently a pretty good deal on refurbished M3 MBAs with 16 GB of RAM on Apple Store website. Would you buy an M3 now or would you pay extra for the M4 for the longest possible support?

Personally if it were me and it was in my budget I'd grab the M4 Air.

 

[zach-coleman]

I currently have a base M1 MBA (8/256) which honestly still suits my needs just fine as my personal computer needs are fairly basic and I have a company provided (Windows) computer that I use for work. A couple things has me thinking about upgrading now though:
1. tariffs and the associated trade wars could make computers significantly more expensive very soon
2. 8 GB of RAM could start to become a liability soon enough and the M1 may only have a little over a year of software updates ahead
3. Resale value of M1 MBAs is still not too bad so I could recoup a decent portion of the upgrade by selling my M1

Am I overthinking this? What would you do?

Also while I'm at it there's currently a pretty good deal on refurbished M3 MBAs with 16 GB of RAM on Apple Store website. Would you buy an M3 now or would you pay extra for the M4 for the longest possible support?

My friend just did the same. They were running into issues with 8GB though... Also mildly concerned about the tariffs. They pulled the trigger on that trade in deal that ended on the 2nd and got a 16/512 for $784 (normally $1099) brand new from Apple. They don't like dealing with FB Marketplace/etc so I didn't push selling it to someone else directly.

I've messed with it for a few hours, I have a 13" "base" M1 Pro. You can definitely feel the difference in using it, including weight vs the M1 Air. I think it's a worthwhile update if you're itching to do so, but if you aren't running into swap issues constantly it's really up to you how much it's worth it. I think 8GB will probably be supported by Apple for a long time to come, but it will only feel more and more sluggish with time.

If it were me, I'd do it. But I'm pretty impulsive about tech upgrades. I want to follow the friend and upgrade to an M4 Air myself sooner rather than later. Not in my budget at the moment though. The current having 16GB base while also being cheaper than the M3 was when it launched ($1099 w/8GB) is killer.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Without the tariffs, I would say none of those reasons make sense to upgrade. Given the tariffs though it could be a good idea to make sure all your tech is somewhat up to date. Securing a computer with at least 16gb of RAM would be pretty sensible.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Tariffs coming and 8 GB RAM now I would upgrade to more than the 16 GB minimum RAM now in all low end Macs. Although the Mac OS makes low RAM function the Mac is operating suboptimally, and things will get even more suboptimal as time goes on. Multi-tasking in particular gets sluggish even with basic apps.

I would be much more concerned about how much RAM than about M3 versus M4.

 

[TechRunner]

I had a base M1 Mini and just upgraded to a base M4 MBP. My Mini was still doing well for me, but my needs for portability changed. If it hadn't been for that, I would have kept the Mini even though I can afford to buy whatever I want or need for computing.

I would keep that trusty MBA unless I really needed an upgrade, but hey, it's your money, so spend as you see fit. Sometimes getting a want keeps us motivated to go to work every day!

 

[Itza]

I am selling my m1 8gb to swap with a m1 16gb. Even if I only use it for three years it will be work for the 100 dollars it is costing me. Went up to 1T as well

 

[AlixSPQR]

My MBP Mid 2014 (16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD) does the job I need. I'll buy a newer when it can't. Stick with your M1 if it does the job you need.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Given that apple is still supporting the iMac Pro from 2017, I don’t think the M1 will be losing software support anytime soon.
2027 * at the earliest*, and with that it still can be an extra two or three years on top of that. And then after that, another two or three years of security updates.
Just for a comparison point, the direct predecessors to the M chips were the A-X chips.
The A8X iPad Air2 ran all the way from 2014’s iOS 8 to 2021s iOS 15, and just received a security update literally this week.
The 2018 iPad pros with the A12X are still receiving the latest updates almost 7 years later, and are likely to receive the next round of updates as well.

This idea that the M1 is about to lose support is just ridiculous, also Apple introduced products with the M1 as late as 2022 with the M1U Mac Studios and the M1 iPad Air.
Those things should at least reach to macOS 18/iOS 21, if not even more. I wouldn’t even worry about that.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Given that apple is still supporting the iMac Pro from 2017, I don’t think the M1 will be losing software support anytime soon.
2027 * at the earliest*, and with that it still can be an extra two or three years on top of that. And then after that, another two or three years of security updates.
Just for a comparison point, the direct predecessors to the M chips were the A-X chips.
The A8X iPad Air2 ran all the way from 2014’s iOS 8 to 2021s iOS 15, and just received a security update literally this week.
The 2018 iPad pros with the A12X are still receiving the latest updates almost 7 years later, and are likely to receive the next round of updates as well.

This idea that the M1 is about to lose support is just ridiculous, also Apple introduced products with the M1 as late as 2022 with the M1U Mac Studios and the M1 iPad Air.
Those things should at least reach to macOS 18/iOS 21, if not even more. I wouldn’t even worry about that.

Agreed: "This idea that the M1 is about to lose support is just ridiculous..." My 2016 MBP running Monterey still functions fine, the 16 GB RAM its only significant limitation.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

I am selling my m1 8gb to swap with a m1 16gb. Even if I only use it for three years it will be work for the 100 dollars it is costing me. Went up to 1T as well

You made a sweet deal!

 

[ignatius345]

I currently have a base M1 MBA (8/256) which honestly still suits my needs just fine as my personal computer needs are fairly basic and I have a company provided (Windows) computer that I use for work. A couple things has me thinking about upgrading now though:
1. tariffs and the associated trade wars could make computers significantly more expensive very soon
2. 8 GB of RAM could start to become a liability soon enough and the M1 may only have a little over a year of software updates ahead
3. Resale value of M1 MBAs is still not too bad so I could recoup a decent portion of the upgrade by selling my M1

Am I overthinking this? What would you do?

Also while I'm at it there's currently a pretty good deal on refurbished M3 MBAs with 16 GB of RAM on Apple Store website. Would you buy an M3 now or would you pay extra for the M4 for the longest possible support?

I just made a similar upgrade. In my case I had an M1 Air with 16 GB RAM and a 1 TB SSD. It was doing what I needed to quite well, but the M4s just came out and I wanted to get ahead of the Trump Tax. I was also able to capitalize on some temporarily stepped up trade-in values from Apple and got like $550 credit for my M1 Air. I opted for the base 16 GB RAM on the M4 and a 512 GB SSD.

I'm happy I did it. They M1 was handling what I do pretty well, but the way I figure it this M4 offers a bit of "headroom" for future needs and future software updates. It's also got some quality of life improvements like a much better webcam, MagSafe, and display that's 100 nits brighter than the M1. I'm also seeing incredible battery life on the M4. When using it for light tasks at ~50% brightness I've seen the remaining time estimate jump upward of 18 hours, and I see from coconutBattery that it's pulling under 2 watts. It WILL ramp way up and pull over 20 watts when it's pushing something hard, but the baseline power consumption is very modest. They've really it it out of the park with this machine.

 

[Howard2k]

I just went from M1 16GB to M4 24GB. The M1 was running great for my ever day tasks, but work subsidized the upgrade to it made sense. The M1 is still a very capable machine though, particularly with 16GB.

 

[geta]

No reason to change as long as it covers your needs.

 

[G5isAlive]

Can you go to an Apple Store or Best Buy and try one out? If it were me I’d do it for the memory alone. There is a reason Apple bumped the base to 16. There is always ‘good enough’ but sometimes quality of life increases count and there is no doubt the m4 and m3 bring that. But as I said, stop trying to rationalize, go to a store and play with them…if the difference you experience doesn’t make up your mind, stick with what you have.

 

[Luna Murasaki]

Apple may patch old releases of macOS 2 years from the time they are succeeded, but unless something has changed recently, the old releases are not patched consistently, with some security holes not being patched within a reasonable time frame, or at all. For that reason I personally always replace my Apple products before they lose the ability to run the latest OS, or at least not more than a month or two after.

I very much doubt macOS 16 will drop support for M1 Macs. I think we will see at least one release that requires Apple Silicon before that happens, and macOS 15 Sequoia still supports some Intel Macs. So I think you will be covered for macOS 16. But it sounds like a reasonable guess that macOS 17 will drop support, when President Trump is still in office. He has said he is in it for the long haul and expects short-term pain as part of his plans, suggesting this is not going to go away quickly. He could still back down though, and there's stirrings in Congress about doing something to forcibly stop the tariffs that are about to become extremely unpopular.

I don't personally think the tariffs are going to affect the price of Apple products that much, if at all. Apple has a huge profit margin on this stuff simply because prices are already based on the maximum that Apple's customers are willing to pay. Apple can afford to keep the pricing close to or the same as what it already was and still make a profit, but customers may not tolerate a significant price increase, particularly with the cost pressures they'll be facing elsewhere in their lives. Your attitude speaks to that worry. But nothing is a guarantee.

It's up to you, but I don't think your worries here are unreasonable.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Apple may patch old releases of macOS 2 years from the time they are succeeded, but unless something has changed recently, the old releases are not patched consistently, with some security holes not being patched within a reasonable time frame, or at all. For that reason I personally always replace my Apple products before they lose the ability to run the latest OS, or at least not more than a month or two after.

I very much doubt macOS 16 will drop support for M1 Macs. I think we will see at least one release that requires Apple Silicon before that happens, and macOS 15 Sequoia still supports some Intel Macs. So I think you will be covered for macOS 16. But it sounds like a reasonable guess that macOS 17 will drop support, when President Trump is still in office. He has said he is in it for the long haul and expects short-term pain as part of his plans, suggesting this is not going to go away quickly. He could still back down though, and there's stirrings in Congress about doing something to forcibly stop the tariffs that are about to become extremely unpopular.

I don't personally think the tariffs are going to affect the price of Apple products that much, if at all. Apple has a huge profit margin on this stuff simply because prices are already based on the maximum that Apple's customers are willing to pay. Apple can afford to keep the pricing close to or the same as what it already was and still make a profit, but customers may not tolerate a significant price increase, particularly with the cost pressures they'll be facing elsewhere in their lives. Your attitude speaks to that worry. But nothing is a guarantee.

It's up to you, but I don't think your worries here are unreasonable.

I have not recently been checking for security update to my 2016 MBP running Monterey because I bought an M2 MBP a while back. But I remember that the 2016 MBP was still receiving regular security updates at the seven year mark.

You and I agree about your final comment:

It's up to you, but I don't think your worries here are unreasonable.

IMO the decision was 50-50 before price-raising tariffs were placed on the table. Even just talking about tariffs increases uncertainty and raises costs. IMO with Trump tariffs anyone considering upgrading should do it quickly and include plenty of RAM.