Anyone else thinking the M1 MBA is still quite pricey used?

[TechnoMonk]

I think it might not happen this time, at least not as fast. M1 as the first ARM processor was in development at Apple for more than 4 years prior to initial release in 2020.

There were many rumors and hints Apple is working on a decent Intel alternative that will outperform it in each and every way. And well, when it was released it became obvious AMD and Intel have lost and have nothing comparable under their sleeve, M1 turned out to be better than anyone could ever think, Apple have outperformed themselves. And since they have made M1 so good, it became a solid base for newer models. Thus it might hold up well up until the M8 release

It’s not about holding up, it’s about how long you get software updates. And Apple obsolete policy is 5 years after they discontinue selling officially. If you have problems, repairs may not be available. I still have a 2015 MBP, but it stopped receiving security updates few years back.

 

[TheSynchronizer]

i have m1 macs and as much as id want to upgrade, every time i change my mind because these still do everything rly well.

The reason for the price, they are pretty decent options for a lot of tasks still.

 

[dieselm]

I have an M1 Macbook Pro and it's still works great.

I guess the notable point is that you can get an open box *M4* Macbook air, 16gb for $725 at Best buy.

 

[bradman83]

I actually don’t think so, or maybe I hope so because i own one😅

What i understand is that the MacBook Air M1 was discontinued in march 2024, and Apple usually give their Intel Mac five year of Mac OS updates after it was discontinued

Doesn’t matter though, it all depends when Apple discontinued selling the device.

Products with unusually long lifecycles typically lose support early. The 2013 Mac Pro “trash can” wasn’t technically discontinued until December 2019 and lost support with Ventura in 2022. The 2018 Mac Mini wasn’t discontinued until January 2023 when the M2 models came out, but those machines will not be getting macOS 26 Tahoe this fall. The 2019 Intel Mac Pro wasn’t discontinued until June 2024 and will not get macOS 27 next year.

 

[Scrooge MacDuck]

I, personally, wouldn't pay much for that. People like to think their used stuff is still worth nearly as much as it was when it was hot off the presses (moi is no exception, though ). But, realistically, kit that's 5 years old now should only cost a tiny fraction of what it used to.

Supply and demand don't really apply here. These aren't COVID times, thank God. Stuff is readily available from the manufacturer and their numerous resellers, often at steep discounts. Apple could make things better by making 16 GB of RAM standard across the entire range, though, thereby dealing with second-hand sellers riggin' the market.

 

[Andy_2341]

Apple could make things better by making 16 GB of RAM standard across the entire range, though, thereby dealing with second-hand sellers riggin' the market.

Apple has done this with the M4's. I really love my M4 Mac mini with 16GB for just $499.

As for the original post, make sure to shop around for the best deal you can get if you go M1. I had a family member switch from a troublesome windows 11 machine to a M1 8/256 last summer new from walmart. It does everything he wants to do with a laptop, and he then bought his own M4 Mini for desktop use. There's gonna be the support and some speed differences depending on what you're doing, but if its just general productivity like stuff then it will be about the same.

 

[Moonjumper]

Apple computers tend to work well for a long time, so they have value on the second-hand market. A used price might seem too much, but if someone is willing to buy at that price, it is the correct price.