Buy MBA now? or should I wait?

ijrc · Jan 7, 2013, 12:56 AM

Any idea when the next MBA's will be released? What are the latest rumors?

I'm looking to replace my 18 month old MBA.
Current stats:
13 inch
1.8ghz i7
4GB ram
256gb SSD

Based on currently available MBA on Apple.com, I would buy
13 inch
2ghz i7
8gb ram
256gb SSD

davenz · Jan 7, 2013, 01:01 AM

Probably July ish. If you need one now buy it. If you don't, wait.

Pretty simple....

torana355 · Jan 7, 2013, 01:01 AM

Why would you want to upgrade already? I would wait for haswell as it will benefit Laptops massively when it comes to battery performance, it will also have the much faster onboard graphics (HD 5000?)

ka-spot · Jan 7, 2013, 05:08 AM

...wait with me for the haswell

Booji · Jan 7, 2013, 05:30 AM

Yours is more than adequate for most needs - unless you have a burning need to upgrade, you should wait.

ahmet · Jan 7, 2013, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by torana355

Why would you want to upgrade already? I would wait for haswell as it will benefit Laptops massively when it comes to battery performance, it will also have the much faster onboard graphics (HD 5000?)

Haswell's onboard graphics' name is HD 4600 and will be twice better and consume less energy. I have a mid 2012 MBA and sure will buy this

zedsdead · Jan 7, 2013, 07:01 AM

Wait for Haswell. Your current machine should hold you until they are released.

JoshMKB24 · Jan 7, 2013, 08:42 AM

For me it would come down to justifying the cost to myself. It looks like you'd be buying a computer with a .2ghz faster processor and 4gb more of ram. If it were me and I had a buyer lined up for my old MBA and could get into a new one for like 200 more out of pocket, I'd probably do it. However, if you were going to sell your old one for like 700 bucks and then spend another 500-600 more on a new computer, I probably wouldn't do it since you aren't going to see much in terms of gain performance wise. I always like new toys and gadgets, but I have to be able to justify it to myself

torana355 · Jan 7, 2013, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ahmet

Haswell's onboard graphics' name is HD 4600 and will be twice better and consume less energy. I have a mid 2012 MBA and sure will buy this

Yep i have the 2011 model and i think ill upgrade to the Haswell model just for the better battery life

designs216 · Jan 7, 2013, 09:14 AM

Every time this question comes up it makes me think of that thread "Have A Cookie or Wait" ...

ijrc · Jan 7, 2013, 01:15 PM

Thanks for the feedback.

I try to replace my Mac every 18 months. I tend to get a great re-sale value since I have AppleCare to include.

Based on the Haswell feedback I'll likely hold off another 6 months! Of course, my re-sale value will go down when there is a new announcement...but oh well.

DrumApple · Jan 7, 2013, 01:26 PM

I just bought a 13" i5 8gb to hold me until summer when the next model comes out. I'll sell it off around June and pickup the latest & greatest.

maxosx · Jan 7, 2013, 01:26 PM

Buy now, they're very well sorted out.

Reliable, fast and efficient there's no reason to wait for a new model. Even though it's Apple, there's always that possibility of bugs or other annoyances.

The grass is not always greener...

Mrbobb · Jan 7, 2013, 01:28 PM

This time next year we will be asking the same question, and people will say, Wait for HD5000, retina (it did not surface summer 2013

)

Every 18 months? sounds tiring just thinking about it. To each his own.

Scepticalscribe · Jan 7, 2013, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ijrc

Thanks for the feedback.

I try to replace my Mac every 18 months. I tend to get a great re-sale value since I have AppleCare to include.

Based on the Haswell feedback I'll likely hold off another 6 months! Of course, my re-sale value will go down when there is a new announcement...but oh well.

The old cliché about 'buy if you need, wait if you merely want' is the advice I would offer. For now, the specs on your machine sound pretty impressive to me, given that any upgrade you are likely to make before rumoured (note, rumoured) upgrades occur, will be, at best, fairly incremental.

As you have Applecare, you can afford to wait a few months and then see what the summer brings.

My own position is slightly different as my MBA is 28 months old, a year older than yours, so any change I make over the next few months will be quite noticeable.

Of course, resale value goes down every time there is an upgrade, - despite Applecare - or a significant change in the product line. That is life, and that is also the price you pay for acquiring a significant upgrade in computing power or radical innovation in technology.

cheezeit · Jan 7, 2013, 01:38 PM

Wait it out, then if you want buy "the older" model (which would be the current model now) for less and save money that way.

Liquinn · Jan 7, 2013, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zedsdead

Wait for Haswell. Your current machine should hold you until they are released.

Why not wait for Broadwell at that point? :P

aeboi · 02:16 AM

If you were watching Intel's CES keynote which is streaming right now, you'd realize that it'd be wise to wait for Haswell for battery life alone. Unless you "need" to have it right now. And I roughly quote, "biggest battery leap in Intel corporation's history."

bp1000 · Jan 7, 2013, 03:52 PM

At a guess, would Haswell chips be capable of playing arma games at its lowest settings?

yanksrock100 · Jan 7, 2013, 05:57 PM

I usually say go for it, since the 2012 Air is awesome....but seeing that your Air is only 18months old, you might as well wait a little while until you see slowings. 18 months is pretty new, especially since you aren't getting any more storage.....it won't really be worth the money to upgrade. Might as well wait awhile

kage207 · Jan 7, 2013, 11:20 PM

I'm just guessing but the new MacBook Airs will have 10hours of battery life~

nick_elt · Jan 8, 2013, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ijrc

Any idea when the next MBA's will be released? What are the latest rumors?

I'm looking to replace my 18 month old MBA.
Current stats:
13 inch
1.8ghz i7
4GB ram
256gb SSD

Based on currently available MBA on Apple.com, I would buy
13 inch
2ghz i7
8gb ram
256gb SSD

Generally they will be released in june but from what im reading the low voltage haswell chips wont be ready then (am I reading it wrong) anyway I couldnt wait and i just got a new one last week. Its pretty impressive and i dont regret it. Tech moves so fast you could always wait for the next thing and you will always be waiting.

The Man · Jan 8, 2013, 12:15 PM

I was contemplating buying a MacBook Air too. But I'm waiting for Haswell. I really hope that it ups the battery life. I would like to have a portable with true 7-10 hour battery life.

QCassidy352 · Jan 8, 2013, 03:16 PM

Why are you all saying June? Didn't intel say late 2013 for the new chips? So that sounds like q4, q3 at the earliest. It might still be worth the wait, but I wouldn't bet on June.

Obese Lobsters · Jan 9, 2013, 12:22 AM

Although I would wait until Haswell, I would actually skip retina if it came to the air. I do not believe the air has sufficient battery to power a retina display for a prolonged period of time; thus, leading to diminished battery life.

Jan 7, 2013, 12:56 AM	#1
ijrc macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2009	Buy MBA now? or should I wait? Any idea when the next MBA's will be released? What are the latest rumors? I'm looking to replace my 18 month old MBA. Current stats: 13 inch 1.8ghz i7 4GB ram 256gb SSD Based on currently available MBA on Apple.com, I would buy 13 inch 2ghz i7 8gb ram 256gb SSD
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 01:01 AM	#3
torana355 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia	Why would you want to upgrade already? I would wait for haswell as it will benefit Laptops massively when it comes to battery performance, it will also have the much faster onboard graphics (HD 5000?) __________________ 2012 27" iMac with 680mx \| 2011 13" MBA 128gb \| iPhone 4 32gb \| Nexus 7 16gb \| Nexus 4 on Carbon and Trinity.
	3

Jan 7, 2013, 05:08 AM	#4
ka-spot macrumors member Join Date: May 2012	cant wait... ...wait with me for the haswell __________________ Macbook Air, iPhone 4
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 07:01 AM	#7
zedsdead macrumors 68030 Join Date: Jun 2007	Wait for Haswell. Your current machine should hold you until they are released. __________________ iMac 27: 3.4 Core i7 Quad, 3tb Fusion, 24gb of RAM, 2gb NVIDIA 680mx Macbook Air 13": 2.13 Core2Duo, 256 Flash, 4 gigs of RAM, NVIDIA 320M iPad 3, iPhone 5, Apple TV, Final Cut X, Logic, Drobo 5D
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 08:42 AM	#8
JoshMKB24 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Midwest	For me it would come down to justifying the cost to myself. It looks like you'd be buying a computer with a .2ghz faster processor and 4gb more of ram. If it were me and I had a buyer lined up for my old MBA and could get into a new one for like 200 more out of pocket, I'd probably do it. However, if you were going to sell your old one for like 700 bucks and then spend another 500-600 more on a new computer, I probably wouldn't do it since you aren't going to see much in terms of gain performance wise. I always like new toys and gadgets, but I have to be able to justify it to myself __________________ 2012/13 27" iMac, 11" MacBook Air, iPhone 5, iPad Mini, Apple TV
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 01:01 AM	#2
davenz macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2008	Probably July ish. If you need one now buy it. If you don't, wait. Pretty simple....
	2

Jan 7, 2013, 05:30 AM	#5
Booji macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Singapore	Yours is more than adequate for most needs - unless you have a burning need to upgrade, you should wait.
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 09:14 AM	#10
designs216 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: On the way to M-83	Every time this question comes up it makes me think of that thread "Have A Cookie or Wait" ...
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 01:15 PM	#11
ijrc Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2009	Thx everyone Thanks for the feedback. I try to replace my Mac every 18 months. I tend to get a great re-sale value since I have AppleCare to include. Based on the Haswell feedback I'll likely hold off another 6 months! Of course, my re-sale value will go down when there is a new announcement...but oh well.
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 01:26 PM	#12
DrumApple macrumors regular Join Date: Jan 2009	I just bought a 13" i5 8gb to hold me until summer when the next model comes out. I'll sell it off around June and pickup the latest & greatest.
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 01:26 PM	#13
maxosx macrumors 68000 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Southern California	Buy now, they're very well sorted out. Reliable, fast and efficient there's no reason to wait for a new model. Even though it's Apple, there's always that possibility of bugs or other annoyances. The grass is not always greener...
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 01:28 PM	#14
Mrbobb macrumors 68020 Join Date: Aug 2012	This time next year we will be asking the same question, and people will say, Wait for HD5000, retina (it did not surface summer 2013 ) Every 18 months? sounds tiring just thinking about it. To each his own. __________________ Solution: FREE, Explanation: Is gonna cost ya.
	1

Jan 7, 2013, 01:38 PM	#16
cheezeit macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2010	Wait it out, then if you want buy "the older" model (which would be the current model now) for less and save money that way.
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 03:28 PM	#18
aeboi macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bay Area	If you were watching Intel's CES keynote which is streaming right now, you'd realize that it'd be wise to wait for Haswell for battery life alone. Unless you "need" to have it right now. And I roughly quote, "biggest battery leap in Intel corporation's history." Last edited by aeboi; Jan 8, 2013 at 02:16 AM.
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 03:52 PM	#19
bp1000 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2011	At a guess, would Haswell chips be capable of playing arma games at its lowest settings? __________________ #applechat
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 05:57 PM	#20
yanksrock100 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: San Diego	I usually say go for it, since the 2012 Air is awesome....but seeing that your Air is only 18months old, you might as well wait a little while until you see slowings. 18 months is pretty new, especially since you aren't getting any more storage.....it won't really be worth the money to upgrade. Might as well wait awhile __________________ Current 13" Macbook Air (Mid 2012); iPod Touch 4th Gen; iBook g4 14" Check Out My YouTube Videos! (Mac, iPod, and Android) youtube.com/yanksrock1000
	0

Jan 7, 2013, 11:20 PM	#21
kage207 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2008	I'm just guessing but the new MacBook Airs will have 10hours of battery life~ __________________ MBA 13", i5 1.8GHz, 8GM RAM, 128GB SSD These are amazing products that enrich our lives that we see as toys, remember that they are expensive and should be used as tools to reach our dreams~
	0

Jan 8, 2013, 12:15 PM	#23
The Man macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2004	I was contemplating buying a MacBook Air too. But I'm waiting for Haswell. I really hope that it ups the battery life. I would like to have a portable with true 7-10 hour battery life.
	0

Jan 8, 2013, 03:16 PM	#24
QCassidy352 macrumors G3 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Boston, MA	Why are you all saying June? Didn't intel say late 2013 for the new chips? So that sounds like q4, q3 at the earliest. It might still be worth the wait, but I wouldn't bet on June. __________________ "If Jesus Himself came back to earth and turned water to wine, half of MacRumors would say 'meh, this is red. I wanted white.'"
	0

Jan 9, 2013, 12:22 AM	#25
Obese Lobsters macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2010	Although I would wait until Haswell, I would actually skip retina if it came to the air. I do not believe the air has sufficient battery to power a retina display for a prolonged period of time; thus, leading to diminished battery life.
	0

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