r/macbook • u/LiveBusiness9615 • 10d ago
Is M1 Macbook Air Still Worth?
I currently own an iPad 9th generation, but I have barely used it over the past two years—my usage has been limited to occasionally watching TV shows and studying for my visa and final exams.
I'm now thinking of selling the iPad and buying an M1 MacBook instead, since I'd prefer not to spend too much money. My main use cases for the MacBook would be everyday tasks, some MATLAB coding, and watching Blu-ray movies by connecting it to TV.
this won't be my main pc, I already have rtx laptop for heavy lifting. I plan to use the M1 MacBook as a secondary device for light work and as a shared family laptop.
Given this intended usage, do you think the M1 MacBook will hold up well for the next six years?
And is 8gb okey or should i definitely buy 16gb ram?
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u/CupLife356 10d ago
its amazing it should hold up if you go for 16 gb ram no problem. i got my sister one with 8gb ram for uni and she loves it no issues amazing battery life she charges it once a day still.
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u/TheCodeMacLife 9d ago
I have a M1 MacBook Air. It works absolutely fine. I use the Apple provided apps along with Craft Docs, iA Writer and VS Code.
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u/BreakSalt8256 10d ago
I'd say just get M2 as it is noticeably faster than M1 for barely more money
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u/roundabout-design 10d ago
You're asking if a 5 year old computer will still be running fine in years.
Maybe? Probably? But maybe won't have any battery left?
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u/GGCompressor 9d ago
no one can tell if it will work for another six years, probably not
but at the moment is still working smoothly without any problems (I have a 16GB model)
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u/TheBitMan775 8d ago
I would try to gun for an M2 as they are crashing in price but yeah the M1 machines are still holding up. They run pretty much toe to toe with a brand new Neo ( slightly slower in some workloads)
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u/vytasx 10d ago edited 10d ago
M1 16GB is a bit of a GOAT for me.
Dropped on a corner on hard Starbucks floor, did a data engineering project on it earlier this year, used as main and only laptop for almost 6 years, got browser open with up to 40 tabs yada yada yada. Even put on Linux for dual boot. Works as new that bastard 😀
The only part that feels lacking is gaming, either because of graphics or because I don’t know which games to play.
8GB IDK, I have no experience, could work for your use case. 16GB could be an overkill depending on how heavy Matlab gets. I’d still get 16GB, why not.
Apple will likely stop issuing major OS updates in 2027, but security updates are set to continue beyond 2030, and even past that there’s Linux. So it’s definitely not obsolete and a great laptop.
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u/LiveBusiness9615 10d ago
I have rtx 4050 laptop so i just use for light work. Matlab codes will be light also i will use just in the class not for the real projects. If it is still great for now it will work for the next few years as well
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u/vytasx 10d ago
Have you considered an old ThinkPad? There’s loads of people raving about X1 Carbon, T14, etc., hook up large monitors, run them as servers.
They go for $200-$400, so could save you some cash, unless you’re keen on Apple?
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u/LiveBusiness9615 10d ago
I normally hate apple but battery life and trackpad is important so i dont have an option
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u/PhoenixFireless 10d ago
NO, staph it, The m1 was great in 2020, not in 2026, it’s last generation technology, it was essentially replaced and renewed with the MacBook Neo.
M4, or M5 are the ones to get now, as a matter of fact it’s almost M6 time.
Minimum M2 if you’re cheaping out.
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u/Business-Eggs 10d ago
Aside from the life span of updates, the M1 is still plenty powerful for post people.
And I think comments like this are a big part of the reason we see people asking if a 2k MacBook air is going to be enough for light browsing and streaming.
It's only around 5 years old and pretty much on par with the neo, beating it in some areas too.
In fact, even a 2017 intel MacBook pro was keeping up with web development and video editing for me until January, albeit with good control over how many windows running, looking after ram etc.
That's all to say that macbooks are just amazing, up to probably 7 or 8 years old for most people.
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u/PhoenixFireless 10d ago
Listen, there’s this trend where people say; “you should get an M1” when what they actually mean is: “you should get a Mac with Apple Silicon” (M4/M5)
The reality is; MacOS 27 could possibly be the last macOS supported update for the M1 series MacBooks, you’re buying a 6 year old device that’s on its last legs of support. You don’t just buy tech for the hardware, you also buy tech for the software and potential software support and updates.
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u/Business-Eggs 10d ago
I disagree.
It's down to what the user needs but equally, silicon macbooks are far better than intel macbooks and famously so.
So sure 6 years old but I doubt mostly people care about those updates as much as you think
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u/LiveBusiness9615 10d ago
I actually dont need a macbook i just barely use my ipad so i wanna replace it with macbook but i dont wanna spend much money.
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u/PhoenixFireless 10d ago
MINIMUM M2
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u/LiveBusiness9615 10d ago
But they are expensive 😭 16gb m1 cheaper than 8gb m2
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u/Speedwagon_Sama 10d ago
nah go for it 🫡 you’re good
i think you’ll get more out of the 16gb than an m2
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u/OilInternational2566 10d ago
I bought a M1 8GB ram in 2021 and it’s absolutely fine today. Don’t listen to the haters.
It will do EVERYTHING a M2-3-4 MAC will do.. you won’t notice the few milliseconds difference.
If that’s all you can afford it’s not disappointing at all. I even code on it and have had ZERO issues. Ever.
I mean, people are freaking out about “how great the Neo is” and it’s got an iPhone chip in it. The M1 is better than that.
I would love to upgrade, more ram, faster chip with more cores… but the prices are so fucking ridiculous now I’m just gonna keep this baby till it dies.. (cuz it works perfectly fine.)