Any thoughts on this: Apple 2020 MacBook Air Laptop M1 Chip, 13" Retina Display

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Thu Jul 20, 2023, 05:49 PM - Edit history (1)

It's 25 percent off list price at a lot of places right now. Best Buy, Amazon, etc.

I am not a Prime member of Amazon, but everybody matches Amazon for price. Best Buy, if they don't have it at the store, will ship it to me for free.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/2023/07/12/macbook-air-prime-day-2023/

https://www.pcguide.com/deals/save-250-off-apple-2020-macbook-air-13-post-prime-day-deals/

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/macbook-air-13-3-laptop-apple-m1-chip-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-space-gray/5721600.p

I know; I can get Intel for less.

I'm not a gamer. This is probably more than I need, but I do want something nice.

Just curious. Thanks.

{edited} The Apple store; that is, the bricks and mortar Apple store, does not match the price, at least on its website.

https://www.apple.com/macbook-air-m1/

{more editing} Thanks in advance for the replies. BB says their price is good until midnight Sunday. If the store runs out, I can wait a few days to have one shipped. I'm in no hurry.

Thanks again.

[LakeVermilion]

1. If its important to you...

Make sure it can handle the latest OS.

I would have kept my iMac desktop for ever. But there came a point that it couldn't handle the new operating systems. Sure it still worked, but it was like the World stopped, put me on the side of the road and moved on.

[bahboo]

2. the M1, etc. are the chips of the future for Apple....

they have M2 now and I think are going to M3. I would go with that 2020 laptop, so it remains current and upgradeable for longer....

[kabi knit]

3. Make Sure It Can Handle The Latest OS

I agree with LakeVermilion (completely).

I have a mid 2009 MacBook Pro which I upgraded with a new solid-state drive and a new battery. Then I upgraded the OS to El Capitan; however, the OS cannot be upgraded any further due to hardware limitations.

So now I am on the same side of the road as LakeVermilion (is on).

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Per the specs,

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/macbook-air-13-3-laptop-apple-m1-chip-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-space-gray/5721600.p?skuId=5721600

it ships with Operating System macOS Big Sur 11.0.

I don't know where that ranks. I can tell you what Tiger and Panther and Leopard run on, but not Big Sur 11.0.

The same model, but with an M2 chipset,

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/macbook-pro-13-3-laptop-apple-m2-chip-8gb-memory-512gb-ssd-latest-model-space-gray/6509653.p?skuId=6509653

ships with Operating System macOS Monterey 12. I don't know how far up I can go with the M1 chipset.

I absolutely do not need the latest bells and whistles. The version with the M2 is an extra $550. Yikes.

Apple says

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201260

that the latest OS right now is macOS Ventura 13.4.1.

{edited}

This page

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201862

says I can upgrade to Ventura.

[kabi knit]

5. Informational :: OR Perhaps Not (?)

I cannot specify a mac OS (for anyone), but if I were purchasing a new(er) mac I would seek out the latest OS.

Having said that, my sense (also) tells me that your selection of macOS Big Sur 11.0 should work nicely for the next several years. Just below is a link to an article detailing macOS versions:

All macOS versions from 2001 to 2023

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. I just got off the phone from talking to Apple Support.

It seems, that as the page https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201862 suggests, that the 2020 version with the M1 chipset can get a software update to Ventura 13.4.1.

I guess I'd go directly from Big Sur to Ventura, bypassing Monterey. I don't know if that makes sense geographically, but that's how they named their OSes.

I've long found Every Mac https://everymac.com/ to be a good source of specifications. Here what they say:

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/macbook-air-silicon-faq/macbook-air-silicon-macos-support-ipad-app-installation.html

What version of the macOS is pre-installed on the Apple Silicon MacBook Air?

Different Apple Silicon MacBook Air models originally shipped with different versions of the macOS:

MacBook Air Original macOS Version (Build Number)
M1 (2020) macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 (20B29)
M2 (2022) macOS Monterey 12.4 (21F2081)
M2 15" (2023) macOS Ventura 13.4 (22F2073)
Regardless of the version pre-installed, Apple Silicon MacBook Air models are fully compatible with the latest version of the macOS.

Thanks.

[kabi knit]

7. Mac's-R-Good

For mac-questions, it's always best to go the 'source'.

I wish you good luck with your new mac-choice.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Thanks. I don't really need anything this fancy-shmancy.

If you saw what I was using last week, your jaw would drop.

Here's what happened. A company installing new internet in my neighborhood didn't take the time to mark existing underground cables, so they sawed right through my connection. My fallback position was an old dial-up connection. I was running an iBook G4 on OSX 10.4.11, Tiger. My browser was TenFourFox, the last version they released before throwing in the towel, fpr 32.5.

https://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/

People, that is slow. Right now, my cable service is back, and I'm on an employer-supplied laptop running Windows 11. Much faster.

[kabi knit]

9. Understood...

I also have many much-older Windoze desktops on which I run older legacy software for my clients who absolutely refuse to update their equipment and/or their software.

These folks will pass into the ether long before they even think of upgrading...which is why I maintain my older devices.

[Tetrachloride]

10. is your ibook still running ? if yes, i may have a request

[mahatmakanejeeves]

11. The G4? I've got a few of them. I keep them around. NT

[Tetrachloride]

12. after this stormy weekend, i should have my questions from 2 decades ago

clarified

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. I've got the books from back then too. NT

[Tetrachloride]

14. very special question

are any running at 10.2 or 10.3 ?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. I can't recall. I know I used to have one running 10.3.9.

None runs 10.2. I used to have the installation disks for 10.0, 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3, but they got thrown out while I wasn't looking.

I don't use those old ones too much, mostly to keep papers from blowing away.

What are you looking for in particular?