Buying a new Mac also getting rid of this one

By Siobhan, 30 July, 2021

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

Hi all. this Mac is showing it's age. Although with a little cosmetic damage and a new battery this would be fine for someone. I just am wanting to get more up to date. I have a few questions. first, I want to go to an SSD as the normal hard drive, I forget the type, makes me bonkers waiting for it to do stuff sometimes. Has anyone found boot times, and loading of pages and apps better with an SSD? Has anyone bought a smaller one and wished for a bigger one? What's the big difference between an air and a pro? This one I'm writing on is a Mac book pro. If I erase the disc before selling this one, will someone else be able to get a copy of Catalina on it? That's as far as it goes. I want to put as much thought into this as possible. I don't want to have the latest one, but one that holds for a few system upgrades. I swear i've written this stuff before, so I apologize. Thanks for any help Any other tips experiences, or sites I can check besides the usual would help too. I live in Florida. Have a good one.
P.s. I'm hesitant for a referbished as two computers, my dad's and my own back in the day have crapped out.

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Comments

By Brandt on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Hi Siobhan,

Unless you know you will need it, I wouldn't recommend buying more than the base MacBook Air to anyone. I wouldn't even bother with buying more storage, you can get external storage cheeper. Apple really gets you on that. The 8 GB Ram is also fine for most, again, if you need it, you'd know.

I really love my M1 MacBook Air, use too use a 2012 MacBook Pro, and, yes, back then you actually needed one of those to get anything done. I haven't seen a computer with a Harddrive in so long, I really don't remember when. All new computers will have an SSD.

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Hi. Thanks for telling me that about the SSD Unless it states it, I think I get the old spinning one. The reason I think I would need more memory is because I seem to have it taking so long to do something could've been related to the memory. I don't know i'm just trying to ask questions before I stalk the fedex dude and demand I be the first delivery. Lmao thanks dude.

By CuriousNetEntity on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

I second the recommendation for buying a new MacBook Air. All that slowness and "busy, busy, busy you are used to will be gone. 16 GB of memory didn't help my old Mac stop that. If you are used to a computer with a hard drive in it you will be totally astonished at the speed of a new one. I don't know what you tend to do with your computer, but unless you edit huge audio/video projects I doubt you need anything more than an M1 MacBook Air which comes with an SSD and 8GB RAM by default. The older Macs aren't really that much cheaper, but will be significantly slower. The only reason not to get the newest MacBook is if you also want to run Windows on it, or if there is some very specific program you use that would not work on the new processors. Most apps do work well.
Maybe this doesn't matter to you, but I bought the M1 MacBook Air because it has no fan at all. It is absolutely silent and doesn't get hot. It also has better battery life than previous models.

Sorry I don't know anything about preparing your old Mac for resale.

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Have the Macs gained any decent speakers? The ones on this one are just not loud enough and no bass tospeak of. Yeah I know, laptop but still. So can anyone tell me how nice they sound now? Still doing a ton of research. I stil

By Holger Fiallo on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

The only one with great sspeakers is the mac pro. The others are OK but nothing to get happy. So several reviews by a cool guy Flassy Carter on it and he does a great on any item.

By Holger Fiallo on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Name of the person who does a nice job with any product is Flossy Carter check him in youtube. He is diferent from others and direct to the point.

By JC on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Hi,

I, too, am looking into upgrading to the MacBook Air m1. what's the sound quality on the new mics?

By Becca on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Hi. I'm currently typing this on a 2020 MacBook Air with an M1 chip. I think the battery is great for what I do with my Mac, that is, emails, watching Netflix, browsing the internet etc. If you don't edit videos and do other really powerful things than I would stick with the MacBook Air.

By JC on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Hi,

Question for you: how's the mic quality on the new 2020 m1 Mac? does it sound good?

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

I thought apple still had the magnetic charger but I guess not. Plus I see things like 85 watt charger but according ti Apple, I get a two meter usbc cable and 30 watt charging adapter. I'm also guessing the cord can not be extended like the older models. I think I will go with the M1 chip. Also there's a sales tax holiday going on in my state. According to siri, my tax is six percent. Yet when pricing an air on bestbuy, I was told sales tax was seven bucks. So yeah I'm confused. I'm a little disapointed they got rid of the magnetic charger. Also, what are the USB4 ports? I might've gotten that wrong. Thanks for answering questions. I know i'm driving myself and you all crazy.

Hi Siobhan,

Yes, you are correct, their's no magnetic charger, as all m1 Macs come with USB C chargers. also, the USB 4 ports are USB C ports. these can be used for both charging, and data transfer. these can also be used for audio devices which also have USB C connectivity. for example, the Mic I have has not only USB A for older Macs, but also USB C for newer Macs. so whenever I get an M1 Mac, I could just connect the mic directly to the USB C ports. HTH.

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Hi. I appreciate all the help you and others give. Now if i can just buy the stupid thing!! Lol. I don't remember how long this current cord is, but I wonder if six feet is enough? Again I'm remembering the old Mac where you could make the cord much longer by just unplugging the two prongs and putting in the larger plug. Ugh can I make a freakin decision already?! Thanks so much.

By Dennis Westphal on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

You could just buy a longer USB C Cable seperatly. That way you can swap out the cable between the Macbook and the power brick for whatever length you need.

The power brick and the Macbook have USB C. So every USB C cable will work between them.

As for the speakers I was thrilled coming from a 2015 Macbook Air. The new ones sound really good. I thing you will not be disappointed.

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Thanks I can buy a longer one, I should probably get a spare anyway. I based my dislike of the sound on a youtube vid so there's that. Let's be honest the sound test in a store won't help much I know. Well now I think i'll look at the launch, and depending on the finance fairy see how it goes.

By JC on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Dennis,

What MacBook you have now? the air? or the pro? just wondering. and how does the internal mic sound?

By Cowboy on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Is it only the Pro that they are bringing the magnetic charger back on, are are they doing that on the Air as well?

I know many people love the magnetic charger, but I personally think bringing it back is a terrible idea. It's not universal. If your USBC cable goes bad you can easily get another one. Hell, if you have to, you can use a different power brick as long as it's not too powerful.

By Brian Giles on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

I love flossy carter. His tech reviews are entertaining, although the way he does them is more targetted at the African-American community. I love at the beginning he always goes Shout out to White Shoes, back in the building." White shoes being his cat.

By Brian Giles on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

As far as selling your old Mac, I think I found a guide on Apple's website on how to do that. I restored mth my MBP to factory settings, which meant it went all the way back to Mountain Lion. Unfortunately, I got scammed by the guy who bought it, which I should have caught.

By Holger Fiallo on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

I am Latino and listen to his review. I got a key change he suggested for my AirTag. He does a great job. Direct and to point..

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

I'll restore it of course. for the person who is foaming at the mouth to find out how the mics are, just do what I did. You tube and figure out if you like what you hear, easy enough. I'm not really interested in the reviewer, I want to make my own decisions. Thanks though, plus the idea of a person naming their animal white shoes, is a bit odd and I'd like to leave it there. I'm probably look ing at black Friday or Cyber Monday as I need the finances to aline a bit more. To the person who doesn't like the idea of a magnetic charger, I'd rather pull a charger away from my 3000 dollar computer then slam it onto the floor. Hell this one has scratches from me trying to avoid corners and things. Yes I know hard shells exist. I've also fried things before so I'd rather not take chances with the wrong adapter. I'm at least going to look at the new Macs coming up out of curiosity.

I love flossy Carter as well. he's great. His tech reviews are very formative as well. I especially enjoyed his review on the MacBook Pro, so I might go with that, since the speakers on it sound incredible!! The first time I herd it, I was absolutely blown away. wow!! just, wow!! As far as the Touch Bar goes for voiceover, it's a no brainer, since it can be easily navigated with voiceover, just like on the iPhone.

By Dennis Westphal on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

I had the Macbook Air until about four months ago. I only tested the internal mic once. It was okay but don't get fooled by Apple claiming some kind of studio quality. It will be fine for Facetime calls and stuff like that but I personally would prefer a dedicated mic any day of the week if I have one on hand.

But don't get me wrong the quality really is *not* bad! I am just very critical with those things.

They will still have a USBC port so the magnetic charger will be an option. Microsoft does this already on the surfaces where they have the magnetic surface connecter but have a USBC port too in case you want to use that instead.

Hi,

Oh cool. I already have a good external mic with a built-in 2 channel mixer, so I'm good to go on that. again, I might go with the pro, since it has the Touch Bar in replacement of the function keys, and the size is very much the same as the air, 13-inch. I already herd a review on YouTube of someone using his MacBook Pro M1 with VoiceOver. He shared his opinion, as well as demonstrating some of the iOS apps on M1, and they are very much accessible just like on iOS. I only have 2 apps that are m1 compatible. the YouVersion bible app, and iRecorder Pro.

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Subject line says it, but if the air is silent, i wonder how hot the pro will get. This one can get wicked hot. boston, yeah. :)

By Eric Davis on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

I upgraded to the MacBook Pro when I upgraded to the M1 chip on my Mac. I originally had a 2017 MacBook Pro and wanted to upgrade when the M1 chip came out. I also chose to get the 16 gig of RAM so that I wouldn't have to worry about issues in the future. I did get the 256 gig hard drive for the same reason. This seem to me to be the best solution to keep my computer for the longest period of time. I've not had a single bit of trouble with this computer since I have owned it. I upgraded last Christmas. One of the other reasons that I chose the pro was: the microphones and speakers were the best quality that were available. The battery also lasts 2 to 4 hours longer than the one on the MacBook Air. I like this computer and would recommend it to anyone.

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Hi. I'm still on the fence but I think I'll stick with the pro. I like the longer battery life of course. Yes I noticed on YT the better speakers then the air. Well as tax holiday is almost over, I'll see what thenew macs look like, check prices on cheaper ones and go from there. Where's Santa when I need him? :) Thanks guys.

By JC on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

after listening to a YouTube video reviewing the MacBook Air 2020 m1, I have decided to go directly to the MacBook Air 2020 m1 instead of the more expensive pro. no fan, completely silent, and very light. thanks everyone for all your help. I cannot wait to get my hands on the latest MacBook Air with apple M1 chip.

By Dennis Westphal on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

After playing around with your new Macbook keep us posted. Would be cool to have more people commenting on the new MacBooks.

By Siobhan on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

Even though I like the silent air, I like the longer battery life of the pro a little better. Plus the speakers are just a bit better quality. I guess it will come down to what happens on black friday and Cuyber Monday.

By Dennis Westphal on Wednesday, August 25, 2021 - 12:15

The subject line says it all. I'd go for the MacBook Air. In fact. I just did two days ago. And honestly the battery and the speakers are very good. Keep in mind that I was using a Windows laptop before and before that a MacBook Air 2015. And the speakers and battery are so much better that it feels like a completely different category of devices.

In comparison the pro might be a bit better. But I doubt that you really feel the difference if you don't compare them side by side.

I agree. the air is completely silent. their's no fan, and the apple m1 chip is very fast. I would go for the air as well. I hope the function keys on the updated air is more responsive to press compared to the previous air I currently have.