Will the M1 Macbook Air last longer than a comparably priced Windows laptop?

[Burebista]

Hey guys, I’m in the market for a new laptop for the first time in years, and looking for something that will last. The main use cases are multimedia and light work.

Ideally I would like something 15”+ and convertible (2 in 1, whatever it’s called) with a touchscreen. So of course Windows suits me more in theory. But at the same time I’d like to try something new. Had iPhones and iPads but never a Mac so I’m curious. Now with the M1 it seems there’s a reason to consider it, as all the performance and battery life head start over comparable Windows PC’s could mean it can last me several years more. If that’s the case than longevity +curiosity for MacOS might outweigh the not so perfect form factor.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[ctjack]

Me and my relatives have this experience:
1) My old win laptops(10 year old dell xps 15) all lived long and still chugging along, even if i abused them with non-stop playing in my student years.
2) My father in law also got many brands and they were used for gaming and still alive.

But i noticed one main difference:
1) Cheap win laptops failed on keyboard and other parts within 6 month - 2 years for some of my friends.

Basically, win laptops that cheaper than $800 have less build quality. Target top of the line products: for example Lenovo Ideapad is a cheap version of gaming Legion or office Thinkpad. Dell g3, inspiron is cheapo version of XPS line.

Lastly, Macbooks do age better in terms of body, for example i have MBP 2012 and you can't tell that it is 8 years old. While my 2011 Dell started loosing parts from second year, and after 9 years it had scratched, peeled keyboard paint on some buttons, also it had broke hinges after 9 years, so now i need to put books behind the lcd to keep it open. So basically every plastic part was broken in the long run: fan exhaust cover, shiny plastic around the case, legs, cover of the usb ports (in the pictures attached).

 

[maflynn]

could mean it can last me several years more.

In all honesty, you're asking a question that cannot be answered. We can presume one way or another but those are simply presumptions.

Will the M1 have issues similar to prior MBPs where the display cable frays/breaks after a few years? The battery is glued in, will it last as long as people hope it will?

Being a generation 1 of a brand new platform, what unknown issues will arise from such a new design?

Nothing could go wrong, or plenty with such a new design, only time will tell.

Hardware wise Apple has been known to last a long time, or at least back when I had my 2012 rMBP, which ran up until recently (still works, just isn't used), but from 2016 and on, MPBs have be beset with various issues and headaches. If Apple returns to form, the hardware should last.

Apple is rather quick however to pull the plug on the software side, where as on a PC you can run windows on some very old hardware.

As for the performance on the M1, what will you use the laptop for? Battery life, the M1 appears to be the best and performance to be excellent.

 

[laz232]

Two types of problems: design problems and QA problems.

Macbook Air / Pro are not really designed for rough life.
Business class machines, like the older IBM Thinkpads would literally be tested in the design phase with 1m drops (MIL-STD-810G), rapid temperature cycles and pouring water over the keyboard.

Macbooks will not survive that.

The more modular nature of business laptops also allows for more repair (changing battery etc).

Where Apple has been quite good has been QA problems. They have often never admitted design problems (I have a MBP15 2018 with keyboard problems) - or only after huge public outcry.

 

[pshufd]

My 2008 MacBook Pro lasted until 2018 when it died because of a bulging battery. So ten years. I have Dell laptops from 1999 and 2000 that still work but laptops were built like tanks back then. I have a 2008 Dell XPS m1330 that still runs as well. We also have two 2007 MacBook Pro 15s that still work.

My feeling is that the M1 MacBooks should last a long time because you are removing, perhaps the biggest problem with laptops today; and that's heat.

 

[LeeW]

There is no reason to think that a MBA will not last as long as a Windows equivalent. Defects and faults developing aside which can affect any electronic device the MBA is still a sturdy device and as @pshufd notes, probably the biggest past issue of heat has been rectified.

 

[Falhófnir]

@Burebista what sort of timeframe do you have in mind? Almost any computer has the potential to last out 5 years, barring any random hardware failure.

Most should make it to 7, but notably on the Mac side this is the limit for full OS support going by past behaviour. You will probably need a battery change around this point either way, something guaranteed with an Apple laptop. Not so much with a Windows OEM.

9 is the usual limit for MacOS security support, so thereafter I wouldn’t use it for anything sensitive. Having said that by 10 you’re getting towards pot luck on whether your machine will have made it as random failures will be increasing for machines this old.

Your other points make a Windows laptop sound better for your use. The only “15 inch plus” MacBook is the 16” MacBook Pro which hasn’t yet been updated to the M1 style chips and still using Intel. That might prove a further limit to its useful life as software vendors increasingly switch focus to only supporting the new style Apple Silicon chips like the M1. None of that is a consideration with Windows.

 

[pshufd]

@Burebista
Your other points make a Windows laptop sound better for your use. The only “15 inch plus” MacBook is the 16” MacBook Pro which hasn’t yet been updated to the M1 style chips and still using Intel. That might prove a further limit to its useful life as software vendors increasingly switch focus to only supporting the new style Apple Silicon chips like the M1. None of that is a consideration with Windows.

My feeling on x86 today is that they are like flip phones were when Apple introduced the iPod Touch.

I think that the whole PC industry will be forced to move to ARM because the competitive performance advantages will outweigh the effort to migrate software.

 

[Falhófnir]

My feeling on x86 today is that they are like flip phones were when Apple introduced the iPod Touch.

I think that the whole PC industry will be forced to move to ARM because the competitive performance advantages will outweigh the effort to migrate software.

I agree things will begin heading that way in the consumer space, but I think the timescale for Windows will be completely different. While Apple is transitioning over a two year period and thereafter I expect the Intel ecosystem to degenerate rapidly, with third parties abandoning Intel mac support from maybe year 4-5 onwards, WoA will almost certainly be on a more gentle trajectory, with years of coexistence between x86 and Arm ahead. So for a Windows machine bought today, I genuinely don't think things will look too different even keeping it for 10 years, for a Mac bought today I think you will begin running into problems in half that time, even if Apple (as I expect them to) give all current macs the full 7 year OS support cycle.

 

[Burebista]

@Burebista what sort of timeframe do you have in mind? Almost any computer has the potential to last out 5 years, barring any random hardware failure.

Most should make it to 7, but notably on the Mac side this is the limit for full OS support going by past behaviour. You will probably need a battery change around this point either way, something guaranteed with an Apple laptop. Not so much with a Windows OEM.

9 is the usual limit for MacOS security support, so thereafter I wouldn’t use it for anything sensitive. Having said that by 10 you’re getting towards pot luck on whether your machine will have made it as random failures will be increasing for machines this old.

Your other points make a Windows laptop sound better for your use. The only “15 inch plus” MacBook is the 16” MacBook Pro which hasn’t yet been updated to the M1 style chips and still using Intel. That might prove a further limit to its useful life as software vendors increasingly switch focus to only supporting the new style Apple Silicon chips like the M1. None of that is a consideration with Windows.

Yeah, 16” Macbook Pro is not something I’m even considering. I don’t need all that power and don’t want to pay for it. I might look at the 16” Air, but sadly that’s not a thing.

I guess my initial idea was that if iPhones and iPads (products I’m familiar with) generally last longer than competition thanks to the build quality and almost ridiculous performance headroom they get on release, then maybe that would be the case with Macbooks as well.

But I realize now it doesn’t quite translate and is a lot more nuanced here on the notebook side. Since I’m not really in a rush I guess I’ll study the market further. Currently leaning towards HP Envy x360 15” 2-in-1 on AMD Ryzen chip. Can’t justify the M1 Air if it doesn’t have a clear longevity/durability advantage.

 

[pshufd]

I guess my initial idea was that if iPhones and iPads (products I’m familiar with) generally last longer than competition thanks to the build quality and almost ridiculous performance headroom they get on release, then maybe that would be the case with Macbooks as well.

I still use an iPad 2 for a video screen on my spin bike, an interval workout timer for doing Yoga, and sometimes watching videos in the living room. I have iPad Minis but sometimes I want a larger screen. The iPad 2 is too slow for a lot of things but it is still useful for a few things.

 

[Burebista]

I still use an iPad 2 for a video screen on my spin bike, an interval workout timer for doing Yoga, and sometimes watching videos in the living room. I have iPad Minis but sometimes I want a larger screen. The iPad 2 is too slow for a lot of things but it is still useful for a few things.

Previously they made some mistakes giving new iOS versions to hardware that can’t handle it (or not optimizing well enough), like A5 devices and iOS 9 is the classic example. But since A7 everything ages gracefully, A9 devices are still spectacularly fast for their age. It’s just that there are not many practical ways to utilize that power on iOS or even iPadOS.

Maybe same will be the case with M-series Macs, and they would be able to still do some heavier tasks while Windows machines from the same year only good for basics. I guess one can’t say until at least 5-7 years from now.

 

[pshufd]

Previously they made some mistakes giving new iOS versions to hardware that can’t handle it (or not optimizing well enough), like A5 devices and iOS 9 is the classic example. But since A7 everything ages gracefully, A9 devices are still spectacularly fast for their age. It’s just that there are not many practical ways to utilize that power on iOS or even iPadOS.

Maybe same will be the case with M-series Macs, and they would be able to still do some heavier tasks while Windows machines from the same year only good for basics. I guess one can’t say until at least 5-7 years from now.

I’ve upgraded my Late 2009 iMac to 16 GB of RAM and added a QHD monitor and I use it for office stuff and as a TV now. I’m debating upgrading the HDD to an SSD. Yes, it is running High Sierra and that’s the end of the line but it gets the job done.

Im curious if I can get 20 years out of this thing. I’d guess that the LCD or some electronics will go by then but maybe another five.

Apple will have a lot of interesting devices in 2021.

 

[ctjack]

I’m debating upgrading the HDD to an SSD.

I think that is unquestionable. I remember having SSD instead of HDD made my experience 10 times better rather than going from 4Gb RAM to 8Gb RAM. You will not regret it, especially with those prices on SATA3 SSDs.

 

[pshufd]

I think that is unquestionable. I remember having SSD instead of HDD made my experience 10 times better rather than going from 4Gb RAM to 8Gb RAM. You will not regret it, especially with those prices on SATA3 SSDs.

A ton of RAM has more impact than an SSD outside of startup, shutdown and doing a lot of local reads and writes. I use this system to access the cloud or my home NAS so local storage performance has little effect on performance. Disk files that are used are cached in RAM so access is faster than from an SSD would be.

I leave the system on all the time so it just sleeps when it isn't in use.

I have lots of spare SATA3 SSDs but I'd need a thermal sensor to get it to work properly. It would also be a fair amount of work to do the upgrade. I've done harder upgrades but it's still work and there's always the risk that I will hose the system.