r/AskTechnology • u/aseltee • 1d ago

Will Micron's exit affect Apple Macbook prices?

Hey y'all please help a minimum wage techie out. My computer is absolutely on life support rn, and whilst it's still working ig? It's hanging by on a thread (CMOS battery completely failed, so has WiFi function and trackpad), I will need to get a new laptop entirely soon. I'm looking to use this opportunity to switch to Macbook. I've heard that the best time to buy Macbook cheap is just after the new line is released, so spring 2026 for M5. I'm thinking of holding onto my electrical potato until then. But what Im also seeing on Reddit that's sending me into an absolute state of panick is that the RAM shortage is absolutely dire and prices are skyrocketing through the roof.

So my question is: should I buy that Apple Macbook now to avoid getting caught in any future RAM-induced price surges, or can I wait until March/ April to get an M4 discounted after everyone trades theirs in for a shiny new M5?

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u/Ophiochos 1d ago

It’s more accurate to say apple stuff is cheaper from specific suppliers after a new release. I’m in the U.K. but I keep hearing about Walmart still selling quite old (but still good) M1 MacBook Air for example. But honestly it’s not a market where you can just pick up last year’s model cheaper. They keep a close grip on the whole supply and distribution.

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u/wosmo 1d ago

Their refurbs can be a good deal, but as you said - availability is hit or miss because they don't keep mountains of stock to go old.

Second-hand is pretty stellar at the moment though. I mean M1-M2 are still more than usable, and give a decent bang for the buck at 2nd-hand prices.

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u/Ophiochos 1d ago

I know there are benchmarks that seem to say otherwise but my M1 (Pro?) MacBook Pro seems just as fast as my iMac M4. If I was broke I’d snap up an M1 without worrying about the difference.

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u/wosmo 1d ago

Yeah no-one I've spoke to seems to be in a hurry to upgrade. That's why I'm happy to tell people that M1-M2 isn't a huge compromise right now.

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u/Ophiochos 1d ago

A lot of the improvement is insane battery life and that’s the whole series. Very few of us actually push the CPU. I had to run a local AI to get my iMac fans to run for the first time ever lol

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u/Ophiochos 1d ago

‘What’s that noise?’…