I’m the kind of person who wants to get their hands on the latest tech; in the past, I’ve upgraded from perfectly good devices to have the newest gadget even when I didn’t need it. But recently, I haven’t felt the same way about my Mac, even though it’s becoming a half-decade old this year.
It’s held up so well that I’m still happy using it every day. That got me thinking about what makes it so special that I’m willing to stick with it until its last breath. In fact, Macs have improved so much since Apple Silicon (including the excellent MacBook Pro M4) that they’ve become my go-to recommendation for most people.
The M1 MacBook Air is the most reliable laptop I’ve ever used
A far cry from how Intel Macs used to be
I got the base M1 MacBook Air with 8GB of unified memory and 256GB of storage all the way back in 2020, so it’s been almost five years since I bought it. It’s easily the best piece of tech I’ve ever purchased. This single laptop got me through high school and college without a single hitch, and even after graduating, it still works just as well as day one.
I’ve used it heavily pretty much every single day, and I can say with full confidence that I’ve never used another laptop this solid. I’ve used it for everything: making apps, editing light videos, writing articles, and even a little bit of gaming. Its performance still holds up across all those tasks; I see no reason to upgrade anytime soon.
Even the smaller aspects, like the keyboard, trackpad, and speakers, are still great. After trying several Windows laptops in 2025, I haven’t come across anything that feels quite as good.
The laptop has been so reliable for me that Apple might have accidentally created a problem (for itself) by creating a machine this good. I’m still perfectly satisfied with my current Mac, and I don’t feel the need to upgrade. Even today, you can get M1 MacBook Air for $599 at Walmart, which is still somehow one of the best laptop deals available.
Sure, the newer MacBook Air has a faster processor and a newer design. But even after 5 years, it hasn’t been enough to convince me to change my Mac.
What I’m doing to extend its lifespan
Making the most of what I’ve got
That said, it’s obviously not practical to keep the same laptop running for so long without making some tweaks or adjusting your workflow. As I mentioned earlier, I only have 8GB of unified memory, which was plenty a few years ago but has clearly started showing its age. My primary browser used to be Arc, but over time, it’s become practically unusable, even after opening just a handful of tabs.
To be fair, this is more of an Arc issue since it’s no longer actively developed and could benefit from better optimization. Still, I’ve had to switch my default browser to Safari, which performs much better on this machine. That solved part of the problem.
I’ve also noticed that using Apple’s own apps helps keep the system running smoothly. For example, I’ve replaced Spotify with Apple Music and switched to Apple’s Mail app because they haven’t been as much of a memory hog in my experience. These small changes help keep my machine more responsive.
Of course, this is a compromise; I’ve had to shuffle around my workflow to keep the laptop usable. But I’m willing to pay that price if it means I can stick with this Mac for another two or three years.
If there’s one piece of advice I’d give anyone buying a Mac today, it’s to carefully choose how much RAM you’ll need not just now, but in the years ahead too. Modern Macs don’t let you upgrade the memory later, which is one of their unfortunate design limitations. The same goes for storage as well.
And since the battery naturally degrades over time, I’ve been using AlDente to cap the maximum charge at 80%. That way, I still get through an entire day without issues, and I preserve my battery health for better resale value when I eventually decide to sell it.
What would make me upgrade, and what I’d choose
When it’s finally time to move on
The biggest question is when the right time to upgrade will be. For certain, I’ve decided that my next device will be a Mac again. Coming from Windows, it’s been a night-and-day difference in reliability and overall experience.
Right now, it’s still surprising that the M1 is more than enough for the work I do today. I only run into issues occasionally, like when I keep too many tabs and apps open. If I had gone with a 16GB model instead of 8GB, I think I could have stretched it even further and delayed the need to upgrade.
That said, I know these problems will increase with time. Apps will become more demanding, I’ll keep running out of memory more often, and eventually, software updates will stop altogether. When that starts happening regularly (probably in another two or three years), I’ll seriously start thinking about making the switch.
This time around, I think I’ll go with a base MacBook Pro. I don’t really need a substantially better chip for my work, but the much better screen, longer battery life, and extra ports will definitely be worth it. According to Bloomberg, the M6 MacBook Pro series will also reportedly move to an OLED display with a thinner design. That feels like the perfect timeline for me to upgrade, while making sure I get the most out of my current Mac before making the jump.
A bigger price for longer use
Macs do come with a higher price tag, but they’re built to last. With proper care, you can expect a MacBook to stay in great condition, and when it’s time to upgrade, it holds its resale value surprisingly well. For example, my Mac, which is almost five years old, can still fetch between $350 and $450. When you factor in how long it lasts and how well it performs over time, a Mac ends up being the smarter investment.
