Upgrading to MBAir M2 from some old Mac laptops - options and best choice?

[RadDave]

Hi All - been in limbo for a while, sorry - later this year will purchase a MBAir M2 (Ventura or Sonoma?) and am deciding how to upgrade from my old laptops (MBPro early 2013 on Catalina; MBAir early 2015 on Monterey, both their limit) - in upgrading my wife's iMac I used migration assistant w/o an issue - BUT there was only a 3 year difference between models. My initial plan is to delete apps on both old laptops that I no longer use (do TM & CCC backups) - but should the the age difference between what I own and a new M2 dissuade me from using migration assistant (or another option) vs. just installing the apps I sill want on the M2 (don't have much data in any so should be easy). Both the older laptops have similar 'added' apps so I need a way to deal w/ this issue. Thanks for any help. Dave

 

[MacInWin]

I can't say for Sonoma, but for Ventura, Migration Assistant should do nicely for you. Anything that won't run won't migrate and you will be advised, but all your data and account information should transfer just fine.

That said, if your apps have an update available for the new Mx chips, it's worth reinstalling them to get that additional performance kick.

 

[RadDave]

I can't say for Sonoma, but for Ventura, Migration Assistant should do nicely for you. Anything that won't run won't migrate and you will be advised, but all your data and account information should transfer just fine.

That said, if your apps have an update available for the new Mx chips, it's worth reinstalling them to get that additional performance kick.

Thanks Jake for your quick response - just looked on my MBAir under 'System Info', most of my installed apps are Universal but there are a number that are Intel only (including all of the ones for my Canon MF printer - will need to check those?). I'll plan to 'clean out' what I don't want, esp. the Intel-only apps although I assume they will still run w/ Rosetta2?

Thus will use migration assistant on the older MBPro which has more 'stuff' (including a LOT more music) - guess that I'll have to 'cherry-pick' the newer MBAir which has a lot of duplicate apps but different data files. Likely will return w/ some more questions. Thanks again. Dave

 

[MacInWin]

The Intel apps should run under Rosetta2, which is pretty fast. If those apps have a Universal update, they will run even faster natively, but even the Intel will be very quick.

 

[RadDave]

New M2 MBAir - having an issue with Find My... - need some suggestions please!

Well, after nearly 6 months I just received today a new M2 Air (16 GB RAM & 512 GB storage) - used a freshly made TM update of my old MBPro (2013!) and the transfer went fine and fairly fast - thought I was doing well (even after a successful Ventura -> Sonoma upgrade), then ran into an issue(s) w/ the Find My.. service/app - I now have 8 trusted devices in my Apple ID (as below) - the 'MacBook Pro (2)' is my 2013 laptop that is still showing up on my devices (I want to delete this); also my new M2 Air which is trusted does NOT appear in 'Find My..' - I have spent several hours trying to get the new M2 activated and the old MBPro OFF! Nothing seems to be working as expected - I want to erase the old MBPro and likely recycle the machine. Any comments or suggestions would be of help - thanks. Dave
.

 

[MacInWin]

The updates to that list are not quickly done. Just deactivate the one you don't want, then leave it. Log into iCloud with your new one and wait. And by wait, I mean overnight or better. I had the same issue when I got a new iPhone, took about 24 hours to get rid of the old and show the new.

 

[RadDave]

The updates to that list are not quickly done. Just deactivate the one you don't want, then leave it. Log into iCloud with your new one and wait. And by wait, I mean overnight or better. I had the same issue when I got a new iPhone, took about 24 hours to get rid of the old and show the new.

Thanks Jake for the comments above - I'll 'sleep' on it overnight and check tomorrow. Dave

 

[RadDave]

Issues Solved! I'll briefly described 'my solutions', sure there are others?

Find My.. : With the help of several Apple Support articles, I was looking in the wrong place(s) to add my new M2 Air to my 'Find My..' devices - I went to iCloud Apps being used (first pic below) - 'Find My..' was not activated, so turned on and also had to do the same in 'Privacy & Security' -> Location Services (2nd pic with blue box). Once done, the M2 was found and mapped as with my other devices.

Find My.. - Part 2: How to get my old MBPro deleted or disabled from the same services - I just reversed the order above and removed the laptop from iCloud - poof! Disappeared from my list.

Old MBPro: Next task was What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - decided to use Apple Support again (check link, if interested) - took a while, reinstalled Catalina (the 'end macOS' for this 10 y/o laptop) and now ready to give away or recycle; checked Gazelle - they offered me $1 - - not unexpected, I guess.

Old MBAir: Since 2016, I've travelled with a 13" Air - has a lot of 'travel trip photos' plus a little music, docs, etc - not much so will simply transfer those files then let my wife have the laptop for her needs. Dave
.


Gazelle

 

[Slydude]

The updates to that list are not quickly done. Just deactivate the one you don't want, then leave it. Log into iCloud with your new one and wait. And by wait, I mean overnight or better. I had the same issue when I got a new iPhone, took about 24 hours to get rid of the old and show the new.

Wow. I don't think it has ever taken that long for changes to appear for me. May I don't have as many gizmos attached as some of you guys do? Lol.

In all seriousness, I think I've always used a process similar to what Dave ended up using.

 

[RadDave]

Wow. I don't think it has ever taken that long for changes to appear for me. May I don't have as many gizmos attached as some of you guys do? Lol.

In all seriousness, I think I've always used a process similar to what Dave ended up using.

Hey Sly - hope all is well with you and family - with my new Apple acquisitions, I may need more help so hope to visiting the forum more often (was in the 'Apple doldrums' for a while but now some new stuff!) - my solutions just involve finding the proper places to go for the settings - Dave

 

[MacInWin]

Wow. I don't think it has ever taken that long for changes to appear for me. May I don't have as many gizmos attached as some of you guys do? Lol.

In all seriousness, I think I've always used a process similar to what Dave ended up using.

I was surprised, too, Sly. But it was very slow. Maybe they were overwhelmed as I got the iPhone on the first day? Hard to tell. I went to appleid.apple.com, logged in and checked on the devices associated with my account. The new iPhone was not there, but I was able to delete the old one, which is what I was there to do. I checked again a few hours later and the new was still not there, but the next day it was, so I just figured it was something in the registration process. Who knows?

 

[Slydude]

@RadDave It has been an interesting few months, to say the least, but things seem to be settling down a bit. Glad to have you back on the forums. Hope you and yours are well.

Jake, Those experiences are closer to what I expected. Maybe the reason I don't have this issue often is that the budget doesn't usually permit me to grab something the first day it's released.

My last Mac and iPad purchases were gently used equipment that wasn't purchased at a peak time like the day something was released. I'm sure that had something to do with things.

 

[MacInWin]

Jake, Those experiences are closer to what I expected. Maybe the reason I don't have this issue often is that the budget doesn't usually permit me to grab something the first day it's released.

A few years ago I signed up for a program at Apple where you get a new iPhone with 24 monthly payments at zero interest for the time. After 12 months, you become eligible to swap that phone for the newer one, the old "loan" is cancelled and the new loan starts, again at zero interest. So basically, I'm "renting" the phone because every year I do the swap. It works for me. SWMBO says it's OK, so that's all I need to know. Eventually I'll probably stop doing the upgrading and just stick with the phone I have at the time.

Other stuff, like MBPs, iPads, etc? Not so easy. I did buy her a new MBA when her very old MBP was no longer upgradable, but I tend to keep the MBPs a lot longer. I have repurposed three old Macs (three Minis) into servers that have no internet connectivity, but can be used in my home automation, as media servers, backups, etc. Apple hardware is really durable, which is very good.

 

[Slydude]

I wish I had signed up for that deal. Mrs. Slydude and I didn't do it at the time but I don't remember why. Unlike some people, Mrs. Slydude thinks that always having the newest iPhone is absolutely unnecessary. Lol.

I'm in the process of repurposing a couple of older devices myself. I have removed most of the junk from my 2015 iMac and set it up for Mrs. Slydude. She is primarily a Windows user and hasn't used Macs as her primary machine in some time (Windows gaming).

She likes Macs much better when she doesn't have to share them with me. Something about me tinkering with them too much and too much digital junk.

We have an older iPad that is outdated. I think it is limited to IOS 12 or 13. The other iPad is starting to slow down a bit but we will probably use it to store her recipes and any how-to guides I pick up along the way.

I'm not sure what to do with a 2009 MacBook with a failing battery. I use it in emergencies but that doesn't happen often. My fledgling home automation system is being run on a Synology NAS.