Hello Everyone,
I too need to purchase a laptop for a Yr 11 student. I am not a computer person and need help.
Is the 13 inch M1 Macbook air (2020) from officeworks a good option? They will be moving from a Apple air 2015.
Do I buy the protection from Officeworks or can I get it directly from Apple?
Does anyone know of a better price for this or are you able to suggest another option?
is the pro heavier than the air?
Yes. Pro has TouchBar too, one extra core, and active cooling vs passive for the Air. Slightly longer battery life. But otherwise they are exactly the same, the Air is the one to get because it's a bit cheaper. But if you can find the M1 Pro the same price then get that.
I’ve got both the m1 MacBook Pro and the Air in the house- I don’t think the pro is worth the upgrade, depending on the price difference.
M1 air will last you ages, even with 8gb RAM, for a general use laptop. It’s great!
Maybe even consider gumtree/fb marketplace if it’s sealed and has a receipt.
M1 Pro doesn’t have a touch bar
@Kayrhcp: Yes it does, it's the only MacBook that still has it. Though Apple don't sell it new anymore themselves so technically no current MacBook has a Touch Bar anymore. You can buy used and plenty of 3rd party sellers are still selling it new https://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/FYD82X/A/refurbished-1…
If you can stretch to $1,529 Apple's refurb store has M2 Macbook Air (2022) in stock.
To be honest I didn't want to go over 1k
Might be worth a look though. Thanks
Whats wrong with your Apple Air 2015?
Its still a great computer!
It is too slow and has been freezing for about 6 months
Your MacBook has a fast Flash drive.
Just do a wipe and reinstall the latest OSX.
This will refresh the Macbook and it will run much faster.
Also check if you have 4GB RAM or 8GB RAM.
If its only 4GM then adding another 4GB RAM will also improve perforkance significantly!
Hence there is no justification for a new MacBook if you do the above and get all your performance and more back.
I did this for a friend and the difference in performance was astounding!
If you live in Sydney then PM me as I can do the same for you.
@HeWhoKnows: Damn I am not in Sydney. I would have taken you up on the offer.
Good to know thanks. I will see what I can do.
@angywoo: Plenty of youtube videos to explain how to do both of these.
Do the wipe and OSX reinstall first and see how you go.
But only install the apps you really need!
Feel free to PM me for any questions, tips and advice
Do the wipe
Sadly not many know how. You need to open Disk Utility and Erase Macintosh HD disk just before installing the OS. After you booted into installer.
@angywoo
@[Deactivated]: As I did say, plenty of videos online which explain the process.
Hence no need to explain anything here.
But yes, many will be hesitant even though its very easy to do
@NigelPearson: Can be done on some models.
I hadnt checked with this one.
But it appears that you are correct.
how bad is that of Apple to do that.
more builtin obselecence.
@HeWhoKnows: I did exactly what you said here (do the wipe and reinstall macOS), but my iMac still running slow, It has already 32RAM. I can't install the latest macOS though because my iMac is late 2012 model. Do u have any idea why is it still slow. I only do normal browsing and work off office
@simplelife: Im running an iMac 2012 as well.
Its Ok but not super fast.
Just takes a while to boot up but then its OK.
But then again, it is over 10 years old.
And its running an old style "mechanical" hard disk.
Thats the major factor holding this wonderful iMac back.
So the way to give this old beast a big boost is to swap the old HDD for an SSD.
Unfortuantely Apple have ensured this is no simple fix.
The screen is glued to the metal frame and can crack when separating it away.
So its a bit of a risk doing this.
You also need the right tools and adhesives kit to glue it back together again.
You can buy this on ebay or AliExpress (cheaper)
And you need your choice of SSD.
But once you get inside the iMac the rest is rather easy.
Id recommend not spending much as the old 2012 imac isnt worth much
(I bought mine for just $50)
Maybe get a cheap 250GB SSD.
Just plan to leave it in there because its such a pain to swap it out again.
@simplelife: Id like to add that the latest OS for this model is 10.15 Catalina.
If you havent upgraded to Catalina then do that.
It should improve performance over older OS X
@HeWhoKnows: Thanks for your advice. It looks like such a difficult task to swap an old HDD to an SSD and I have no experience in separating the screen and the frame so very risky.
I would try to upgrade to Catalina first and see how it goes. Such a shame, physically iMac is in such good condition, not even a single scratch on it. I wish i could just turn it into a computer monitor if i can 'use it as a desktop.
@simplelife: Yes good idea
Upgrade to Mac OS 10.15 Catalina but with a clean install.
Not an upgrade
Good luck
@HeWhoKnows: Btw, how do u do Mac OS 10.15 with clean install? I just upgrade from High sierra to Catalina by downloading from App Store. Will it make difference? Do i have to totally fully wipe out High Sierra and install
@simplelife: yes
1) Back up your personal files on a separate drive and/or in Time machine
2) Do a full erase of the hard disk
3) Boot and install Catalina from a USB drive
You need to prepare the bootable USB drive with the Catalina OS installation files first before wiping!
See here for clean install of Catalina:
https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/perform-clean-install-macos…
OR here (looks like a better explanation):
https://osxdaily.com/2020/07/17/how-clean-install-macos-cata…
GOOD LUCK!
Looks cheaper elsewhere from a quick google, unless you've got discount giftcards. $1,349 from JB, which is cheaper than a refurb from Apple.
I'd get applecare rather than pay officeworks. And I'd look at 16GB depending on what classes/usage and whether you want it to last into post-secondary.
I was hoping to price match/beat with emporium.
If you want another option, you could look at ex-corporate refurbs - 8th gen+.
Have a look at some of the recent older threads as this is a common question and a reasonably frequent suggestion.
If you're not in a hurry, you could subscribe to the product page - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/macbook-air-2020
I have tried to look at other threads but I don't know what it all means as far as specifications go which makes it rather overwhelming.
Your M1 Air is available from Apple Edu store for $1349 and you get a $240 Apple gift card after purchase
I was hoping to beat it with emporium but this sounds like a better offer. I just wouldn't know what to use the gift card on at Apple.
I would buy airpods and sell them (still sealed) for cash on facebook or similar, or sell it to a friend for $200 so they can buy something?
thats food for thought. Thanks
Why would you buy AirPods to sell when you can just sell the gift card itself?
Sell the gift card to someone here on ozbargain for 10% off!
Will actually use the gift card to purchase the Apple Care…
@angywoo: Available to current and newly accepted university students, parents buying for university students, and teachers and staff at all levels. Couldn't assume you're not a teacher or staff member.
@angywoo: Apologies, I was mislead by your reference to a Yr 11 student without knowing your whole situation
I gather you don't get asked to substantiate, but education pricing is available to current and newly accepted university students and their parents.
Do you know what it would bring it down to?
I think you may have to go pre-owned to get to the $1K mark, which is totally what I would do. Cashies has a few on-hand ~$899; look for low battery cycle count.
@sumyungguy: I will check them out Thanks.
I can easily go over 1k but I would prefer to keep it as close to on either side as I can. I have seen first hand how laptops at schools get treated by other students. Thrown here, thrown there.
Funny you should say that. They asked me…
Does the school suggest Apple or Windows?
The school used to suggest windows a few years ago but the parents got their way and now it is both.
It states: Any brand any model.
Windows based laptops will be lower price. You will find some decent example for $700 - 900 (brand new)
https://www.mobileciti.com.au/lenovo-thinkbook-14-gen-4-14-f…
or on eBay: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/145457867619
If it’s being used for productivity (school) Apple’s M-series chips will be far better than a windows laptop.
From a high school BYOD handbook (Sydney Boys - a Public School):
They recommended Windows Laptops:
The ThinkPad Yoga L13 is the school’s premier
device for Bring Your Own Device. Featuring a full
HD touch screen and a Yoga hinge that rotates
360 degrees, the Yoga’s full-sized attached keyboard provides a more conventional experiences
compared to the Suface Pro while maintaining
the Surface’s utility. The device is adaptable to
any situation a device may be used at school
For Mac:
The MacBook Air is a popular choice in the
school’s BYOD program with good performance
coupled with Apple’s excellent build quality.
Note: MacBooks can no longer run Windows. This
may limit its use for CAD drawing. Nonetheless
this is the product of choice for for users preferring the Apple platform.
For me, just check out other parents and go with the flow ….usually the crowd will pick the cheaper options in High School.
They're already using a MacBook Air, no obvious reason to switch
Just to save some money and make it under $1000?
I'd suggest buy refurb Macbook Pro if you want something a bit more sturdy and don't mind the extra weight. Can find some excellent quality ones from 2020 for $700 or less
Personal experience Macbook Air are fragile, lots of people complaining about screen cracks on reddit, google, etc, my screen has cracked twice. Once they replaced for free because they said it was a single point that cracked it. Second time they offered to fix for $800 (purchased for $1.2k) because they said it was caused by 'pressure damage' from where the power port was and accused me of damaging the laptop by 'grabbing the screen and twisting or pulling it'
Agree with the fragility of the MBAir - we've had one screen split after a year of very light use, a solid case won't help there, screen protector might have reduced the risk partly. Another had the drive fail and we learnt the hard way - they fill up very quickly, which in turn shortens the drives' lifespan drastically. MBPro might have been a better choice for durability, but I believe the SSDs are still surface-mounted (soldered to the mainboard) since 2019 like the MBAir?
Would you consider second-hand? Quite a few M1 air on marketplace well below $1000.
yes I would but worried about being scammed.
Education pricing direct from Apple is $1294.70
Probably won't get it much cheaper than that if you want the peace of mind of a brand new one unless Officeworks does a crazy special.
https://www.apple.com/au_edu_5000447/store
Apple told me the M1 was $1349 with a $240 gift card that can be used on applecare ($229 I think) after 7 days.
I can get M1 for 1186 if officeworks price match but the applecare is going to push the price up so maybe getting from apple may be the best option.
The Air ext monitor limit would be a reason to go pro.
M1 Air is pretty good. My kids, one a windows user and the other one an old MacBook Pro user love their M1. Old MacBook Pro had 16gb ram but they are very happy just with 8gb ram. Check facebook marketplace, plenty on sale.
Am I able to get any cash back from one of those shopper reward sites if I bought it online?
Might want to steer clear of used MacBook Airs - the memory and storage are all surface-mounted instead of slot in like previous generations.
In practice that means they will be marginally more reliable, but non-upgradeable, even by Apple themselves, and when the solid state storage drive fails (which they do 100% of the time), you can't replace it. The chances of it failing are not a lottery, so much as guaranteed, (more you fill it closer to capacity) × (number of data reads/writes).
So either buy a brand new MacBook, or buy one with a drive large enough you'll never fill it, to minimise the chance of that being a disaster within its usable life. What's large enough? The basic model comes with only 256gb storage, which is the same as most new mobile phones today, you would be better off with 1 or 2tb for safety.
Oh. Well I just bought a new standard M2 from Apple…
Hey Angywoo, the M2 Air is definitely the ideal choice. M1 air was and still is a phenomenal machine but it came out in 2020. The M2 air is an even better machine and your child will have no issues taking it to uni after graduation. My partner recently made the leap to M2 air from an older air like in your situation and the difference in speed and usability is night and day.
If you want further reassurance you made the right call let me break down other options
- m1 macbook pro = m1 air so there is no point paying extra for the same thing
- m3 macbook pro is on their new 14" chasis and with that comes a humongous price increase
- m1 air IS the perfect laptop for most people's usage sub $1400 range but it did come out in 2020 and the m2 air will give you better longevity.
- m2 air is the same as the nearly perfect m1 air with a newer design language and better performance. It will retain far more value over time as it is on the newer design generation.
- windows laptops sub $1000 - Plasticky, bulky, poor design, poor performance. Good for documents and web but not much else. probably 2 year life
- windows laptops $1000-$2000 - Some decent laptop options could be found here if you're lucky and know what to look for. But still won't match macbook's build quality, screen, battery life, speakers.
- windows laptops $2000-$4000 - Laptops here will offer you good performance, apple-like build quality, screen and design. The battery life and speakers will be closer to latest macbooks but not quite there. But also these laptops are quite expensive and I've personally seen these fail badly and quickly. I had a friend a few years back go through 2 of these "premium" windows laptops: a $3000 hp spectre and another $3000 dell xps 13. Both physically failed. the Dell had display ribbon cable crimped under the hinge causing screen blackouts and the hp bricked itself after a year. Perhaps she is just terribly unlucky and got 2 lemons in a row.
So if m1 air and m2 air are both really good and main difference is just design why not go for m1 air and save a few hundred bucks?
Because the design matters:
Firstly in highschooler angsty teen brain. People always compare themselves to each other and how they appear to peers becomes a huge point of concern to highschoolers. Having an older design macbook when everyone else is carrying the newer one could lead to a sense of inferiority and stress for the child, even if they don't specifically verbalise it.
Secondly the design is actually how many people identify a newer product and is also why people upgrade. Getting m1 air at the end of its design lifecycle versus m2 air at the beginning of its design lifecycle. Until the next design iteration many years away, the M2 air will feel current and new whilst the m1 air will always feel old. With the m1 air, you are more likely to want to upgrade after only a few years even if you are okay with it now.
Lastly the newer design macbook air will retain far more value when you try to sell it on fb/gumtree years down the line
Thank you. Your post is very helpful.
The poor Apple sales guy spent over an hour with me discussing the m1 and then just as he was about to press send and call it over, I quickly said make it the m2. He was just as shocked as I was. So much for keeping it around 1K.
Now I need to see if I can get individual insurance for it. I will get the applecare its more if it gets lost or stolen.
I agree the <$1000 Windows laptops feel plasticy, even up to $1500. The performance of those is well above an M1 - now a 4yo device with the same price as it was released at, whilst every other brand has dropped The prices and then discontinued all 4yo computers, so if you can find a 4yo Windows laptop, it will be under $500, while a $1300 model will have performance of an M2 or better, and more memory than the apple.
Just another question.
I have a (generic) hard case for my M2 air.
When I asked the lady at apple if I can use a generic hard case, she said we can put it on but not to include the keyboard protector.
I did a Google and saw that apparently the m2 doesn't have a fan and it advises not to use a hard case at all. Is this true?
If so, why are apple selling people hard cases for M2 air?
Because they can make more money when things are not protected; because they can make more money.
But seriously, because the Air doesn't have a fan inside it, it relies on passive airflow to cool it. They would advise against blocking any sort of airflow, which cases do do.
Is it better to get a MacBook Air 13inch 16gb ram now with the gift card and edu discount or wait a couple of months for the new MacBook Air to come out?
I use the M1 base Pro, basically the same as the M1 Air, and it's a beast even with just 8GB of ram.