I thought I had this figured out. I was making a hard-headed decision to buy a refurbed M1 MacBook Air with 16GB RAM for half the price of a new M4 one, for reasons I’ll explain in a moment.
But, ironically, it’s because the M1 version is so good that I think I’m at risk of selling it again and buying the shiny new M4 model …
I mean, I did write this on the day the M4 MacBook Air launched.
If you’ve been considering a MacBook Air purchase as either your first model or a replacement for an older Intel one, this is a really good time to press the button.
Only I thought I was going to be safe personally, as I really had no business buying a brand new Mac which would mostly live in a drawer.
A tale of two Macs
For a great many years, I had two Macs: a heavily-upgraded 17-inch MacBook Pro, and an almost-base 11-inch MacBook Air. The difference in size and weight was such that my MBP was essentially a desktop device which I also carried with me when traveling abroad – but not for more local mobile use. If I wanted to go work in a coffee shop for an hour or two, it was the MBA I took with me. Both Macs were valuable to me.
Things changed when the second-gen 12.9-inch iPad came out. Together with the Magic Keyboard, that became my new portable Mac substitute. The MacBook Air at that point got relegated to a drawer, serving only as an emergency backup work machine in case my MBP was ever out of action. It has served that purpose on a couple of occasions, when my a couple of my generations of MacBook Pro needed repair.
Things changed again when I got my M1 Max 16in-inch MacBook Pro. That was smaller and lighter than the Intel machines of old, so I found myself carrying that for much of my coffee-shop use. This was one of five reasons I was hardly using my iPad any more.
Since my MBA only got used for a few days every few years, there was absolutely no reason to replace it – it could have continued in that role until it died. Sadly, that day came. I went to lend it to a friend, and it refused to boot up, and diagnostics indicated that it would cost more to repair than it was worth.
So I bought an M1 MacBook Air
I’m pretty skilled at coming up with justifications for buying new gadgets, but I didn’t think even I could manage to justify a brand new M4 MacBook Air given that it would serve two functions:
- Mostly living in drawer, in case my MacBook Pro needs a repair
- Occasionally serving as a coffee-shop machine when I don’t want to carry my MacBook Pro
Even with such limited use, I obviously wasn’t going to buy another Intel model, and M3 would just be a slippery slope to the M4. The choice, then, came down to the M1 or M2. The moderate performance difference wasn’t relevant to my needs, so it was really cost and design.
In theory, design should have favored the M2 model, as it’s quite an update in terms of both bezel thickness and looks. But in truth I love the wedge shape, and was sad when Apple did away with it. So I managed to pick up a completely mint-looking refurbed M1 with 16GB RAM for slightly over half the price of the M4 model.
Longevity didn’t seem much of an argument
A possible argument in favor of buying the M4 model instead is longevity. In theory, I’d get 4-5 years more use out of the newer model, and in principle that should also be reflected in any resale value.
But given that I was happy with a 12-year-old model, longevity wasn’t a very persuasive argument for me. And I discovered when shopping around that the resale market for MacBook Airs is … weird!
Looking at eBay completed sales, there was very little logic to pricing. There were people on eBay wanting Apple Silicon prices for Intel machines and getting them! What seemed to make much more difference than generation was cosmetic condition and quality of the photos. My theory is that a large slice of the market comprises people who only know they want “a Mac laptop” at worst and “a MacBook Air” at best. For many, age and specs don’t really come into it.
So even from a resale perspective, longevity is a weak argument for buying new.
Adding to that is the fact that the machine I have looks new and also feels new in use. I’ve tested all my key apps, and even Final Cut Pro runs smoothly while the machine stays completely cool to the touch.
But there’s an odd problem
The machine is too good!
The day after it arrived, I had an hour or so of hanging around at a coffee shop between a meeting and social get-together. That’s the sort of circumstance where I’d normally have slipped my iPad and keyboard into my bag to get some writing done, but this time I substituted the MacBook Air. It fit the same sized pocket in the same bag, and was actually lighter than the iPad+keyboard combo.
On the tube on the way there, I pulled it out and wrote part of an article. It felt so much nicer to use than the iPad. Same when I continued writing in the coffee shop. So I’m now wondering whether this might become a more active machine than I’d originally envisaged. If it does, then that could potentially justify a bigger spend.
What would I get for twice the price, given that the performance difference is irrelevant to my mobile use?
Quite a few of the features mean little or nothing to me. A very slightly larger screen, with 25% more brightness – meh. Size and weight differences too small to matter. Spatial Audio irrelevant given my usage.
On the other hand, there are some features I would at least somewhat appreciate. A better camera and Voice Isolation with the mics, both nice-to-have features for video calls for sure. MagSafe is appealing, and fast charging is a nice-to-have. And while longevity isn’t a factor in a product I’ll use only occasionally, I do place greater value of the latest version of macOS when it’s a machine I’m using regularly.
As for the design, that’s pretty much a wash. I would like the smaller bezels, but I do love that wedge!
I know nobody believes me when I say this, but I haven’t yet made up my mind. And while the skeptics certainly have statistics on their side, I’d like to point out the many examples of me either trying an Apple product before returning it, or resisting it altogether. There’s the first-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Vision Pro … uh … Ok, I’d like to point out the two examples of me resisting.
Place your bets.
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