What M1 Macbook will keep its value better?

[1BadManVan]

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.

I agree because also, those who are buying used are more bargain hunters. You’ll have a wider variety of people interested at the lower price point. Those who are willing to pay the higher premium, might want brand new with the warranty

 

[magbarn]

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.

The resale on intel MacBooks air and pro have already taken a massive hit.
It’s only going down from here.

also, loaded versions will always take the biggest hit. My $3000 2020 MacBook Pro 13 i7 with 32gb ram and 2tb only fetched $1800. A base 2020 MacBook Air would take a much smaller hit.

 

[RotaryP7]

MBP M1, 16/512. Not just because I bought that one.

 

[1240766]

I think one should get what one wants or needs for now and not worry about tomorrow, otherwise one is always living on what the future might be and not on what it could be now with what is available now.

 

[KPOM]

The resale on intel MacBooks air and pro have already taken a massive hit.
It’s only going down from here.

also, loaded versions will always take the biggest hit. My $3000 2020 MacBook Pro 13 i7 with 32gb ram and 2tb only fetched $1800. A base 2020 MacBook Air would take a much smaller hit.

True. Base models fare the best. The Air will fare better than the 13” base Pro. Remember the people buying 2- and 3- year old computers aren’t looking for the fastest performance or biggest storage, in general.

 

[4sallypat]

True. Base models fare the best. The Air will fare better than the 13” base Pro. Remember the people buying 2- and 3- year old computers aren’t looking for the fastest performance or biggest storage, in general.

Yes base models do get a better resale value than a maxed out CTO/BTO Mac...

Intel Mac are sure getting hit hard on resale - I am getting ready to list my 2012 Mini that was a CTO/BTO maxed out with 16GB and 2TB SSD but the used price market has dropped 25% compared to pre-M1 (within a month).

And my 2019 16" MBP base is taking a beating - paid over $2500 w/ AppleCare but looking a 35+% hit at resale after a year! I decided to keep the 16" and hand it down to my wife who needs to replace her aging 2014 MBP.

 

[deeddawg]

Yes base models do get a better resale value than a maxed out CTO/BTO Mac...

Intel Mac are sure getting hit hard on resale - I am getting ready to list my 2012 Mini that was a CTO/BTO maxed out with 16GB and 2TB SSD but the used price market has dropped 25% compared to pre-M1 (within a month).

And my 2019 16" MBP base is taking a beating - paid over $2500 w/ AppleCare but looking a 35+% hit at resale after a year! I decided to keep the 16" and hand it down to my wife who needs to replace her aging 2014 MBP.

Remember you can cancel AppleCare for a prorated refund.

 

[Zazoh]

Yes base models do get a better resale value than a maxed out CTO/BTO Mac...

Intel Mac are sure getting hit hard on resale - I am getting ready to list my 2012 Mini that was a CTO/BTO maxed out with 16GB and 2TB SSD but the used price market has dropped 25% compared to pre-M1 (within a month).

And my 2019 16" MBP base is taking a beating - paid over $2500 w/ AppleCare but looking a 35+% hit at resale after a year! I decided to keep the 16" and hand it down to my wife who needs to replace her aging 2014 MBP.

I traded my Base Pre M1 Mini, got $330 for it, seemed fair to me

 

[InspectHerGadget]

It is a shame that computers are not investments...

It is tragic also that we have to think about money rather than just enjoy spending it on toys!

I got the MBP base model but am thinking of the 16G with 1TB upgrade. I bought it direct from Apple so I still have 10 days whereby I can return it if I wanted the other model.

The 8 G RAM seems plenty on these given it performs much better on 8 G than the Intel models do but sure I always think about what ifs and I do photography and will do a bit of video editing. I can rely on Cloud storage and my NAS storage for bulk storage but still 1TB would be nice to have.

And...of course more M1 models will come out. One thing I will say here. The current MBP with the M1 can only just max out all cores on Cinebench with the fans running. In other words it needs 15W TDP rather than the 10W with the Air so yes you lose performance with the Air. It also means that M1xxx or M2xxx will have a higher TDP, my guess is 28W TDP minimum which means it needs the dual fan MBP or the 16 inch MBP which can provide 50W cooling.

In other words the new models won't supersede the ones out not as far as the M1 is concerned as these models are really designed for the M1, nothing more, the more powerful chips will need more cooling.

 

[James_C]

If you plan on keeping for 4-5 Years then I would definitely go for 16GB. If you like the Touch Bar then you should go with the Pro, which also has the benefit of active cooling if you plan to use for gaming.

I would not worry about resale value in 4-5 years time. However the less you spend , the less you will lose, which is one of the reasons that base models tend to hold value better.

 

[InspectHerGadget]

If you plan on keeping for 4-5 Years then I would definitely go for 16GB. If you like the Touch Bar then you should go with the Pro, which also has the benefit of active cooling if you plan to use for gaming.

I would not worry about resale value in 4-5 years time. However the less you spend , the less you will lose, which is one of the reasons that base models tend to hold value better.

I agree completely. It is also true that 8G on the M1 is effectively closer to 16G on an Intel. I have been trying to think of a use case where I would really regret not getting 16G and I can't think of one. It will edit 4K video OK and edit photos. It isn't like I use mine for work where time really is money and even there, it would have to be virtual machines or heavy duty video editing and having lots of apps open at the same time that might break 8G.

I've also got Apple One and I get 2TB of iCloud storage and I have a good internet connection. I guess everyone fears spending a lot and not getting what they need rather than spending a heap more but being more secure in knowing it will be enough.

I do like the Touch Bar and I've already seen the fans go to 2800rpm (iStatistica) while testing Cinebench. CPU temps were in the 90s and and the fans at 2800rpm (barely audible) after 6:30 minutes of Cinebench and the CPUs on 100% loaded up. I have already one day last week ran the battery on the Pro down to 30%. It was a long day. I just love this MBP.

It also actually got hot on the back towards the screen. It has been so silent and so cool I think I had to test it to convince me that it could get hot and engage the fans. I think it means it is one very powerful and power efficient computer. Pretty amazing.