Not a Keeper. It scores 69 and a Keeper needs 80. The weakest part is how hard it is to repair.
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Where the 69 comes from
Reviews19/30
CNET 8 of 10, PCMag 4 of 5, Tom's Guide 4.5 of 5, TechRadar 4.5 of 5. That averages 85 out of 100; a 60 earns nothing and a 100 earns all 30.
Updates21/25
Apple publishes no update period, but the M1 MacBook Air from late 2020 still runs macOS 27, which came out in September 2026.
Repairable10/20
iFixit scored the M4 model before it 5 of 10. Memory and storage are soldered, so neither can be upgraded later.
Timing19/25
It came out March 11, 2026. Apple updates the Air about once a year, and MacRumors doesn't expect a new one before spring 2027. Apple raised the price in June.
One short email when something new makes the list: an album to play, a game to buy, a film to watch, a book to read, tech worth buying, a thing that lasts. Nothing else.
How the score works
Tech
Reviews, 30. The average of the published scores from outlets that score, like Engadget, CNET, PCMag, Tom's Guide and TechRadar. A 60 earns nothing and a 100 earns all 30.
Updates, 25. Years of software updates, from the maker's promise or, where there isn't one, what its last comparable model got. Seven years earns all 25.
Repairable, 20. iFixit's repairability score, doubled. Where iFixit hasn't scored it, we read the parts and guides.
Timing, 25. Where it is in its line's usual refresh cycle, the MacRumors question. Full points for the first half; nothing once the next model is due.
A Keeper is our bet on what lasts. Some releases show it right away: the reviews, the players and the people behind them all point the same way, the way they did for Elden Ring. For albums, games, films, shows and books, 85 or above is a Keeper and 75 to 84 is worth your time. Things and tech need 80. We score everything again as time goes by, and a Keeper that fades loses the label. Nobody pays to be here or pays for a score. Every score links to where its numbers came from. Each one has a link to find it on Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate, Keepers earns from qualifying purchases.
