What is the best value computer to buy right now?
Most of us will look to the latest new computers, but that overlooks the value left in pre-owned computers, argues MacShack, which is an independent pre-owned Apple dealer.
It thinks that “a certified pre-owned MacBook Air M1 at R9,900 is the best value computer in South Africa today”.
It’s a bold statement it makes in its first MacBook Depreciation Index for SA, with the key insight ”the M1 Air is the value sweet spot”.
The ‘sweet’ spot
“The MacBook Air M1 launched at R20,000 in November 2020,” explains MacShack director Rey de Beer. In 2026, a certified pre-owned unit sells for R9,900 at MacShack — a R10,100 saving.”
“The M1 MacBook Air still runs every current macOS application, still supports the latest macOS, and still benchmarks faster than most Windows laptops sold new at R12,000–R15,000 today,” he says.
He adds: “Apple Silicon doesn’t age the way Intel chips did.”
Meanwhile, he argues, for a student in South Africa, the math is “blunt: a new MacBook Air M5 at R21,999 vs a certified pre-owned M1 at R9,900. The M1 does 95% of what the M5 does, at 45% of the price. For browsing, documents, presentations, Zoom, and even light video editing — they are functionally equivalent.”
Those nice folks over at the iStore might not agree, nor will the happy hordes buying their brand-new MacBook Air M5. Not everyone can buy new, and there are lots of people looking for a good deal.
As we always advise, deal with reputable sellers, and if a deal looks too good to be true, it isn’t.
