Bollocks. It’s the logicboard. While the price to fix it is pretty steep, it’s still a lot less than outright buying a new machine. Thing is, it’s a 6 year old machine. Need some perspective from everyone. Worth repairing or should I just call it quits.
@kaa 6 year old MacBook with dead logic board — it's definitely time for a new machine. Macs last a long time, but soon you won't be able to install the latest OS, then important apps won't be able to be upgraded. The machine itself will probably last another 5 to 10 years, but it'll become effectively unusable beyond some simple tasks.
@Miraz Thanks for the advice. Software updates will be an issue for sure. The thing is I was really hoping to have get a new phone which is 4 years old at the moment. Getting both right now is a luxury I can’t really afford. The computer I need to get stuff done. The ‘phone’ is for photos.
@kaa I know exactly how hard those money pressures are. It sounds like the computer helps generate income, the phone not so much…
@crossingthethreshold @miraz Sooo the other question I have is, considering the new 16" macbook pro, i'm thinking it would likely be prudent to wait for the 13" (or 14"?) equivalent.
@kaa @crossingthethreshold I’m not sure it is prudent to wait for something that hasn’t even been announced. If you need something now then buy now what best meets your current and future needs and finances. A possible strategy is to buy now then upgrade when a better machine is available and you can still command an excellent price for the one you’re using (I’d be unlikely to do that).
@crossingthethreshold My last two laptops lasted for ±a decade before the hardware started giving out. So, assuming the hardware quality kept up recently (a big assumption, granted…), that shouldn’t be a limiting factor; it will be the increased demands of newer OSes and newer apps and…. I get the sense that newer OSes have been worse about this than earlier Mac OS X releases were, where every newer OS was faster on the same Mac, and is exacerbated by the non-upgradeability of newer models (can’t add more RAM or a bigger internal HD).
All that was designed to make you feel better about life remaining in your Air, but I’m not sure I actually accomplished that goal….
@Miraz @crossingthethreshold @smokey so none of the current crop of Macs excite me except maybe the Air, however I’m not a fan of those keyboards (I’m not just saying that, it’s a step back, highlighted by the fact they’ve finally recognised it themselves). Considering I’m going to be using this machine for another half decade, I want to love it. The power is important, for longevity more than anything else - when I need to push it 3 years from now it won’t flinch (like my broken machine used to).
The repair cost is 1/3 the cost of a new MacBook Air (1/4 of a new MacBook Pro) which is why it’s not such a clear cut answer.
@smokey @crossingthethreshold My 2018 Air is 1 year old now with no significant keyboard issues - the "m" was slightly sticky but a blast of air seemed to clear things up and that was months ago. I will occasionally double tap the space bar, causing a period to autoproduce in several programs, but that's my only complaint in regard to the minimal key travel distance. For the most part, I like the keyboard over my 2013 15" Macbook Pro. One person's opinion and experience, so it's worth is limited.
@crossingthethreshold @miraz @dgreene196 @smokey thanks everyone for the input, super apprecaited. I have a follow up to write about this.