Hello, currently I have MacBook Air 2017, I’m thinking about buying MacBook Air M1, however I’m not sure if it is a good idea in my case. I am almost finishing med college and I use computer for safari and adobe reader mainly. My Air is still thriving somehow but battery needs replacement and it’s not as fast as it could be (imo the best macOS was high sierra/Mojave since then every software is making this Mac slower and slower). Do you think I will notice huge difference after upgrading to M1 and is it worth in case of such a light user as me? I’m doubtful because I replaced iPhone XR with 12 recently and to be honest I wouldn’t say that difference was THAT much.
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for me, the best things about the M-series Air that highly benefit even light users, despite being obviously quicker for more demanding things:
- awesome battery life
- no fan, meaning it will no chance to collect dust or suffocate when used in your bed or deep carpets
- no fan again means dead silence at all times
- still officially supported by Apple both hardware and software wise
of course your 2017 will still be great, as even my 2010 Win 7 laptop is still blazing fast for light tasks, albeit loud even for that.
- awesome battery life
- no fan, meaning it will no chance to collect dust or suffocate when used in your bed or deep carpets
- no fan again means dead silence at all times
- still officially supported by Apple both hardware and software wise
of course your 2017 will still be great, as even my 2010 Win 7 laptop is still blazing fast for light tasks, albeit loud even for that.
I have an M1 Mac mini, and a 2017 MacBook Air (and a 2017 12" Retina MacBook and a 2015 13" Retina MacBook Pro).
For your purposes the 2017 MacBook Air is OK, but the M1 is noticeably faster of course. You should realize that the A12 in the iPhone XR is significantly faster than the Core i5 in the MBA actually. However, IMO another significant drawback of the 2017 MBA is the lower pixel density screen. I use it mainly for surfing for short periods in the kitchen, but I would prefer to use a Retina screen for reading journal articles, etc. for extended periods.
Note that the battery in the 2017 MBA is easy to replace.
Geekbench 5:
1124/2801 - iPhone XR
744/1549 - 2017 MBA i5-5350U
804/1743 - 2015 MBP i5-5257U
1760/7742 - 2020 MBA M1
For your purposes the 2017 MacBook Air is OK, but the M1 is noticeably faster of course. You should realize that the A12 in the iPhone XR is significantly faster than the Core i5 in the MBA actually. However, IMO another significant drawback of the 2017 MBA is the lower pixel density screen. I use it mainly for surfing for short periods in the kitchen, but I would prefer to use a Retina screen for reading journal articles, etc. for extended periods.
Note that the battery in the 2017 MBA is easy to replace.
Geekbench 5:
1124/2801 - iPhone XR
744/1549 - 2017 MBA i5-5350U
804/1743 - 2015 MBP i5-5257U
1760/7742 - 2020 MBA M1
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Other than the boot time (which is near instant) and the all day battery life, whether or not you'll notice a material difference for your internet-dependent purposes, I can't say. But you implied your battery is goosed and the computer is getting slow. Those things would be deciding factors for me, because one thing I wouldn't do at this stage is spend the labour charges associated with repairing a five year old computer with glued-in batteries.
Battery is not glued in. It’s just a few screws.
Ah fair enough. I thought they were all glued-in at that age. I jumped from a 2012 MBP to a 2020 MBA, and I thought, obviously wrongly, that after about 2014, the batteries on all MBPs and MBAs were basically glued inside the chassis.
I’m also a (very) light user. But yesterday I activated a new M2 MacBook Air which is replacing a 2013 MacBook Pro that only supports Big Sur. There is not a massive difference in the tasks I use either one for. I wouldn’t even consider replacing a machine that can run the latest software, it really isn’t worth the money unless you can get a significant amount for the old one, or just want the latest and greatest which I understand. Battery life is the most noticeable difference between the two but so many people always have their laptops plugged in while using them that it’s really not a drawback. And some things run smoother in Big Sur than they do in Ventura so that new purchase doesn’t always seem like as much of an upgrade as it should. I’m very happy with my purchase but I was replacing an almost 10 year old machine. I would not be so happy if I were replacing a more recent model, but it’s nice to have the latest, for your ego if nothing else.
Even a very light user can benefit from the significantly longer battery life that Apple Silicon gives you. If you are a daily Mac user and don't like outlet anxiety, it's a worthwhile upgrade.
I have noticed great battery life on my M2 MBA but in no way would that be a reason for me to replace a Mac. If needed I’d check into a battery replacement and as long as the Mac can support current software or more current than I have it would stay with me. Actually my 2013 MBP has fairly decent battery life for an almost 10 year old battery.
My advice would be to hang on to what you have for a while yet. You're reaching a life transition and IMO you may well find that you have better things to spend the money on. If you have wads of cash sitting around begging to be used, then sure, upgrade. If not, give it some time yet. You may find that in a year, your needs may change.
You will (much) appreciate better screen and battery life. But if your only issue is the battery, then replace the battery, save the money and better prepared for economic downturn.
You might find new uses for all of the additional power. I have a YouTube channel as creating videos is so easy with Apple Silicon.
That, to me, is the key issue. If battery life is the main driver of replacement, and your current MBA otherwwise meets your needs, consider a battery replacement. Even a cheap non-Apple battery is likely to last long enough for you to finish school and then decide what you need in a new computer.
I used to have a 2017 revision MacBook Air when I was running a movie theatre, it was my business laptop. I can't overstate how incredible a jump it is from one of these machines to a machine with a Retina display. It's like going from watching something on VHS and then switching to the 4K Blu-Ray. It's also really hard to go back to a device without a high pixel density display. The visual equivalent of silk vs sandpaper.
Battery life is also a showstopper on Apple Silicon. I get about 17-22 hours battery life on my M2 Air, the higher number is low-brightness and no Internet, just using Scrivener. When I was growing up, a laptop with a battery that lasted more than an hour was an incredible achievement. Now I can do two days worth of writing without plugging in. If I go away for the weekend, I take the M2 with me and leave the charger at home. It's that good.
So yes, it will cost you a fair penny to upgrade, but I think it's worth every red cent. I would go with the M2 Air over the M1 if you can afford it because it's the design I think they should have used with the Apple Silicon MacBook Air since day one. More ports, better webcam, WAY better microphones and noise rejection, and MagSafe just to name a few reasons. It's as much a leap forward for the externals of the Air as switching to Apple Silicon was for the internals.
Good luck with your shopping. Curious to see what you're decide.
Battery life is also a showstopper on Apple Silicon. I get about 17-22 hours battery life on my M2 Air, the higher number is low-brightness and no Internet, just using Scrivener. When I was growing up, a laptop with a battery that lasted more than an hour was an incredible achievement. Now I can do two days worth of writing without plugging in. If I go away for the weekend, I take the M2 with me and leave the charger at home. It's that good.
So yes, it will cost you a fair penny to upgrade, but I think it's worth every red cent. I would go with the M2 Air over the M1 if you can afford it because it's the design I think they should have used with the Apple Silicon MacBook Air since day one. More ports, better webcam, WAY better microphones and noise rejection, and MagSafe just to name a few reasons. It's as much a leap forward for the externals of the Air as switching to Apple Silicon was for the internals.
Good luck with your shopping. Curious to see what you're decide.
I have a 2017 MBA and M1 MBA. The difference between the two is incredible. The M1 MBA powers along at an unbelievable pace making the 2017 seem weak and pathetic. This of the Intel to Apple Silicon transition as being like jumping from spinning hard disks to SSD.
I feel the M1 MBA is best machine for cool running, long battery times and be great Starting silicone adventure! Just IMHO only instal Universal or Silicone versions of software on M-2 machines to keep everything running smooth!
My favorites are:
1)Onyx - to do Maintenance about once every three months
2.LibreOffice - Silcon version for an Office replacement
3)TinkerTool - Universal app to tinker without being a Terminal guru
My favorites are:
1)Onyx - to do Maintenance about once every three months
2.LibreOffice - Silcon version for an Office replacement
3)TinkerTool - Universal app to tinker without being a Terminal guru
Yep—still a fantastic value for what you get. Main drawback is the stale design, but that’s hardly a deal breaker in my opinion. It’s hard not to continue recommending the M1 MBA, which I always kind of considered the flagship M1 device even though there was a more powerful MBP version