It depends on which gives you the best tax situation. Your Macbook is eligible to be reported either as an expense, with the Section 179 election, or as a depreciable asset over 3 years in the year of purchase. If expensing the computer would result in a loss you should depreciate it as an asset instead. Section 179 expenses cannot create a loss. It can only offset income, so it carries forward any amount that would make your net income less than $0.
If you close your business before the 3-year life is expired, you do not "pay back" the depreciation, but would report the gain or loss from the current value compared to the depreciated value. If you close your business after the 3-year life is expired, you will report the value of the computer at the time as a gain, since it will be a $0 value for tax purposes.
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