MACBOOK M1 Air

[barnabaskoh]

Hi,thinking to get a MacBook air for excel computing as I read it's a struggle to use ipad pro to do excel.

Will MacBook air m1 still have 4 years of software update ? For general use,it should be sufficient right? If I Wana upgrade the ram,it can be done at a later stage right?

 

[limpe84]

Hi,thinking to get a MacBook air for excel computing as I read it's a struggle to use ipad pro to do excel.

Will MacBook air m1 still have 4 years of software update ? For general use,it should be sufficient right? If I Wana upgrade the ram,it can be done at a later stage right?

The new MacBook airs have soldered ram, meaning you can't add more ram or storage later on. So you have to decide upfront how much you need / want, and pay upfront.

If you do want a MBA right now, consider checking out the refurbished section of the online Apple Store. It's not really that cheap once you add the extra ram and storage (expect to pay around $1800). There's rumours of new M3 iPads and MBAs being announced in March, so if you can, maybe wait another 1-2 months? If nothing else, the price of the M1 might drop a little more as well.

https://www.apple.com/sg/shop/refurbished/mac/512gb-13-inch-macbook-air-16gb

My M1 MBA is still going strong after 3 years, but it's anyone's guess how long Apple will support it for (we really won't know until the year that it doesn't get an update). As for excel, my general understanding is that Office still works best on a windows laptop. They do work okay on a Mac, but it always felt to me like the software wasn't as optimised as it could be, and some functionality just feels missing.

 

[barnabaskoh]

The new MacBook airs have soldered ram, meaning you can't add more ram or storage later on. So you have to decide upfront how much you need / want, and pay upfront.

If you do want a MBA right now, consider checking out the refurbished section of the online Apple Store. It's not really that cheap once you add the extra ram and storage (expect to pay around $1800). There's rumours of new M3 iPads and MBAs being announced in March, so if you can, maybe wait another 1-2 months? If nothing else, the price of the M1 might drop a little more as well.

https://www.apple.com/sg/shop/refurbished/mac/512gb-13-inch-macbook-air-16gb

My M1 MBA is still going strong after 3 years, but it's anyone's guess how long Apple will support it for (we really won't know until the year that it doesn't get an update). As for excel, my general understanding is that Office still works best on a windows laptop. They do work okay on a Mac, but it always felt to me like the software wasn't as optimised as it could be, and some functionality just feels missing.

Thanks limpe84, I saw switch or istudio has it for 1.1k and apple has refurbish m1 pro at 1.3k. I can wait a month or two but dont think can afford the new ones..
My budget is within 2k.

 

[limpe84]

Thanks limpe84, I saw switch or istudio has it for 1.1k and apple has refurbish m1 pro at 1.3k. I can wait a month or two but dont think can afford the new ones..
My budget is within 2k.

The cheapest M1 Pro MBP is going for $2179.

https://www.apple.com/sg/shop/refurbished/mac/512gb-14-inch-macbook-pro-16gb

Were you checking the US website or something?

 

[barnabaskoh]

The 8gb version is 1.3k. is 16gb necessary?I will be using for simple excel and word keying and some simple browsing and video watching.. the air is also going at same price so I was thinking sld be more worth to get pro version right?

 

[reddevil0728]

The 8gb version is 1.3k. is 16gb necessary?I will be using for simple excel and word keying and some simple browsing and video watching.. the air is also going at same price so I was thinking sld be more worth to get pro version right?

For your use case, I think the base model seems to be sufficient

 

[anthonygreenisreal]

Yes base model M1 or M2 is more than sufficient for your use.

 

[barnabaskoh]

What do you mean by base model?means MacBook air 8gb model without upgrade or you mean I do not need pro,MacBook air is enough?

 

[manofsorrows]

What do you mean by base model?means MacBook air 8gb model without upgrade or you mean I do not need pro,MacBook air is enough?

base model means the entry level specs. 8gb ram with 256gb ssd.

 

[barnabaskoh]

base model means the entry level specs. 8gb ram with 256gb ssd.

Thanks! i think its enough for me. i bought the m1 . Really good so far