Thinking of buying a new laptop this weekend? That’s great! Laptops are brilliant, and we have plenty of buying guides such as the best laptops 2022, best gaming laptops and best laptops for students, which can help you find the ideal model for you.
However, I’m going to go against my usual advice and say don’t buy a laptop this weekend.
That’s it. Put your wallets and purses away, or your rune-filled pouches if you’re thoroughly immersed in Elden Ring, and hold tight, as this weekend may be a bad time to buy a new laptop.
Why? Well, we know on Tuesday, March 8, Apple will be holding a March Event, and alongside rumors of new iPhones and iPads, there’s a growing number of people who expect to see some new Macs and MacBooks at the event, including possibly the MacBook Air 2022.
If these rumors are true, then we could be days away from Apple revealing a follow-up to the best laptop you can buy right now.
The previous model, the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) absolutely blew us away when it launched. Thanks to the (then) new M1 chip designed by Apple, this was a laptop that offered brilliant performance, excellent battery life and a fanless thin and light design that made it completely silent when in use.
Add in a stunning screen, solid build quality and a price tag that was quite a bit cheaper than rival Windows laptops that offer a similar level or performance, and it’s little surprise that this is still the laptop we recommend you buy above all others, even one and a half years after its release. The fact that it has dropped in price and is now even better value means ordinarily I’d have no qualms with recommending it, even for people who usually hate Apple.
But don’t buy it this weekend. On Tuesday, there’s a real possibility that we could see a new and improved MacBook Air, with rumors suggesting it’ll be powered by a new M2 chip. This could bring vast performance improvements over the previous MacBook Air, and in the past Apple has released new models of its MacBooks at the same price the previous model sold for.
That means by waiting a few days, you may get a substantial upgrade for the same price. Of course, if Apple does release a new MacBook Air, I expect the price of the older model to then drop further. The existence of a new MacBook Air doesn’t suddenly make the older model obsolete. But it will lead to retailers dropping the price to clear stock for the newer model.
So, even if you’re set on the MacBook Air (M1, 2020), it’s still worth waiting a few days, as it could mean you save a bit of money on the laptop you were thinking about buying.
What about Apple haters?
But what about people who are avidly anti-Apple? I suggest you still wait until Tuesday and see what Apple shows. You never know, you may be impressed, and if you aren’t, then you’ve not lost anything.
I’ve been using Windows since 3.1, but the MacBook Air won me over with just how good it is, and the new one, whenever it arrives, could do the same with you. These days, most apps have macOS versions, so the switch to macOS from Windows is a lot easier.
Also, unlike Apple’s other products, like the Apple Watch and HomePod that annoyingly only work with other Apple products, Mac and MacBooks are thankfully less tied to Apple’s ecosystem. While you get some nice additional benefits from owning an iPhone or iPad alongside a MacBook, you can use it if you don’t have any other Apple devices.
As a first Apple laptop, then, the MacBook Air is a great choice, and any new model will likely be the same.
However, if you’re thinking of buying a gaming laptop this weekend – go ahead. It’s unlikely Apple will show anything even remotely resembling a gaming laptop at the event, and while the powerful new MacBook Pro 14-inch and MacBook Pro 16-inch can be configured with the M1 Max chip, which can offer enough GPU power to play modern games, gaming on Mac is still rather neglected.
But, for anyone else considering a new laptop, I really recommend you hold tight until after Tuesday. We may be about to see a follow-up to the best laptop money can buy right now.
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