Would you buy this MacBook Air from your employer?

P

purpletulip

macrumors newbie
My employer is allowing teachers leaving to buy our current MacBook Air.

Specs:
M1, 2020
8GB RAM
256GB Flash Hard Drive
Cost: 5,000¥ (approx $750 US)

I have found it to run kind of sluggish and prefer more RAM and a bigger hard drive. However, maybe the price makes it worth it? Thoughts?
 
purpletulip said:
My employer is allowing teachers leaving to buy our current MacBook Air.

Specs:
M1, 2020
8GB RAM
256GB Flash Hard Drive
Cost: 5,000¥ (approx $750 US)

I have found it to run kind of sluggish and prefer more RAM and a bigger hard drive. However, maybe the price makes it worth it? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
In the US you can often find that configuration on sale new, or for $849 refurbished with a full warranty direct from Apple. If you find that the configuration doesn't really meet your needs, this isn't such a deal that I'd take it.
 
I would pay about $650-700 for that MacBook Air.

I don't think it's a great deal. It's not a ripoff, but as above poster mentioned, brand new at $830 from Microcenter is great. Full year warranty and brand new battery.
 
If you are asking here it's because you are unsure and if you are unsure then it means it doesn't fill expectations which means you need something else. As others have pointed out, go to the refurb Apple store and you'll many machines with configurations matching what you want/need for same or better price.
 
purpletulip said:
My employer is allowing teachers leaving to buy our current MacBook Air.

Specs:
M1, 2020
8GB RAM
256GB Flash Hard Drive
Cost: 5,000¥ (approx $750 US)

I have found it to run kind of sluggish and prefer more RAM and a bigger hard drive. However, maybe the price makes it worth it? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
I’m curious: What activities make the computer sluggish?
 
Tax free, $750 is pretty reasonable. You’re the one that used it all along so you know how it’s been treated.
 
IJBrekke said:
I’m curious: What activities make the computer sluggish?
Click to expand...
Most of what I do. I'm teaching online with MS Teams (RAM hog), using multiple websites at once, screen sharing, showing videos at times, working in MS OneNote.

When not in an online class, I'm using multiple MS 365 apps at once and multiple websites, in addition to email, etc.

I use Safari & Edge as my browsers to avoid the RAM hogginess of Chrome. I quit Teams when not using.
 
jav6454 said:
That also crossed my mind. It has me thinking OP probably has 5+ tabs in Safari open plus apps as well. No other way.

Just a Youtube tab can easily rack up 1GB in memory usage.
Click to expand...

5 tabs at a minimum. When teaching, I quit Safari and use Edge, as that is where I sign in with my school account. 2 tabs are always open, email and calendar. Plus any others that I'm using to teach or I'm researching or reading.

For personal use, I quit Edge and use Safari. I'm a tab hoarder. And in the process of leaving China, getting home to the USA for summer, and moving to a country in the Middle East. Lots of tabs open at once as I work on this process. Plus, I've always been a tab hoarder and I don't see that changing at this point. I've tried. It's not happening. I've accepted it. lol
 
purpletulip said:
[...]

For personal use, I quit Edge and use Safari. I'm a tab hoarder. And in the process of leaving China, getting home to the USA for summer, and moving to a country in the Middle East. Lots of tabs open at once as I work on this process. Plus, I've always been a tab hoarder and I don't see that changing at this point. I've tried. It's not happening. I've accepted it. lol
Click to expand...
Lol, and I'm the inverse.
purpletulip said:
Oh! and I forgot, when working I'm on our school VPN, because, China...
Click to expand...
Yes, indeed.
 
Gotcha. Sounds like for your usage it’s not the right machine, you need at least 16GB RAM to smooth out the workflow. And as others have said, that price really isn’t anything special. They go for that (or less) on Swappa regularly.
 
Sounds like MS Teams is the issue here, I hear it just a bastard of a program. Everything else seems do able. But 16 gigs probably would be better for all of this.
 
orionquest said:
Sounds like MS Teams is the issue here, I hear it just a bastard of a program. Everything else seems do able. But 16 gigs probably would be better for all of this.
Click to expand...
Agreed, there is even a MS Teams is a Pain/Depressing thread in the Apple Silicone forum.
 
purpletulip said:
And in the process of leaving China, getting home to the USA for summer, and moving to a country in the Middle East.
Click to expand...
If I was looking for a computer for personal use, I would be cautious about taking a used machine that was purchased, provided by an employer, or extensively used in a country with pervasive governmental surveillance. I consider the PRC one of these countries.
 
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