Please do more videos like this. This is one of the reason why I keep following this channel all those M1, M2, entry, M4 videos. OK they’re great but similar like the older videos but this kind of video is different. It makes you different.
I live into the Apple ecosystem with a Macbook Air M1 2020, an iPhone XS (for which I changed the battery), an Apple watch 8 and an iPad 6th gen. It works great and it is amazing that all those devices still receive all the Apple updates.
I love these videos where older tech (in this case Apple) is promoted. There is something a little special about cobbling together older items; not everyone is able to keep financially up with the latest and most powerful. Thank you, Luke.
On Facebook marketplace, I found a unlocked iPhone 12 Pro for $90 I got a 6th generation stainless steel Apple Watch for $30 and a 2013 iMac 27 inch with a 3 TB hard drive and the Intel core i7 with the 2 GB Nvidia graphics card and 24 gb of ram for $50 and they all work perfectly fine in total for that ecosystem I paid $170
Yeah, but thats pure luck that you got this stuff that cheap, normaly the people wants way more for their old apple stuff… When i would but this stuff used here (in germany but used its nearly 1 to 1 € to $) now the 12 pro is normaly round 200 Bucks, 6th gen Apple Watch starting at 100 Bucks and the iMac would normaly go for 150-200 Bucks… Just 170 for all of this is more a one of a kind thing i guess…
The biggest issue with used is the battery. Older MacBook or iPhone are relatively easy to battery-swap but the watch? Not so much. Unless you luck into devices with a tiny number of cycles, you’re looking at another $200 of battery swap. The watch? Stick to your Casio- it’s cooler anyway.
Heat gun rubbing alcohol and patience! The older apples watches really aren’t hard to do a battery replacement on if you take your time, the batteries typically only cost $15-$40
@ trying to go on a health kick and would like the sleep apnea tracking and blood oxygen sensor. Honestly unsure on ultra2 and series 10 as Mrs says there no point in series 10 as they look the same (she also has a series 5)
Definitely do more ecosystem videos pls. I think the pricepoints to consider should be the prices of new apple gear. like the best apple ecosystem for the price of the current iphone, macbook air, or even new pixel or something. the $500 price point is a good one too, that could be annual update as prices flex and new products come out
my ecosystem is M3 Macbook Air, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone SE 2, iPad Air M2, Watch Ultra 2, Airpods Pro 2. Watching this made me think of being a minimalist!
i finally have a more modern up to date apple eco system, and i'm intregued to try doing a full dive into it for a week, i got an iPhone 14, 42MM apple watch se, and a 2020 13" M1 MacBook Pro, the only things my apple devices can't do that I do often is gaming, but i'll possibly consider doing like steam remote play and streaming my games from my windows tower and see how that goes for me.
That dont make that much sense… When you still have a device for Gaming why is then this a topic Overall? I mean you still have this Device for Gaming and none of your named devices is made in mind to replace this Device… So you could go that far to say, the one thing has exactly norhing to do with the other thing… With the iphone you replace your phone (its to make calls and have super mobil internet Connection), with the MacBook you replace your Notebook, so normaly the mobile device for work and with the Watch you replace your Watch what is made in mind to be the Extension of your Smartphone… So what has this all to do with your Gaming pc? When we would Talk about a ps5 i would understand but you compare Apples with pears…
Yeah, it's stupid to turn aod on your watch when you're not gonna be glancing at it all the time (and when you do, the display will automatically wake up).
I still wear an AW series 5 every day. Battery health 74%, but still lasts from 5am to maybe 9pm. Mac wise, I still daily my mid-2014 15” MBP and it still runs great!
While I still hold great fondness and nostalgia for the old MacBook Airs, the display and diving board trackpad doesn’t make it an optimal user experience. The amount of effort you have to press on the trackpad is tiring and you take the new Force Touch trackpads for granted. The screen isn’t the best. You can literally see the pixels, whereas on the newer MacBooks you don’t. The iPhone SE and Apple Watch still provide you with the Apple experience, but if you want better, paying an extra $200-300 you get the step up. Great video Luke. People just expect Apple products to be expensive but you can budget to get the ecosystem from the lower price point.
6:28 To this day, I cannot get Universal Clipboard to work between my iPhone (now 14 Pro) and MacBook Pro (now M1). It used to work on previous devices, then suddenly stopped a few years ago, and would never work again even after I’ve upgraded both devices since.
BT and wifi are activated on both devices and both running on same Apple id? No firewall or wild VPN settings running on your router? If yes to all it can only be an software failure with one of the devices and a restore should fix the issue…
That macbook air was the first computer that was actually mine and not the family computer and got it as a high school graduation gift. It was surprisingly versatile the entire time I had it. Used it a lot for youtube, steam(what mac games were available in 2015), and emulation(OpenEmu and Dolphin). When I was in the army, it put in a lot of hours during CQ. I don't really use it anymore, but I've since put a new battery and ssd in it for the very rare times I do use it.
You can hook up a 4K 3840 x 2160 32 inch external display using the Thunderbolt 2 port of the MBA 2015, having the possibility to replace the MBA battery (not glued, simple design) for about 40 USD ir less in under 15 minutes if needed, this is another good feature of the 2013-2017 MBAs, you can also replace the SSD. To me having a 13 inch non retina internal display is therefore not a eal breaker at all. If yo can, get the intel core i7 2.2 GHz models, the CPU is much faster than on a MBA from 2019 MBA with a retina display with it´s lousy core i58210Y processor. And another plus of these MBAs from 2013-2017, full sized USB-A port, SD card reader, MagSafe 2 power connector. I regularly use an MBA from 2015 with macOS Sequoia 15.2 (January 2025) and have no issues with it. It is still responsive, perfect for anything Internet or Offline Work even in 2025.
You inspired me to look for a good price on some oldish but functional Apple Watch, I have a series 3 that’s served me well I am thinking of upgrading but maybe not necessarily to the latest model just yet.
My recommendation for a minimal price, but very good price to functions ratio is: apple watch alu s5, MacBook air m1 and iPhone 13. They all support latest OS, and are still all very capable. I just switched from a watch s4 to a s10. I still use the s4 for gym, and it would hold up for at least 2 more years.
Graphics for what? None of this products is made for Gaming so i think you should be more precisly with the Point graphics… Audio editing should be nearly limitless with the Mac cuz many Producers still uses even older machines, Video editing should be completely Fine up to Full hd und he has already talked about writing, he made his Script in notes and everything was fine…
@@savagepro9060 it can yes, but it can also stand for gaming… For painting is any iPad with Apple Pencil support still great… Sure, on newer devices you can make bigger canvases with more layers but that really just means that they can even more layers and bigger canvas…😅 Just install pro create or the app you want to and have fun… As long as the apps still work any pencil iPad ist still good for drawing…
I would be interested in seeing a video on older iPhone models as a secondary device. Something to listen to podcasts/audiobooks/music, or to watch videos whether they're streaming or downloaded. I've got an 8+ with 256gb really cheaply, and it's currently saving my regular phone's battery every day.
Really interested in the used Apple Watch market, any tips on the best sites? is it just Ebay? And what are the most important things to look for with these used watches?
I would prefer an Apple Watch with integrated telephone to connect my 6th gen iPad with WiFi only to the WWW with the watch. I also have an old pre retina MacBook Pro with GPU for gaming which I would like to connect to the WWW with the watch.
@@reinhardfranzwehringer7803 hell no, thats just a crazy Bad advise really Nobody should follow… That will kill your Watch battery (Life and Health) fast Like Crazy and Everything After gen 3 drains already batterylife Like hell, with stuff like this it gets completely out of Control… Even on iPhones this is something you should just use from time to time cuz even on those that is a very efficient battery killer to give an newer iPad hotspot… If you need this more often its way smarter just to sell your 6th gen and buy instead a 6th gen with cellular… It’s way smarter instead to kill 2-3 watches meanwhile…
As much as I appreciate these kind of videos, as a European (German) I can just envy the prices you are reporting. Nothing compares your prices to those on our local Ebay or 2nd market here in Germany. You can easily double or triple the prices for the devices you just showed. Anyway, it's always a good idea to upcycle this "old" hardware whenever it's reasonable.
Das ist schlicht und ergreifend nicht korrekt… Die Gebrauchtpreise in den Staaten sind inzwischen ziemlich nahe dem was man auch problemlos auf Kleinanzeigen finden kann zumindest so lange Geduld kein Problem darstellt… 65€ zb für ne gebrauchte 5er Watch ist auch hier nicht grade selten, hab auch schon welche ab 50 gesehen aber rate mal, die haben halt alle das selbe Problem mit den bereits runter gearbeiteten Akkus (weshalb ich mir zb lieber noch ne 3er geholt habe nach dem ich 4 und 5 bereits ebenfalls in der Nutzung hatte)… Unter 100€ für nen mba von 2015 sind jetzt zwar nicht grade üblich aber dennoch immer mal wieder zu finden wenn man etwas schaut (und eben Geduld mit bringt)… Selbst die 125€ für nen se3 sind durchaus mal möglich, siehst ja im video was das Teil für Nachteile hat, damit rennt kaum wer freiwillig als Hauptgerät mit rum und ergo gehts eben auch mal schnell runter im Preis… Wären wir jetzt noch ein paar Jahre weiter zurück (also sagen wir mal 2020) würde ich dir bedingungslos recht geben aber über die letzten paar Jahre sind die Preise auch hier ordentlich gepurzelt so das wir hier inzwischen sogar schon problemlos iPhone 11 Geräte für diese genannten 125€ bekommen was ja scheinbar selbst in den usa gar nicht mal so leicht zu sein scheinst und hier musste ich für so ein Angebot genau 2 mal scrollen beim Gesamtangebot de eBay Kleinanzeigen und hatte schon das erste 11 im guten Zustand für 120 oder 130€, zwar nur 64gb aber selbst das langt ja immer noch vielen völlig aus… Also wie gesagt, noch vor wenigen Jahren habe ich glaube ich sogar noch ähnliches in diesem Channel geschrieben aber aktuell ist das schon ziemlich nahe beieinander alles… Aber mal völlig davon ab kannst du ihm diesen Punkt ja wohl nur schwer vorhalten denn anders als du wohnt er ja nicht in de sondern in den Staaten also spricht er natürlich auch in erster Linie logischer Weise auch erst mal über diese… Wer bitte soll denn sowas für den internationalen Markt machen? Leute die das könnten interessieren sich herzlich wenig dafür was irgendwas gebraucht kostet außer vielleicht ne Villa oder ne Luxusyacht und all die die das interessiert werden wohl eher weniger die Möglichkeit haben zum Preisvergleich erst mal diverse Nationen abzutingeln… Das also in anderen Ländern evtl. andere Preise stehen hat doch für dieses video überhaupt keine Relevanz da er ja gar nicht den Anspruch hat anderen Nationen bei diesem Thema zu helfen, das ist schlicht nen amerikanischer Junge der in Amerika lebt und entsprechend eben über den amerikanischen Markt auch spricht… Das komische hier ist nur das denn plötzlich nen Deutscher um die Ecke kommt und ihn scheinbar erzählen will das seine Preise bei uns gar nicht passen… Ja was Sherlock, really?!
I remember when 3 years of iterative updates would add up to be huge. Remember going from an iPhone 5 to an 6s. Nowadays I have an iPhone 12 Pro Max and except for pro motion I do not see what I am really missing…
Amen and thanks! Picked up a 2015 MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air for my wife and son. Opencore legacy patcher and we are in business for less than $300.OO! Also, I am typing this post using a fully loaded 2013 Mac Pro (The Trashcan), that I picked up online for $190.00 and free shipping. Probably going to upgrade to the 2019 Mac Pro for myself this summer. They should be at bargain basement prices by then once the M4 macs start shipping. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
My ecosystem is M1 MacBook Air, iPhone 13 Pro Max, Series 5 watch and AirPod pro 2. The watch is starting to show its age tho. I tend to just let it charge overnight and charge again after I work out
remember spending 1000$ for an i7 dual cores with TN display DELL back in my first day at unni in 2017. Student nowaday are very ahead, the only reason where everyone feels broke is because we keep comparing with others
I have been on upgrade fence for some time, my 2019 MacBook Pro 13" w/touch bar is my daily use laptop for charting but those new M4's look incredible just a lot of money. Apple offered me $225 for the 2019 but after seeing this I may just hold out a bit longer. Great content.....
Great video. I would be interested in a series at different price points. I use an iPhone 14 pro max, an 11” M1 iPad Pro and a 13” M1 MacBook Air. For my needs I do not need to upgrade.
With the budget leftover I would get a power brick. Even a newer Apple Watch has a borderline acceptable battery life. I turned off always on watch face to help a little with the battery life
I'm still rocking the apple watch series 5. It works perfectly. I have a 2013 Macbook Pro that is amazing but because of software issues and updates, I can't use it for editing videos like I need to so I had to get the new mac mini but I am happy!
Been using the SE for a couple of generations. It’s all the phone that I need. Sometimes (nav for example) it would be good to have a bigger display, but other than that it’s good enough. I agree that the 2015 MacBookpro is still usable, but the original Air M1 is compelling. Never even thought about Apple Watch until I saw these prices. Looking into it. That Boxster is an awesome colour.
Great video! Always learn something from you, I did not know about the battery health setting. My watch series 6 battery is now only 77% and I turned off always on display a year ago as my watch would not make it through the day. Now I know why. Make more of these basic Apple product videos please !
iPhone SE (2022) is my current iPhone. That price you got is amazing because it’s currently sold as new, in current iPhone lineup for $429 retail. I like everything about my iPhone SE… Small size to easily carry while running. Excellent single back camera that barely sticks out (no huge bump) because camera and screen components do NOT overlap internally. Solid-state Home button with Touch ID is my preference. Usable with one hand. And A15 still really fast. If this SE model is replaced in the next few weeks with new SE4 that’s bigger and “modern” in design, I don’t mind. I’ll keep using my SE3 “forever.” If I lose it or break it, I’ll buy another SE3 used or refurb for a low price, at least while still supported by latest iOS. It would be amazing if Apple released a new “SE+” (based on iPhone 14 design with updated specs) at higher price point and also updated current “classic” design with A18 to have a lower-cost option.
I was (up until like 3 weeks ago) was still rocking an iPhone SE 2nd generation and was working fine, albeit with slow web browsing. That’s cool to hear that there are usable Apple Watches under ~$100 though!
Even the first gen Apple Watch is still pretty useable if it still works, any Apple Watch runs completely fine for daily usage, only the batterys are the issue…
Yes, it’s pretty useable, I guess. It’s just a matter of not doing heavy tasks, which I believe 75% of the people don’t. My concerns go to the Watch. I have a S6 and it has now a terrible battery life because I used the Always On the first year I had it. And can only be that because my wife also had hers bought together and it is a lot better, still. I am actually kind of tired of the watch, to be honest. Thinking about alternatives. Ever considered evaluating smart rings?
On normal iPads the 7th gen, on pro 12,9 3rd gen and everything with 11“ Display, on Air 3rd gen and on mini the 5th gen… That are Minimum for iPadOS 18 and cuz of that you still can use iPads Like 2nd gen air or 5th gen normal for nearly everything thats logicly that what you Are Lockung for when iPadOS 18 is your only limiting factor… iPad 7 Starts normaly at 150 iPad Pro 12,9 3rd gen Starts for slightly under 400 iPad Pro 11 1st gen at 350 iPad Air 3rd gen at slightly under 200 iPad mini 5 slightly under 200 So just put your wished Device to the under 300 he paid and you have it…😅 He dont include iPads on Budget stups anymore cuz when you are on budget in most cases a MacBook would just be the better Device instead an iPad… But if an iPad is already enough for you to fully replace an MacBook (just depending on what you want to do with it) then just dip the mac and take an iPad instead… But both together dont really fit into the category Budget cuz Both pretty similar in usecase what just makes one of them pretty redundant…
Still using my Apple Watch 5 40mm. Very happy with it and will use looking forward. Only downer is my battery life, but I’m still on my first battery, so I think that’s okay. Very good and interesting video. Didn’t thought you could get apple at this price point.
This basically IS my 2025 Apple ecosystem but switch out the 2022 SE for the 2020 SE, and the apple watch 5 with an apple watch 3. In 2018 I did add an iPad (university note taking), and in 2021 I added a mac mini (animation school was too much for my old MacBookAir). They all work together fairly well and I don't feel like I need to replace anything too soon, although my iPhone SE 2020 and my 2015 MacBook Air could use new batteries.
Great video. Had to upgrade from an OGSE (2016) recently to a 13mini and I hate Face ID over Touch ID. That MBA display Wouldn’t bother me in the slightest as I plug into an external monitor via display port /Thunderbolt. I’d put the Apple Watch in quotes cinema mode” to keep the battery going a bit longer. What a great deal you got!
The resolution of the mba is 1440x900 on just 13“, for sure not the best but I don’t think that this should be a dealbreaker for anyone who’s looking in this pricerange…
I think it needs an update. Which part of that would you swap out first? Personally I would swap out the macbook for just that little bit more. A bigger screen etc For my use case and some others getting it up and running would be a non starter. Personally if web browsing is the only thing you are using the macbook for then why not consider an ipad in it's stead with a keyboard case or something (if even). I know the whole ipad vs macbook thing has been done to death at this point and both have their uses but a cheap macbook while a superb buy is starting to become poor proposition at the things I would consider going the macbook route specifically for. Those email, word documents, youtube or media consumption I would be looking at an ipad for
In 2018 I bought a 13" MacBook Air 2017 for my mom. She only uses it for browsing, e-mails, and Word (and is almost identical to the 2015 model, including the display). It's okay-ish for basic tasks.
Yeah, at least Everything up to gen 3 but even for an atv 4 you still normaly pay around 70 Bucks (with enough luck maybe even just 50) whats still a lot for 150 new when it came out 10 years ago… So no idea what you see here as crazy cheap…
Ad: they actually sell those cases with cutouts, so perhaps it’s not completely accurate to diss the ones with cutouts because they do. I just had one delivered to me last
My mom just got a 3rd gen SE and I got my daughter a 2nd gen. 98% battery health and great condition for €70.keep in mind the SE new here is like 600 bucks.
My Apple ecosystem is an 11" 2014 Macbook Air running Ventura, iPhone 8 and Airpods Pro 1st gen, the iPhone 8 is my biggest worry as I feel I will start to lose app support this year.
He bought the stuff allways used from the previous owner in those cases, so eBay, Craigslist and facebook are your friends… So it’s not important where he buy it cuz you can’t get the same deal anyways cuz he already get it…
Please do more videos like this. Just curious if were to swap out your current eco system with something could comfortably run your channel for the longest time and for lowest cost. What would it be? It is an optimization and efficiency problem.
The devices in the video should be already enough, the cam of the iphone is strong enough for full hd video filming, the MacBook Air is strong enough to cut this and the Apple Watch has nothing to do cuz Mac and iphone are already everything you will need to make videos like this…
If you want an even cheaper experience, do what I did and get an iPhone SE 2 lol. Still on iOS 18 as well, is seemingly gonna get 19, and still runs smooth as buttah. I got mine for, no joke, 64 bucks. Best tech deal ever.
Would love to see a similar video with older devices that can support the latest operating systems. (Ie iPhone XS on iOS 18 and the oldest MacBook that supports Sequoia)
Try out a base model 2018 MBP vs the base model 2020 Intel MBA, since those are the lowest devices that support macOS 15 it would be interesting to compare
This $300 eco-system would be great for someone new to Apple or wanted to start off with iOS programming. They would be able to have an physical iPhone and Apple Watch to write apps with for a small amount of investment. I would probably up the money to $500 for an older MacBook Pro.
Please do more videos like this. This is one of the reason why I keep following this channel all those M1, M2, entry, M4 videos. OK they’re great but similar like the older videos but this kind of video is different. It makes you different.
🙏
Absolutely, this is Luke at his best
do more basic apple ecosystem vids
It’s what people that aren’t crazy can afford
Yes ❤please 😊
🙏
Agreed
Most creators talk about the latest and greatest but most normal people don’t or can’t get it.
I missed the budget ecosystem videos! it really encouraged me to buy 2nd hand a few years ago!
I live into the Apple ecosystem with a Macbook Air M1 2020, an iPhone XS (for which I changed the battery), an Apple watch 8 and an iPad 6th gen. It works great and it is amazing that all those devices still receive all the Apple updates.
Urs is quite similar to mine
I use a 2019 MacBook Air
An iPhone 12pro
And a 9th gen iPad
I love these videos where older tech (in this case Apple) is promoted. There is something a little special about cobbling together older items; not everyone is able to keep financially up with the latest and most powerful. Thank you, Luke.
The reason I have no problem with recent iPhones having the same design - it won’t look outdated easily. So videos like this can be relevant.
Exactly, also you can sometimes reuse old cases. Not always a perfect fit but works more often than it doesn’t, usually the camera is the issue though
@@Jhud69 You shouldn't be using cases that aren't for the exact model of phone you have. Bad advice.
On Facebook marketplace, I found a unlocked iPhone 12 Pro for $90 I got a 6th generation stainless steel Apple Watch for $30 and a 2013 iMac 27 inch with a 3 TB hard drive and the Intel core i7 with the 2 GB Nvidia graphics card and 24 gb of ram for $50 and they all work perfectly fine in total for that ecosystem I paid $170
crazy value
Yeah, but thats pure luck that you got this stuff that cheap, normaly the people wants way more for their old apple stuff…
When i would but this stuff used here (in germany but used its nearly 1 to 1 € to $) now the 12 pro is normaly round 200 Bucks, 6th gen Apple Watch starting at 100 Bucks and the iMac would normaly go for 150-200 Bucks…
Just 170 for all of this is more a one of a kind thing i guess…
The biggest issue with used is the battery. Older MacBook or iPhone are relatively easy to battery-swap but the watch? Not so much. Unless you luck into devices with a tiny number of cycles, you’re looking at another $200 of battery swap. The watch? Stick to your Casio- it’s cooler anyway.
Heat gun rubbing alcohol and patience! The older apples watches really aren’t hard to do a battery replacement on if you take your time, the batteries typically only cost $15-$40
😨
Battery swaps on Apple Watch sport models are $80 from Apple.
Dude I’m trying to justify an ultra 2 here, don’t tell me older cheaper stuff is okay my series 5 can hear you
Hang on to your S5, you can still buy the Ultra when the old one is dead
@ trying to go on a health kick and would like the sleep apnea tracking and blood oxygen sensor.
Honestly unsure on ultra2 and series 10 as Mrs says there no point in series 10 as they look the same (she also has a series 5)
I still use an Apple Watch Series 3 and it works totally fine
@@Yanto-rv1qu ahhh the justifying stage. Classic. Just buy it already bro! Just kidding.
Definitely do more ecosystem videos pls.
I think the pricepoints to consider should be the prices of new apple gear. like the best apple ecosystem for the price of the current iphone, macbook air, or even new pixel or something.
the $500 price point is a good one too, that could be annual update as prices flex and new products come out
my ecosystem is M3 Macbook Air, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone SE 2, iPad Air M2, Watch Ultra 2, Airpods Pro 2. Watching this made me think of being a minimalist!
Mine is an iPhone x 64 GB / Macbook Air 2020 i3 / Apple Watch Series 4.
I like these budget ecosystem videos especially in this economy
Yes please do a $500 Apple ecosystem! 🙏 Thx
🙏
Love your videos! Keep it up!
Im watching this video on my £60 2015 mba which has been my daily for the past 4 years i love it.
It’s always a good day when Luke uploads
Clicked on this video faster than MKBHD
i finally have a more modern up to date apple eco system, and i'm intregued to try doing a full dive into it for a week, i got an iPhone 14, 42MM apple watch se, and a 2020 13" M1 MacBook Pro, the only things my apple devices can't do that I do often is gaming, but i'll possibly consider doing like steam remote play and streaming my games from my windows tower and see how that goes for me.
That dont make that much sense…
When you still have a device for Gaming why is then this a topic Overall?
I mean you still have this Device for Gaming and none of your named devices is made in mind to replace this Device…
So you could go that far to say, the one thing has exactly norhing to do with the other thing…
With the iphone you replace your phone (its to make calls and have super mobil internet Connection), with the MacBook you replace your Notebook, so normaly the mobile device for work and with the Watch you replace your Watch what is made in mind to be the Extension of your Smartphone…
So what has this all to do with your Gaming pc?
When we would Talk about a ps5 i would understand but you compare Apples with pears…
As far as the watch battery, turn off the always on display, that should get you through the day pretty easily.
Yeah, it's stupid to turn aod on your watch when you're not gonna be glancing at it all the time (and when you do, the display will automatically wake up).
I still wear an AW series 5 every day. Battery health 74%, but still lasts from 5am to maybe 9pm.
Mac wise, I still daily my mid-2014 15” MBP and it still runs great!
Series 5 the goat fr
the 500 dollar challenge sounds like a great idea!
While I still hold great fondness and nostalgia for the old MacBook Airs, the display and diving board trackpad doesn’t make it an optimal user experience. The amount of effort you have to press on the trackpad is tiring and you take the new Force Touch trackpads for granted. The screen isn’t the best. You can literally see the pixels, whereas on the newer MacBooks you don’t. The iPhone SE and Apple Watch still provide you with the Apple experience, but if you want better, paying an extra $200-300 you get the step up. Great video Luke. People just expect Apple products to be expensive but you can budget to get the ecosystem from the lower price point.
love the background of your recent videos! and definitely do more of these casual consumer topic type of videos
I would have spent a bit extra and got an iPhone 12 there about 200 or less for a decent one way better than the SE
6:28 To this day, I cannot get Universal Clipboard to work between my iPhone (now 14 Pro) and MacBook Pro (now M1). It used to work on previous devices, then suddenly stopped a few years ago, and would never work again even after I’ve upgraded both devices since.
BT and wifi are activated on both devices and both running on same Apple id?
No firewall or wild VPN settings running on your router?
If yes to all it can only be an software failure with one of the devices and a restore should fix the issue…
That macbook air was the first computer that was actually mine and not the family computer and got it as a high school graduation gift. It was surprisingly versatile the entire time I had it. Used it a lot for youtube, steam(what mac games were available in 2015), and emulation(OpenEmu and Dolphin). When I was in the army, it put in a lot of hours during CQ. I don't really use it anymore, but I've since put a new battery and ssd in it for the very rare times I do use it.
You can hook up a 4K 3840 x 2160 32 inch external display using the Thunderbolt 2 port of the MBA 2015, having the possibility to replace the MBA battery (not glued, simple design) for about 40 USD ir less in under 15 minutes if needed, this is another good feature of the 2013-2017 MBAs, you can also replace the SSD. To me having a 13 inch non retina internal display is therefore not a eal breaker at all.
If yo can, get the intel core i7 2.2 GHz models, the CPU is much faster than on a MBA from 2019 MBA with a retina display with it´s lousy core i58210Y processor. And another plus of these MBAs from 2013-2017, full sized USB-A port, SD card reader, MagSafe 2 power connector. I regularly use an MBA from 2015 with macOS Sequoia 15.2 (January 2025) and have no issues with it. It is still responsive, perfect for anything Internet or Offline Work even in 2025.
Luke is literally my neighbor now and it’s crazy seeing him drive thru my area.
Can’t beat a full $279 Apple package.
The "cheapest $300 ecosystem" sounds like there is a cheaper ecosystem that's also $300 😂
Love your work
These are my absolute favorite type of videos you make!
I am using the macbook air M1 base model since it was launched and even now it works great for me
Yes please do more of this love it
You inspired me to look for a good price on some oldish but functional Apple Watch, I have a series 3 that’s served me well I am thinking of upgrading but maybe not necessarily to the latest model just yet.
Used tech in all categories is getting extremely affordable. It’s a really fun time to be a tech nerd on a budget.
Awesome vid. Keep em coming
My recommendation for a minimal price, but very good price to functions ratio is: apple watch alu s5, MacBook air m1 and iPhone 13. They all support latest OS, and are still all very capable.
I just switched from a watch s4 to a s10. I still use the s4 for gym, and it would hold up for at least 2 more years.
More videos, but show what PRODUCTIVITY you CAN achieve with those budget ecosystems . . . audio, writing, video editing, graphics, etc etc!
Graphics for what? None of this products is made for Gaming so i think you should be more precisly with the Point graphics…
Audio editing should be nearly limitless with the Mac cuz many Producers still uses even older machines, Video editing should be completely Fine up to Full hd und he has already talked about writing, he made his Script in notes and everything was fine…
@@Eddy_E. Hmm, wouldn’t graphics stand for drawing, painting, etc?
@@savagepro9060 it can yes, but it can also stand for gaming…
For painting is any iPad with Apple Pencil support still great…
Sure, on newer devices you can make bigger canvases with more layers but that really just means that they can even more layers and bigger canvas…😅
Just install pro create or the app you want to and have fun…
As long as the apps still work any pencil iPad ist still good for drawing…
I would be interested in seeing a video on older iPhone models as a secondary device. Something to listen to podcasts/audiobooks/music, or to watch videos whether they're streaming or downloaded. I've got an 8+ with 256gb really cheaply, and it's currently saving my regular phone's battery every day.
Really interested in the used Apple Watch market, any tips on the best sites? is it just Ebay? And what are the most important things to look for with these used watches?
Awesome video. Also, these products are excellent backup options, especially the watch.
Was your Apple Watch battery with or without Always On Display enabled?
I have a Series 3 I bought in 2020 (bad choice, I know) that’s still a rockstar nonetheless.
Series 3 is fine, all of them are good. I got an ultra for free after having the 3 for hella long. Always on is def worth it tho
😮
I would prefer an Apple Watch with integrated telephone to connect my 6th gen iPad with WiFi only to the WWW with the watch. I also have an old pre retina MacBook Pro with GPU for gaming which I would like to connect to the WWW with the watch.
@@reinhardfranzwehringer7803 hell no, thats just a crazy Bad advise really Nobody should follow…
That will kill your Watch battery (Life and Health) fast Like Crazy and Everything After gen 3 drains already batterylife Like hell, with stuff like this it gets completely out of Control…
Even on iPhones this is something you should just use from time to time cuz even on those that is a very efficient battery killer to give an newer iPad hotspot…
If you need this more often its way smarter just to sell your 6th gen and buy instead a 6th gen with cellular…
It’s way smarter instead to kill 2-3 watches meanwhile…
Love this, thank you
Where did you purchase these Apple products
Love this
As much as I appreciate these kind of videos, as a European (German) I can just envy the prices you are reporting. Nothing compares your prices to those on our local Ebay or 2nd market here in Germany. You can easily double or triple the prices for the devices you just showed. Anyway, it's always a good idea to upcycle this "old" hardware whenever it's reasonable.
Das ist schlicht und ergreifend nicht korrekt…
Die Gebrauchtpreise in den Staaten sind inzwischen ziemlich nahe dem was man auch problemlos auf Kleinanzeigen finden kann zumindest so lange Geduld kein Problem darstellt…
65€ zb für ne gebrauchte 5er Watch ist auch hier nicht grade selten, hab auch schon welche ab 50 gesehen aber rate mal, die haben halt alle das selbe Problem mit den bereits runter gearbeiteten Akkus (weshalb ich mir zb lieber noch ne 3er geholt habe nach dem ich 4 und 5 bereits ebenfalls in der Nutzung hatte)…
Unter 100€ für nen mba von 2015 sind jetzt zwar nicht grade üblich aber dennoch immer mal wieder zu finden wenn man etwas schaut (und eben Geduld mit bringt)…
Selbst die 125€ für nen se3 sind durchaus mal möglich, siehst ja im video was das Teil für Nachteile hat, damit rennt kaum wer freiwillig als Hauptgerät mit rum und ergo gehts eben auch mal schnell runter im Preis…
Wären wir jetzt noch ein paar Jahre weiter zurück (also sagen wir mal 2020) würde ich dir bedingungslos recht geben aber über die letzten paar Jahre sind die Preise auch hier ordentlich gepurzelt so das wir hier inzwischen sogar schon problemlos iPhone 11 Geräte für diese genannten 125€ bekommen was ja scheinbar selbst in den usa gar nicht mal so leicht zu sein scheinst und hier musste ich für so ein Angebot genau 2 mal scrollen beim Gesamtangebot de eBay Kleinanzeigen und hatte schon das erste 11 im guten Zustand für 120 oder 130€, zwar nur 64gb aber selbst das langt ja immer noch vielen völlig aus…
Also wie gesagt, noch vor wenigen Jahren habe ich glaube ich sogar noch ähnliches in diesem Channel geschrieben aber aktuell ist das schon ziemlich nahe beieinander alles…
Aber mal völlig davon ab kannst du ihm diesen Punkt ja wohl nur schwer vorhalten denn anders als du wohnt er ja nicht in de sondern in den Staaten also spricht er natürlich auch in erster Linie logischer Weise auch erst mal über diese…
Wer bitte soll denn sowas für den internationalen Markt machen?
Leute die das könnten interessieren sich herzlich wenig dafür was irgendwas gebraucht kostet außer vielleicht ne Villa oder ne Luxusyacht und all die die das interessiert werden wohl eher weniger die Möglichkeit haben zum Preisvergleich erst mal diverse Nationen abzutingeln…
Das also in anderen Ländern evtl. andere Preise stehen hat doch für dieses video überhaupt keine Relevanz da er ja gar nicht den Anspruch hat anderen Nationen bei diesem Thema zu helfen, das ist schlicht nen amerikanischer Junge der in Amerika lebt und entsprechend eben über den amerikanischen Markt auch spricht…
Das komische hier ist nur das denn plötzlich nen Deutscher um die Ecke kommt und ihn scheinbar erzählen will das seine Preise bei uns gar nicht passen…
Ja was Sherlock, really?!
I remember when 3 years of iterative updates would add up to be huge. Remember going from an iPhone 5 to an 6s. Nowadays I have an iPhone 12 Pro Max and except for pro motion I do not see what I am really missing…
Hey Luke! I was curious what you use for your decorations? What lamps and lighting do you use? Much appreciation!
Amen and thanks! Picked up a 2015 MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air for my wife and son. Opencore legacy patcher and we are in business for less than $300.OO! Also, I am typing this post using a fully loaded 2013 Mac Pro (The Trashcan), that I picked up online for $190.00 and free shipping. Probably going to upgrade to the 2019 Mac Pro for myself this summer. They should be at bargain basement prices by then once the M4 macs start shipping. Thanks again and keep up the good work.
My ecosystem is M1 MacBook Air, iPhone 13 Pro Max, Series 5 watch and AirPod pro 2. The watch is starting to show its age tho. I tend to just let it charge overnight and charge again after I work out
remember spending 1000$ for an i7 dual cores with TN display DELL back in my first day at unni in 2017. Student nowaday are very ahead, the only reason where everyone feels broke is because we keep comparing with others
You should do this at three levels; $300 - done, $500 and $1000. Each person has their own threshold of price, usability and value.
I have been on upgrade fence for some time, my 2019 MacBook Pro 13" w/touch bar is my daily use laptop for charting but those new M4's look incredible just a lot of money. Apple offered me $225 for the 2019 but after seeing this I may just hold out a bit longer. Great content.....
Great video. I would be interested in a series at different price points. I use an iPhone 14 pro max, an 11” M1 iPad Pro and a 13” M1 MacBook Air. For my needs I do not need to upgrade.
I need to find that iPhone SE deal. I’m currently on a 13 mini but I prefer the iPhone eight form factor over that form factor I’ve decided.
Craigslist, facebook what ever, eBay…
He just bought it used directly from another person who wants to sell it…
Its no Deal you can find in a Shop…
how much to up the macbook to a 15” quad core with 16gb of ram?
Where are you buying these products for those prices?
This may be a crazy question but am I stretching it to ask does the watch still get updates?
With the budget leftover I would get a power brick. Even a newer Apple Watch has a borderline acceptable battery life. I turned off always on watch face to help a little with the battery life
I'm still rocking the apple watch series 5. It works perfectly. I have a 2013 Macbook Pro that is amazing but because of software issues and updates, I can't use it for editing videos like I need to so I had to get the new mac mini but I am happy!
I would love the 500 dollars version please.
Just picked up a SE3 for £139 what a buy with a fast a15 bionic, best value iphone you can get in 2025
I love that video! 🙏🏻👌🏼🤌🏻
Been using the SE for a couple of generations. It’s all the phone that I need. Sometimes (nav for example) it would be good to have a bigger display, but other than that it’s good enough. I agree that the 2015 MacBookpro is still usable, but the original Air M1 is compelling. Never even thought about Apple Watch until I saw these prices. Looking into it. That Boxster is an awesome colour.
What would the cheapest be that could use all the latest OS? Love to see that.
would Figma run well on that Macbook air ?
Great video! Always learn something from you, I did not know about the battery health setting. My watch series 6 battery is now only 77% and I turned off always on display a year ago as my watch would not make it through the day. Now I know why. Make more of these basic Apple product videos please !
iPhone SE (2022) is my current iPhone. That price you got is amazing because it’s currently sold as new, in current iPhone lineup for $429 retail. I like everything about my iPhone SE… Small size to easily carry while running. Excellent single back camera that barely sticks out (no huge bump) because camera and screen components do NOT overlap internally. Solid-state Home button with Touch ID is my preference. Usable with one hand. And A15 still really fast. If this SE model is replaced in the next few weeks with new SE4 that’s bigger and “modern” in design, I don’t mind. I’ll keep using my SE3 “forever.” If I lose it or break it, I’ll buy another SE3 used or refurb for a low price, at least while still supported by latest iOS. It would be amazing if Apple released a new “SE+” (based on iPhone 14 design with updated specs) at higher price point and also updated current “classic” design with A18 to have a lower-cost option.
I was (up until like 3 weeks ago) was still rocking an iPhone SE 2nd generation and was working fine, albeit with slow web browsing. That’s cool to hear that there are usable Apple Watches under ~$100 though!
Even the first gen Apple Watch is still pretty useable if it still works, any Apple Watch runs completely fine for daily usage, only the batterys are the issue…
Where you get eSIM from
Yes, it’s pretty useable, I guess. It’s just a matter of not doing heavy tasks, which I believe 75% of the people don’t.
My concerns go to the Watch. I have a S6 and it has now a terrible battery life because I used the Always On the first year I had it. And can only be that because my wife also had hers bought together and it is a lot better, still. I am actually kind of tired of the watch, to be honest. Thinking about alternatives. Ever considered evaluating smart rings?
12 second gang
12 minute gang 🏆
34 min gang
fark up
Good stuff. I’d like to see how much you can add an iPad for that runs iPadOS 18! I just did testing on an 8gb MacBook Sir 2017 and it held up well!
On normal iPads the 7th gen, on pro 12,9 3rd gen and everything with 11“ Display, on Air 3rd gen and on mini the 5th gen…
That are Minimum for iPadOS 18 and cuz of that you still can use iPads Like 2nd gen air or 5th gen normal for nearly everything thats logicly that what you Are Lockung for when iPadOS 18 is your only limiting factor…
iPad 7 Starts normaly at 150
iPad Pro 12,9 3rd gen Starts for slightly under 400
iPad Pro 11 1st gen at 350
iPad Air 3rd gen at slightly under 200
iPad mini 5 slightly under 200
So just put your wished Device to the under 300 he paid and you have it…😅
He dont include iPads on Budget stups anymore cuz when you are on budget in most cases a MacBook would just be the better Device instead an iPad…
But if an iPad is already enough for you to fully replace an MacBook (just depending on what you want to do with it) then just dip the mac and take an iPad instead…
But both together dont really fit into the category Budget cuz Both pretty similar in usecase what just makes one of them pretty redundant…
Still using my Apple Watch 5 40mm. Very happy with it and will use looking forward. Only downer is my battery life, but I’m still on my first battery, so I think that’s okay.
Very good and interesting video. Didn’t thought you could get apple at this price point.
This basically IS my 2025 Apple ecosystem but switch out the 2022 SE for the 2020 SE, and the apple watch 5 with an apple watch 3. In 2018 I did add an iPad (university note taking), and in 2021 I added a mac mini (animation school was too much for my old MacBookAir). They all work together fairly well and I don't feel like I need to replace anything too soon, although my iPhone SE 2020 and my 2015 MacBook Air could use new batteries.
Great video. Had to upgrade from an OGSE (2016) recently to a 13mini and I hate Face ID over Touch ID. That MBA display Wouldn’t bother me in the slightest as I plug into an external monitor via display port /Thunderbolt. I’d put the Apple Watch in quotes cinema mode” to keep the battery going a bit longer.
What a great deal you got!
The resolution of the mba is 1440x900 on just 13“, for sure not the best but I don’t think that this should be a dealbreaker for anyone who’s looking in this pricerange…
I'd make one suggestion - you should put the year in the video titles, for later :P
The Date is allways directly under any video, so Not sure how important this should be…
I think it needs an update. Which part of that would you swap out first? Personally I would swap out the macbook for just that little bit more. A bigger screen etc For my use case and some others getting it up and running would be a non starter.
Personally if web browsing is the only thing you are using the macbook for then why not consider an ipad in it's stead with a keyboard case or something (if even). I know the whole ipad vs macbook thing has been done to death at this point and both have their uses but a cheap macbook while a superb buy is starting to become poor proposition at the things I would consider going the macbook route specifically for. Those email, word documents, youtube or media consumption I would be looking at an ipad for
All one day on batery please
In 2018 I bought a 13" MacBook Air 2017 for my mom. She only uses it for browsing, e-mails, and Word (and is almost identical to the 2015 model, including the display). It's okay-ish for basic tasks.
Great video! Only piece of feedback I have is that your audio was really echoing- I assume you haven’t set up dampening in your new space yet.
Apple tv's have went down in price like crazy too
Yeah, at least Everything up to gen 3 but even for an atv 4 you still normaly pay around 70 Bucks (with enough luck maybe even just 50) whats still a lot for 150 new when it came out 10 years ago…
So no idea what you see here as crazy cheap…
I have two 2015 MacBook airs that each have issues. One of these days I need to make one working unit out to the best parts of each.
Ad: they actually sell those cases with cutouts, so perhaps it’s not completely accurate to diss the ones with cutouts because they do.
I just had one delivered to me last
what do you think about the 2019 Mac air in 2025
😮that’s incredible good job
My mom just got a 3rd gen SE and I got my daughter a 2nd gen. 98% battery health and great condition for €70.keep in mind the SE new here is like 600 bucks.
My Apple ecosystem is an 11" 2014 Macbook Air running Ventura, iPhone 8 and Airpods Pro 1st gen, the iPhone 8 is my biggest worry as I feel I will start to lose app support this year.
Where did you get the mac
He bought the stuff allways used from the previous owner in those cases, so eBay, Craigslist and facebook are your friends…
So it’s not important where he buy it cuz you can’t get the same deal anyways cuz he already get it…
Did you change the mics? Your sound is off
What if you switched out the macbook for ipad pro with a keyboard?
At best, that would be a iPad Pro 2015, and it wouldn’t have a keyboard with it
Please do more videos like this.
Just curious if were to swap out your current eco system with something could comfortably run your channel for the longest time and for lowest cost. What would it be? It is an optimization and efficiency problem.
The devices in the video should be already enough, the cam of the iphone is strong enough for full hd video filming, the MacBook Air is strong enough to cut this and the Apple Watch has nothing to do cuz Mac and iphone are already everything you will need to make videos like this…
Hey Luke. Possible to find a M1 Pro MacBook Pro? Can only find them on ‘black market’ site and don’t trust it.
There is a weird echo
You should do a video with multiple price points like the one you did on Macs recently.
I think it would awesome if it was a Retina macbook, and an face id iphone, then it would be pretty modern, wonder how much more would it have cost
If you want an even cheaper experience, do what I did and get an iPhone SE 2 lol. Still on iOS 18 as well, is seemingly gonna get 19, and still runs smooth as buttah. I got mine for, no joke, 64 bucks. Best tech deal ever.
Would love to see a similar video with older devices that can support the latest operating systems. (Ie iPhone XS on iOS 18 and the oldest MacBook that supports Sequoia)
Try out a base model 2018 MBP vs the base model 2020 Intel MBA, since those are the lowest devices that support macOS 15 it would be interesting to compare
Great video..💯‼️always very informative.💯😱bud
This $300 eco-system would be great for someone new to Apple or wanted to start off with iOS programming. They would be able to have an physical iPhone and Apple Watch to write apps with for a small amount of investment.
I would probably up the money to $500 for an older MacBook Pro.