My M1 MacBook Air (it’s a 16GB RAM but base spec otherwise unit) and it’s not slowed down at all. Love using it for various tasks still. Amazing laptop. I do appreciate the much better display and speakers of my M3 Pro MBP Pro, and the space black color, but otherwise, don’t notice much difference day to day between it and my M1 MBA.
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Who's rocking an M1 still and how's it holding up for you?
- Thread starter FlyingTexan
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M1Max MacStudio 2022, 64GB/2TB, will serve me some more years - no complains yet.
The M3 MBA 16GB/500GB, are doing its job too. So Apple won't get any money soon from me soon, except the iCloud subscription 😉
Had some thoughts to maybe buy a new iPad Air, but I’ve postponed it. I’m good with iPad mini 6 and 5 -and don’t need the 7 mini, we’ll see when mini 8 comes?
The M3 MBA 16GB/500GB, are doing its job too. So Apple won't get any money soon from me soon, except the iCloud subscription 😉
Had some thoughts to maybe buy a new iPad Air, but I’ve postponed it. I’m good with iPad mini 6 and 5 -and don’t need the 7 mini, we’ll see when mini 8 comes?
Love my base M1 max Mac Studio. Don't see why I would get rid of it. It also plays games about as good as a base PS5 (well the ones made for Apple Silicon like Death Stranding and RE4). I'm waiting for Control and AC Shadows. So, it's a great little machine for work and it satisfies my gaming needs, a first for a Mac !
These computers can last anywhere between 6 and 10 years, with a battery replacement. I'm running an M1 Max and it is fine. Before that I had a maxed out 2012 MBP. My wife's Touch Bar machine was the problematic one. Got a logic board replacement after three years. Now the keyboard and Touch Bar are toast. These M1 machines seem better than that generation...
I’m been using an M1 Max Macbook Pro 16 Inch, with 64GB RAM and a 2TB SSD, for a year. I bought it used on eBay for a great price, and the seller was telling the truth when he said he kept it in pristine condition—it was like new. The specs might have been overkill for my lightweight use (mainly web browsing, text editing, email, Photos, the Music app, no external monitors so far, etc.), but I wanted to anticipate keeping it for years.
Everything I run on it is still fast, except when I don’t close unused tabs in Chrome often enough and I wind up with 350 or more tabs open, at which point Chrome runs a little slower, but still surprisingly well. But oddly the more tabs I have open in Chrome, the slower the ChatGPT app gets in sending me responses.
My 95 year old mom and my brother are still using their 2020 M1 Macbook Airs, 8GB RAM, with no performance issues, but they mainly use them for things like web browsing and text editing too. My mom is better than me at her Chrome tab management—she doesn’t like to keep more than about five tabs open at a time.
If Apple wants more turnover, they’ll need to focus more on bringing new, useful features to new models, and dramatically improve existing features, since most people are pretty satisfied at this point with the performance of their M series and late Intel series Macs.
Everything I run on it is still fast, except when I don’t close unused tabs in Chrome often enough and I wind up with 350 or more tabs open, at which point Chrome runs a little slower, but still surprisingly well. But oddly the more tabs I have open in Chrome, the slower the ChatGPT app gets in sending me responses.
My 95 year old mom and my brother are still using their 2020 M1 Macbook Airs, 8GB RAM, with no performance issues, but they mainly use them for things like web browsing and text editing too. My mom is better than me at her Chrome tab management—she doesn’t like to keep more than about five tabs open at a time.
If Apple wants more turnover, they’ll need to focus more on bringing new, useful features to new models, and dramatically improve existing features, since most people are pretty satisfied at this point with the performance of their M series and late Intel series Macs.
Good heavens - that MBP M1 14 is such generational leap from what came before, it’s still a powerhouse for most tasks. And certainly the kind of use cases you mentioned being most interested in. Save your pennies! If it were creative power apps and every second of your time counted for money, then making the leap to an M4 at some point could be interesting. But you have such a class machine, you’re great for a few years yet.
The big leap was Intel to M1. And what a leap it was. You have the ports, the MagSafe, a fan-driven machine so even gaming will be fine.
Try and sit back, content in the knowledge that your money spent back then means you can enjoy not needing to upgrade for a while!
Best wishes
My green M1 iMac 16/512 is still going strong. I use it for multimedia (Netflix, other tv streaming), web browsing, writing, a little FaceTiming, managing my photo’s. Just light use. It’s still plenty fast enough, and I plan to hold onto it until it goes obsolete.
It’s just not worth it to upgrade in my current circumstances. I don’t game anymore, I don’t have any need for intensive tasks like 3D modelling or film work.
It’s just not worth it to upgrade in my current circumstances. I don’t game anymore, I don’t have any need for intensive tasks like 3D modelling or film work.
M1 iMac (16GB Ram)
For most things still faster than my work laptop which is a surface
But I will probably upgrade to the M4
For most things still faster than my work laptop which is a surface
But I will probably upgrade to the M4
Might as well join. Got Apple refurbished M1 MBA mid-2023 with 16GB/1TB and it’s been super solid. I don’t really game on it (intentionally bought it and not a MBP to fight that urge a little more) but it’s done precisely what I need. I see myself with it for several more years.
Got a refurbished M1Pro 14 16GB/1TB: fantastic machine: for the price of a M2 Air 15, 8GB, 256. So glad I opted for the refurbished M1Pro! No need to upgrade for some time. Battery life depends on apps used (Teams, looking at you...)
I also note trend in this thread: people who got one with 16GB (i.e. M1Pro or M1 Air+16GB) are still happy and have no real reason to upgrade, but people who bought one with 8GB, are a bit less happy and seem to be looking to upgrade *runs and hides for the incoming 8GB defenders*
I also note trend in this thread: people who got one with 16GB (i.e. M1Pro or M1 Air+16GB) are still happy and have no real reason to upgrade, but people who bought one with 8GB, are a bit less happy and seem to be looking to upgrade *runs and hides for the incoming 8GB defenders*
I had the M1 macbook air. Still as great when I brought it. Why upgrade?
M1 MacBook Pro 13" here, bought it >4 years ago and still as good as the first day (maybe even better, as macOS Big Sur had some annoying bugs at that time that are no longer present in Sequoia).
Hopefully, macOS support will continue for quite a while...
Hopefully, macOS support will continue for quite a while...
I wonder how Apple regards this enduring success of the M1?
I cascade to family, who seem to be very happy with the hand-me-downs. That might be my trigger, else how will Apple persuade us to move on?
I cascade to family, who seem to be very happy with the hand-me-downs. That might be my trigger, else how will Apple persuade us to move on?
They regard like: ok now lets make 16gb the standard/requirement so we can push all those m1/8gb owners to upgrade
I’ve bought both of my m1 machines 16gb and paid a ridiculous amount for that customization (outside of usa we have to add currency exchange losses, tax over currency exchange plus in brazil’s case 100% tax over product cost+shipping). So at least double the usa price is charged..
I just wish goverment stop apple from its abuses with law enforcement.
Some rule like “concerning memory expansions devices should be upgradable with industry parts OR if not upgradable should have customization prices according to industry upgrade parts”
brazil and other huge consumer markets could and should use law to cohibit such abuses
Too bad politics are too busy stealing our hard earned money.. no time for push for fair politics
Too bad people are too busy to push politics to do its job
Too bad no strong public opinion to bring to light abuses like that
I’ve bought both of my m1 machines 16gb and paid a ridiculous amount for that customization (outside of usa we have to add currency exchange losses, tax over currency exchange plus in brazil’s case 100% tax over product cost+shipping). So at least double the usa price is charged..
I just wish goverment stop apple from its abuses with law enforcement.
Some rule like “concerning memory expansions devices should be upgradable with industry parts OR if not upgradable should have customization prices according to industry upgrade parts”
brazil and other huge consumer markets could and should use law to cohibit such abuses
Too bad politics are too busy stealing our hard earned money.. no time for push for fair politics
Too bad people are too busy to push politics to do its job
Too bad no strong public opinion to bring to light abuses like that
Bought my M1 MBA in January 2024, and it's still serves all my needs with no signs of slowing down!
For your use case makes absolutely no sense to upgrade. Hold on to it, use that credit towards something else.
I was in the same boat. Happy with a 14" M1 Pro 16gb/1tb. However, my use case expanded; local LLMs became a part of that along with other requirements. I was looking for more memory and GPU. If I was spending the money, I wanted more CPU. Bought a refurb'd 14" M3Max with 64gb/40 core GPU. If I had already had an M1Max with 64gb and big GPU, I would have held off. I don't notice the difference until I dip into the higher performance work, or I stare at Activity Monitor.
As it is, for other, less demanding work, I still have my 13" M1 Macbook Pro 16gb/1tb; the best M1 (big battery, bright screen, and I can get the fans to spin. For demanding work, if you lock the fans to high rpms from the start[I use iStat], there is a small but noticeable increase in durable speed that gets competitive over time with passive cooled M2s. IMO, the 13" M1 MBPro with 16gb is the modern 12" Macbook, ie the best in matching relative size, features, longevity, value).
Traded in my reliable 16Gb M1 Mini for a base M4 Mini because i need to drive 3 displays (one is a pen display) and using AirPlay to run a monitor hooked up to an old ATV was a little bit of a hassle as you loose some functionality. But it worked.
But between my student discount and the trade-in Apple offered on my M1 (which they paid in full), i got the smaller, better, faster M4 for about $240. Loved the M1 Mini, but this one is much better.
Well, other than i updated to MacOS 15, which broke many of my shortcuts.
But between my student discount and the trade-in Apple offered on my M1 (which they paid in full), i got the smaller, better, faster M4 for about $240. Loved the M1 Mini, but this one is much better.
Well, other than i updated to MacOS 15, which broke many of my shortcuts.
I'm a software developer and my 2021 base MBP with M1 Pro and 16GB RAM remains perfectly adequate for my needs. I typically have 100 tabs open in Brave, a few dozen apps, assorted background apps, and the only time I see the color wheel is when an app crashes outright (e.g. it's not slow, it's just never coming back). I also have an M1 iPad Air that I really don't use much, but when I do it's lightning fast. Both MBP and iPad are on latest OSes.
It would certainly be cool if someone handed me an M4 Pro MBP to replace my current one, but I could not with a straight face insist that it's necessary that I upgrade anytime soon.
It would certainly be cool if someone handed me an M4 Pro MBP to replace my current one, but I could not with a straight face insist that it's necessary that I upgrade anytime soon.
I was fine with 8 GB. TBH I mostly upgraded because I watched the resale prices drop like a stone and I had to replace the battery anyway, so the upgrade ‘only’ cost me €800 or so. (Sold the M1 Air for €650+, rMB 2016 for €380+, ‘saved’ €185 on the battery.)
Husby’s base 8/256 flies like when it was new, somewhat worse battery life aside, but not ‘needs replacement’ worse. There is no reason to upgrade it and when the battery eventually needs servicing, that’s probably what will happen. Nothing M5 or M6 or more RAM or etc. can offer is going to improve his life. Unless Apple Intelligence keeps eating more and more storage space even when it’s switched off, and 512 GB becomes a requirement to even use macOS… which would be bad news for my M2 Mini file server, too. *knocks on silicon*
This feels like something the EU would try to enforce – remember Apple insisting it was simply NOT POSSIBLE to replace Lightning with USB-C and it would stifle innovation? – but since it’s a SoC, not separate memory chip, I can’t see how it would apply to Macs
I’d be extremely surprised if most M1s weren’t still fine. I’ve got a lot of mileage out of my apple laptops. 7 years on a PB 12” G4. Then a 2011 MBA 11” which is still okay after I replaced the battery. RAM is rather low at 4GB but still works for basic stuff. Currently rocking the final Intel 13” MBP from 2020 which should easily keep going for another 4 years if not more.