I have base M1s for personal and work. For my needs I haven’t found a (legitimate) reason to upgrade. Plenty fast, I store photos and music on cloud and use an external drive for movies, etc. which I use to stream to AppleTV. Been solid.
I’d say ultimately, it comes down to your need in using the MacBook…my son has 4+ year old Pro model (battery replaced under warranty), my daugher one likely 6+ years. So hopefully that gives you a sense of longevity.
I have base M1s for personal and work. For my needs I haven’t found a (legitimate) reason to upgrade. Plenty fast, I store photos and music on cloud and use an external drive for movies, etc. which I use to stream to AppleTV. Been solid.
I’d say ultimately, it comes down to your need in using the MacBook…my son has 4+ year old Pro model (battery replaced under warranty), my daugher one likely 6+ years. So hopefully that gives you a sense of longevity.