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I recently spent just a hair over $200 on a 10 year-old computer. Specifically a MacBook Air 11” with 8gb of RAM and a 256gb hdd from Backmarket. The screen is terrible compared to contemporary computers, it can only run up to MacOS 12, Monterey so there are limits to what contemporary software I can install. And yeah, the battery life isn’t great, but I have Bluetooth turned off and if I were out and about using it, I’d probably also turn wifi off unless specifically needing to sync my files.
But why?
Because I bought this to be a dedicated writing machine. I have iA Writer installed and a few other utilities that I use on a regular basis, and yes, it’s syncing to iCloud as well, but until and unless I get around to writing long-form works again and need something like Scrivener on it, that’s pretty much it for adding software to this machine. This laptop is, and has been since it came out, my absolute favorite laptop form factor in terms of size and the way it feels while using it.
And you know what? I have been writing more. Journalling, starting to think about writing music essays for my website, and even starting a short story for the first time in years. Yes, I am fully aware that the tools do not make the creator…that I could force myself to do all these things on my work laptop or get a keyboard for my iPad Mini, or just use pen and paper. But I truly enjoy this tool and the combination of the 11” Air along with iA Writer. I have my font in iA Writer set large so I don’t need to strain my eyes and it is alway open and ready for me to write without any other apps or software competing for my attention. I’m not even logged into the web versions of my Mastodon or Bluesky accounts. While I’ve been tempted to do that several times, I have resisted. This is currently 100% dedicated to writing. When I pick it up, I only have one goal and one use for it.
I can get away with this because I have other, more powerful computers (a 2018 Mac Mini that I own, and a more recent, 16” MacBook Pro that is a work device), so I don’t have to depend on this for any other tasks.
And since this is my own laptop, and since my relationship to technology has changed considerably over the past few years—becoming far less impressed and interested in the brand new thing and far less precious about my shiny toys—I’ve actually, for the very first time in my life, added stickers to the computer.
Will this solve for all my social media doom-scrolling and wasting of time? No. But it is helping me write more and more regularly. And for $200 I do think it was worth it.
I’m now considering that when I do have to finally replace my iPhone 12 (which I may pay for a new battery later this year to get another 2-3 years out of it), I will likely go with an older, refurbished phone instead of spending the money on brand new electronics. Is this maturity? Is it the enshittification of our modern devices? Probably a bit of both. Regardless of why my perspective has changed, I am truly enjoying this 10-year old computer and its place as a tool in my life.