MBA 11 - 2GB Buy?

[DeadLockCo]

I was browsing Macconnection.com and noticed the MBA (Mid-2011) 11' was on sale for $699 brand new. I was wondering if I should buy this for college and some Java/C++ programming work. Is this a good deal or should I wait?

I wanted to buy the newer version but got declined for the Barclay Visa interest. And I cannot pay it in full.

Thanks in advance.

[sostoobad]

Hello, I jumped on one, and I think its great, I have had an Air 13" 2011 and it was great too BUT it all comes down to what you are going to do with it. For me, the key was the size and portability, not heavy specs, I have a mac mini for a desktop and I like that too. At 699.00 new it is a value, you get the 1 yr warranty too. I have seen them sell for more used with no warranty.

Simple stuff like sitting on a couch and putting on your lap, it fits perfectly where the 13" by comparison is a tad bulky, airline travel, it is ideal.

Most people who use a computer probably won't tax its capabilities, that being said, most people who comment on this board probably would tax its capabilities. So it depends on what you are going to use it for, but it is very cool.

[thaialism]

2gb is not enough for what you want to do, i'm using one right now with 2gb and sometimes opening up a lot of pdfs and microsoft words would slow down the macbook air.

also i don't do c++ programming, but i use MATLAB for programming and when i would go to compile, it sometimes slow down the computer by a lot...like it would show that i only have 20mb of ram left over...

i think the macbook air is great but 4gb is best.

[Beanoir]

For that sort of money its a bargain, and 2GB will be fine for what you want to do.

It did for me.

[Steevie]

for $700 if youre only going to be browsing/light work etc then just get an ipad instead

[Menge]

2GB would be a deal breaker for me. I need at least 4GB for development (Xcode for Objective-C/C++).

(my main machine has 8GB and a secondary has 4GB. The 4GB one lags fairly frequently due to low memory)

[robvas]

2GB works for me but more is better. I just sold my 2011 4GB/128GB for 700, look for a used one

[phoenixsan]

that price is a bargain. But seeing the hard facts, 2 GB can be too little. And Apple laptops get updates very fast....so, if you dont really, REALLY need it, wait....

[DeadLockCo]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I will look around craigslist for one. Though most people getting rid of their MBA are selling it for $750 (same model). Guess I'll wait until the summer.

[nutmac]

Originally Posted by DeadLockCo

I was wondering if I should buy this for college and some Java/C++ programming work.

For Java, you will want 8 or 16 GB. Java IDEs like IntelliJ and Eclipse alone need 1GB. Java compiler or run time will need anywhere between 512 MB to 2 GB for typical apps. If you develop web app, you will also need to run database and other things.