2011 MBA or wait for the 2012 MBA?

[mada88]

Hello,

I'm set on getting a MBA but I'm unsure if it would be wise buying now or waiting for the 2012 MBA. Will Ivy Bridge be a leap forward in speed compared to the Sandy Bridge? It will be intriguing to see if Apple up the ram as well and include a USB 3.0 port.

Advice is much appreciated.

 

[McGiord]

Use the Buyer's Guide

https://buyersguide.macrumors.com//#MacBook_Air

It seems that Thunderbolt is what they are aiming for, it might be a matter of time to see how it evolve, it took them quite some time for Firewire, then they remove it from the iPod...So only Apple knows.

If you need now, buy now..then sell and buy the new model.

 

[Roessnakhan]

You'll always be chasing the latest and greatest - if you want a MBA now, get one and sell it for a little bit less than what you paid when you got it when the newer model comes out. Macs in general appear to maintain their value really well from my experience.

 

[ZipZap]

Next model will have better CPU, Graphics. Also expect USB 3. Thunderbolt is just too premature and its adoption is unclear.

 

[ZZ Bottom]

From my research it appears we are most likely not going to see Ivy Bridge in an Apple laptop until about march-April of next year. However it is most likely going to be in the MacBook Pro first. Apple likes to stagger the release of their products that have crossover appeal; I.e. The mbp and MBA. For that reason it may be until next may-June until you see a MBA with Ivy. I'm sure apple doesn't like the spread they have right now until Ivy ships, but some things you can't control.

As others have said, buy now if your in need of a machine, and plan on selling for a minor loss. Apple products hold value very well. If youre planning on waiting, plan on much anxious time until then. I can sympathize as I am waiting on a mbp refresh (pre-ivy bridge). At least the MBA is more up to date than it's 13" mbp cousin.

In regards to USB 3.0, it's quite possible it will be included since INTEL will directly be supporting it on ivy bridge. In this regard it will make apple look really stupid if they intentionally leave it out. Thunderbolt is obviously better, but who doesn't love more I/o options.

 

[nebulos]

 

[BadaBing!!]

2011 is pretty great and offers great performance.
If you need it now, why wait ? If you don't need it now, why buy ?

 

[danpass]

I could have easily lived with the the current MBA13i7-1.8-256 if it wasn't for the 4gb ram limit. I ran into that wall several times and FCPX would crash after just 2-3 seconds. Not a machine for full time editing but it would have been nice to have the option.

Returned it.

FCPX running fairly well on a MBP13i7 with 8gb ram.

 

[Gregintosh]

Next model will have better CPU, Graphics.

This quote will be equally true immediately after the next model comes out.

It's technology, there is ALWAYS something better coming out. MBAs will always be better with each release, and any piece of apple tech will be too. The key is to buy what you need when you need it.

A computer, unlike a fine, wine doesn't get better with age so if you don't need it now don't buy it now.

You can also try this: set a bar for what you want and at what price and only buy it when it occurs. Example: I want an MBA (or equivalent) with 10 hours of battery, 8Gb RAM, and 512Gb HD for $1299 or less. Sooner or later, technology will catch up to your requirements then you can buy. (could be a long wait depending on what you want though).

 

[gentlefury]

I'm seriously doubting USB3 will replace Thunderbolt....maybe replace USB2....but if you always wait you never buy...whats the point in that?

 

[nebulos]

the 2053 MBA will make these kinds of decisions for you. wait for that one.

 

[0183392]

Just get the 2011 now and sell it when they are about to release the 2012

 

[gentlefury]

I think the biggest dependent factor is, are you a whitesheet person or a computer user?

I personally don't read whitesheets. I have seen many devices with incredibly impressive specs that run like CRAP! And Apple consistently has underwhelming specs that blow everyone else away!

 

[mrwonkers]

Why wait when you a buy a shiny plastic Dell right now!
"Just Do It"

 

[mada88]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

The point I was trying to make is will the 2012 MBA be that much of a leap forward for the MBA? Im sure the 2011 will be good for a couple of years. I'm only goin to be using the machine to surf the web and do some work on. No video editing so I don't think waiting for a faster cpu would be that noticable for me. Sorry for answering my own question! :-D

 

[daihard]

The point I was trying to make is will the 2012 MBA be that much of a leap forward for the MBA? Im sure the 2011 will be good for a couple of years. I'm only goin to be using the machine to surf the web and do some work on. No video editing so I don't think waiting for a faster cpu would be that noticable for me. Sorry for answering my own question! :-D

You sure answered your own question. LOL

I just bought an 13-in. MBA (1.8-4-256). The performance is seriously impressive. I don't do video editing but do a lot of software development. Xcode performs a LOT better than on my old 2009 MBP.

 

[Pipper99]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

The point I was trying to make is will the 2012 MBA be that much of a leap forward for the MBA? Im sure the 2011 will be good for a couple of years. I'm only goin to be using the machine to surf the web and do some work on. No video editing so I don't think waiting for a faster cpu would be that noticable for me. Sorry for answering my own question! :-D

Yep, the 2011 is plenty good for that type of stuff.

 

[calvol]

I would buy a cheap refurb Air now, and put your money into a maxed-out 2012 Air next Spring, because Ivy will be a step forward in graphics and power consumption, and we should have options for 8GB/512SSD, USB3.0, HD cam, and retina display, and I'm hoping a lighter carbon fiber body with better cooling.

 

[KPOM]

I would buy a cheap refurb Air now, and put your money into a maxed-out 2012 Air next Spring, because Ivy will be a step forward in graphics and power consumption, and we should have options for 8GB/512SSD, USB3.0, HD cam, and retina display, and I'm hoping a lighter carbon fiber body with better cooling.

Carbon fiber retains heat. You are correct that Ivy Bridge will bring better graphics, lower power consumption, and USB 3.0 support, however.

 

[glhiii]

2011 MBA vs 2011 MBP

I just spent a week using a 11" 2011 MBA i7 with the new monitor. It worked very well, but when I got my MBP back (I had loaned it out), I was amazed at how much faster it is. I think it has a lot to do with the 8 gigs of RAM in the MBP (and, of course, the faster processor, the better graphics chip and the 4 vs. 2 cores). True, the SSD helps the MBA, but I'm using a hybrid disk on the MBP and it seems almost as fast.

 

[WillMak]

well if you believe in Intel marketing, the "3D transistor" technology in the ivy is going to change computing the way the transition of pentium 4 to M did.