I would say an Apple product’s useful life is relevant and impacted by the software it is permitted to run. The listing says nothing about it being 4 years old. As always, buyer beware.
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Walmart Selling MacBook Air With M1 Chip for $649 Starting Today
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My point is that relying on undefined “support” for 7 years and saying that the support is as equivalent to buying a new model is laughable.
Has Apple stated they will only provide a couple more years of updates for this?
They’ve said nothing either way
It's like buying an iPhone 12 today and expecting more than a couple years of major iOS updates. M1 MBA is from the same year.
A product's useful life is not dictated by Apple's tenure of software support. People are still cheerfully using iBook G4s, Bondi Blue iMacs, and white plastic MacBooks for certain tasks just as a few examples.
It's all speculation anyway, Apple may give the M1 machines 5 more years of OS releases or even more. Nobody knows.
Tasks like holding down paper 😁
Plenty of people are fine with the support that is and will be available, its folks that are trying to say this is not a good deal that seem to be stuck on how many years of potential support might or might not be available. So agreed. Laughable.
so lets always assume the worst, even if historically there has not been an issue of the magnitude you are implying.
shrugs.
I have this exact model and will probably use it as my daily driver longer than I should. I used a 2010 MacBook Pro until 2020 but I was able to put in an SSD and boost the RAM.
GREAT machine here but useful life in the Apple ecosystem should be considered years shorter than a current model. That’s all.
I value this current model at $500. 🤓
GREAT machine here but useful life in the Apple ecosystem should be considered years shorter than a current model. That’s all.
I value this current model at $500. 🤓
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Apple has conditioned/scared their own customers if android devices don't get updates, they bought a broken device. Now apple gets to eat its own dog food.
Uh, who do you think sells them to Walmart?
Depends on what your future needs will be. I ran a NAS server for years on Snow Leopard, way after my Mini was declared obsolete. It just kept trucking until I opt for a Synology. I have family members still using Intel MBAs and they more than meet their needs. Not every future is the same.
Apple has never publicly commented on macOS support. Apple has publicly committed to five years of security updates on iOS devices from the date the device launches. On average a Macs have historically received about 6 years of macOS updates, some models more, some less.
That said, Apple considers hardware to be vintage 5 years after it stops selling the hardware. This has more to do with parts - if something breaks a service provider can still get parts from Apple to fix it. After 7 years from last date of sale the hardware is considered obsolete, meaning Apple no longer produces parts for it. None of this relates to OS updates though, just hardware.
You have some substantiated proof Apple sells these to Walmart? Some insider information? You work as a Walmart buyer?
Apple could have sold off all it's remaining stock to any big distributor who in turn sells them to Walmart.
I believe the 5 years rule is the last date APPLE sells them on their site, not 5 years from when Apple sells them to some middle man to sells to another middle man who sells them to some retailer.
But a trillion dollar company should be putting 16 GB RAM minimum into their machines in this day and age. To do less is borderline criminal.
Apple is warrantying thema nd offering AppleCAre so it’s poretty clear however Walmart got them it’s through Apple or an authorized distributor, and I have not seen any evidence Aple sells through distributors rather than direct.
No, the official position is:
“Owners of Apple and Beats products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers, including Apple Store locations and Independent Repair Providers, for a minimum of 5 years* from when Apple last distributed the product for sale.
Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.”
The key word is “distributed” not sold from their site.
Considering most people who buy these things use them basically as Chromebooks, thermals are not an issue. They barely get warm, let alone hot, when used for office and productivity tasks.
They were until this March.
Mac Pro 1,1: Launched 2006. Discontinued 2008. Not compatible with Mountain Lion, 2012 but the last compatible OS, MacOS Lion launched in 2011 was supported until mid 2014 - about 6 years of support after model's discontinuation.
2017 iMac: Discontinued 2019. Not compatible with Sequoia but last compatible OS Sonoma (2023) is the current version - on past performance - probably receive support until MacOS 2026. 6-7 years of support after model's discontinuation.
2019 MacBook Air: Discontinued early 2020. Not compatible with Sequoia but last compatible OS is Sonoma (2023) so, again, supported until 2026, 6 years after model's discontinuation.
2014 Mac Mini: Discontinued 2018. Last compatible Mac OS: Monterey - still receiving updates 6 years after model's discontinuation.
Probably the worst case: 2013 Mac Pro: Discontinued late 2019 (but Osborned with extreme prejudice in 2017). Last compatible Mac OS: Monterey which is still receiving updates in mid 2024 - so even a machine that was obsolete years before it was dropped has still seen the thick end of 5 years (and counting) of support after it was discontinued.
Looks like there's a pattern here. Machines get dropped by the next MacOS when the usual 2-3 years of updates to the current OS will see them well into "Vintage" status (Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago: direct quote from Apple)
...so, given that the M1 Air was still being distributed by Apple until a few months ago - and the rumours suggest that none of the M2/M3 Macs should be starting any long books right now - I don't see much worry about picking up a M1 now if the price reflects the age of the product.
If it's really important to you to always be running the absolute latest version of MacOS then it's probably equally important to have the latest generation Apple Silicon chip, so why would you even be thinking about a M1?
All that said - 6-7 years of critical updates before you have to rely on an enthusiast-supported firmware replacement ain't great compared to the PC world - but it's the best you can get with Apple. However, endless legacy support is also largely why Windows is like... well, Windows and even MS is getting a little bit more axe-happy with old hardware now. I suppose there's always Asahi Linux...
I think it's a Federal law that manufacturers have to maintain parts/service for small electronics $99+. California, Washington, and Massachusetts are the states that require the two additional years (7 total).
You may certainly pray that parts are out by then and they'd replace it with a newer model. That's happened to me three times. The first time I had to pay an 'upgrade' fee and the other times I just paid the typical 'flat fee' repair and they handed me a new unit that was 'comparable' in product tier (remember the 'good, better, and best' tiers?)
I'd love to get my parents a simple M2 Mac Mini, but unfortunately I'm not in the US and I don't get these crazy discounts...