Apple MacBook Air M1 at Walmart

[macarose]

Thanks to this thread I just checked the specs on my laptop computer...

System Model Inspiron 5379
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8550U CPU @ 1.80GHz, 2001 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
OS Name Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
Build Date? 2018 according to an Ebay listing for a similar laptop.

The computer I got for $25 from an amazing friend of mine who knows computers like I know cars.

I did buy a 2TB SSD drive about five years ago. Maybe $50
Speakers date back to the Y2K era.
The external monitor was free. It's about 13 or 14 inches. Mouse was free too.
External microphone was $20. Keyboard was maybe $5 at a thrift store.
I bought two HP printers for $60 a pop 10 years ago. One finally conked out and I'm now using the other.

The kicker is I took an old spice rack that's about the same size as the laptop computer and laid it on its side. The computer sits on top and now has plenty of space to breathe.

I'm hoping this can get me to 2030. The price for 'new' old stuff is just plain ridiculous.

 

[2dogs]

I use an apple M1 air. Bought a few years ago. Does everything I need. I think I paid around $900.Not sure though.

 

[Hall]

with only 8G of Ram

Anytime someone mentions "only 8g" of RAM when it comes to Macs tells everyone that you know nothing about Apple architecture and are strictly comparing it to Windows machines.

 

[tmorris1]

Exactly.... This is another reason I stray away from all things Apple, their arrogance is as deafening.

The thing is half a decade old, with only 8G of Ram and no ability to expand or perform todays heavy lift work, less than $50 off the retail price 5 years later down to $650... Come on now! There is really no efficient or effective reason to buy this thing at this price today, it should be $300 machine, and honestly I'm being generous.

I agree for myself but the fact is that most people
don't do any "heavy lifting". Most things are cloud based now anyway and they need something that can access the internet and these machines will do that with CPU to spare

 

[alarmguy]

My "2018" Mac mini decktop which I think was purchased in late 2019, still receives all the latest operating systems and updates.
Performs still like it is new and this is the older version with the i5 intel chip. Apple now makes their own superior "M" series chips.
My wife has the Mac mini with the Apple M1 chip just like my MacBook Air with the M1 chip. None of these are going to be outdated anytime soon performing normal computing tasks for machines up to $900. is my feeling.

My "2018" Mac mini Desktop running the same software as the newest Mac that can be bought today and still just as fast as the day I bought it as far as I can tell.

The MacBook Air is a generation newer with the M1 chip and runs the same operating system

The newest Mac mini Desktop is a steal for the typical homeowner and more with now the 4th generation M4 chip. A base model is fine for the home and I imagine scream past any windows machine anywhere near and double its price range or more.
$600 gets you there.
SO here I am with a "2018" model still works amazingly but for fun someday I might want the new M4 to see if any difference.
I guess this means for me, years down the road I might want something new only because I had the current for so long?
Just rambling on ...

 

[wavinwayne]

My daughter got her M1 MBA from Walmart a couple months ago as part of this (or a similar) sale. It's a great little machine that does everything she needs it to. She uses it mostly for college classwork. I got mine a few years ago and it's still working great!

 

[JHZR2]

Good to hear that you are using this model w/use for 3 yrs. Chromebook offers me enough though.

3 years is nothing. I’m still running my 12 and 14 year old MBP and MBA Intel Macs regularly.

I just wonder how great of a deal this is, compared to a newer one. It’s a $50 discounted, but so what?

This one with double the RAM is $709, newer model/chip.

 

[fantastic]

3 years is nothing. I’m still running my 12 and 14 year old MBP and MBA Intel Macs regularly.

I just wonder how great of a deal this is, compared to a newer one. It’s a $50 discounted, but so what?

This one with double the RAM is $709, newer model/chip.

Definitely, We should expect more than 3 years out of these. But Wow 12 years! I guess my biggest fear is security updates would no longer be updated after whatever the OEM considers the end of life support. My Chromebook will get 7 years OS/Security updates & that is the longest product support product I've ever owned. It's a Samsung Galaxy Chromebook & I bought it on Aug 27, 2020 for $592 from a Best Buy "Open Box". I have used it every single day since then but I did need to send it in after getting it due to a lousy touch pad issue. But to your point I think there are better deals for newer devices that is good to state for others to weigh their options. Paying a little more to get a newer MB is nice to know.

 

[97prizm]

Walmart doesn't state when the sale ends. I can only assume it's a weekly sale.
This is the MacBook Air with M1 chip. It is the first in the series of Apples new M1 chip back around the start of 2021. I above this exact model and so far performed flawlessly for the last 3 years.
The reason for the sale is it is their older model, certainly capable of doing anything that any laptop computer can do with stellar battery life too. It is so efficient that it doesn't have a fan to keep it cool.
If you use it for heavy work related things some commented they would like more memory. Apple OS is more efficient than Windows though.

As my home laptop I have never needed anything more, it's lightening fast. Much of my computing is also done on a Mac desktop too.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Apple-Ma...rage/609040889?classType=VARIANT&athbdg=L1200

Have you considered a Linux laptop? Just as functional without all of the headaches with Apple. Plus better security.

 

[IveBeenRued]

3 years is nothing. I’m still running my 12 and 14 year old MBP and MBA Intel Macs regularly.

I just wonder how great of a deal this is, compared to a newer one. It’s a $50 discounted, but so what?

This one with double the RAM is $709, newer model/chip.

View attachment 275530

Just don’t do any sensitive work on those older Macs. A friend just lost around $30K because his wife was doing their banking stuff on her 2012 MBP. She got hit with some drive by Mac malware and they gained control of the machine, exfiltrated her banking credentials, used email 2FA on her Apple Mail, took control of her banking account, and cleared them out. They are working through the very lengthy process of filing a fraud claim.

A good rule of thumb is that one the OS updates are done, time to upgrade. Security updates alone aren’t even sufficient nowadays.

 

[alarmguy]

Have you considered a Linux laptop? Just as functional without all of the headaches with Apple. Plus better security.

I’ve had my MacBook Air since around 2020 or 2021 and still working perfect
I also have a Mac mini desktop with a 27 inch monitor with i5 processor still working perfect
I have an iPhone 15 and an Apple Watch 9
All of them seamlessly work together and exchange my information, pretty much which ever device I use I could pick up where I left off on the last one.

My wife has a Mac mini desktopM1 processor, iPhone 13, recent new iPad and an Apple Watch 7
Same for her all work seamlessly together never had an issue with any of them, which is pretty amazing. Before that for over 20 years, I’ve used Windows devices and some android phones.

My wife does maintain a relatively recent windows Lenovo yoga with that high speed Intel architecture, whatever its called, I forgot, even though I bought it for her. She loves that laptop, however, has been using it less and less since she got the new iPad which seamlessly integrates with her iPhone and her Mac desktop.

She also has a pretty substantial Dell workstation with dual monitors that her company gave her for her work at Home office

In all these years, we never tried Linux at one point many years ago right in this thread. I inquired about it getting frustrated with windows.
However, we really are fully in the Apple world now and it’s really thoughtless. Everything works as it should to put it in perspective using my computer is no different than sitting down and turning on my television it just works.

I used to be an anti-apple person, many years ago. My family made fun of me when I switched over to all Apple devices one by one they reminded me how much I used to trash the company and now that’s all I use.

 

[Hall]

This one with double the RAM is $709, newer model/chip.

That's the same machine I'm typing this reply on. It was bought brand new a little over 2 years ago. I will say, I'm concerned about the battery and how long it will last. They're no longer user-replaceable too.

 

[zyxelenator]

That's the same machine I'm typing this reply on. It was bought brand new a little over 2 years ago. I will say, I'm concerned about the battery and how long it will last. They're no longer user-replaceable too.

They are. If you can replace spark plugs, you should be able to replace battery in a modern macbook. (well maybe spark plugs in a traverse v6, where 3 are close to windshield and not that easy to reach). Here is an example of the process: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+2022+(M2)+Battery+Replacement/156332

 

[zyxelenator]

I used to be an anti-apple person, many years ago. My family made fun of me when I switched over to all Apple devices one by one they reminded me how much I used to trash the company and now that’s all I use.

Sucks you in fast, isn’t it? Heh, something similar in my past. After my iPhone 3g bricked on me in the middle of the night, causing me oversleep and be late to work for 2 hours, not to mention loosing all recent photos and data… I stayed away from apple until Iphone 12. (at that point OnePlus and Pixel phones were priced the same, if not more than iPhone). Right before that I decided to try to use more often MacOS, just out of curiosity. Windows was a daily driver at home, RHEL cmd daily at work, Ubuntu and Chrome OS at some random spare machines at home. So just that one was missing. Got used 2018 or 19 air. Then iPhone 12. Then watch SE(did on call shifts with lots of calls at night for some time, so needed something to wake me up without waking up wife). Then Ipad air with M1. Then there was a deal where I traded in my Iphone 12 for 13 and made $50(that included trading in worhhless pixel4 and selling iPhone 12 on eBay). Sometime around that time next update made macbook Air painfully slow, like unusable slow, probably on purpose to make people buy M chips. So it got traded for open box 15 inch Air with m2/8gb. Airpods pro 2 and Apple tv 4k were added somewhere along the way (Android OS tv started to glitch and to the point of being unusable periodically). Then Iphone 13—>16 pro, when 13s battery health dropped to about 80%. M1 air had issues with fast drain battery, it was fixed in some 16.x version and when 17 came out they lost that fix somewhere and It would discharge itself by 5pm, just laying on the table not being used. Support would act stupid as usual and pretend like they know nothing and try to blame it on anything they can other than their software or hardware. Anyway got sick of it and mad, got sub $200 Lenovo p11 pro tablet. Holds battery for a week+ when idling as it should... Anyway after some time m1 Air Got traded in for Ipad Pro 11inch with M2 when their prices dropped to around $550. And I could use my pencil and magic keyboard with it. After some time I realized that while
My 15 air is portable and ok to carry in a bag/car to office and back is fine, but walking for some time in downtown and/or coffee shops or vacation travel- not so much. I also have rather thick, real leather clip on cover on it top and bottom, so it adds to bulk and weight. So this year I purchased used m1 mbp 13 with 16gb ram in very mint condition from Ebay for $500, for those purposes. That was chased with m4 mac mini base, when they just released and it has been very good work machine since then,with triple monitor setup. I don't remember when was last time I opened my company issued glitchy Dell laptop last time…

 

[alarmguy]

They are. If you can replace spark plugs, you should be able to replace battery in a modern macbook. (well maybe spark plugs in a traverse v6, where 3 are close to windshield and not that easy to reach). Here is an example of the process: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+2022+(M2)+Battery+Replacement/156332

Oh crud! I have a 17 Traverse V6 *LOL*

 

[Hall]

They are.

Co-worker needed to replace the battery in a Macbook Pro not long ago. They no longer replace them at Apple stores - they ship them off. I thought the Air was the same (I have a '13 MBA that's simple to replace the battery on). Given the instructions you linked, nope, I'll gladly replace spark plugs in the cold while it's raining before I do this battery replacement. There's way too many tiny screws, tiny fragile cable connectors, and so on.

 

[JHZR2]

That's the same machine I'm typing this reply on. It was bought brand new a little over 2 years ago. I will say, I'm concerned about the battery and how long it will last. They're no longer user-replaceable too.

My MBA, which is an old core2duo intel version 13”, still has original battery. It’s 13-14 years old I think.