Used MacBook suggestions

[cals400ex]

Hi, I’m in the market for a used MacBook. I’m looking for a 13” model that will be used for basic internet use, mainly. I don’t need anything over-the-top. However, I’d like to keep this and be able to use it for a long time (hopefully for 10 years). I have a 10-year old MacBook that is just painfully slow. The internet isn’t too bad, but rebooting it is time consuming. I’m fine with finding a used one, bc I’d like to stay at the $1000 price point. Any suggestions on a particular model that will fit my needs that should work for many years to come?

 

[chscag]

Look here first:

Certified Refurbished Products

We test and certify all Apple refurbished products and include a one-year warranty.

www.apple.com

Apple refurbished Macs are the same as new and come with full Apple warranty and you can even add Apple Care.

 

[cals400ex]

How would the MacBook Pro 1.4GHz with the i5 compare to the MacBook Pro with the M1 chip? I don’t need many features, but I’d like it to be capable of running smoothly for many years. I’d also use it to run some programs, such as excel, etc.

 

[Slydude]

I haven't got personal experience with the new M1-based Macs but if you're concerned about longevity I'd look at the M1 machines. They're capable of running both software for Intel Macs andsoftware for the newMacs as well.

 

[Rod]

Does your current MacBook have any other problems other than slow speed? I only ask because I have a recently restored (by me) 2010 MacBook 13" now running macOS High Sierra which works very well. Of course it will never be as fast as my 2015 MBP or any of the most recent models.
Hoping for 10 years life from the current models is perhaps a little unrealistic in my experience. I really think earlier models were over engineered whereas the current models seem to be engineered to the max to save costs and weight becoming less and less repairable as a consequence. My guess is 5 years is all we can reasonably expect these days.
The 2015 MBPr 13" 512GB SSD 2.9 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 with 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 which is what I have, is quite cheap second hand, approx AU$700.00 and mine works perfectly well running the latest macOS Big Sur.
Apple don't seem to stock anything earlier than 2017 refurbished and mostly MacBook Air's, they are all closer to AU$2,000.00
Perhaps eBay or Amazon would be your best choice.
Whatever you decide I would consider fixing up your old MacBook. It's very handy to have a second device to fall back on or to run 32bit apps that you probably already own.

 

[MacInWin]

I don't know, Rod, my 2015 MBPr is still thundering along nicely. And I just retired a 13 year old iMac that finally started to have some issues. I would think 8 or more years is likely.

 

[Slydude]

I've always thought that, assuming one makes a wise choice about a Mac's initial configuration, longevity of the gear wasn't likely to be an issue. Especially for folks using them for pretty basic tasks. Lately though I'm coming around to Rod's way of thinking.

I've got a 2008 MacBook Pro as my backup machine. I don't boot it every day but it it's still alive and well if you don't need to use it on battery. Over the years I've added memory and upgraded the hard drive to an SSD. That helped increased its functional longevity but those kinds of upgrades are not possible with models from the last few years.

 

[MacInWin]

For @cals400ex, my recommendation would be to look at one of the new M1 devices. If you want longevity, get the tech of the future. If you can wait, Apple is rumored to be releasing new M1 machines this year as well.

 

[Rod]

I don't know, Rod, my 2015 MBPr is still thundering along nicely. And I just retired a 13 year old iMac that finally started to have some issues. I would think 8 or more years is likely.

As is mine (as mentioned) but that's a 6 year old device, I'm talking about the expected life of a "current" device. Of course I hope you and I both get 10 years out of ours but an M1?
I dunno.

 

[MacInWin]

As is mine (as mentioned) but that's a 6 year old device, I'm talking about the expected life of a "current" device. Of course I hope you and I both get 10 years out of ours but an M1?
I dunno.

I would think it would more depend on whether Apple decides to follow the model from Intel that newer SoCs support the software from the older ones. That is, even with an update to the Intel chips, they were always backward-compatible. Will Apple release an M2, or even an M1.1 SoC and support the M1? That backward compatibility is the key to longevity.

 

[chscag]

We really have no long term data on reliability when it comes to the new Apple silicon machines. Time will tell, but for now I have to sort of agree with Rod for several reasons:

1. Newer offerings from Apple are simply "closed". No user replaceable parts within. Very few exceptions exist. (27" iMac memory, Mac Pro)

2. At the rate technology is advancing, 5 years nowadays can easily leave you behind. We already see that with members reporting certain software no longer works because their machine is too old to update to the latest version of macOS or the software concerned.

However, everyone needs to access those things for themselves.

 

[rlm45]

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www.usedmac.com

This is a good place to buy used mac equipment. I have used them and my experience with every purchase is good. They offer a warranty on purchases.