MacBook Air M1 is the best laptop I've ever used. It can handle 4k video editing, Photoshop and pretty much every single productivity and working task you throw at it. And coming from Windows laptops I have used for the past 20 years, the battery, build quality and trackpad are soooo good. It's witchcraft!!! P.S. I have the 8GB/256GB base model.
Same model I have, perfectly fine for smaller scale premiere editing Obviously it’s gonna have its limits but for what I need it to do it’s absolutely amazing
Thank You for this comment. I have not even returned mine. I bought it on Friday, because Walmart put it brand new on sale for $699, Friday, March 15, 2024. It came the next day. I have not opened mine seeing that I am not at home currently, but also debating to take it back to get the M3 base model of the air one. I am on a budget as of now and my partner and I are moving soon. I would be upgrading from a 2013 15 inch Mac Book Pro Base Model. Either one would be a huge jump for me. I also own a 2017 iMac at home that I Love. The 13 inch would be my traveling work laptop. Your comment makes me feel some comfort to keep it now.
I have been using MacBook Air M1 8/8 core 16GB 512GB, for 1.5 years (before that 16" MBP M1 as university machine), Affinity design tools, Figma, Davinci resolve, ton of spreadsheets and Visual studio code. Never have been able to overload it. Fast, responsive and super light. Compared to 16" pro it's extremely small and comfy to travel with. Big bezels and a single external display are the only downsides. Today I would go for 14" M2 Pro 16GB 1TB, but most likely I will need 2+ years to find a valid reason to upgrade.
Going backwards in quality will always be noticeable, but if you start with the M1 MBA you will not notice what you’re missing. The experience will be great. Plus the wedge design is so much nicer. I’m part of the 95% that don’t need the fastest machine available. I don’t think I would even notice a speed increase with what I do.
I still use my base model M1 Air. I do full stack development for a living using it, so I am doing things from web projects to big servers and microservices in this one. It still works great, I would consider upgrading if it started to feel like it's holding me back but the specs hold up surprisingly well still.
I am a windows user who bought a 2020 M1 MacBook Air when they first came out. I love it, and I still use it on a regular basis. It sits by my chair in the Livingroom and goes with me when I travel. My 2018 windows laptop stays at home now. At my work station I switch between a 2020 M1 MacMini and a beelink ser5 with AMD 5800H running Windows 11. I am comfortable with both OS's (I used to be an IBM programmer who worked on an old OS built for the IBM system/360) , but I prefer the Macbook Air for general and quick use.
The weight is so tempting! I love my 14 inch M1 MacBook Pro, but it can really feel it in my backpack... And my shoulders. Enjoying your content from Yokohama, Japan!! Keep up the great work Gary!!
Excellent - my m1 air (base model) is still holding up very well. Remains fast, great battery and a pleasure to work on. I recently upgraded to an air 15 though - all about the screen real estate. For the new air I upgraded a bit: 512/16 and also very happy with it. But the M1 will remain in the ‘fleet’ for the time being for some travel, general use on the couch etc.
Ordered my MBA 16/512 on day one back in November 2020. Still my daily driver. My only wish is for faster video render times from FCPX with longer videos with effects applied; but I can always let that run in the background, and it’s orders of magnitude faster then my 2017 MBP 15 from 2017 was. Overall, I am super pleased and haven’t had a good reason to upgrade yet. A 15 inch screen would be one thing on my wishlist, but I think this Air is good for me for at least another year if not longer. Thanks for the great videos.
I watched this on my base model M1 Macbook Pro 14. I loved everything about the M1 Macbook air 13" while I used it for two years. Never found it lacking in any way. But I just wanted a little bit more hard drive headroom and I love the display on the 14" Macbook Pro. So I upgraded. I also appreciate the magsafe 2 port and cable for charging so I can use the other ports for other things. If value is your game, you can't go wrong with the M1 Macbook Air 13". If you want a few more luxuries, but still a little value, you can't go wrong with the M1 Macbook Pro 14". Two of the best computers I've ever owned.
I love my M1 MBA (16/256 config). I got it as a travel computer six months ago and it has really exceeded my expectations. As an anecdote, a lot of games are playable on this surprisingly well, even recent and demanding releases.
@@hawhawhawhawhaw It's fine for my use case. My MBA is my travel Mac, so I only carry around with me the files I need. I also have a NAS where I store all my large files and can access it remotely through a browser if I need to access something. While traveling, I have a 1TB portable OWC Envoy Pro Mini that I take with me for extra storage. I like this because it's an SSD with USB-A and C ports and does not need a cable. It's super portable, fast, and provides me with enough storage if I need it. I didn't want to spend much more than $1k for a travel Mac, so for me too it was either storage or RAM upgrade, and I do not regret it. The RAM is much more beneficial for my use case than the internal storage.
get the ram, i've been using my m1 mbp 13" and still got half the storage available after a year of using it for school and music production!@@hawhawhawhawhaw
You're blessed to be in a country where MacBooks do actually drop in price that fast. I'm in Kenya and today, that exact "absolute cheapest" MacBook Air you have shown still goes for KSh. 185,499 brand new, i.e., USD 1,178.22 Finding one refurbished or second hand would be a miracle!!
I got an M1 Air almost a year ago brand new (because Apple doesn't sell refurbished here in Malaysia) but I've gotta say for a 3-4 year old device, it still beats out any Windows laptop I've ever owned. The power gains were one thing but not having to worry about battery life has been the greatest upgrade for me.
Still have the M1 Macbook Air and it does everything I need. Battery is still amazing as well. I travel a lot and it's sssssoooo easy, comfortable and easy to use on airplane and airports. Love this machine!!
Owned my 256/8GB M1 Air for a few months now and I adore it (I actually use it over my PC because the screen and speakers are great, plus seamless AirPod connectivity is amazing). My only complaint is the screen size for productivity, so I plan to get a 15” eventually, but this laptop has sold me on having a MacBook in my Apple ecosystem
Been using an M1 Air since its release as my main work laptop....the thing is still an absolute beast of a computer. I have yet to throw a task at it that has caused it to struggle, rarely ever see a spinning beachball, and it runs everything smoothly and speedily. And with DisplayLink adapters/drivers, you can get around the one external monitor limitation; at one point, I was running three monitors with it, including a 30" Apple Cinema Display, and the bottom of the case barely even got warm. Which brings up another advantage that isn't talked about enough: cool & 100% silent. I still regularly shake my head at how much heavy lifting the system does without so much as making a sound or even getting lukewarm. Granted, I don't do any heavy video editing or CPU-intensive tasks, but I don't envision upgrading it anytime soon. IMO, it's the perfect every day laptop for the grand majority of normal consumers who need a lightweight, no frills general computing device. And at the prices they're now going for, it's a no-brainer purchase still in 2023. Along with my 2018 11" iPad Pro, I consider it one of the most perfect devices Apple ever created.
I haven't seen you in my feed for quite a while. Was glad when you popped up today. I was looking at the Mac's earlier today, so I guess that's why TH-cam showed me this video. You still have that same cheerful smile. Keep it up.....and God bless!
I just picked one up at Costco for $750. Not that much more than renewed; and my last Apple renewed experience had a few problems. I'm looking forward to giving my M1 Air a good workout.
I've never had an M1 Air. I recently started "borrowing" (claiming) my wife's M2 Macbook Air (16GB/512GB) for personal use, and I'm amazed. It runs absolute circles around my "professional/work" i9 Macbook Pro 32TB/1TB ... it's not even close. There is nothing that the i9 MBP pro can do that the air can't smoke it at. (Even with half the memory, the swap file is almost non-existent in comparison and the tasks get done so much faster without thermal throttling). I can't even imagine what the new MBPs are like at this point.
I loved my M1 MacBook Air. I traded it in about a month ago on the 15 inch M2 MacBook Air solely because my old eyes wanted a little larger screen. While I love my new 15 inch, the old wedge design was in fact more comfy to type on.
The deals on the MB Air M2 with the incoming M3 mean that the best choice would be that rather than the older M1 MB Air. In the UK, the new MB Air M2 is only £100 more than the M1. I assume the M1 will be discontinued in March, and the M2 will become the cheaper sub-$1000 offering. The M2 Air clearly has a fresh design, better display, faster chips, better speakers, better IO, newer component standards, more extended support, a better webcam, feels snappier, more co-processor support (encoder/decoders), etc.
@@Timesplitter09 But most MB Air users are not worried about slightly slower SSDs. For day-to-day use it is not noticeable. Those doing a lot of transfers will buy a larger SSD that will make that issue worse.
I picked up an M1 16gb 512gb 2nd hand for £600 last year (only 40 cycles on the battery) and it handles anything I throw at it, gaming and virtualisation for windows 11 no problem at all for a fraction of the price of newer stuff. Can’t see the need to upgrade anytime soon, I would class myself as a light user
I compared my base model M1 MacBook Air against a base model 2020 27-in Intel iMac in Geekbench 5. The Air's results in single and multi-core were both double that offered by the iMac.
I bought this 3 years after it came out. Got it for $750 for the base model brand new. So far it was worth it. This is good enough for us normal people who use this to watch video, read stories and do the basic word processing! Yes, its not an outdoor laptop, but they do well enough for the average Joe!
I helped my 96 year old uncle trade in a 13 inch MacAir for a 15 inch at an Apple store mainly because he didn't like the smaller display with large bezels. To me the display, besides the keyboard and track pad is the most important part of a computer, not the processor or the memory. I am currently using a 27" iMac from 2013 with a pre-retinal display that is only 2K and I still prefer its sharpness and brightness to my much newer 2019 Windows PC. I get around the hardware limitations with Linux for I refuse to pay 3000 dollars for a similar sized current 27" Mac set up.
I have the similar M1-nothing 13-inch MacBook Pro released at same time in 2020. Slightly better max screen brightness, slightly better battery life, slightly better performance under stress (because it has a fan that I’ve never heard come on), slightly heavier, and the only Apple Silicon Mac with the Touch Bar that I’ve learned to appreciate. Best Mac I’ve ever owned, does everything I ask with ease, completely disconnected (in use) most of the time (like using my iPad). I got a great deal on 16GB/1TB specs refurb toward the end of its run, and it will likely be fine for my Mac needs “forever” (maybe about late-M4 I’ll start looking for an upgrade).
Still got my m1, it is the 512 with the extra core and i LOVE IT !!!!! Only regret is not getting 16 gigs of RAM, bust honestly, the 8 is doing just fine for what I use it for! Best buy EVER! And I was a die hard Windows user!
I’m not trying to talk anyone out of getting the m1 air but if you end up needing more memory or storage keep in mind you can get the 16gb 512gb M2 for $1300 right now in select colors if you look around. (This is the same price as the m1 air upgraded to the same specs you just get the newer chip/generation and an extra GPU core) If you only need the base model maybe the m1 is the way to go. Hope I helped someone.
Still rocking my M1 from December of 2020. I planned on this being a long-term commitment, so I got 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. Not the cheapest config, but I have been very happy and expect many more years of use. No regrets.
I recently bought a pre-owned MacBook Air from 2015 for $200 USD, equipped with an Intel i7 processor and 8 GB of RAM. As a newcomer to the MacOS ecosystem, I decided to enhance my user experience by upgrading to Sonoma and replacing the battery with a new one. The result has been impressive-MacOS now operates seamlessly for web browsing, and the battery life remains surprisingly robust for an 8-year-old device.
Best Buy has had this same exact model for brand new in promotion for this whole year, I managed to buy two, one for myself and one for my brother, $750 each. No regrets
I still have my base model M1 Air and have had it for about a year. It's holding up really well. Haven't tried gaming on it besides apple arcade, but my main use is for my online courses which it had no issue with whatsoever.
My 13inch MBP 16gb/1TB, which is basically an Air with fans, is on the brink of its 3rd birthday. It has worked flawlessly and runs as smooth as the day I got it. I use it for basic home computing stuff and for music making. Music projects with a lot of plugins and effects can be quite taxing on your computer. It has been performing these tasks without a problem. I am probably going to keep until it is no longer supported by Apple or the newest OS. I would only consider buying a MacBook sooner if it has some new and groundbreaking features other than the incremental upgrade you get with every new model.
Agree with you on the screen brightness it is important. Have two business PC(HP Elitebook and Thinkpad Yoga), and the main reason I use my Macbook 16 Intel (yes it is hot) is the screen brightness.
m1 MBA 8/512 here. burns thru my edits like a charm. I don't even need the power brick so I just leave it at home for charging. this is real utility and power on the go.
I've been using the M1 MacBook Air as my daily driver since I bought it new when it was first released. for everything from coding, academic stuff using Office, and practically everything in between. I have never overloaded it, and it's never been overheated and will continue to use this for the foreseeable future as it's been the best laptop and the most reliable.
I swapped to the M1 MacBook Air and I use it for internet surfing and I do minor video editing. I love it, great battery life and small and lightweight. Couldn't recommend enough.
Been rocking the base M1 Air since launch and still haven’t seen a buffer wheel or had one bit of lag. Pretty amazing for the $900 paid with tax. Exceeded expectations by a long shot.. my first Mac
Got mine last year around Thanksgiving (US holiday not Canadian 😉) and it serves me well for both work and school. I plan on keeping it until it either breaks or stops getting software support.
I bought the 8GB RAM, 500GB Storage MBA M1 (used, with AC+) in 2022 and haven't regretted it. It is true, on this machine, you have to watch how many apps you have running at once, and close ones you are n't using, I kinda knew that going in. BUT it can still run a bunch of things at once and *rarely* feel like I am using a low spec computer. Mostly I limit how many apps I have that run constantly in the background (those little "useful" apps sneak up on you, and they all have menubar icons and want you to have them start automatically at login). Currently I am glad I bought the extra onboard storage space, as I have used over half of it by now (I keep most stuff on externals). I would probably not recommend anyone buy one today unless it is at a real low used price, but I have no plans to upgrade until *at least* the end of next year or who knows. The M series chip is amazing though, and I look forward to using a faster model in the future.
i tried the M1 air for a few weeks but returned it for the M2 air for two reasons: the display (the smaller display with the bezels just got on my nerves when the majority of the time i'm on my MBP with the notch and much bigger screen), and the keyboard (i wanted a unified keyboard experience between my M1 max MBP, the magic keyboard on my desk, and my travel laptop - which is the role the air serves for me). having the M2 gives me the same typing experience, regardless of whether I'm on the MBP, the air, or sitting at my desk. it was worth a little more money for those two reasons. i also upgraded the M2 to 16/512, which was also worth it for me personally.
I bought my M1 Air (16gb ram/256) 3 years ago. Simply put, it's the best laptop I've ever had. It's still fast, snappy and reliable. It's the first laptop I've had that doesn't need charging on a daily basis. I use it for journaling (mostly) but it also copes with video editing with ease. There's no point in upgrading...not for now, anyway.
I have a base model M1 Mac mini that I bought back in 2020. It still runs like butter, easily meets all my needs, and will probably do so for another ten years unless it fails. I appreciate Apple wants to make money, but the longevity of their devices (excluding degrading lithium batteries) means spending more for most people really isn't necessary.
The MacBook was launched in 2020. It better still be usefull. I’ve used my first MacBook for eight years and it sold reasonably well afterwards. I’m still using my 2011 iMac for a lot of simple tasks after spec’ing it out a little. I love my M1 MacBook Pro and plan on using it for the next couple of years, if the soldered on everything won’t die on me first. This for me is the biggest disadvantage of any apple product these days (no longer being able to replace/upgrade your computer.
I am still currently using my MBA M1 daily. It was my first Apple since the Apple IIe. I can't complain about its quality. I have the 8gb/256 gb model.
I just bought the M1 MacBook Air. An upgrade from my 2015 MacBook Pro 😅 I don’t use my MacBook for anything crazy and my main reason for buying a new one was how slow the old MacBook was feeling. But after doing my research I decided that no, I don’t need the new fancy thing. The M1 air will serve me perfectly fine
Love my M1 Air, first Mac. Still don’t like the OS but battery and performance is outstanding. I got an insane deal buying from a friend.. but not being able to output to two displays would have been a deal breaker at full price. Still bugs me to this day. Dual 4k monitors on my desk for work and can only use one of them while using this laptop.
I still use my M1 MacBook Air for over 2 years. It's my main personal computer, I have used it for university, software and web development. It's faster than my gaming laptop, it's all around a great computer. I will upgrade only after this completely dies on me. Then I'll probably get a 14' black M3 Pro. But seriously, M1 MacBook Air is a great computer even though it's older. The ARM-based M series chips do not disappoint.
I'm still using the M1 Air with the 7 core GPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD, and still have yet to use it for anything that actually slows it down/makes it feel slow. Honestly, it is the MacBook I would recommend to most people - especially with this configuration with extra storage and RAM. No complaints, at least the issues brought up in this video are not at all problems for me.
I just bought this exact spec M1 Air from Apple Certified Refurbished (16/512) - it’s an amazing little machine! Handles pretty much everything I throw at it…mainly iOS Development (Xcode), web, e-mail and “normal” stuff (I don’t do any photo/video related stuff)
I'm using it with 2 monitors via displaylink dock for the last two years without issues (first monitor is usb-c, and second monitor is connected in displaylink dock, which is connected with usb-a into first monitor)
I ended up with a M2 Air because of the higher brightness screen but the M1 Air's lower 400 nits is still way better than a lot of laptops with windows in the price range. Still not bad
We use a m1 air 8/512 for our graphics designers. Small company and we only use photoshop and Indesign. It works great for that. Could a better laptop work faster, sure. But until there is a business reason, I will wait to upgrade the staff. We have m2 pro Mac mini as a powerhouse. Lol
This machine isn't even old, lol. Old would be using something from 2014, or older. But yes, the M series Apple Macbook Pros and Airs are great. I had an M1 MBP 2020 13" for a year or two, until I had an accident with it and it was a beast. I'd still recommend getting one now, it was light, fan free and never overheated. Very fast, and efficient, and this was the 8GB/512GB base model.
Still using my 8/7 m1 mba. It handles everything I need it for competently (sans gaming). I will be upgrading in the next year or 2 because I want more screen real estate, and will appreciate not having to sit at my pc for every single game I currently play.
I have the 16GB/256GB model and use it to create Flutter, React Native, and Symfony apps. I just can't think of another laptop that offers me this level of performance at this price point 😊
I am using a headless M1 Macbook Air. I do a lot of Photoshop, AI stuff and it works just fine. I paid $ 330.00 on eBay. It has the 8 GB RAM and 1 TB HDD. Works like a champ, although I need to reboot once in awhile to reset the RAM. No big deal. I use a big monitor anyway, so don't need the screen anyway. If I do, I'll buy a 4k one on Amazon that is portable and cheaper than replacing the original screen.
I bought an Apple MacBook Air M1 from 2020 on Tuesday this very week and I love it! I’m no gamer but the quality of picture and smoothness as well as sound on TH-cam compared to my old hp from 2019 or even earlier is phenomenal! That hp was slow glitches in sound and very annoying! And I am not rich so the Air is making me happy I could upgrade to a better computer 💻
I got my first macbook (technically second, but i returned the other one a couple days later), and i chose the air m2, and i LOVE this laptop. It replaced my ipad pro 12.9, because i needed a laptop, but i didnt want a windows pc, because they dont hold up the way macbooks do.
I love love love my MacBook Air M1... I was using a 2017 MacBook Air and I loved it so much butI accidentally cracked the screen so I went to rent a center and got the 2020 M1 MBA to use in the meantime and when I got my 2017 MBA back I ended up keeping the M1 MBA bc I fell so in love with the keyboard...
I just upgraded to an m3 max 14 inch from an m1 air, definitely happy with the upgrade , m1 air isnt a bad computer for light loads but for anything a bit demanding it can become frustrating especially if you only have 8 gb of ram
I upgraded and I got a space black pro for 2 grand. I’m not using it for more than office work and it feels identical to my m1 air with 512/16. It does have a much nicer screen and speakers but it doesn’t feel like a big enough jump to justify the upgrade price. I think I’m gonna return it and use the money on an M4.
I refurbished my own M1 macbook pro. Bought and IC lock laptop with 16gb of ram and 1tb and I bought the logic board in the apple replacement program. I loved it I have an Macbook pro 2020 i5 for work and I can tell the difference when I swap over the computer and also had a macbook pro 2017 with the butterfly keyboard and of course this one is much better with all the refurbished process I saved only like 300 dlls instead of 400 because I made a mistake when I was removing the logic board and broke the keyboard cable and have to bought another top case in ebay and reassemble and swap the screen. But still total 900 dlls after I send back the previous logic board.
Earlier in the year I purchased this very computer to replace my 2012 (!) MacBook Air! 😮 It is a little workhorse and so easy to take everywhere. Thanks for confirming my choice to go back three years in the Apple lineup. 🍎
i'm buying the m1 in 2024 as my first macbook, i've reasearch a lot before buying this one and think it'll be a great purchase. Mostly buying thinking on the battery sustainability and easy to carry around, i've already a alienware and its a great computer but sucks by how much its large, heavy and heat
You posted a video 8 months ago called 'You should buy the M1 MacBook Air in 2023 and Here's Why!.." and praised it. But in this video you are kind of making it sound like an antique. Did that much change in 8 months?
Perfect timing! I am just about to dump all google based devices and go full on Apple/Mac. I've been learning a lot about this particular M1 MacBook Air and like you, will go for the refurbished one from Apple. Thanks for the review. You've convinced me that my decision is sound. I'll be dumping the android based galaxy S21 for an iPhone 15 asap.
It all depends on how you use it. My desktop is a 32GB M1 Max Mac Studio, I just can't deal with less than 32GB for my desktop (currently using 23.76GB). My laptop is an 8GB M2 15" MacBook Air, and it works perfectly for my laptop needs! Obviously my laptop needs are very different than my desktop needs...so it really is how you use it that determines what is right for you!
I have this laptop and I am totally satisfied with it. I do not do video editing or any other really high performance required activities, but for a basic computer it is perfect. (I use Photoshop what runs smooth on it.)
Recently won my M1 MacBook Air / 16GB/256GB SSD on an eBay auction for under $700!!!....I've been looking for the better part of a year to get apple silicon laptop with more than a poultry 8GB of RAM. Besides a small dent on the corner and 85 percent state of health on the battery, I am very pleased my purchase. Compared to my old 2016 intel macbook air , its a little bigger and a few ounces heavier but it is much faster and runs cooler.
I use a Macbook Air M1 with 2 external monitors. To do so I have a $30 USB hub with 2 HDMI ports that uses Displaylink drivers. Not sure why I keep hearing online that the M1 Macbook Air's only support a single external monitor.
I bought one for my partner a couple months ago as she just does basic stuff on her machine so more than enough for her needs. Paid $750 brand new on Amazon plus AppleCare. She is good for another three years with this. I will say I’m surprised at how well this base model performs! No problem using photoshop 2024 with AI tools. Her 2020 intel MacBook Pro with double the ram was stuttering badly with photoshop while the air streams through all kinds of photo editing. For $750 new this is a bargain, one of the best laptops ever made. Yeah the screen size with the bezels and lower brightness can be an issue but she only uses it inside at her desk and for that it’s perfect. My 14inch M1 Pro is not much faster but I do like the larger screen and brightness myself. This computer is still worth buying for under $800, I would not pay $999 for it though.
i do still have my M1 macbook air, and I love it! I'm very happy i decided to get it early on, and I don't feel i',m missing out much, even if the web cam sucks (what better way to hide the blemishes on my face :D).
Just ordered an M1 16/512 for 1100 Euros before tax (which I don't have to pay) hoping it's good enough for graphic design. Reliability (pro macbooks die easier) makes this more valuable plus with the bigger SSD and RAM, I reckon it's going to be as fast in most tasks. The choice was: Thermal throttling after about 7 minutes V paying 800 Euros more for a 14"with fans and cable killing dust.
Bought my M1 MacBook Air, 8/8 core, 512GB, 8GB RAM, in Nov 2020, fantastic! Amazing upgrade from a really bad experience with a mono-port 12" 2017 MB! This month my keyboard started failing, letter by letter. "eEmMjJuU7&" - Now it's decision time... new keyboard or dock it and upgrade?
I'm considering my options, and while I'm tempted by the MacBook, I think I can get a better deal with a cheap ThinkPad that has more RAM and a bigger SSD. If only you could upgrade those machines yourself..
M1 Air 16+1TB - does ok on most of the things I do (CAD, Coding, GoodNotes). Weight is my top priority. It overheats if I use it for heavy tasks like Computer Aided Design and charge it at the same time and I need to fan it with the plastic case. Would want a M3 Pro in a M2 Air 15inch chassis, but physics might say it isn’t possible.
MacBook Air M1 is the best laptop I've ever used. It can handle 4k video editing, Photoshop and pretty much every single productivity and working task you throw at it. And coming from Windows laptops I have used for the past 20 years, the battery, build quality and trackpad are soooo good. It's witchcraft!!! P.S. I have the 8GB/256GB base model.
I just bought one for 350 with 95%battery life and think its one of my greatest purchases.
Same model I have, perfectly fine for smaller scale premiere editing
Obviously it’s gonna have its limits but for what I need it to do it’s absolutely amazing
@@RobertR602 Sweet deal, man. It's time to create a ton of stuff using it.
@@RobertR602 I have the same MacBook as u! It’s good enough for me
Thank You for this comment. I have not even returned mine. I bought it on Friday, because Walmart put it brand new on sale for $699, Friday, March 15, 2024. It came the next day. I have not opened mine seeing that I am not at home currently, but also debating to take it back to get the M3 base model of the air one.
I am on a budget as of now and my partner and I are moving soon. I would be upgrading from a 2013 15 inch Mac Book Pro Base Model. Either one would be a huge jump for me. I also own a 2017 iMac at home that I Love.
The 13 inch would be my traveling work laptop. Your comment makes me feel some comfort to keep it now.
I have been using MacBook Air M1 8/8 core 16GB 512GB, for 1.5 years (before that 16" MBP M1 as university machine), Affinity design tools, Figma, Davinci resolve, ton of spreadsheets and Visual studio code. Never have been able to overload it. Fast, responsive and super light. Compared to 16" pro it's extremely small and comfy to travel with. Big bezels and a single external display are the only downsides. Today I would go for 14" M2 Pro 16GB 1TB, but most likely I will need 2+ years to find a valid reason to upgrade.
Agree
Me too, had my M1 Air since they were first introduced and I love it
I love my M1 Air 512 16gb
Going backwards in quality will always be noticeable, but if you start with the M1 MBA you will not notice what you’re missing. The experience will be great. Plus the wedge design is so much nicer. I’m part of the 95% that don’t need the fastest machine available. I don’t think I would even notice a speed increase with what I do.
I still use my base model M1 Air. I do full stack development for a living using it, so I am doing things from web projects to big servers and microservices in this one. It still works great, I would consider upgrading if it started to feel like it's holding me back but the specs hold up surprisingly well still.
How long have you been using it?
8gb ram? 😮
What spec are you using?
You feel 8gb ever stutters you?
I am a windows user who bought a 2020 M1 MacBook Air when they first came out. I love it, and I still use it on a regular basis. It sits by my chair in the Livingroom and goes with me when I travel. My 2018 windows laptop stays at home now. At my work station I switch between a 2020 M1 MacMini and a beelink ser5 with AMD 5800H running Windows 11. I am comfortable with both OS's (I used to be an IBM programmer who worked on an old OS built for the IBM system/360) , but I prefer the Macbook Air for general and quick use.
The weight is so tempting! I love my 14 inch M1 MacBook Pro, but it can really feel it in my backpack... And my shoulders. Enjoying your content from Yokohama, Japan!! Keep up the great work Gary!!
Excellent - my m1 air (base model) is still holding up very well. Remains fast, great battery and a pleasure to work on. I recently upgraded to an air 15 though - all about the screen real estate. For the new air I upgraded a bit: 512/16 and also very happy with it. But the M1 will remain in the ‘fleet’ for the time being for some travel, general use on the couch etc.
Ordered my MBA 16/512 on day one back in November 2020. Still my daily driver. My only wish is for faster video render times from FCPX with longer videos with effects applied; but I can always let that run in the background, and it’s orders of magnitude faster then my 2017 MBP 15 from 2017 was. Overall, I am super pleased and haven’t had a good reason to upgrade yet. A 15 inch screen would be one thing on my wishlist, but I think this Air is good for me for at least another year if not longer. Thanks for the great videos.
I watched this on my base model M1 Macbook Pro 14. I loved everything about the M1 Macbook air 13" while I used it for two years. Never found it lacking in any way. But I just wanted a little bit more hard drive headroom and I love the display on the 14" Macbook Pro. So I upgraded. I also appreciate the magsafe 2 port and cable for charging so I can use the other ports for other things. If value is your game, you can't go wrong with the M1 Macbook Air 13". If you want a few more luxuries, but still a little value, you can't go wrong with the M1 Macbook Pro 14". Two of the best computers I've ever owned.
I love my M1 MBA (16/256 config). I got it as a travel computer six months ago and it has really exceeded my expectations. As an anecdote, a lot of games are playable on this surprisingly well, even recent and demanding releases.
how is the 256gb working out for you? i'm considering this computer but can't afford both the 16 and 512 gb upgrades.
@@hawhawhawhawhaw It's fine for my use case. My MBA is my travel Mac, so I only carry around with me the files I need. I also have a NAS where I store all my large files and can access it remotely through a browser if I need to access something. While traveling, I have a 1TB portable OWC Envoy Pro Mini that I take with me for extra storage. I like this because it's an SSD with USB-A and C ports and does not need a cable. It's super portable, fast, and provides me with enough storage if I need it. I didn't want to spend much more than $1k for a travel Mac, so for me too it was either storage or RAM upgrade, and I do not regret it. The RAM is much more beneficial for my use case than the internal storage.
get the ram, i've been using my m1 mbp 13" and still got half the storage available after a year of using it for school and music production!@@hawhawhawhawhaw
You're blessed to be in a country where MacBooks do actually drop in price that fast.
I'm in Kenya and today, that exact "absolute cheapest" MacBook Air you have shown still goes for KSh. 185,499 brand new, i.e., USD 1,178.22
Finding one refurbished or second hand would be a miracle!!
I got an M1 Air almost a year ago brand new (because Apple doesn't sell refurbished here in Malaysia) but I've gotta say for a 3-4 year old device, it still beats out any Windows laptop I've ever owned. The power gains were one thing but not having to worry about battery life has been the greatest upgrade for me.
Yeah sadly they don’t I’m Malaysian and I usually buy my apple products from Singapore
Still have the M1 Macbook Air and it does everything I need. Battery is still amazing as well. I travel a lot and it's sssssoooo easy, comfortable and easy to use on airplane and airports. Love this machine!!
I really like my M1 MacBook Air. Not only for price and performance, but I really like the wedge shaped design.
samee!!
Owned my 256/8GB M1 Air for a few months now and I adore it (I actually use it over my PC because the screen and speakers are great, plus seamless AirPod connectivity is amazing). My only complaint is the screen size for productivity, so I plan to get a 15” eventually, but this laptop has sold me on having a MacBook in my Apple ecosystem
Been using an M1 Air since its release as my main work laptop....the thing is still an absolute beast of a computer. I have yet to throw a task at it that has caused it to struggle, rarely ever see a spinning beachball, and it runs everything smoothly and speedily. And with DisplayLink adapters/drivers, you can get around the one external monitor limitation; at one point, I was running three monitors with it, including a 30" Apple Cinema Display, and the bottom of the case barely even got warm. Which brings up another advantage that isn't talked about enough: cool & 100% silent. I still regularly shake my head at how much heavy lifting the system does without so much as making a sound or even getting lukewarm. Granted, I don't do any heavy video editing or CPU-intensive tasks, but I don't envision upgrading it anytime soon. IMO, it's the perfect every day laptop for the grand majority of normal consumers who need a lightweight, no frills general computing device. And at the prices they're now going for, it's a no-brainer purchase still in 2023. Along with my 2018 11" iPad Pro, I consider it one of the most perfect devices Apple ever created.
I am still rocking my base model M1 MacBook Air. Served me well over a year. 💪
Lmao “still” it should last a min of 5 years at least considering i was using the mbp 2009 17” before upgrading earlier this year
@@Alabamaisnotmyrealnamebuddy the thing hasn't even been out for that long
I haven't seen you in my feed for quite a while. Was glad when you popped up today. I was looking at the Mac's earlier today, so I guess that's why TH-cam showed me this video. You still have that same cheerful smile. Keep it up.....and God bless!
I still use my M1 Air daily. It handles everything I throw at it. The Sonoma update seems to have made it even snappier somehow...
Poor
@@arunabirari9747not as far as I know…
I just picked one up at Costco for $750. Not that much more than renewed; and my last Apple renewed experience had a few problems. I'm looking forward to giving my M1 Air a good workout.
I’m thinking of buying the same model for the same price… how do you like the performance so far ?
@@chocpch We like it a lot. Does all we need. It's also available now at the same $750 cost we paid. Amazon, Costco, etc.
@@d.r.martin6301 I picked up the M1 today for that same price. Thanks for responding!
I've never had an M1 Air.
I recently started "borrowing" (claiming) my wife's M2 Macbook Air (16GB/512GB) for personal use, and I'm amazed. It runs absolute circles around my "professional/work" i9 Macbook Pro 32TB/1TB ... it's not even close. There is nothing that the i9 MBP pro can do that the air can't smoke it at. (Even with half the memory, the swap file is almost non-existent in comparison and the tasks get done so much faster without thermal throttling).
I can't even imagine what the new MBPs are like at this point.
For my line of work. M1 MBA base model is very capable. Light, good battery, can do all apps that I needed.
I loved my M1 MacBook Air. I traded it in about a month ago on the 15 inch M2 MacBook Air solely because my old eyes wanted a little larger screen. While I love my new 15 inch, the old wedge design was in fact more comfy to type on.
The deals on the MB Air M2 with the incoming M3 mean that the best choice would be that rather than the older M1 MB Air. In the UK, the new MB Air M2 is only £100 more than the M1. I assume the M1 will be discontinued in March, and the M2 will become the cheaper sub-$1000 offering. The M2 Air clearly has a fresh design, better display, faster chips, better speakers, better IO, newer component standards, more extended support, a better webcam, feels snappier, more co-processor support (encoder/decoders), etc.
but it has a slower ssd
@@Timesplitter09 But most MB Air users are not worried about slightly slower SSDs. For day-to-day use it is not noticeable. Those doing a lot of transfers will buy a larger SSD that will make that issue worse.
Ah another coffee morning with Gary.
Great way to start the day.
I picked up an M1 16gb 512gb 2nd hand for £600 last year (only 40 cycles on the battery) and it handles anything I throw at it, gaming and virtualisation for windows 11 no problem at all for a fraction of the price of newer stuff. Can’t see the need to upgrade anytime soon, I would class myself as a light user
I compared my base model M1 MacBook Air against a base model 2020 27-in Intel iMac in Geekbench 5. The Air's results in single and multi-core were both double that offered by the iMac.
I bought this 3 years after it came out. Got it for $750 for the base model brand new. So far it was worth it.
This is good enough for us normal people who use this to watch video, read stories and do the basic word processing!
Yes, its not an outdoor laptop, but they do well enough for the average Joe!
Hey, I’m thinking of buying a base MBA M1. What do you think about future updates and how many years will it get support from Apple?
I helped my 96 year old uncle trade in a 13 inch MacAir for a 15 inch at an Apple store mainly because he didn't like the smaller display with large bezels. To me the display, besides the keyboard and track pad is the most important part of a computer, not the processor or the memory. I am currently using a 27" iMac from 2013 with a pre-retinal display that is only 2K and I still prefer its sharpness and brightness to my much newer 2019 Windows PC. I get around the hardware limitations with Linux for I refuse to pay 3000 dollars for a similar sized current 27" Mac set up.
I have the similar M1-nothing 13-inch MacBook Pro released at same time in 2020. Slightly better max screen brightness, slightly better battery life, slightly better performance under stress (because it has a fan that I’ve never heard come on), slightly heavier, and the only Apple Silicon Mac with the Touch Bar that I’ve learned to appreciate. Best Mac I’ve ever owned, does everything I ask with ease, completely disconnected (in use) most of the time (like using my iPad). I got a great deal on 16GB/1TB specs refurb toward the end of its run, and it will likely be fine for my Mac needs “forever” (maybe about late-M4 I’ll start looking for an upgrade).
Still got my m1, it is the 512 with the extra core and i LOVE IT !!!!! Only regret is not getting 16 gigs of RAM, bust honestly, the 8 is doing just fine for what I use it for! Best buy EVER! And I was a die hard Windows user!
These are now factory new (not refurbished) for $700.
Is it worth it rather than getting the newer MacBook airs?
I’m not trying to talk anyone out of getting the m1 air but if you end up needing more memory or storage keep in mind you can get the 16gb 512gb M2 for $1300 right now in select colors if you look around. (This is the same price as the m1 air upgraded to the same specs you just get the newer chip/generation and an extra GPU core)
If you only need the base model maybe the m1 is the way to go. Hope I helped someone.
Still rocking my M1 from December of 2020. I planned on this being a long-term commitment, so I got 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. Not the cheapest config, but I have been very happy and expect many more years of use. No regrets.
I recently bought a pre-owned MacBook Air from 2015 for $200 USD, equipped with an Intel i7 processor and 8 GB of RAM. As a newcomer to the MacOS ecosystem, I decided to enhance my user experience by upgrading to Sonoma and replacing the battery with a new one. The result has been impressive-MacOS now operates seamlessly for web browsing, and the battery life remains surprisingly robust for an 8-year-old device.
Best Buy has had this same exact model for brand new in promotion for this whole year, I managed to buy two, one for myself and one for my brother, $750 each. No regrets
I still have my base model M1 Air and have had it for about a year. It's holding up really well. Haven't tried gaming on it besides apple arcade, but my main use is for my online courses which it had no issue with whatsoever.
Thanks for the great information as usual! I’ve been kicking around the idea of adding one of these M1 air MacBooks as a daily driver to my iPad Pro.
My 13inch MBP 16gb/1TB, which is basically an Air with fans, is on the brink of its 3rd birthday. It has worked flawlessly and runs as smooth as the day I got it. I use it for basic home computing stuff and for music making. Music projects with a lot of plugins and effects can be quite taxing on your computer. It has been performing these tasks without a problem. I am probably going to keep until it is no longer supported by Apple or the newest OS. I would only consider buying a MacBook sooner if it has some new and groundbreaking features other than the incremental upgrade you get with every new model.
Agree with you on the screen brightness it is important. Have two business PC(HP Elitebook and Thinkpad Yoga), and the main reason I use my Macbook 16 Intel (yes it is hot) is the screen brightness.
m1 MBA 8/512 here. burns thru my edits like a charm. I don't even need the power brick so I just leave it at home for charging. this is real utility and power on the go.
I've been using the M1 MacBook Air as my daily driver since I bought it new when it was first released. for everything from coding, academic stuff using Office, and practically everything in between. I have never overloaded it, and it's never been overheated and will continue to use this for the foreseeable future as it's been the best laptop and the most reliable.
I swapped to the M1 MacBook Air and I use it for internet surfing and I do minor video editing. I love it, great battery life and small and lightweight. Couldn't recommend enough.
Been rocking the base M1 Air since launch and still haven’t seen a buffer wheel or had one bit of lag.
Pretty amazing for the $900 paid with tax. Exceeded expectations by a long shot.. my first Mac
I got this recently thanks to your reviews! Paid $750 for it new from Best Buy, great laptop!
I always wondered what kind of person "uses the computer outdoor a lot", a homeless I imagine
Got mine last year around Thanksgiving (US holiday not Canadian 😉) and it serves me well for both work and school. I plan on keeping it until it either breaks or stops getting software support.
I bought the 8GB RAM, 500GB Storage MBA M1 (used, with AC+) in 2022 and haven't regretted it. It is true, on this machine, you have to watch how many apps you have running at once, and close ones you are n't using, I kinda knew that going in. BUT it can still run a bunch of things at once and *rarely* feel like I am using a low spec computer. Mostly I limit how many apps I have that run constantly in the background (those little "useful" apps sneak up on you, and they all have menubar icons and want you to have them start automatically at login). Currently I am glad I bought the extra onboard storage space, as I have used over half of it by now (I keep most stuff on externals). I would probably not recommend anyone buy one today unless it is at a real low used price, but I have no plans to upgrade until *at least* the end of next year or who knows. The M series chip is amazing though, and I look forward to using a faster model in the future.
i tried the M1 air for a few weeks but returned it for the M2 air for two reasons: the display (the smaller display with the bezels just got on my nerves when the majority of the time i'm on my MBP with the notch and much bigger screen), and the keyboard (i wanted a unified keyboard experience between my M1 max MBP, the magic keyboard on my desk, and my travel laptop - which is the role the air serves for me). having the M2 gives me the same typing experience, regardless of whether I'm on the MBP, the air, or sitting at my desk. it was worth a little more money for those two reasons.
i also upgraded the M2 to 16/512, which was also worth it for me personally.
I bought my M1 Air (16gb ram/256) 3 years ago. Simply put, it's the best laptop I've ever had. It's still fast, snappy and reliable. It's the first laptop I've had that doesn't need charging on a daily basis. I use it for journaling (mostly) but it also copes with video editing with ease. There's no point in upgrading...not for now, anyway.
I have a base model M1 Mac mini that I bought back in 2020. It still runs like butter, easily meets all my needs, and will probably do so for another ten years unless it fails. I appreciate Apple wants to make money, but the longevity of their devices (excluding degrading lithium batteries) means spending more for most people really isn't necessary.
The MacBook was launched in 2020. It better still be usefull. I’ve used my first MacBook for eight years and it sold reasonably well afterwards. I’m still using my 2011 iMac for a lot of simple tasks after spec’ing it out a little. I love my M1 MacBook Pro and plan on using it for the next couple of years, if the soldered on everything won’t die on me first. This for me is the biggest disadvantage of any apple product these days (no longer being able to replace/upgrade your computer.
It is the best. Considering price vs value it’s even better!
I am still currently using my MBA M1 daily. It was my first Apple since the Apple IIe. I can't complain about its quality. I have the 8gb/256 gb model.
I just bought the M1 MacBook Air. An upgrade from my 2015 MacBook Pro 😅 I don’t use my MacBook for anything crazy and my main reason for buying a new one was how slow the old MacBook was feeling. But after doing my research I decided that no, I don’t need the new fancy thing. The M1 air will serve me perfectly fine
Love my M1 Air, first Mac. Still don’t like the OS but battery and performance is outstanding.
I got an insane deal buying from a friend.. but not being able to output to two displays would have been a deal breaker at full price. Still bugs me to this day. Dual 4k monitors on my desk for work and can only use one of them while using this laptop.
Have you considered a DisplayLink USB external video card?
I still use my M1 MacBook Air for over 2 years. It's my main personal computer, I have used it for university, software and web development. It's faster than my gaming laptop, it's all around a great computer. I will upgrade only after this completely dies on me. Then I'll probably get a 14' black M3 Pro. But seriously, M1 MacBook Air is a great computer even though it's older. The ARM-based M series chips do not disappoint.
They’re literally only $600 brand new through Walmart and best buy now!
I'm still using the M1 Air with the 7 core GPU, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD, and still have yet to use it for anything that actually slows it down/makes it feel slow. Honestly, it is the MacBook I would recommend to most people - especially with this configuration with extra storage and RAM. No complaints, at least the issues brought up in this video are not at all problems for me.
I just bought this exact spec M1 Air from Apple Certified Refurbished (16/512) - it’s an amazing little machine! Handles pretty much everything I throw at it…mainly iOS Development (Xcode), web, e-mail and “normal” stuff (I don’t do any photo/video related stuff)
@@bazboyuk9602 That’s awesome!
My M1 8/8 16GB 2TB still works well. For a double monitor setup, I have my laptop OPEN on an arm. Works well for me
I'm using it with 2 monitors via displaylink dock for the last two years without issues (first monitor is usb-c, and second monitor is connected in displaylink dock, which is connected with usb-a into first monitor)
Paid $385 for a 16GB MBA M1 off eBay. You CAN use multiple displays and now you can use your iPhone as a webcam easily.
I ended up with a M2 Air because of the higher brightness screen but the M1 Air's lower 400 nits is still way better than a lot of laptops with windows in the price range. Still not bad
We use a m1 air 8/512 for our graphics designers. Small company and we only use photoshop and Indesign. It works great for that. Could a better laptop work faster, sure. But until there is a business reason, I will wait to upgrade the staff. We have m2 pro Mac mini as a powerhouse. Lol
This is now available at Walmart new for $699.00. So if you have been waiting it seems like now is the time to get this laptop.
This machine isn't even old, lol. Old would be using something from 2014, or older. But yes, the M series Apple Macbook Pros and Airs are great. I had an M1 MBP 2020 13" for a year or two, until I had an accident with it and it was a beast. I'd still recommend getting one now, it was light, fan free and never overheated. Very fast, and efficient, and this was the 8GB/512GB base model.
Still using my 8/7 m1 mba. It handles everything I need it for competently (sans gaming). I will be upgrading in the next year or 2 because I want more screen real estate, and will appreciate not having to sit at my pc for every single game I currently play.
I have the 16GB/256GB model and use it to create Flutter, React Native, and Symfony apps. I just can't think of another laptop that offers me this level of performance at this price point 😊
I am using a headless M1 Macbook Air. I do a lot of Photoshop, AI stuff and it works just fine. I paid $ 330.00 on eBay. It has the 8 GB RAM and 1 TB HDD. Works like a champ, although I need to reboot once in awhile to reset the RAM. No big deal. I use a big monitor anyway, so don't need the screen anyway. If I do, I'll buy a 4k one on Amazon that is portable and cheaper than replacing the original screen.
I bought one for 400 brand new
Works fine for light premiere work, haven’t had any issue editing for school projects and random things
I bought an Apple MacBook Air M1 from 2020 on Tuesday this very week and I love it! I’m no gamer but the quality of picture and smoothness as well as sound on TH-cam compared to my old hp from 2019 or even earlier is phenomenal! That hp was slow glitches in sound and very annoying! And I am not rich so the Air is making me happy I could upgrade to a better computer 💻
I got my first macbook (technically second, but i returned the other one a couple days later), and i chose the air m2, and i LOVE this laptop. It replaced my ipad pro 12.9, because i needed a laptop, but i didnt want a windows pc, because they dont hold up the way macbooks do.
I love love love my MacBook Air M1... I was using a 2017 MacBook Air and I loved it so much butI accidentally cracked the screen so I went to rent a center and got the 2020 M1 MBA to use in the meantime and when I got my 2017 MBA back I ended up keeping the M1 MBA bc I fell so in love with the keyboard...
My MacBook Air M1 with 512gb is great. Even going on 3 years with it.
I just upgraded to an m3 max 14 inch from an m1 air, definitely happy with the upgrade , m1 air isnt a bad computer for light loads but for anything a bit demanding it can become frustrating especially if you only have 8 gb of ram
There are a whole lot of people and developers in gen comments who say it’s still great 👍 lay off the 8gb train please 😂
I upgraded and I got a space black pro for 2 grand. I’m not using it for more than office work and it feels identical to my m1 air with 512/16. It does have a much nicer screen and speakers but it doesn’t feel like a big enough jump to justify the upgrade price. I think I’m gonna return it and use the money on an M4.
I refurbished my own M1 macbook pro. Bought and IC lock laptop with 16gb of ram and 1tb and I bought the logic board in the apple replacement program. I loved it I have an Macbook pro 2020 i5 for work and I can tell the difference when I swap over the computer and also had a macbook pro 2017 with the butterfly keyboard and of course this one is much better with all the refurbished process I saved only like 300 dlls instead of 400 because I made a mistake when I was removing the logic board and broke the keyboard cable and have to bought another top case in ebay and reassemble and swap the screen. But still total 900 dlls after I send back the previous logic board.
Earlier in the year I purchased this very computer to replace my 2012 (!) MacBook Air! 😮 It is a little workhorse and so easy to take everywhere. Thanks for confirming my choice to go back three years in the Apple lineup. 🍎
i'm buying the m1 in 2024 as my first macbook, i've reasearch a lot before buying this one and think it'll be a great purchase. Mostly buying thinking on the battery sustainability and easy to carry around, i've already a alienware and its a great computer but sucks by how much its large, heavy and heat
You posted a video 8 months ago called 'You should buy the M1 MacBook Air in 2023 and Here's Why!.." and praised it. But in this video you are kind of making it sound like an antique. Did that much change in 8 months?
My M1 Air is holding up quite well after almost 3 yrs 😁
homeboy needs to do some upper body exercises etc. if his shoulders hurt carrying a daypack with a macbook pro in it...
definitely not watching this on a base model M1 Air...........
I am still using 2015 model macbook air, it works pretty well for basic stuff.
Perfect timing! I am just about to dump all google based devices and go full on Apple/Mac. I've been learning a lot about this particular M1 MacBook Air and like you, will go for the refurbished one from Apple. Thanks for the review. You've convinced me that my decision is sound. I'll be dumping the android based galaxy S21 for an iPhone 15 asap.
I have this exact machine right now and it is blindingly bright when set to max brightness. But then again, I use it outside once per month max
i still use my M1 macbook air from 2021 , but not the standard version I took 16go of ram and it still works very well for me in 2023
My base M1 MBA still runs like 1st day. cant wait to use it with Korg Microkey 37, and make crazy sounds in Garageband
Update the price Walmarts now selling brand new M1s for $699 as of March 15, 2024💻👈
It all depends on how you use it. My desktop is a 32GB M1 Max Mac Studio, I just can't deal with less than 32GB for my desktop (currently using 23.76GB). My laptop is an 8GB M2 15" MacBook Air, and it works perfectly for my laptop needs! Obviously my laptop needs are very different than my desktop needs...so it really is how you use it that determines what is right for you!
I have this laptop and I am totally satisfied with it. I do not do video editing or any other really high performance required activities, but for a basic computer it is perfect. (I use Photoshop what runs smooth on it.)
Recently won my M1 MacBook Air / 16GB/256GB SSD on an eBay auction for under $700!!!....I've been looking for the better part of a year to get apple silicon laptop with more than a poultry 8GB of RAM. Besides a small dent on the corner and 85 percent state of health on the battery, I am very pleased my purchase. Compared to my old 2016 intel macbook air , its a little bigger and a few ounces heavier but it is much faster and runs cooler.
I use a Macbook Air M1 with 2 external monitors. To do so I have a $30 USB hub with 2 HDMI ports that uses Displaylink drivers. Not sure why I keep hearing online that the M1 Macbook Air's only support a single external monitor.
I bought one for my partner a couple months ago as she just does basic stuff on her machine so more than enough for her needs. Paid $750 brand new on Amazon plus AppleCare. She is good for another three years with this. I will say I’m surprised at how well this base model performs! No problem using photoshop 2024 with AI tools. Her 2020 intel MacBook Pro with double the ram was stuttering badly with photoshop while the air streams through all kinds of photo editing. For $750 new this is a bargain, one of the best laptops ever made. Yeah the screen size with the bezels and lower brightness can be an issue but she only uses it inside at her desk and for that it’s perfect. My 14inch M1 Pro is not much faster but I do like the larger screen and brightness myself. This computer is still worth buying for under $800, I would not pay $999 for it though.
i do still have my M1 macbook air, and I love it! I'm very happy i decided to get it early on, and I don't feel i',m missing out much, even if the web cam sucks (what better way to hide the blemishes on my face :D).
Just ordered an M1 16/512 for 1100 Euros before tax (which I don't have to pay) hoping it's good enough for graphic design. Reliability (pro macbooks die easier) makes this more valuable plus with the bigger SSD and RAM, I reckon it's going to be as fast in most tasks.
The choice was:
Thermal throttling after about 7 minutes V paying 800 Euros more for a 14"with fans and cable killing dust.
Good to see I fix it promoting this video, I’d love to buy an M1 macbook cos it’s cheaper but I will never ever buy 8g ram again!
Bought my M1 MacBook Air, 8/8 core, 512GB, 8GB RAM, in Nov 2020, fantastic! Amazing upgrade from a really bad experience with a mono-port 12" 2017 MB! This month my keyboard started failing, letter by letter. "eEmMjJuU7&" - Now it's decision time... new keyboard or dock it and upgrade?
I'm considering my options, and while I'm tempted by the MacBook, I think I can get a better deal with a cheap ThinkPad that has more RAM and a bigger SSD.
If only you could upgrade those machines yourself..
M1 Air 16+1TB - does ok on most of the things I do (CAD, Coding, GoodNotes). Weight is my top priority. It overheats if I use it for heavy tasks like Computer Aided Design and charge it at the same time and I need to fan it with the plastic case.
Would want a M3 Pro in a M2 Air 15inch chassis, but physics might say it isn’t possible.