My first computer was a Mac Plus bought in 1986. I bought that one Mail Order over the telephone. Bought many Macs since then, and never bought one locally. I've never had any issues.
Lou
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Looking to buy 11" MBA for wife - questions
- Thread starter maverick22
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My first computer was a Mac Plus bought in 1986. I bought that one Mail Order over the telephone. Bought many Macs since then, and never bought one locally. I've never had any issues.
Lou
Hi,
I'm a big fan of mail-ordering from B&H Photo (btw, I just saw they have a base model in stock for $829, with free expedited shipping--no Black Friday hassle required), but if you feel more secure getting it at Best Buy, than go for it.
My mother-in-law bought a MacBook after using a PC all her life, and loved it (she just bought an MBA now, 4 years later). One of the things she did was buy the Apple 1 on 1 thing, where you can go and get one to one training with a "genius." Anyway, she was careful to write down every question she had when she came across one, and went regularly for help...after a couple of months, she knew stuff that I didn't know (been using Macs since 1984, btw). I know most people (like me) would consider that a waste of $$, but for her it was really worth it.
While it may be an extra cost, it may also help speed the learning curve and increase productivity.
You can always get help via Google, though!
I just got a new MBA for a family member and considered this, even started a thread on it here. Ended up not getting it because she really doesn't want to regularly go to the Apple Store.
If I understand it correctly however, if you want one to one service, you must buy the Mac directly from Apple (Apple store or from the website) and you must sign up at the time of purchase (you can't add it later).
I saw a couple of things that caught my eye after looking at youtube comparisons:
1) no SD card slot in the 11" (we probably won't be using it much as this will be mainly a work computer)..something to think about though
2) (more importantly) when typing on the 11" both palms don't rest comfortably on the laptop when typing whereas they do on the 13". The little bit of time my wife played around with one at BB, and we thought it was the 11". It was really the 13". Starting to wonder if the 11" might be too small. We'll have to get out in the next few days and check to make sure
1) no SD card slot in the 11" (we probably won't be using it much as this will be mainly a work computer)..something to think about though
2) (more importantly) when typing on the 11" both palms don't rest comfortably on the laptop when typing whereas they do on the 13". The little bit of time my wife played around with one at BB, and we thought it was the 11". It was really the 13". Starting to wonder if the 11" might be too small. We'll have to get out in the next few days and check to make sure
You are probably right...that is such an Apple thing...I went to their site and it clearly says
Anyway, this link might be helpful...I've gotten plenty of questions answered on their sister sites for things, if I had a Mac question, this is where I would go:
http://apple.stackexchange.com/
I saw a couple of things that caught my eye after looking at youtube comparisons:
1) no SD card slot in the 11" (we probably won't be using it much as this will be mainly a work computer)..something to think about though
2) (more importantly) when typing on the 11" both palms don't rest comfortably on the laptop when typing whereas they do on the 13". The little bit of time my wife played around with one at BB, and we thought it was the 11". It was really the 13". Starting to wonder if the 11" might be too small. We'll have to get out in the next few days and check to make sure
Yeah It is best to check it out in store etc...
I personally have the 11 inch one and love it, it feels me perfectly. School work, flight movies (not bulky at all), movies in bed. Its like saying I want portable computer or more like a home computer.
I have had both an 11" and a 13". The 11" was nice for my work. I travel to different hospitals to do work not heir computer systems. It was nice to have it so small to take anywhere and hop on without being obtrusive. However, for serious work, the 13" is much easier on the eyes. In the end the 13" is just as portable being so thin. Might want to think about ease of use for your wife since it sounds like portability is not as important?
1) I'm sure 4GB RAM will do, but in case we want to use it for more in the future, is a 6GB MBA even available?
4GB is sufficient for general usage like document editing, internet browsing, and some light photo and video editing. I have MBA with 4GB RAM and so far it works fine.
6GB is not available tho, there is 8GB and you need to order it from Apple Store.
One more thing, the RAM on MBA is non-upgradeable, so think carefully before you choose.
2) How is the screen after long use (being non-Retina and only 11")? Sometimes she is up typing and researching until midnight or later. Would the retina be much easier on the eyes?
Depends on people, but I would say that it feels "claustrophobic" due to its screen size.
3) best place to buy it? (Best Buy, Apple store). I think Best Buy still has interest-free financing for 18 months. That sounds appealing right now as Christmas is around the corner, we are paying for her grad. school, etc. However, I believe Apple has no restocking fee whereas BB does.
Apple Store.
4) We have not used Apple OS on a computer. We have iphones and an ipad. Will the adjustment take very long from Windows to Apple's OS?
Nope, OS X is very easy to use. You will get used to it in a day or two, or maybe less.
5) any other important factors you all can think of? Does the 11" MBA sound fitting?
11" is perfect for travelling. If you want to use it more like a desktop, then get the 13", or you can get the 11" and connect it to an external display when you need a larger screen.
4GB is sufficient for general usage like document editing, internet browsing, and some light photo and video editing. I have MBA with 4GB RAM and so far it works fine.
6GB is not available tho, there is 8GB and you need to order it from Apple Store.
One more thing, the RAM on MBA is non-upgradeable, so think carefully before you choose.
2) How is the screen after long use (being non-Retina and only 11")? Sometimes she is up typing and researching until midnight or later. Would the retina be much easier on the eyes?
Depends on people, but I would say that it feels "claustrophobic" due to its screen size.
3) best place to buy it? (Best Buy, Apple store). I think Best Buy still has interest-free financing for 18 months. That sounds appealing right now as Christmas is around the corner, we are paying for her grad. school, etc. However, I believe Apple has no restocking fee whereas BB does.
Apple Store.
4) We have not used Apple OS on a computer. We have iphones and an ipad. Will the adjustment take very long from Windows to Apple's OS?
Nope, OS X is very easy to use. You will get used to it in a day or two, or maybe less.
5) any other important factors you all can think of? Does the 11" MBA sound fitting?
11" is perfect for travelling. If you want to use it more like a desktop, then get the 13", or you can get the 11" and connect it to an external display when you need a larger screen.
I've owned 13" MacBook's of all variations (White, Unibody, Pro, Air) and the 11" Air was the first time I ventured away from those models and honestly it's fine as a main computer. I don't even connect it to an external display and I find that I have no trouble at all reading text or typing documents. I do hide the dock so I can expand my windows but otherwise it's a great little computer. It's perfect for what I use it for (internet, music, light photo editing, syncing with my iOS devices, etc.).
Absolutely.
On my MBA 11", I:
- put the dock on the right edge
- set the dock to auto-hide
- use fullscreen mode when possible (and use gestures to switch between apps)
In regards to eye strain, in terms of retina/non-retina: Not a big issue here. Size of the screen is the bigger issue here.
I've used the MacBook Air 11" for over 2 years now. Back then, I mainly plugged it in to a large 27" screen, which was fine.
But I've started travelling a lot more, and if you use the screen on its own, after long use (especially when you need to type and use research papers), eye strain will set in really quickly, and her eyes may deteriorate quicker than a laptop with a larger screen.
I personally am going for the next iteration of the 15" rMBP. this time round.
Well, after searching online, comparing in stores, taking into account the possible future incompatibilities with her job, we went ahead and bought a Dell XPS 13. Everything is great about except, and this is a big one unfortunately, the trackpad. It is not nearly as smooth and responsive as what you find on Macbooks. It sometimes freezes, highlights unwanted areas, all over the place, etc.
My wife also is using her sister's Macbook Pro (I think it's about 3 years old), and my wife is thinking of switching to a Mac. She did make the decision she'd go for the 13".
We still just worry about MS Word and other MS software she may have to use in the future. Her sister who has the Mac is saying "keep the Dell." Her sister had a couple of issues where the colleges she worked at required the professors to run certain software, and the Mac was a pain to get it to work.
Wish they would have made Windows for Mac look just like Windows for PCs. We will keep playing with both the Dell and the Mac. I think we have until January 31st to return the Dell for a full refund.
My wife also is using her sister's Macbook Pro (I think it's about 3 years old), and my wife is thinking of switching to a Mac. She did make the decision she'd go for the 13".
We still just worry about MS Word and other MS software she may have to use in the future. Her sister who has the Mac is saying "keep the Dell." Her sister had a couple of issues where the colleges she worked at required the professors to run certain software, and the Mac was a pain to get it to work.
Wish they would have made Windows for Mac look just like Windows for PCs. We will keep playing with both the Dell and the Mac. I think we have until January 31st to return the Dell for a full refund.
I presume you meant Office.
You can always run windows and Office for Windows in a VM on the Mac for perfect compatibility.
I have a Lenovo T431s from work with the best trackpad I have ever had on a PC, and it doesn't even come close to that of any on my Macs!
B
Those are nice laptops and I'm sure she could enjoy using it. At this time, The only reason I would ever buy a windows machine again is to run software, but I expect that I would still look into running it on parallel. If there really are some programs that she must have that aren't available for Mac then it makes sense, but I would definitely suggest looking very hard through things and talking to people to see what she would have to use. Just like with the dell there is a return window for a new Mac so if you find out you will have no problem with a Mac then you could always switch to see if you like it more. Either way, I hope she enjoys using whichever computer she ends up with.