Replacing my MacBook Air
My 2013 MacBook Air is still well and kicking, all but the battery is in good condition. I replaced the battery for a random one off Amazon and it was no good. Eventually the seller refunded my money after I reported the system would just cut off when the battery indicated around 55%. My guess is the power management was poor or the dialog with the laptop's control logic was not good so battery voltage and battery capacity were not interpreted properly. Whatever the reason, I was left with a computer that could be used only when battery was over 60% and that it can shut off anytime the number was below that. The old battery only lasted for less than one hour and I was not sure whether I would be any luckier buying another battery unless it came from Apple (which was pricier).
OTOH, that laptop had served me well for almost nine years and though it was a top of the line model (that was expensive at the time) with an i7, 8GB or RAM, and a 512GB SSD, I chose to look for a new model to replace it.
But there were a few of things I wanted: I wanted long lasting batteries, backlit keyboard, SD card support (not a dongle) and MagSafe. I was happy to learn that MagSafe was brought from the dead by Apple a couple of years ago and it is now available on some of the newer models (i.e: M2 MacBook Air, M1 Pro MacBook Pro 14" and 16" models and on the new 13" M2 MacBook Pro).
And given the choice it look like an M2-based model would be a better choice than M1 as being newer is supposed to be better, right? Unfortunately, the new M2 MacBook Air was not available till mid July 2022, so I was hesitant to wait for it or not, but I settled that could be a nice replacement of my again Air.
Meanwhile, I was consuming a number of YouTube videos about the M2 Air and the 13" M2 MB Pro, each having its own set of problems. After doing the math, an M2 MB Air with 1 TB SSD and 16 GB would be around 2200 EUR in Europe. That was a lot of money. It was around the same amount of money that put me off last year when I considered replacing the Air but the then new 14" M1 MacBookPro. Plus I assumed the Pro having cooling fans was not cool anymore as the M1 Air was finless at the time.
During the last week I saw a significant number of YouTubers claiming the M1 Air was in fact a much value than the M2 Air base model. But the M2 Air came with a number of improvements too, whether these were adding enough value to justify the price increase it was unclear.
However, while I was doing all that math, I came across a good deal on a local seller, offering a 10% discount on the 14" M1 MB Pro, at barely 2000 EUR, that made me pull the trigger and I bought a more capable machine for less money that I would if I would have gone for the M2 Air.
It is not M2 but M1 Pro is actually offering a more significant computing power, with a larger battery and display. A display which is not larger but better, brighter and more advanced offering 120 Hz refresh rate, plus a built-in SD card and HDMI support for up to two displays.
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