M1 MacBook Air

[SPJones]

I’d love some advice, if anyone has the time and inclination. My 2013 iMac is just about done (and I’d also like some portability), and it’s time to buy something new-ish. I was looking at a second hand MacBook Air M1 (either from Apple or Macfinder).

Usage
- 50% Zoom calls (for work, 7 hours a day, interviewing people)
- 20% Recording and editing of a simple, one-speaker podcast
- 10% Simple web-based animation stuff through the likes of Canva
- 20% other stuff that isn’t taxing my HP laptop running Linux Mint such as word processing and emails, so no concern there!

I’m more interested in whether the first two usage cases would present problems for what is now a four year old machine?

FWIW I’ve never used M-series Mac but have Ventura running via OCLP on the old iMac.

 

[Iwavvns]

I'm using the MacBook Air M1 2020 as my only Mac and it's a pleasure to use. I purchased it from my housemate and it had 15 cycles on the battery.

I have edited a simple video in iMove and everything ran without issue. I have seen YouTube videos of people editing complex videos on M1 MacBook Air machines and they say it handles that type of task quite well so long as you don't do a lot of 4K video work, which some people report causes heating issues. I haven't noticed any heat issues and the battery life seems to be great. These M series chips are amazing, in my opinion. I don't see why the M1 MacBook Air couldn't handle the uses you've listed.

The only downsides I can see are the battery cycle count of a second hand M1 MacBook Air and that this machine may only get two or three more years of updates before Apple renders them obsolete.

By the way, I ran Linux as my sole operating system for close to 25 years before moving over to macOS and Mint was one of my favorites for a while.

 

[SPJones]

I'm using the MacBook Air M1 2020 as my only Mac and it's a pleasure to use. I purchased it from my housemate and it had 15 cycles on the battery.

I have edited a simple video in iMove and everything ran without issue. I have seen YouTube videos of people editing complex videos on M1 MacBook Air machines and they say it handles that type of task quite well so long as you don't do a lot of 4K video work, which some people report causes heating issues. I haven't noticed any heat issues and the battery life seems to be great. These M series chips are amazing, in my opinion. I don't see why the M1 MacBook Air couldn't handle the uses you've listed.

The only downsides I can see are the battery cycle count of a second hand M1 MacBook Air and that this machine may only get two or three more years of updates before Apple renders them obsolete.

By the way, I ran Linux as my sole operating system for close to 25 years before moving over to macOS and Mint was one of my favorites for a while.

Thanks bud. Love Mint, but I do some stuff with Apple Pages for work that Libre Office just can’t make look as beautiful. And the convenience of being able to pick stuff up on my phone is too seductive!

Thanks for the info re M1 Air. Are the batteries replaceable, do you know?

 

[Iwavvns]

Thanks bud. Love Mint, but I do some stuff with Apple Pages for work that Libre Office just can’t make look as beautiful. And the convenience of being able to pick stuff up on my phone is too seductive!

Thanks for the info re M1 Air. Are the batteries replaceable, do you know?

Yeah, there are just some things that Apple devices can do that Linux can't; iCloud and Handoff are two of those things.. which is why I moved to a Mac.

As for the batteries in the newer Apple laptops, you'll need to take the machine to an Apple Store to replace the battery (they're not user replaceable). There are other places that can do the job but I don't think I would trust them as much as I trust the folks who made the laptop to begin with. There are ribbon cables and special screws.. I wouldn't attempt it even though I love to tinker.

Edit: If you buy a refurbished model from Apple's Refurb store the battery is swapped out for a new one as part of the refurbishing process. Ive seen refurb models in person and look brand new.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Apple refurb is absolutely the way to go for a M1. Brand new battery, full 1 year warranty, option to add AppleCare+.

 

[Iwavvns]

Apple refurb is absolutely the way to go for a M1. Brand new battery, full 1 year warranty, option to add AppleCare+.

I forgot about AppleCare+.. that's an excellent point!

 

[Feek]

I have edited a simple video in iMove and everything ran without issue. I have seen YouTube videos of people editing complex videos on M1 MacBook Air machines and they say it handles that type of task quite well so long as you don't do a lot of 4K video work, which some people report causes heating issues.

When the M1 MBA was launched, YouTube was full of very positive reviews saying how absolutely fantastic it is for video editing and that it barely even gets warm when editing 4K videos.

Nothing has really changed since then, the M1 MBA is still an extremely capable tool. I've used mine for video editing and it might get slightly warm to the touch when editing but it's nothing worth being concerned about.

I’d love some advice, if anyone has the time and inclination. My 2013 iMac is just about done (and I’d also like some portability), and it’s time to buy something new-ish. I was looking at a second hand MacBook Air M1 (either from Apple or Macfinder).

You'll really notice the difference going from a 2013 iMac to an M1 MBA. If you can pick up an official refurb then you'll be getting a real bargain. Just make sure you get one with the right amount of memory and a big enough SSD because you can't upgrade them afterwards.

 

[Iwavvns]

Just make sure you get one with the right amount of memory and a big enough SSD because you can't upgrade them afterwards.

Yeah, this can't be stated enough. I bought mine from my housemate and it has 256 GB storage and I can see that being a concern at some point.. I didn't expect to be doing so much with this machine but it's just so capable at so many things. Make sure you get the right amount of storage for your needs.

 

[SPJones]

When the M1 MBA was launched, YouTube was full of very positive reviews saying how absolutely fantastic it is for video editing and that it barely even gets warm when editing 4K videos.

Nothing has really changed since then, the M1 MBA is still an extremely capable tool. I've used mine for video editing and it might get slightly warm to the touch when editing but it's nothing worth being concerned about.


You'll really notice the difference going from a 2013 iMac to an M1 MBA. If you can pick up an official refurb then you'll be getting a real bargain. Just make sure you get one with the right amount of memory and a big enough SSD because you can't upgrade them afterwards.

Thanks Feek.

I'm in the UK, and M1 refurbs from Apple are £745 - a fair whack, IMO. But if it does the job and performs for a few years, it's worth it.

256G storage is more than enough for me. I just checked my 500G SSD and it's only at 90G.

 

[SPJones]

Apple refurb is absolutely the way to go for a M1. Brand new battery, full 1 year warranty, option to add AppleCare+.

I didn't realise they all got new batteries. That's brilliant.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I didn't realise they all got new batteries. That's brilliant.

In UK, you also get Consumer Law protection from Apple if you buy it at the Refurb Store. CL in UK is through the seller, not the manufacturer.

 

[Iwavvns]

Thanks Feek.

I'm in the UK, and M1 refurbs from Apple are £745 - a fair whack, IMO. But if it does the job and performs for a few years, it's worth it.

256G storage is more than enough for me. I just checked my 500G SSD and it's only at 90G.

If Apple are willing to add AppleCare+ for a refurb then they are expecting the machine to work as if it were brand new.

 

[mike.coulter]

I just purchased myself a M1 MacBook Air (16/512/8C). Coming from a Late 2013 MacBook Pro 15", I am amazed at how powerful this little laptop really is. I'm sure it would work great for the kind of tasks you've listed.

Time hasn't just moved on since the 2013 models, it's warped!