Why you should buy a Mac M1, and ask no question
The Latest generation of Apple Computer is now on the market for a year, and all we hear is that they are fast, silent, and cool. It is tempting to get a new machine.
But I would like you to jump 10 years back when the MacBook Air i7 were released. It happen that I own one of this machine, a MacBook Air 11” with dual core i7 at 2.0 GHz + boost 3.2GHz.
An history of quality computers
I still use it, sure it is not my main computer, but I use it almost everyday, browsing, watching videos, listen to music and even coding. During lockdowns, it was my wife work computer, her 8h/day working machine, plugged to an external monitor, she never complained (browsing, Mail, word, excel, zoom, teams…). This computer is nearly 10 years old and yet work like a charm, I would say, like on its first day. All part are original and anyway there isn’t much you can change, beside the wifi module and the SSD. It did cost US$1349 ($1575 with inflation), which isn’t cheap but still affordable for many people at the time.
Great Support
It has seen not less than 8 versions of MacOS X, from Mountain Lion (10.7.x) to Catalina (10.15.x). And as far as I know, without noticeable slowdown.
Catalina is the latest supported OS for this computer and Catalina will be supported until roughly the end of 2022.
This computer will continue to be functional for another 2–5years I believe, that 12 to 15 year longevity, not bad!
Across the years, Apple has demonstrated that the computers they build, are designed to function for years. Not only the hardware last long, but with a great support, software and updates doesn’t kill the experience.
For most end-users that mean keeping their computer for a long time, or being able to sell it on the secondhand market for great value.
A word on the SoC
It comes with some caveats, the tendency to integrate all components on a solder board can be debated. While it is hardly upgradable, I have to admit that it reduces the risk of failures.
Picking the right configuration is essential if you plan to keep your computer for some years or sell it on the second hand market.
I experienced this with my 11inch, it can feel tight, for instance I only have 128GB SSD, which is too small now, thankfully it is upgradable, which is not the case of M1 laptops.
The M1 laptop are even more integrate, where only the battery can be replaced. But overall it will likely provide a long lasting experience, software and security update will be provided for years and as you know performances are amazing. So go for it, get yourself a great machine, something that you will keep for years and that you will be happy and praise. Only thing to keep in mind is, plan for the future.
The developer word
As a developer, I believe 32GB ram and 1TB SSD storage will last me long. Remember, I can still run nearly everything on my 10 years old MacBook Air (8GB, 128GB SSD), even Android Studio notably know for its ram consumption.
That’s it for me today, I hope you keep your computer for years and enjoy the new chips. If you enjoy reading, please give a few claps, always appreciated :)
Resources
https://everymac.com/global-mac-prices/mac-prices-us-usa-united-states-america.html
https://smartasset.com/investing/inflation-calculator#kIjZ7D7nWx
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/specs/macbook-air-core-i7-2.0-11-mid-2012-specs.html
