60's here & somehow switched from a 17" to 13" (intel MBP then M2 Air) & with full screen zoom & other accessibility tweaks… get along very well. Worst thing is some websites manage to hide elements if font size is 18 in Safari - 'never use font sizes smaller than…' but I do enjoy the convenience of a smaller device.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Buying a MBA, will the base configuration be enough for me?
- Thread starter ab2c4
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I have an upgraded M1 MBA and while I have shifted to the 15" being my "main" computer I still keep the M1 around because it is so portable and easy to handle so for someone in your position and use-case you might want to strongly consider one. It is still a blazing fast laptop and the weight and thinness is nothing to waive off. The only, and I mean only downside might be the longevity of the device in the future (5+ years from now) but I kinda think the M1 Air will continue to get support for quite a while. If price is something that matters to you, it's something to think about.
Microsoft does the same pricing on the upgrades to their Surface line of products. Dell does the same pricing on their top-of-the-line laptops. You may think it is robbery, the industry thinks it is good for the bottom line and the stockholders. As long as people continue to pay, the industry will continue to charge. Simple economics.
I'm with the 8GB crowd. With the caveat that there are changes coming with AI integration and we don't really know what impact that might have.
I'm sure you'll be fine.
As a shareholder, I say upgrade all the way.
I'm sure you'll be fine.
As a shareholder, I say upgrade all the way.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
They will and I suspect Microsoft & Dell learned it from Apple. But there are PLENTY of PC makers in that vast sea and others don't "rob" their customers. For example, when I embraced Silicon, I needed 100% Windows too... so the only real choice was to pick up a PC too (old fashioned bootcamp). No, ARM Windows is NOT full Windows.
Base price was FARRRRRRRRR below Mac pricing and then I could shop around for both RAM and SSD storage. I decided to go gaming PC to scratch a little itch there too. I picked up a (NOT Microsoft or Dell) gaming PC with good graphics card, 32GB of RAM and 10TB of fast SSD (8TB + 2TB) for LESS than only the Apple upgrade price for 8TB of SSD, NOT including the Mac. THAT's competition at work FOR us consumers.
As consumers, we shouldn't care about shareholder maximization and/or be justifying "robbing" us because <other player> does it too. Instead, we should covet competition-driven pricing to get commodities like RAM and SSD at market prices instead of 3X-5X pricing because of the "company store" model in which ONE seller has total control of any RAM or SSD one desires. Why? Because no consumer wins by far overpaying for RAM & SSD because our favorite company has a Company Store model... and a few other PC companies are trying to copy the exploit. Our Macs would be just as good if Apple charged market rates for RAM & SSD upgrades. We consumers would get just as much out of our Macs at 1X market vs. 3X-5X market for such commodities.
If one wants a Mac, they have no choice. Apple could make it 10X-15X and there is still no choice. But when one buys a PC there are hundreds of vendors and much competition making all internal parts. As a result the price of a single Apple upgrade to max SSD or max RAM can buy a LOT of PC... which translates into customers wanting a PC getting more value for their money.
For a while, we had that ability with our Intel Macs too: buy base specs and then upgrade RAM & storage at market-driven prices instead of Company Store pricing. And then modern Apple decided to "fix" that "problem"... and some of us fall right in line rationalizing it. I'm mostly an Apple guy with LOTS of Apple stuff in my household and office... but I don't care for this part of things at all... because I'm a consumer FIRST... not working for the Corp for free and/or focused on maximizing for shareholders at our own expense. Both of those are doing just fine no matter what "we" write here... we're simply the one's heavily paying for that "just fine."
Last edited:
Well, you don't have to buy Apple products from Apple itself, but from some guy, who bought one, and finds out that it is not for him, best go back to Windows, so has to get rid of that device. There are lot of them around. So, you can always buy that Apple device you really want, at least 30-40% less than it was priced by Apple, most times in mint condition (and also with that 2-year guarantee -- where I live). Sometimes, there are unopened ones, lying in warehouses, unsold. There are people, who bought M1s and M2s are trying get rid of them, as there are M3s around. The M series are coming out too fast, by next year even M3s will be much cheaper, in the non-Apple market.
All mostly true. Except the consumer does not directly control the price. That is vendor territory. Unless the consumer votes with their wallet by not buying, the vendor will charge what the consumer tolerates.
There are a lot of people buying in the Apple stores. Large percentage are phones and watches. But when my wife was shopping and I sat outside the Apple Store there were several computer boxes going out the door. It works for Apple.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
When there are MANY vendors, the consumers do have much say in pricing with the easy ability to shop around. If Vendor 37 is offering basically the same product for less than the "rest", Vendor 37 gets the business... and the rest- noticing a drop in business- then sharpens their pencils to try to woo more business to them.
Yes, vendors do set prices, but competition greatly influences it... including DOWN instead of only UP.
And yes, it works fantastic for Apple because one is not solely buying or not buying on any one variable. The "whole" can outweigh a few specific cons. In PC value vs. Apple "robbery", the win by going PC means dealing with NOT macOS and less compatibility with an Apple ecosystem/accessories, etc. That can tarnish the hardware value win. Those are tangible tradeoffs to Apple people. On the other hand, Apple people whining for AAA games can get that itch enormously and immediately scratched by buying a PC.
Apple is richest company in the world with one of the smallest quantity of product lines among the top 10 richest. How do they do it? If we want to rationalize by saying: "because Apple is richest and people buy Apple like crazy, they are endorsing 3X-5X RAM & SSD," hopefully Apple will decide to go to 5X-10X or 10X-15X market. They'll still be richest, people will still be buying like crazy and thus it's all the right decision. Bring on $2500 iPhones. People will still buy, so that will prove $2500 is the right price. Bring on $3500 phones. People will STILL buy and thus prove that is the right price. How can that be? Because people buy like crazy and Apple is richest.
Last edited:
Some countries have company-rights-come-first attitude, and some people living there agree to that, and make those companies rich, forgoing their own rights.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Yes, and I happen to live in a country that spins itself as the "land of the free" and the "cradle of capitalism" but many of the free among us seem to have forgotten that the consumer is as important as the seller (and the shareholders)... that the consumers role in our system is to get as much for their money as they can... not rationalize making as much for the seller as possible. Yet, here, with THIS company, MANY seem to passionately argue FOR seller over consumer... rationalizing & defending everything... seeming to work HARD for that seller for free trying to convince fellow consumers to buy-buy-buy at any price.
Again, I like Apple just fine too and much of my own tech is Apple tech... for 20+ years now. But I still think "consumer FIRST" when I offer anything to conversations like these vs. pure rah-rah or pure rant-rant.
Back to topic: OP has posted that they want relatively "simple needs" computer.
I've countered the crowd by suggesting cheaper computer options such as PC, Chromebook, Tablets with keyboards.
OP has since posted MB and only MB and money is not really an object.
So I've encouraged MB with base spec upgrades.
I too face needing a new laptop soon and am weighing the great want of another MB vs. the better hardware value of PC due to 3X-5X RAM + SDD pricing. So I'm considering my own advice offered to OP without making it a "MB and only MB choice." Yes, I'd rather have another MB with macOS, etc, etc. 5+ years ago I wouldn't even BLINK: automatic new MB purchase.
But modern Apple keeps seeking every last nickel and accumulated goodwill in me is exhausted, so I'm not so quick to just roll over a begrudgingly PAY 3X-5X for my needs. I buy when I have to buy and PC has real consideration due to this exact variable... and my surprisingly good experience with the desktop PC I picked up for "old fashioned bootcamp."
Again, I like Apple just fine too and much of my own tech is Apple tech... for 20+ years now. But I still think "consumer FIRST" when I offer anything to conversations like these vs. pure rah-rah or pure rant-rant.
Back to topic: OP has posted that they want relatively "simple needs" computer.
I've countered the crowd by suggesting cheaper computer options such as PC, Chromebook, Tablets with keyboards.
OP has since posted MB and only MB and money is not really an object.
So I've encouraged MB with base spec upgrades.
I too face needing a new laptop soon and am weighing the great want of another MB vs. the better hardware value of PC due to 3X-5X RAM + SDD pricing. So I'm considering my own advice offered to OP without making it a "MB and only MB choice." Yes, I'd rather have another MB with macOS, etc, etc. 5+ years ago I wouldn't even BLINK: automatic new MB purchase.
But modern Apple keeps seeking every last nickel and accumulated goodwill in me is exhausted, so I'm not so quick to just roll over a begrudgingly PAY 3X-5X for my needs. I buy when I have to buy and PC has real consideration due to this exact variable... and my surprisingly good experience with the desktop PC I picked up for "old fashioned bootcamp."
Last edited:
For your uses, an iPad Pro is more likely to have the longevity you're looking for at a similar price point. I'd worry about the base performance of the MBA at the 5 year mark you mentioned.
Ohh, my bad. It being 13.3 inches completely slipped my mind. I would recommend an M2 15" instead. There might be refurbished versions worth looking for (I don't know what discounts are available though). Worst case senario is to just grab the M3 MBA 15" and feel good about it. Which by no means would be a bad idea.
are you kidding, I use a 2017 map intel and do a lot more than you listed. My has the M1 Air and it's heads and shoulders faster and more Batterly etc.
if you're getting by on SS then yea $200 is a lot.That's hilarious. Rich is $200 for more RAM? Then yes, I'm rich.
My posts around here are always "consumer first" and I'm usually ripping Apple for blatant robbery pricing on Mac upgrades relative to market rates for commodities like RAM and SSD. I'm chipping into this convo because what I presume is a young computer buyer shopping for "first Mac" is seeking help to a worn-out question: is base specs enough? Of course, Apple fans will say YES. "We" always push whatever Apple has for sale at the time.
But even Apple probably thinks that 8GB RAM is not enough in 2024 as M4 in iPad has 12GB (with 6GB just made inactive for that iPad). M4 Macs are probably going to have 12GB base RAM. Does anyone dare call Apple wrong or dumb for putting more base RAM in than "most people need"... only a few weeks from now? Com'on people, I dare you. Anyone? Anyone?
No one can have "all of the facts" about the amount of future time OP is likely hoping to use this Mac. Is that 5 years or is that 10 years? Whether 5 or 10, a thousand things can happen to OP to make him need a bit more RAM or SSD in this computer. Apple has engineered Silicon Macs to eliminate all such upgrade possibilities after date of purchase. When one is buying for 5-10 years of potential use, better slap in some "what if" assumptions. Else, you need a lot more than $200 to buy the replacement whole Mac sooner than expected.
And if they can't scratch up $200 bucks, get a minimum wage job for about a week or so and delay the purchase that long. Besides getting enough RAM to better deal with who knows what years from now, it will also, apparently make you rich. The chicks love "rich" so flash that $200 around a bit if you also want to attract some love.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
In no way was the prior post or now this one meant to put down a poor person situation... but if $200 is "a lot"... MBair base specs pricing at at least 5X that is "too much." If such a person needs a computer, they need a Chromebook or Tablet paired with bluetooth keyboard or perhaps someone's hand-me-down machine. Apple pricing in general is much too high for anyone that feels $200 is "a lot." Go PC or Fire Tablet or Chromebook.
OP has since confirmed that he has the money but is simply thrifty and absolutely wants a MB. So $200 is not "too much " for OP and it reads like he's going to get a new MB soon.
OP has since confirmed that he has the money but is simply thrifty and absolutely wants a MB. So $200 is not "too much " for OP and it reads like he's going to get a new MB soon.
Last edited:
I got the base M1 Air when it came out. It was ok, but I didn't like how often it was swapping to disk when I was only doing things you listed (at most a dozen Safari tabs, usually less).
Was it a big problem? No, I can't say it was. But when I occasionally did push it, I did notice a slight bit of lag when it was swapping ALOT to disk. I wasn't thrilled.
8GB of RAM, especially when shared with the GPU, is not very much.
When you bought the base M1 Air when it came out, you became the experiment...
The rumour is that the new iPhone will have 12gb of ram so that it can do AI tasks. I suspect that 8gb of ram will start to feel tight very soon.
I would say wait and see what the new MacBook Air base model has and then buy if you can wait, or bump to 16gb of ram.
I would say wait and see what the new MacBook Air base model has and then buy if you can wait, or bump to 16gb of ram.
I used base air for comlex engineering modeling, outlook, reading, movies, no issues!!!
Nothing clairvoyant about it. If a multitasker (e.g. me) used those apps today the current OS and app versions will be paging to swap, today. Many consider that fine because the OS will make it work, albeit sub-optimally. The point is that to build a box today that starts out sub-optimal due to choosing low RAM to some of us is bad decision making. Others (you apparently) think that is just fine.
Also please note that OS, apps, AI, etc. will be demanding more RAM over time even though you boldface that the OP said: "I will never use it for anything more than what I listed." It should be obvious that the OP's observation does not stop Apple improving its OS over time or app developers improving their apps over time to take advantage of more and more RAM - - like they have every year for 40 years now.
Last edited:
Nothing clairvoyant about it. If a multitasker (e.g. me) used those apps today the current OS and app versions will be paging to swap, today. Many consider that fine because the OS will make it work, albeit sub-optimally. The point is that to build a box today that starts out sub-optimal is to some of us bad decision making. Others (including you apparently) think that is just fine. Everyone's MMV.
Also please note that OS, apps, AI, etc. will be demanding more RAM over time even though you boldface that the OP said: "I will never use it for anything more than what I listed." It should be obvious that the OP's observation does not stop Apple improving its OS over time or app developers improving their apps over time - - which has happened every year for 40 years now.
I don't mean this to sound insensitive in any way because I agree with what you're saying, but if money is that tight for anyone then maybe a brand new Mac isn't the appropriate purchase for them. For better or worse, Apple doesn't exactly make budget hardware.
Define sub-optimally.
Is that spreadsheet 0.1 seconds slower? Is the video rendering taking 4.6 minutes instead o 4.5? Does Lightroom export 1,000 photos in 5.9 minutes instead of 6?
Yes, I would like to have a 16" MacBook Pro, M3 Max with 128 Gig of memory and an 8 TB SSD. That would really be optimal. Now that spreadsheet would calculate in 0.0001 seconds instead of 0.0010 seconds. That Lightroom export would take 5.7 minutes instead of six minutes. Most of that time is due to the export to an external SSD. I doubt a fully loaded MacBook Pro would improve much on that process.
Instead I am stuck with my M2 Air and it seems to work just fine with my needs. A few milliseconds here and there will never be missed. Forget the tired argument about swapping wearing out the SSD. That is old news and the SSDs of today have exceptional lifespans. They will outlast the non-replaceable batteries in the M series of laptops.
What is sub-optimal to you is just fine for others. What is optimal for you may be way overkill for others. For a select few even a maxed out MacBook Pro is sub-optimal.
In all my years of using desktop computers and laptops I have never had a system where the workload increased more than 0% in the span of five years. Upgrades were for other purposes that had nothing to do with performance or resources.
Yes, Photoshop did more and took more resources. That never affected my workload. I never noticed a performance hit even with 40"x60" 600 DPI images with 25 layers. I suppose if I had a stopwatch and really counted I might have seen something. I did that with 8 Gb of memory and PS was using temporary files on spinning rust. A new system would obviously been quicker but so what? There was never a time I sat twiddling my thumbs and cursing the system for being so slow.
Most of my time is spent using the mouse and keyboard. Those tasks will aways remain relatively static.
If your needs require an optimal system, with more memory and storage, go for it. It's your money and your system.
A lot of people say that even if 8GB or RAM is sufficient for you now, it probably won't be soon because of built in AI and such, but the way I see it, Apple isn't typically the kind of company that makes devices that are obsolete in just a year or two. The fact that they're still selling new Macbooks (even Pros) with 8GB right now suggests to me that they expect it to remain sufficient for running their OS smoothly for at least a couple of years. I think that performance longevity is likely a priority in the M-series chips, so I would think that they wouldn't negate that with insufficient RAM.
The OP doesn't need any new 8GB MBA, as there's one 16GB MBP is at home, which will be his, if he would like to make a present to his wife with a newer MBP, which she needs.
And, this thread went on and on about 16GB vs 8GB...usually going off at a tangent. And, after that post, there's nothing much to talk about...other than he didn't offer to buy it as a present for her...
Last edited: