Should I buy the MBA M1 now?

[wirtandi]

I really need to get a new laptop, being a lifelong windows user I really wanna try switch to Apple. Yet there are concerning issues that prevent me such as:

-MBA M1 owners reporting their laptop died and just will not turn on.
-SSD high writes. Been checking the below thread daily:

ssd swap - high usage of Terabytes Written

I was wondering whether to do that as well! Thanks, will look into 8)

forums.macrumors.com

Yes, daily. For over a month.

Those two issues are the biggest concern for me.

What do you guys think?

 

[Cookie18]

Remember, the people posting problems on here are always the minority. Nobody posts that everything is fine and dandy so I wouldn't look too much into the numbers from a very skewed sample size. By all accounts, the SSD issue seems to be a software issue and there is some evidence that it's a Big Sur problem rather than an M1 problem. Either way, we don't really know the full extent of whatever it is and a lot of it is pure guesswork right now. Personally, it didn't disuade me at all from getting my M1 Mac Mini. I'm now also considering getting an M1 Air and the only thing holding me back is that I'm not sure if I want a 13" Air or a 16" Pro for the screen size.

If the Air works for you I'd go for it, by all accounts it seems to be one of the best laptops you can buy right now.

Edit: Out of interest I just checked the SSD writes of my M1 Mac mini. I have averaged about 100gb a day. Based on the estimated lifespan of an SSD I can expect to get around 8 years of life out of it comfortably and it would most likely last much longer. That's assuming there's no software fix too, I'm confident there will be.

 

[Apple_Robert]

No reason not to buy the M1 MBA. It is a great machine.

I think the SSD problem is one that only affects certain people. The other day pone problem has been resolved, as far as I know.

 

[wirtandi]

THanks guys. The SSD im not too concerned about anymore, after being obsessed with it for over a month. Mostly because my usage is very light.

But the new thing that caught my attention is the MBA suddenly dying and wont turn on. What is this??

 

[Taco1933]

1. There's a problem with every new device (this applies to all consumer electronics) 2. This place will blow that problem way out of proportion. The people who don't have the issues aren't going to tend to start threads about it.

Apple does a really good job of standing behind their stuff as long as you buy from a reputable retailer. I've got an MBA M1, and it's been great. There's a chance you'll get a dud. If you do, apple will handle it.

 

[Significant1]

1. If you are talking about usb-hubs bricking the machines, it should be fixed by Apple in a Big Sur update. At least I can tell that my hub has not broken my week old machine.

I would have liked to, but couldn't wait any longer. So far I am satisfied. Just hope it doesn't become an "old" architecture, now armV9 is comming :-/. I had that experience with two core duo machines, when intel shortly after introduced Core 2 Duo with 64bit support.

 

[Cookie18]

THanks guys. The SSD im not too concerned about anymore, after being obsessed with it for over a month. Mostly because my usage is very light.

But the new thing that caught my attention is the MBA suddenly dying and wont turn on. What is this??

Apple would swap this out for a new unit no questions asked but this seems to be an exceedingly miniscule issue.

 

[mtneer]

Given Apple’s track record with first gen products - I would urge caution before moving platforms now. Wait it out a year or two to see how it all shakes out and then decide whether it’s worth your while or not.

 

[weeesss]

I recommend against it, but I am going to Apple in an hour to get one myself. It was a tough decision to give up my Surface Pro 7, but I will give it to a family member.

 

[guinnessduck]

I love my M1 MacBook Air. It is easily the best laptop that I've ever owned. I've had it since Dec 24th. I don't have the write issue that there's a mega-thread on, but my usage is fairly low key (web browsing, e-mail, some light excel and word documents... Civ VI is the only thing that pushes this machine). Not having a fan is great... the quiet! The laptop has never gotten more than warm to the touch. I'm sure for lots of people who really push the limits of their machines they should probably wait for more beefed up models to roll out, but for more casual use it's been great!

The only complaint I have is I wish it had a port on each side (two ports is fine for me as I rarely have anything plugged in to it) as it always seems when I need to charge it, it would be more convenient to have the cable on the left side. But at the end of the day that's a pretty small complaint, and not even close to being a deal breaker to me.

 

[ChrisChaval]

go for it (unless you need some fancy x86 software or dual boot to windows)

Got myself one some months ago and couldn't be happier - no problems to report, at all

 

[hinesmj]

THanks guys. The SSD im not too concerned about anymore, after being obsessed with it for over a month. Mostly because my usage is very light.

But the new thing that caught my attention is the MBA suddenly dying and wont turn on. What is this??

Get apple care on it if you're that worried about it.

 

[Burebista]

If you actually need a new laptop right now and have $1k to spend - M1 Air is a no brainer really. The competition at and around this price point got utterly destroyed. Only reason not to go for it might be gaming, if you're into it on a laptop. But I'm also expecting more games be developed for Mac once the Pro machines transition to Apple Silicon.

You shouldn't worry about the issues you're worried about, much less obsess over them. They're non-issues for 99% of the users, and for the rest - there's always options of return and warranty.

For the reference, mine writes about 700 GB/month to the SSD, so theoretically it should last decades.

 

[za9ra22]

Given Apple’s track record with first gen products - I would urge caution before moving platforms now. Wait it out a year or two to see how it all shakes out and then decide whether it’s worth your while or not.

Really, an old chestnut you'd think was well roasted by now. But... I've been a Mac user since 1987, have had a fairly large number of 'first gen' products, and can't say I ever really experienced any issues with them.

Aside from the fact that Apple stand by their products and replace defective ones, it would really be quite idiotic - from every standpoint - for them to release new products which fail. It would irreversibly damage their reputation and their bottom line. In fact both seem pretty reasonably intact at this point.

They have made some dubious products from time to time, but there's not a whole lot in the modern era of Jobs and Cook's leadership that would suggest they don't know what they're doing, and don't take pretty good care of their customers.

And yes, I'm typing this on an M1 MBA. Works perfectly.

 

[mtneer]

Really, an old chestnut you'd think was well roasted by now. But... I've been a Mac user since 1987, have had a fairly large number of 'first gen' products, and can't say I ever really experienced any issues with them.

Aside from the fact that Apple stand by their products and replace defective ones, it would really be quite idiotic - from every standpoint - for them to release new products which fail. It would irreversibly damage their reputation and their bottom line. In fact both seem pretty reasonably intact at this point.

They have made some dubious products from time to time, but there's not a whole lot in the modern era of Jobs and Cook's leadership that would suggest they don't know what they're doing, and don't take pretty good care of their customers.

And yes, I'm typing this on an M1 MBA. Works perfectly.

If you look at first gen iPads, first gen iPad minis, the AW0, the MacBook, the HomePod, Apple trends to have a track record where the second or third gen seems to be the product to get. First gen products experience quite steep improvement iterations, if they make it to a second gen. Apple's product improvement curve seems to flatten out after that and thus you get better value for money.

 

[tranceking26]

I think the 16GB RAM Air would be a great starter for you. It's the one I'd pick, if I wasn't so poor lol.

 

[za9ra22]

If you look at first gen iPads, first gen iPad minis, the AW0, the MacBook, the HomePod, Apple trends to have a track record where the second or third gen seems to be the product to get. First gen products experience quite steep improvement iterations, if they make it to a second gen. Apple's product improvement curve seems to flatten out after that and thus you get better value for money.

I can't say that I agree at all with this. I understand the point you're making, but I owned first gen products you listed and they worked perfectly well, gave good service, and were not in my view poor value for money.

True, that technology advances and second, third, fourth, tenth, whatever, generation products always offer greater power and flexibility, but that isn't an issue with Apple, it's how technology works. In the end, as a buyer, you get to decide if the feature set is worth the money you'd have to spend, and that's regardless of generation.

I don't think I could honestly regret any of my first generation purchases of any computing product over the years. And while a second gen might have given me somewhat better 'value for money' the first gen purchase got me what I wanted at the point it became available instead of waiting.

 

[mtneer]

I can't say that I agree at all with this. I understand the point you're making, but I owned first gen products you listed and they worked perfectly well, gave good service, and were not in my view poor value for money.

True, that technology advances and second, third, fourth, tenth, whatever, generation products always offer greater power and flexibility, but that isn't an issue with Apple, it's how technology works. In the end, as a buyer, you get to decide if the feature set is worth the money you'd have to spend, and that's regardless of generation.

I don't think I could honestly regret any of my first generation purchases of any computing product over the years. And while a second gen might have given me somewhat better 'value for money' the first gen purchase got me what I wanted at the point it became available instead of waiting.

Yeah obviously, if one can't delay gratification or if money is no concern, then they can buy whatever whenever.. But there is a reason why even MacRumors provides the "Buyers Guide" - there are good and bad(or at least not so good) times to purchase a product.

Since the OP seemed a little apprehensive about their purchase, I think its wise to put in a word of caution for them to consider. At the end of the day its the OP's call to whether follow the rah-rah crowd or take a more judicious approach.

 

[tps3443]

I really need to get a new laptop, being a lifelong windows user I really wanna try switch to Apple. Yet there are concerning issues that prevent me such as:

-MBA M1 owners reporting their laptop died and just will not turn on.
-SSD high writes. Been checking the below thread daily:

ssd swap - high usage of Terabytes Written

I was wondering whether to do that as well! Thanks, will look into 8)

forums.macrumors.com

Yes, daily. For over a month.

Those two issues are the biggest concern for me.

What do you guys think?

A standard SSD containing 256GB can sustain around 60-150TB of data to be written before it is nearing the end of life. You would have to write 190GB per day, every single day, for an entire year to kill it. I have tested a 8GB ram M1 model, and while pushing upwards of 16-18GB of system ram consumption. It is writing maybe 10-12Gb to the SSD and holding it there. It would literally last years and years and years.

I have been a life long windows user. I bought my first Mac ever, a few weeks ago. I purchased a M1 MacBook Air 16/1TB model. But, I originally had the M1 8GB/512 model. The M1 Air is a beast! The OS is fast, easy to adapt from windows. There is a small learning curve, but with anything you learn quickly. And I love it very much.

I absolutely love the M1 MacBook Air, great machine. I will most likely keep this M1 for years.

 

[Burebista]

If you look at first gen iPads, first gen iPad minis, the AW0, the MacBook, the HomePod, Apple trends to have a track record where the second or third gen seems to be the product to get. First gen products experience quite steep improvement iterations, if they make it to a second gen. Apple's product improvement curve seems to flatten out after that and thus you get better value for money.

While all this might be true, I think the following two considerations are more important in the grand scheme of things:

1. If the OP needs a computer right now - the M1 Air is the way to go. Not only there's nothing wrong with it, but it's the best Mac and one of the best value laptops on the market in years. If he needs a machine right now - there's no reason to wait, as was the case with the 2019 or early 2020 MBA for example.

2. The redesigned Pro models with M1X (M2) coming later this year would be way, way more expensive - in this case they're not the second gen you're referring to. The successor to the current MBA isn't coming for quite some time, probably until late 2022. So there's a long, long wait ahead for anyone looking to buy an M2 Mac for $999.

 

[za9ra22]

Yeah obviously, if one can't delay gratification or if money is no concern, then they can buy whatever whenever.. But there is a reason why even MacRumors provides the "Buyers Guide" - there are good and bad(or at least not so good) times to purchase a product.

I'm not sure that I'd use MacRumor content as a realistic indication of poor first generation products. Their opinions are often skewed somewhat by expectations derived from pre-release rumor and gossip as much as anything - and these self-same rumors and gossip also create false expectations amongst consumers.

However it isn't about not being able to delay gratification or money not being a concern, and expressing it that way is just needlessly denigrating others. It is about individuals buying things that meet their wants and needs on many levels that are really not for anyone else to judge. More than that, picking on the M1 MBA as an example of a first generation product to avoid because of a perceived historical problem is simply erroneous. Not only is it excellent value for money in the lightweight laptop market, but also outperforms much that is greatly more expensive, while showing no sign of inherent weaknesses or failure points.

For just about anyone looking for a competent portable with great performance and capabilities, it would be silly not to consider it as an option if it fits in the budget. But of course, that's just my opinion.

 

[leons]

These "first generation" products are essentially the same as last year, except for a chip that Apple has been working on for about a decade with technology tested in many phone iPhone iterations.

 

[tps3443]

If you need a laptop, then I would buy an M1. Go get a base model and be happy.

 

[James_C]

I have had my MBA for 5 months now, it must be my 5th or 6th Mac Laptop. I have previously always bought top of the line 15" MacBook Pro's. I got the Air because there is little performance difference the the M1 MBP and I did not get on with the Touch Bar on my last MBP. I don't regret my decision at all. Hands down best Mac Laptop I have ever owned. Twice as fast as my 2016 MBP, completely silent with amazing battery life. I have had no problems at all with my M1 MBA, most stable Mac I have ever owned.

 

[The Game 161]

For what it’s worth my M1 AOD is flawless works so well. Think I may keep it for many years...