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What M1 Macbook will keep its value better?

J

johnkree

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 23, 2015
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Austria
As we saw with the M1 release, nothing can be predicted. It made some Macbooks value crush overnight. But if you could choose, what Macbook will keep its value better than the other:
Macbook Air base with 16GB RAM
Macbook Air 8 core GPU with 512 GB SSD
Macbook Pro base?

They have all a similar price tag. What do you think?
 
hard to say. My guess is the MBP base model just because the general rule of thumb is that base models resell for higher percentages of their purchase price than models with upgrades. But both the 16 GB RAM upgrade and 512 storage upgrade are pretty mainstream upgrades, meaning a lot of users (not just high end users) would value them in the future, so I think it will be close.
 
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M1 Air 16GB, it basically has a pro chip.
The extra RAM will offload the ssd more and the amount is more future-proof in general.

The same reason why the pro m1 will lose it's value the fastest, the air has the same performance.
 
None, while these are hot now, if the M[x] chip is x times better and in same price range these will not have much value. The value you in them now is we were first adopters and on the leading edge of technology, but as a Gen 1 device ... any value will be -negative (value - depreciation - gen1)

I've said this so many times, I'm sick of hearing it. Computers are consumable devices that go in the expense column, not the investment column.

Yes, there are people that keep them 5-10 years, and thus reduce the overall yearly cost, but still, it is an expense.

From your list, none. The MBA is more popular than the Pro. Consumers don't care about fans.
 
Zazoh said:
None, while these are hot now, if the M[x] chip is x times better and in same price range these will not have much value. The value you in them now is we were first adopters and on the leading edge of technology, but as a Gen 1 device ... any value will be -negative (value - depreciation - gen1)

I've said this so many times, I'm sick of hearing it. Computers are consumable devices that go in the expense column, not the investment column.

Yes, there are people that keep them 5-10 years, and thus reduce the overall yearly cost, but still, it is an expense.

From your list, none. The MBA is more popular than the Pro. Consumers don't care about fans.
Click to expand...
Don't you think that the M1x or how it will be called will be just for the really Pro Macs? Like the A14 is in the iPhone 12 line while the iPhone SE is still using the A13 chip? This is just bread crumb reading, or not? Rumors say that next year we will get 2 Macbooks with new form factors and new Mx chip. Those will probably be the 14" and the 16" model with a much higher price tag. Apple will very likely keep the 13" Pro model for 2 years or more like it did 2012 with Retina display Macs.

So the entry level may have their place. The other rumor is that Apple will update the Air in 2022. Even then you will get some money for this entry levels as like with the iPhones or iPads, the 2-3 year old phones are still viable, considering the iPhone XR.

I don't see it as an investment, maybe I have asked the wrong question. I don't want to invest in something like this. I just can't decide what new model in the ~ 1300 range I should get and figured that I just have to take the one that will most likely keep some value to trade it in if I decide to sell it instead of keeping it for 10 years like my 2011 model. :)
 
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Mr Screech said:
M1 Air 16GB, it basically has a pro chip.
The extra RAM will offload the ssd more and the amount is more future-proof in general.

The same reason why the pro m1 will lose it's value the fastest, the air has the same performance.
Click to expand...
So you think that the Pro will loose its value because the M1 is just an Air and Apple will update the whole Pro model line in the years to come?
 
The best value is the one which best suits your needs/preferences for your expected ownership time, at the least cost.

If an Air meets your needs/preferences you'd be foolish to spend more on a MBP in hopes of higher resale.

Similarly, if a MBP is what best meets your needs/preferences, you'd be foolish to hamper your use/enjoyment in hopes of a higher resale.

You're buying a tool not an investment vehicle.
 
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I think the cheapest one. MBA 8GB 128GB. If i were a betting man i would bet that the most popular Apple devices are the base model versions. More basic users than professionals out there.
 
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johnkree said:
As we saw with the M1 release, nothing can be predicted. It made some Macbooks value crush overnight. But if you could choose, what Macbook will keep its value better than the other:
Macbook Air base with 16GB RAM
Macbook Air 8 core GPU with 512 GB SSD
Macbook Pro base?

They have all a similar price tag. What do you think?
Click to expand...

Air base. More popular. But it’ll still depreciate quite a bit. Get the 899 one. Spending 1300+ is kinda dumb unless you really need the storage.
 
johnkree said:
As we saw with the M1 release, nothing can be predicted. It made some Macbooks value crush overnight. But if you could choose, what Macbook will keep its value better than the other:
Macbook Air base with 16GB RAM
Macbook Air 8 core GPU with 512 GB SSD
Macbook Pro base?

They have all a similar price tag. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Generally I agree with the others that base models keep the highest percentage of their original purchase price. However, the MBP base may lose more value than the MBA base because the performance is so similar. So the M1 MBA with 8GB/7-core GPU/256GB, which is selling for about $900 with Cyber Week specials now, will likely retain the most. Remember, people buying 2- 3-year old computers aren't looking for the top specs. The 7-core GPU models are good enough that I don't think anyone on the resale market in 2022 or 2023 will pay any meaningful premium for the 8-core model.

I'd guess that an 8GB/7C/512GB would lose a little bit less than a 16/7/256GB model since some people might not be power users, but do have lots of files such as videos or photos, but the difference is probably not that much.
 
QCassidy352 said:
hard to say. My guess is the MBP base model just because the general rule of thumb is that base models resell for higher percentages of their purchase price than models with upgrades. But both the 16 GB RAM upgrade and 512 storage upgrade are pretty mainstream upgrades, meaning a lot of users (not just high end users) would value them in the future, so I think it will be close.
Click to expand...
^^^ This is correct!

I have been reselling lots of Apple PPC & Intel Macs over time and have to say this is correct.

The upgrades may attract more people but the resale amount you get back vs amount you laid out is better on the base model.

Plus let's not forget that the subsequent new models (14", 24", 30" rumored) that come out may be different chassis / looks.

That by itself will devalue the current design (13", 21", 27")...
 
cardfan said:
Air base. More popular. But it’ll still depreciate quite a bit. Get the 899 one. Spending 1300+ is kinda dumb unless you really need the storage.
Click to expand...
Yup. Upgrades rarely bring more than a small fraction of original cost in resale. Don't buy any higher config than you (reasonably) expect to need during the time you plan to own the computer.
 
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johnkree said:
I don't see it as an investment, maybe I have asked the wrong question. I don't want to invest in something like this. I just can't decide what new model in the ~ 1300 range I should get and figured that I just have to take the one that will most likely keep some value to trade it in if I decide to sell it instead of keeping it for 10 years like my 2011 model. :)
Click to expand...
I don't get this line of thinking. Buy what fits your needs. Buying something that is more or less based on some mythical resale value is just bizarre.
 
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My guess says that it will for now, but if apple designs all the MacBooks with FaceID in the next two years, and then drops the price of this model to become some SE version or whatever at $799, then no.
 
I think the question is less about if more about when.

One of the limitations of the Apple silicon generation is that it can't natively run x86 apps. At present, there are going to be plenty of users that either want or need that functionality still - be it for work or hobbies.

So until the majority of users have found ways to switch over to ARM, I think the demand for Intel Macs will always be around to a degree. But since the performance gap on these machines is now closing tighter than ever, less people may have a reason to purchase a second-hand MacBook Pro when the Air is so powerful.
 
edk99 said:
I don't get this line of thinking. Buy what fits your needs. Buying something that is more or less based on some mythical resale value is just bizarre.
Click to expand...
Yea, sure, it is. Nobody can say what will be. But I tried to figure out what's the better model for me and I don't find an answer.
The Macbook Air because I would probably do just office stuff or surfing or making worksheets for my students? The Macbook Pro because I like to play an indie game from now and then and gaming and throttling is a nogo?
The Air because I can afford the 16 GB RAM price tag that makes it more future proof?
The Pro because I like the touch bar?
The Air because it has a nicer design?
The Pro because it has 2 more battery life?
The Air because the battery can easy be exchanged?

I just don't find the right answer. Everytime I'm confident that I know what to do I see some post here or see a video on Youtube and I'm unsure again...

So I thought: buy the model that will sell better so you can get some money back if you decide in 4-5 years that you want an upgrade. Sure, we don't know what will come but I already learned from this post that people probably won't pay for upgrades or that people probably won't love the Macbook Pro when the new design is out.
 
deeddawg said:
Yup. Upgrades rarely bring more than a small fraction of original cost in resale. Don't buy any higher config than you (reasonably) expect to need during the time you plan to own the computer.
Click to expand...
Well I'm dreaming of a price like 899. In Europe it's 1060 € and this is the educational price... :D
 
edk99 said:
I don't get this line of thinking. Buy what fits your needs. Buying something that is more or less based on some mythical resale value is just bizarre.
Click to expand...
I think because the M1 is so much faster than lots of people expected, some want to buy one now for the immediate benefit, but can foresee buying a different model 1-2 years from now (e.g. A 14” Pro with Micro-LED, or a 16” Pro, or even iMac). That would be one reason to buy “less” than ideal if it is truly a temporary Mac.
 
Buy one and don't open it for like 25 years. Then maybe someone will want to buy it as a collectors item.
 
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