I follow a couple of Facebook group for Apple users. They post all sorts of questions and dilemmas that sometimes gives me ideas of what to write about. One thing I have noticed that comes up a lot is people asking whether they should buy a second hand Mac, or for help with a second hand Mac that they have just bought.
These are naturally people who were looking for a bargain. Sometimes they are people for whom this will be their first Mac. But inevitably buying a second hand Mac causes nothing but trouble.
Now there is second hand and there is second hand. A wise person who wanted to save money would buy a refurbished Mac from Apple (or another company that carries out refurbishments and has a good reputation). Read: Why you should buy a refurbished Mac.
Alternatively they might pick up a good deal from an Apple reseller on a discontinued model (have a look at our various Mac deals for MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac mini). What they won’t be doing is buying a Mac that is a few years old from a stranger on eBay.
The problem when people buy Macs second hand is that they are buying a Mac someone else is replacing. And they have good reason to replace it.
So before you buy that 2009 iMac please stop and read this!
Here are six reasons why it’s a bad idea to buy a second hand Mac:
1. Old Macs aren’t secure
Apple only maintains software support for the previous two versions of macOS (at the time of writing that’s Big Sur and Catalina). That means that if your Mac doesn’t run at least macOS Catalina you are out in the cold when it comes to security updates. Using a Mac that is running old software could put you and your data at risk.
Macs supported by macOS Catalina (which came out in 2019) include:
- MacBook (early 2015 or later)
- MacBook Air (mid 2012 or later)
- MacBook Pro (mid 2012 or later)
- Mac mini (late 2012 or later)
- iMac (late 2012 or later)
- iMac Pro (2017 or later)
- Mac Pro (late 2013 or later)
So you should definitely not consider buying a Mac from before 2012. But given that later in 2022 Apple will move support to Big Sur and older, that means the cut off will be:
- MacBook models from early 2015 or later
- MacBook Air models from 2013 or later
- MacBook Pro models from 2013 or later
- Mac mini models from 2014 or later
- iMac models from 2014 or later
- iMac Pro (all models)
- Mac Pro models from 2013 or later
But that doesn’t mean you can confidently buy a Mac from 2013 and expect things to be plain sailing.
2. A lack of parts will make fixes difficult
If something goes wrong with your ageing Mac it is very unlikely you will be able to get the parts to fix it and if you can it will probably be very expensive to fix.
Apple considers Macs Obsolete seven years after it stops selling them. Once they hit 10 years they are considered Vintage. Obsolete means that Apple might be able to provide parts if they need servicing, but it doesn’t guarantee that it will be able to. Vintage means that your chance of getting the Apple part is practically nil.
Vintage Macs include the 2014 21.5in iMac, 2015 27in iMac, the 2015 12in MacBook, 2014 MacBook Pro and 2014 MacBook Air. Read: How long do Macs last.
3. There won’t be adequate software support
Older Macs may be able to support the latest version of macOS, but they will miss out on many of the flagship features. For example older Macs lack many of the best macOS Monterey features. Read: Some Monterey features don’t work on Intel Macs.
Along with Apple not updating the older version of macOS it is probable that software developers won’t update the software you are using too. Again this could leave you at risk from vulnerabilities and flaws in the software.
4. Performance will be disappointing
It’s likely that an older Mac – even one that was incredibly powerful in its day – will struggle to perform modern tasks. There is the slim possibility that you may be able to upgrade the RAM and other components in an older Mac to make it better suited to todays tasks, but the money you spend on upgrading an old Mac would be better spent on something newer.
An old Mac is likely to be unreliable. Expect unexpected shutdowns and crashes to plague your day.
5. It will be Intel
Apple is in the midst of a move from Intel to its own processors that are much much better than anything on offer before.
Buying an Intel Mac now is buying a machine that has no future. Within a year even the best Intel Mac you can buy right now will have been left for dust by its Apple Silicon successors (M1, M1 Pro or M1 Max right now, with M2 and beyond to come). Not only will that leave you in the slow lane, it will also make the Mac harder to sell or pass on in the future.
6. There are better ways to save money…
Even if you are desperate for a bargain Mac our advice is do not buy secondhand. You would be much better off buying a Mac mini, which you can get for £699/$699, looking out for a deal on a new Mac, or buying from Apple’s refurbished store where at least old Macs are serviced first and you get a full year’s warranty.
But don’t buy secondhand, you’ll regret it.
Check out our best Apple deals below. Plus we have the following Mac deals round ups:
Best Mac deals
Best US Apple deals:
Top 10 Apple Deals (US)
Apple iPad Air (2022, 256GB, Wi-Fi)
Apple 11in iPad Pro (M1, 2021, 1TB) – WiFi
Save money on the 11in 1TB WiFi iPad Pro with M1 chip at Walmart.
Walmart also has the $1,899 2TB 11in WiFi model for $1,799. That’s $100 off.
Apple 10.2in iPad (2021, 64GB, Wi-Fi)
Walmart has the $329 iPad for $309 right now.
Amazon have the same deal.
Apple 12.9in iPad Pro (2021, M1, 2TB, cellular)
Amazon has the 2TB cellular 12in iPad Pro for $2,049.99. That’s $349.01 off the RRP of $2,399.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen, 64GB, Cellular)
Amazon has the 64GB cellular iPad mini for $599 (RRP £619)
Amazon also has the 256GB model for $779 (RRP $799).
Apple iPad Air 2020 (64GB, Wi-Fi)
The 64GB, Wi-Fi only model of the 2020 iPad Air is available with $100 off at Amazon right now.
Amazon also has money off the 64GB Cellular model from 2020, get it for $669.93 (was $729).
Apple iPad Air (2020, 256GB, WiFi)
Apple AirPods Pro
Amazon has the lowest price on the AirPods Pro at the moment with stock expected to return soon. Currently, the fastest delivery date is for the first week of January. If it sells out, head to Target where it’s also $179.99.
Apple 12in iPad Pro (M1, 2021, 1TB) – WiFi
Amazon and Best Buy have the $1,799 1TB WiFi model for $1,649.99. You can get $149 off with this great deal!
Amazon and Best Buy also have the $1,099 128GB WiFi 12in for $999 (RRP $1,099). That’s $100 off.
Plus Amazon and Best Buy have $100 off the 256GB WiFi 12in. Get it for $1,099 (RRP $1,199). Both stores also have $100 off the 512GB model.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen, 64GB)
Apple Mac mini, M1, 8-Core CPU / 8-Core GPU, 256GB
Apple 12.9in iPad Pro (M1, 2021, 2TB) – Cellular
Walmart has a discount on the biggest capacity top of the range 12.9in iPad Pro with M1 and 5G cellular connectivity.
Apple Watch Series 5 (GPS + Cellular, Aluminum) – 44mm
Best Buy has over $230 off the Apple Watch 5 with cellular connectivity!
Apple Pencil (1st generation)
Amazon has $14 off the 1st gen Apple Pencil.
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 512GB (2020)
Save $100 on the MacBook Air with the M1 chip from B&H Photo Video.
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 256GB (2020)
B&H Photo Video has a $100 saving on the M1 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM/256GB storage and 7-core GPU.
Disney+ Up to 6 months
From: Amazon Music
Was: $47.94
Now: Free with Amazon Music Unlimited ($9.99 per month/$7.99 for Prime Members)
Amazon Music Unlimited now includes up to six months Disney+ for free!
Apple 16in MacBook Pro, 2.3GHz i9 8-core 16GB/1TB (2019)
Best Buy has a great saving on the 2019 16in MacBook Pro with 8-core i9 and 1TB SSD. It was $2,799, but you can get it for $2,379.99, which is $420 off the price Apple used to sell it for.
Best UK Apple deals:
Top 10 Apple Deals
Apple 11in iPad Pro (2021, M1, 2TB) – Wi-Fi + Cellular
We’re not sure if Amazon will bring back the £639 discount we saw in October on this iPad Pro M1 variant, but almost £600 off is still an excellent deal. See our review of the 11in iPad Pro with M1.
Adobe Creative Cloud – All Apps (1 Year)
Adobe’s slashed 20% off its Creative Cloud subscription prices. The offer ends 14 April.
Apple AirPods 3
The brand-new AirPods 3 offer better battery performance, an updated design, and support for Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ. Save £10 from Amazon or Boots.
Smarty 12GB data SIM-Only
Grab three months of 12GB data for just £4 per month. If you’re after more data, you can see all its plans here. You can cancel anytime.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen, 64GB, Cellular)
This is the best deal we’ve seen on the iPad mini you can get the 64GB Cellular (RRP £619) for just £464 – which is less than the RRP for the Wi-Fi model!
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 256GB (2020)
Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm)
Bag the last gen Watch 6 for under £300 at Amazon’s Spring Sale!
Apple Watch Series 6 (44mm, Cellular)
Amazon’s just slashed £160 off the Watch Series 6 with Cellular connectivity as a part of its Spring Sale.
Apple 10.2in iPad (2021, 256GB, Wi-Fi)
Save over £30 on the latest iPad in Amazon’s Spring Sale. This is the cheapest price around, and the lowest we’ve ever seen this model.
Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard for iPad Pro 11
Save an excellent £74 on this Logitech keyboard for the iPad Pro 11 – this is currently the best discount we can see. The Combo Touch works with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen models.
Apple AirTags
Grab this set of Apple AirTags for just under £80 – that’s a saving of roughly £9 per AirTag, which costs £29 separately.
Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS, 41 mm)
The latest Apple Watch also has a solid £50 discount in Amazon’s Spring Sale. The price did drop as low as £314 early last month but currently, this is the best price around.
Beats Solo 3 Headphones
Get £80 off the Beats Solo3 Wireless on-ear headphones (which we gave four stars in our review). They’re available in a range of colours.
Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe charging case
Amazon’s excellent £64 saving on the AirPods Pro from March is no longer available. Multiple sites are selling for £189 (a £50 saving), including AO and Laptops Direct – but we’d go with John Lewis on account of its two-year guarantee.
Apple Watch SE (44mm, GPS)
Save a solid £20 on last year’s Apple Watch SE from Amazon.
Logitech Crayon
Want a more affordable alternative to the Apple Pencil? Check out the Logitech Crayon, which works with all iPads from 2018 and later.
Apple iPhone 12 mini (256GB)
The 256GB iPhone 12 mini has over £100 off from Amazon.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen)
A handy saving on Apple’s new iPad mini model for 2021, but note that this price applies to the Starlight colour finish only. eBuyer is matching the deal on certain colours.
Apple iPad Air (2022, 256GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular)
KRCS has knocked money off the 2022 iPad Air. You will find savings across the whole range.
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 512GB (2020)
An excellent deal, this. Save money on the MacBook Air with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU from Very. The discount applies to the silver version only.
This deal is only slightly better than Currys who has the silver model for £1,099.97. John Lewis had the same deal, but it is currently out of stock there.
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Author: Karen Haslam, Editor
Macworld editor since 2008, Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld almost two decades ago.
Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Her focus is Mac, but she lives and breathes Apple.