At some point, everyone needs a new computer. The new MacBook Air, which Apple released in July 2019 is particularly nice, especially if you’re looking for a laptop for daily work or if you’ve just been waiting for the MacBook Air to finally get a Retina display (which happened in 2018). We’ve even chosen the MacBook Air (2019) as the best MacBook for most people.
For those currently at the crossroads of upgrading an old Mac or just adding one to the collection, we’re here to help.
How to prepare your old Mac for sale or trade-in
If you are planning on keeping your current Mac, then go ahead and skip this step.
If however, you want to sell your old Mac or trade it in for a discount on your new purchase, you’ll have to do a few things first.
Most importantly, you’ll want to make sure that you sign out of iCloud, Messages, iTunes, and Find My Mac.
Another huge step is ensuring that you have backed up all of your data with a backup service like Time Machine and an external hard drive, or a cloud service like Backblaze.
Once all of that is done, wipe that hard drive and you’re good to go.
How to sign out of iCloud on Mac
How to sign out of iMessage
How to deathorize your Apple Music account on Mac
How to disable Find My Mac
How to back up your Mac with Time Machine
How to back up your Mac to an online backup service
Best ways to back up your Mac
How to reset your Mac before selling it
How to sell or trade in your old Mac
The great thing about Macs (and Apple products in general) is that they usually retain their resell or trade-in value fairly well compared to other machines. This is a great way to get some cash back to put towards your new Mac.
But before you put it up for sale or hand it over for trade-in, you’ll want to make sure that it’s physically clean (no one wants a dirty Mac), and then wipe out that hard drive and reinstall a fresh copy of macOS.
You should also do some shopping around for the best price your old Mac can fetch if sold, or places that offer the most trade-in value.
Once you get your new Mac, make sure to transfer your old Mac’s data over to the new machine.
How to transfer your old Mac’s data to your new Mac
How to sell your Mac
How to purchase your new MacBook Air
The best place to purchase the new MacBook Air is directly from Apple. Some third-party authorized resellers, however, may have better deals on the new MacBook Air, and that can save you some dough.
I purchased my Retina MacBook Air from B&H when it was on sale for $200 off, bringing the cost down to $1199 with no sales tax. Right now for the holidays, you can snag a 2019 MacBook Air over at B&H for $1149, which is $150 off.
Costco has recently started selling Macs too. Plus, Costco members get extended standard warranties on their purchases with the Citi credit card. You can also get the MacBook Air from other retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.
How to migrate your old Mac’s data to your new MacBook Air
Now that you have your new Mac, you’ll want to make sure that all of your stuff gets moved over (unless you don’t mind starting fresh). Apple has a handy tool called Migration Assistant that comes with all Macs, and it helps you move all of your settings, apps, files, folders, and accounts from one Mac to another.
This process is pretty easy and straightforward, with step-by-step directions. Migration Assistant also works for those who want to transfer their data from their PC over to a new Mac.
How to transfer your data from your old PC to your new Mac
How to transfer your old Mac’s data to your new Mac
Any questions?
Still need help with upgrading to the new MacBook Air? Leave your questions below and we’ll do our best to answer them!
December 2019: Updated with the new MacBook Air that was released in July 2019.
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Source of the article – iMore