Poll: *** The official 2020 MacBook Air/13" MacBook Pro thread (it has the M1 chip and everything!) ***

[Squink]

Nah none at all, play some games but it's like WoW and rocksmith.

There’s so much hype around M1 that it’s hard to separate breathless YouTube sensationalism from cold facts. I had an 8/256 Pro for a week or so and I saw enough to believe that during the lifetime of the machine both the RAM and the storage would become an issue. I’ve therefore swapped it for a refurb Air with 16/512 and 8 cores for a little more than I paid for the Pro. Time will tell if it’s the right decision - certainly the touchbar is no reason to want the Pro.

Also the Pro is more likely to be completely refreshed in a few months and that would grind my gears so soon after my purchase of the old model.

 

[JUMPURS]

The pro refresh is what's putting me off.

Stupidly enough i quite like the pro form factor. Looking at just the 8GB versions the prices are pretty comparable as long as i sacrafice 256GB or storage, which isn't a huge issue for me.

Might keep an eye out for a refurb and see

 

[Squink]

My refurb Air reports a single charge cycle on the battery and 86gb written to the SSD. Either it's had a comprehensive refit or the previous owner really didn't like their new MacBook Air.

 

[Jimmy Weirdarms]

For anybody looking for refurbs - I wandered into my local John Lewis in Southampton a couple of days ago, and they had some refurb M1 Airs in their clearance section. Some graded "A", had a price in the £800s (maybe £850?), and the "B" grades were cheaper again (£785?) though there may only have been one of those. Not sure what makes something a B grade refurb...

Worth a look maybe if there's a JL near you?

All 8GB models. Storage may have varied but I suspect they were mostly 'base' spec - 7 core gpu, 256GB storage. Sorry not to remember concrete details, but I thought it worth a mention if anyone's on the lookout.

 

[Squink]

Apple refurbs are £850 for the base spec Air, but the thing is that Apple actually do refurb their products. I'd be wary in case JL did no more than a ''wipe with a damp cloth" kind of refurb.

 

[Jimmy Weirdarms]

Apple refurbs are £850 for the base spec Air, but the thing is that Apple actually do refurb their products. I'd be wary in case JL did no more than a ''wipe with a damp cloth" kind of refurb.

Not a clue, but they are usually pretty good on customer service so ... meh! Who knows.

 

[Squink]

Not a clue, but they are usually pretty good on customer service so ... meh! Who knows.

From personal experience, JL are absolutely atrocious at customer service. As soon as you log on to a device they won’t take it back unless there’s a fault. Apple will take anything back without fuss.

 

[Jimmy Weirdarms]

From personal experience, JL are absolutely atrocious at customer service. As soon as you log on to a device they won’t take it back unless there’s a fault. Apple will take anything back without fuss.

Really? Not my experience at all, though I’ve never bought apple stuff from them. :shrug:

 

[Reuben klang]

I only buy my apple stuff from apple direct. I think it’s easier and less fuss. Anything goes wrong just take it back to the store - after booking an appointment which is annoying. Anyway I’ve never had any issue with JL on returning stuff or stuff I’ve had issues with. I had a TV that developed a fault just out it’s warranty and they honoured it. Pretty good iyam

 

[Captain]

Just had confirmation that my MacBook Air that should have been delivered on the 24th of March is coming tomorrow.

I’m guessing someone out there is enjoying a new MacBook.

 

[Deleted member 138126]

I definitely haven't seen a spinning beach ball yet, but the fact that I'm seeing pressure on the memory effectively from day 1, makes me worry that a couple of OS updates later, along with some changes to MS Office or what-have-you and it'll be spinning balls all the time. I should probably stop thinking about it

Either way, the 8gb Pro is going back, to be replaced by a 16/512 Air for £80 more than the £1152 I paid for the Pro. And thinking about the Touch Bar again, it's harmless enough but a total gimmick. I think I'd prefer the physical buttons.

How did you get a 16/512 Air for £1200? They are £1399 on Apple Refurb.

 

[Squink]

How did you get a 16/512 Air for £1200? They are £1399 on Apple Refurb.

It was definitely £1229 and I didn’t have any special discount. Are you sure on that £1399 price for a refurb? Normally the base spec refurb Air is £849, making a £550 difference for the extras, which is more that you’d pay buying them new. Maybe £1399 is the price for a refurb Pro with the same storage and RAM?

 

[Deleted member 138126]

It was definitely £1229 and I didn’t have any special discount. Are you sure on that £1399 price for a refurb? Normally the base spec refurb Air is £849, making a £550 difference for the extras, which is more that you’d pay buying them new. Maybe £1399 is the price for a refurb Pro with the same storage and RAM?

You're absolutely right, I'm not sure what configuration Apple was showing me (all the refurb M1 MacBook Airs are out of stock so I can't check). The retail price for 16GB/512GB is £1449, so the typical refurb discount of 15% gives £1230. I'm so confused as to what I was looking at!

 

[Converge]

My partners just got an M1 and we’re finding the camera quality to be worse than her previous Air. Like it has a clear perspex over it or something. Anyone else found the camera quality to be worse?

 

[Spleen Sauce]

My partners just got an M1 and we’re finding the camera quality to be worse than her previous Air. Like it has a clear perspex over it or something. Anyone else found the camera quality to be worse?

I had a 2017 Macbook Air previously and the M1 Air is definitely better in regards to camera quality. Its still pretty much potatocam compared to what Apple should be putting in new machines, but its alright.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

The thickness of the laptop lid prevents anything better being put in. Apple can’t beat the laws of physics at the end of the day and the same applies to pretty much al other laptops.

 

[Reuben klang]

If you’re that concerned about the quality, you should be using a third party camera, no?

 

[englishpremier]

If you’re that concerned about the quality, you should be using a third party camera, no?

You can use your DSLR with some third party software, and enjoy Zoom, Skype or whatever other calls you want to make where people might want better camera quality.

I don't think I've ever used a built in cam. Never seen the point.

 

[Spleen Sauce]

You can use your DSLR with some third party software, and enjoy Zoom, Skype or whatever other calls you want to make where people might want better camera quality.

I don't think I've ever used a built in cam. Never seen the point.

Never worked from home and needed to join a meeting then?

 

[englishpremier]

Never worked from home and needed to join a meeting then?

Not with the use of the webcam. I don't really need some bobble head on a wide angle camera that is rendering their image in the wrong proportions.