Would you buy a New 16" M1 Max for $2100

[Timpetus]

If it makes anyone feel better, B&H has a history of these incredible fire sales and the reason for the steep discount becomes apparent when people start receiving machines with a high DOA rate. I learned this the hard way a few years ago when I picked up an impossibly good deal on a new MBA from B&H.

Anyone who purchased one, don't worry. They'll take it back without any friction and it's covered under Applecare so you could get it fixed too. It's the battery and from what I read is that people think that there are always units that don't get properly stored and are exposed to more heat than is good for them so the batteries in the old stock are put in challenging states and may not be viable after a couple of years.

In my case, I returned my MBA and asked for a replacement. I wish I had gone the AppleCare route because they didn't have any more units left so I got a refund instead. My plan was to go to AppleCare if the second unit also arrived DOA.

Interesting. This is the first I've heard of any issues besides the usual ones with B&H's return policy. I purchase AppleCare+ for any Macs I buy from them, so anything that shows up in the first 3 years will get fixed by Apple. That way, I won't have to deal with trying to return anything to B&H.

 

[Ay-Yo-Its-Edge]

Interesting. This is the first I've heard of any issues besides the usual ones with B&H's return policy. I purchase AppleCare+ for any Macs I buy from them, so anything that shows up in the first 3 years will get fixed by Apple. That way, I won't have to deal with trying to return anything to B&H.

I also purchased the AppleCare, I've used Macs since around 2000 (I'm old) and it's like car insurance. Better to have it and not need it vs need it and not have it. With my 2011 MBP (when matte screen ws an option) was plagued with the bad logic board recall. They replaced it 3 times then just swapped it out for the Mid 2015 MBP after the last failure.

 

[smirking]

Interesting. This is the first I've heard of any issues besides the usual ones with B&H's return policy. I purchase AppleCare+ for any Macs I buy from them, so anything that shows up in the first 3 years will get fixed by Apple. That way, I won't have to deal with trying to return anything to B&H.

I hadn't either until I got my NIB DOA 2018 MBA.

I wouldn't have even suspected battery damage out of the box so I Googled to see if there was some weird glitch I set off trying to migrate it and to my surprise I found people with my exact same story including one thread that was already on MacRumors:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/brand-new-2018-macbook-air-0-battery-and-fan-running.2216290

Then the jaw-dropping incredible pricing made more sense. It was still an incredible deal, but you might have to jump through some hoops to restore it to working order first.

In the case of that MBA, some people did get working units. It might be in that thread I referenced above where someone returned it and got a good one the second time around. By the time I tried that, they didn't have any left.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I hadn't either until I got my NIB DOA 2018 MBA.

I wouldn't have even suspected battery damage out of the box so I Googled to see if there was some weird glitch I set off trying to migrate it and to my surprise I found people with my exact same story including one thread that was already on MacRumors:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/brand-new-2018-macbook-air-0-battery-and-fan-running.2216290

Then the jaw-dropping incredible pricing made more sense. It was still an incredible deal, but you might have to jump through some hoops to restore it to working order first.

In the case of that MBA, some people did get working units. It might be in that thread I referenced above where someone returned it and got a good one the second time around. By the time I tried that, they didn't have any left.

Its still a good thing to have the Apple Care, but I kinda find it hard to believe an Apple silicon Mac would come dead out of the box. More likely with Intel models, case in point a 16 inch Intel MBP a co-worker received a month ago came with a dead battery. That thing was likely sitting in a warehouse for years. There is always bad screen issue, dead port though.

 

[TechnoMonk]

So, basically it’s about price versus longevity. I bet if it was selling for 800 dollars, you probably would pick up 3. But, I could further prove my point. Apple still sells the M1 MacBook Air which a lot of businesses also buy. Do you see the M1 MacBook Air still getting support near the end of the decade too?

Why would I pick 3? I need one, I am good with it. Apple supports for 5 years after it stops selling a device. Depends on when Apple releases the MBA M3, and stops selling MBA M1. Some one has a better argument of buying a MBA M1 compared to an M1 Max(which Apple has already stopped selling). It could be possible Apple may support the MBP M1 Max longer, but I don’t buy my devices at the mercy of a manufacturer, Apple or any one else.

 

[smirking]

More likely with Intel models, case in point a 16 inch Intel MBP a co-worker received a month ago came with a dead battery. That thing was likely sitting in a warehouse for years. There is always bad screen issue, dead port though.

My DOA was indeed an Intel MBA. Still, it was surprising because they couldn't have been much more than 18 months old. Perhaps B&H just got a saddled with a bad batch to begin with.

Anyway, my intent here wasn't to rain on @Ay-Yo-Its-Edge's big purchase. I just wanted to provide some insight into how to manage the situation if this ends up being another case of an incredible deal with a catch.

I really wanted that MBA that I sent back. Had I known they wouldn't have another unit to swap with me, I would have just kept it and taken it to Apple for warranty service instead.

 

[sevoneone]

I really wanted that MBA that I sent back. Had I known they wouldn't have another unit to swap with me, I would have just kept it and taken it to Apple for warranty service instead.

Honestly, I think I’d trust Apple more than anyone else to make things right in that kind of situation and would take it straight in to an Apple Store. I wouldn’t expect them to exchange/replace it, but I think I’d rather the Genius Bar replace the battery than risk getting another bad unit or problems with the vendor.

 

[Blublub]

Interesting. This is the first I've heard of any issues besides the usual ones with B&H's return policy. I purchase AppleCare+ for any Macs I buy from them, so anything that shows up in the first 3 years will get fixed by Apple. That way, I won't have to deal with trying to return anything to B&H.

Yes, have been going to B&H for years and have NEVER had a problem with any order or return. I received my 16" M1 Max from them yesterday and it is perfect. It replaces an early 2019 Intel 15" and is hands-down the best laptop upgrade I've ever had; remarkable considering it's two years old. If you're on the fence don't be!

 

[Miltz]

no, I would not. Get the M3 Max instead for a little bit more. (unless you have an old intel laptop and don't need top spec performance.)

 

[sevoneone]

So far I am pretty happy with the 14” Max 32GPU/64GB/2TB. I have been too bogged down with smaller tasks to really put it through its paces, but holy moly is this much RAM dangerously addictive. Today was one of those multi-tasking Fridays where you start putting out little fires one after another and don’t necessarily have time to stop and clean up between each until you notice that opening another App is taking too long. Sometime around 3:00 I noticed I had 38 tabs open across multiple windows in Chrome. Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop open in the background with graphics projects from our marketing team I was pulling assets out of for a video. And Final Cut open with the video where I was overlaying said graphics. Not even a hint of a slow down.

All of that was apparently only using 49GB of RAM and no swap…😶

 

[Ay-Yo-Its-Edge]

So far I am pretty happy with the 14” Max 32GPU/64GB/2TB. I have been too bogged down with smaller tasks to really put it through its paces, but holy moly is this much RAM dangerously addictive. Today was one of those multi-tasking Fridays where you start putting out little fires one after another and don’t necessarily have time to stop and clean up between each until you notice that opening another App is taking too long. Sometime around 3:00 I noticed I had 38 tabs open across multiple windows in Chrome. Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop open in the background with graphics projects from our marketing team I was pulling assets out of for a video. And Final Cut open with the video where I was overlaying said graphics. Not even a hint of a slow down.

All of that was apparently only using 49GB of RAM and no swap…😶

I can’t wait, I live in Hawaii so I don’t get next day/quick shipping. Mine is scheduled to be here by Tuesday. Did you use a backup to set it up or start clean? I’m thinking of starting fresh for the first time ever and doing clean installs of all my apps/files I work with.

 

[sevoneone]

I can’t wait, I live in Hawaii so I don’t get next day/quick shipping. Mine is scheduled to be here by Tuesday. Did you use a backup to set it up or start clean? I’m thinking of starting fresh for the first time ever and doing clean installs of all my apps/files I work with.

I always start new devices fresh. Kinda a pain, but its about the only opportunity to purge/clean up. I reinstall apps and copy stuff I know I need, and keep the last Time Machine backup to go back for anything that comes up.

I used to always do a full wipe and install/deep clean once a year with each new OS release on all my devices. Never enough time anymore, and the OSes and devices have just been getting more and more stable overtime.