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Need advice on shopping for a Macbook for a relative for Christmas (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The recipient doesn’t do any video editing or other process intensive workflows, just online banking, facebook, email, etc.

I’m trying to decide whether to buy new on Black Friday or shop the second hand market. I want something that’ll keep getting OS updates for at least a couple years.

Can anyone advise me on how to get the best value for my dollar—should I shop Black Friday deals for something new or stick to the used marketplaces like Facebook, eBay, etc? We’re in the US in case that affects the answer. Thank you!

ETA budget info: I’d like to spend around $500 or so, which I believe would mean going used, but I can probably stretch my budget to a grand if buying something new is actually the best value play. But if I go used, can someone recommend what years I should look for or avoid? thx

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[–] accideath 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

The most important thing is getting one with apple silicon aka M1 chip or newer. Intel macs are definitely on their way out and won’t get updated for too much longer. And from there, get the newest MacBook Air that fits in your budget. An M1 will definitely be fine, spec wise, but it’ll also be the first to lose support. M2 to M4 will probably break your budget by quite a bit though, even used, but if you find a deal on any of those that fit your budget, go for it. In any case, the base model will do. While I would generally recommend a RAM upgrade (and if you find a model with 16GB for a similar price as an 8GB model, go for it), it’s not necessary for the workload you‘ve described.

Edit: Also, try to take a look at refurbished models, both directly from apple as well as third party refurbishers. The Apple ones are as good as new, including warranty and even third party refurbished models oftentimes come with a year of warranty and you still might save a bit, if you can live with a few small blemishes.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Thanks for the tip about Apple silicon vs the older Intel chips. That was pretty much exactly the kind of advice I was looking for—i.e., if I go used, what should I avoid, so thanks for that, this really helps.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Dang, beat me to it by two minutes!

[–] accideath 2 points 1 month ago

Dang. Know the feeling xD

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I agree with the other poster. Not only is Intel Mac on the way out, the the Apple silicon chips are SO much more efficient in Macs, leading to longer battery life and less ram usage while doing stuff.

Best Buy has the base M3 MacBook Air on sale for about $750 right now. If you're dead set on used, they have a handful of refurbished M1 Air and Pro models starting around $500.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Thanks for the tip about Best Buy. I'll check their offers before deciding which way to go.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Check out Apple refurbished if you haven't already. I almost exclusively buy Apple computers this way. You get basically a brand new device with a warranty and a nice discount because some of the innards were used. The exterior and battery is brand new so you would never know the difference. Looks like there's a few MacBook Airs on there within your price range and even a couple Mac mini's for less if desktop would suffice.

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac

Edit to add: Anything with the "M-" chips should be supported for a while. M3 and M2 would likely be the safest though it seems like the first gen M1 is still well supported. If 16GB ram is available and affordable enough, I'd snag that. 8GB is just bare minimum nowadays but I have heard and apple claim that 8GB on their M-series laptops is akin to 12-16GB on other devices. Could be hogwash (I haven't used any of the M laptops), but just wanted to throw that out there.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I’m a software developer and I have the base model M1 MBA, and it’s plenty enough for me (I just wish I had 16gigs of ram, but for the use case you’ve described 8 would be enough). I expect it to get updates for at least 4 more years (speaking from experience with my previous Mac, a 2014 Mac mini, which was supported up to macOS 12 Monterey, released in 2021). You can buy one of these used or refurbished for a very good price.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Does your relative have any particular need to use their device outside of their home? It sounds like they could be better served with an iPad as a consumption device if they already happen to have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

This is also a great suggestion. Last year I got the then-new iPad Air with the M1 chip in it (Gen 5 I believe), and after getting a Logitech keyboard case it has completely replaced my laptop for work. I'm in sales so I don't need it to do anything intensive, all I ask of it is to simultaneously run QuickBooks and Slack and a couple other apps I use to do my job, as well as hotspot to my work phone, and it does all of that really well. Recent updates to the iPad OS have made that transition way easier, and I can even set it up a base station if I need to by connecting my Bluetooth mouse and keyboard and a second monitor and that also works pretty well in a pinch.

All this to say, if your relative doesn't need the computing power of a full computer and they already have an iPad, that could be an ideal direction to go in.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

They already have an iPhone and an iPad, and I hadn't considered trying a bluetooth keyboard and mouse, so thanks for the idea. I'll explore this workflow more.