I use an M1 Pro MPB. The fan hardly comes on unless I kick off a machine learning task. So unless you're doing something that requires a lot of compute, you're probably not going to see much of a thermal difference that would cause any discomfort while using the computer.

I think about this whenever I'm buying a new piece of tech--whether to spend more to future proof and have it last or to spend less and shorten the life span. I've generally opted for the latter.

It’s always a bummer when it happens. I try to think of them as battle scars—signs your computer is being used rather than as a display piece.

I'm of the opinion that if your current 2020 MBA i7 is working for you, you can wait to upgrade. The M-series is pretty great, but there's always something better on the way... M4, M5, etc. If you can wait, wait and see what the future brings.

If you're comfortable with the terminal, you can run the following command to find where "McAfee, LLC" is configured.

sfltool dumpbtm

That will output the parent/child items that are allowed in run in the background. Under the child item, you'll probably find a few *.plist files listed in ~/Library/LaunchAgents--delete them (or move them to a temporary folder if you want to be cautious). Might have to restart before the thing goes away.

I wouldn’t think of a MacBook as an investment. They never gain in value unless you keep it for so long that it becomes rare and people want to buy it for nostalgia. I use an MBP for programming and light machine learning activities. I generally keep my MacBooks for four - six years before considering a replacement… though depending on use-case one can last a really long time.

Yes, if the computer is still on when I unplug. If it's shutdown, it doesn't matter--nothing could be writing to the drive anyway.

Periodically wiping the keyboard and screen with distilled water damped microfiber cloths. I have separate cloths for the screen and keyboard/body.