2020 MacBook Air OS upgrade concerns and longevity

A 2020 MBAir, per se, should have a long future life, at least as far as the hardware and at least the next 3 year's versions of macOS are concerned. Even after that, the MBAir should be fine for years to come. Many people are running Macs on versions of macOS that are technically years out of date, without any security issues.

Of greater concern is how much RAM is in it? If it's only 8GB RAM I'd pass on it. All Macs since 2024 now come with at least 16GB RAM and you can figure that macOS & application RAM requirements will be even greater in the future.

babettesfeast wrote:

HELP!

Hi all - I want to buy a 2020 MacBook Air for $300. Retina Display,256GB includes USB-C charger. It's pristine and approved by our local Mac shop (a bunch of retired geniuses) My techie husband is concerned that it is "too old."

His main concern, as I understand it, is that the OS can't be upgraded after a certain point, the hardware prevents upgrades.

Apple released two MacBook Airs in 2020:

• MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) – This one has an Intel processor and cannot run any version of macOS more recent than macOS 15.* (Sequoia). Sequoia is already the oldest of the "most recent three" – and it will drop off that list in about a year from now.
• MacBook Air (M1, 2020) – This one has an Apple Silicon processor, and can run the latest version of macOS, Golden Gate. We do not know yet how many future versions of macOS it will receive.

It sounds like you may be talking about an Intel model – and one that has a rather small startup drive, at that.

Keep in mind that any third party apps which have a required online component, then they will stop working once those apps are no longer being updated by their developers. These days many third party developers are only supporting the three most recent versions of macOS. Once macOS is no longer officially supported by Apple, then you will be on a clock with those third party apps. Some may work for a year or more after support has been dropped.....it all depends on how much those online servers change will determine how long those old online apps continue to work.

Third party software without a required online component will continue to work until the computer finally breaks. Of course, if you happen to erase & setup up the computer again, then third party apps which require a product key/license activation server may no longer be able to be reinstalled. Microsoft and Adobe are notorious for turning off product activation servers for older software, but there are others as well.

With a laptop, keep in mind that the Battery will most likely need to be replaced (generally this occurs between 3-5 years of use, but some may last a bit longer). An official OEM Apple battery repair/replacement is the best option when available since the quality of third party Lithium Batteries is extremely poor even when purchased from a reputable vendor such as OWC or iFixIt (others are even worse).

Also, buying used Apple devices is risky because many of them are not properly prepared for sale or transfer. This forum is full of such posts. Many are still being managed and under the control of their previous owner. If you buy one of these devices which are still being managed & controlled by the previous owner, then you risk everything (both your data being wiped or possibly even accessed, and the device becoming a brick). It can be difficult to confirm whether a Mac is still being managed & controlled....sometimes it can take weeks depending on how the MDM profile is configured....some are strict, others less so.

What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support

Edit: An M1 MBAir 2020 was only discontinued in March 2024 so the hardware will still be fully supported by Apple until 2029 (with limited hardware support until 2031). I would expect that laptop to likely get macOS 28 next year, but doubtful it will receive any after that....it is possible macOS 27 could be the last OS for a 2020 model. No one will know until Apple makes those announcements....my guess is based on previous models.

MartinR wrote:

A 2020 MBAir, per se, should have a long future life, at least as far as … at least the next 3 year's versions of macOS are concerned.

Not if it is a 2020 Intel model. Those hit the end of the line with Sequoia, and can't run Tahoe or Golden Gate, much less "the next 3 year's versions of macOS."

Servant of Cats wrote:

Apple released two MacBook Airs in 2020:

MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

Good catch! The M1 is the only one of those two that would even be worth considering, and only if it has 16GB RAM.

As long as the machine's hardware keeps working. While applications and websites will slowly drop support for older OS versions over time, it's up to the developers/site operators and doesn't have a fixed timeline.

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babettesfeast wrote:

I want to buy a 2020 MacBook Air for $300. Retina Display,256GB includes USB-C charger. It's pristine and approved by our local Mac shop (a bunch of retired geniuses) My techie husband is concerned that it is "too old."

I tend to agree that it is too old although YMMV. The recent or maybe next MacBook Neo might be a better purchase for such light tasks.

Servant of Cats wrote: Not if it is a 2020 Intel model.

Yes, I acknowledged that in my previous response to you.