2011 Users: Upgrade or Not to 2012?

[JimmyTheKnife]

Bought a 2011 11.6

I couldn't resist the $849 price on a refurb 11.6 4/128. I was drooling over it prior to yesterday's release when it went for $999. The price drop made me push the button.

I don't really need any of the 2012 improvements, so this is a good deal for me.

 

[n1tut]

Absolutely on the ball Sarah. Probably bad wording, what I meant was the 2011 model had a backlit keyboard, which was the only thing that I missed, and the 2012 is in the same bracket.

I am in a different position to most of you, 72 year old disabled War Pensioner with a power lead in the lounge, and one by the bed, so battery life not to important, though not impressed that it has fallen to 50% in 18 months.

However it is horses for courses, we all have different needs from our MBA's, mine are met by 2gb and 64gb, whereas others would not be, and 4gb now as standard and 128gb SSD would be more applicable. My own wish list would have been a narrower bezel and a 1x increase in resolution.

However it is good to see the enthusiasm and excitement in the Mac computer world when a new Air comes out, this is my first Mac after M/S for thirty years, and I love it to bits.

tut

 

[Timshan0876]

I just recieved my Macbook Air 13, 256 i5 about a week ago. It was a gift from my parents, and since they dont understand computer technology and such as well as I do, they didnt wait till the update to buy me a gift.

At first i was disappointed but, after thinking about it....
When you spend the time and money to sell your old MBA and get the new one that is faster, is it going to be that much better?

I mean, the new is damn fast, but the 2011, is already really fast, right?

There is no other difference. And if you are saying "oh i need the extra RAM for my video editing and gaming and blah blah."

Then go get a MBP or an iMac. The Air is light and sexy, no need to go nuts over the specs.

Ill upgrade in 2 or 3 years when the Air comes with retina and a holographic projector.

 

[shenan1982]

This is a bad poll. It's like saying who will trade in their car within 3 years... most people in the US don't have the means to do so, so don't. Of course the majority of people who bought a big ticket item last year won't upgrade. WILL and WANT are two different things.

Anyone who says they don't WANT to is lying.

 

[KittyKatta]

I just recieved my Macbook Air 13, 256 i5 about a week ago. It was a gift from my parents, and since they dont understand computer technology and such as well as I do, they didnt wait till the update to buy me a gift.

At first i was disappointed but, after thinking about it....
When you spend the time and money to sell your old MBA and get the new one that is faster, is it going to be that much better?

I mean, the new is damn fast, but the 2011, is already really fast, right?

There is no other difference. And if you are saying "oh i need the extra RAM for my video editing and gaming and blah blah."

Then go get a MBP or an iMac. The Air is light and sexy, no need to go nuts over the specs.

Ill upgrade in 2 or 3 years when the Air comes with retina and a holographic projector.

You're justifying but since it's new the smart thing to do is return it since you're still within return policy. The new models cost $100 less and if your a student you get a $100 iTunes card so there's plenty of reasons to put in the effort to upgrade and save.

 

[panzer06]

I couldn't resist the $849 price on a refurb 11.6 4/128. I was drooling over it prior to yesterday's release when it went for $999. The price drop made me push the button.

I don't really need any of the 2012 improvements, so this is a good deal for me.

Got mine for $800 a few weeks ago. If I pull the trigger on anything it'll be that the "NEW" MBP once it hits the refurb store.

Cheers,

 

[ixodes]

I'm suspending further Apple purchases till I see just where they're headed.

I have no desire to buy new, perfectly good computers, pads & phones with some operating system "features" I have to disable to provide the unobtrusive experience I'm already enjoying with my 2010 & 11 models.

I'd rather sit back & read about others experiences, and watch how Apple deals with certain issues.

 

[Acronyc]

I'm still rocking my 2010 11" MBA, and while the 2012 would be a substantial upgrade and of course I'd love to have it, I realized I really don't need it right now. Most of my usage is really light (word processing, email, Internet, etc.), and the heaviest thing I do on it is a few hours of casual gaming a week. Plus, I've only had it for 18 months, and I'd like to use it for at least two to three years (AppleCare until December 2013), even though the tech inside is getting a bit old.

Since I sold my last Windows machine a few months ago and my MBA turned into my sole computer, I've realized just how well I can get along with a less powerful machine. Sure, my usage is light and I can't run modern games in ultra high settings, but it does 95% of what my old gaming notebooks did with half the weight, a great screen, OS X, and excellent customer service (at least in my experience). All good stuff!

That being said, the 2012 MBA and the MBP Retina do look pretty tempting...

 

[Wild-Bill]

Negative. Not enough of an upgrade from 2011 to justify the purchase. For those with a 2010 and below? Probably.

 

[Queen6]

No, I use my AIR as an ultra portable, the 2012 wont bring any significant benefit for my use. The 2012 is the better machine, I would just be swapping my Late 2011 for the sake of having Apples latest and greatest, the 13" with extra RAM and storage would be nice. The way the MacBook Pro is developing my 2011 is likely to be my last Air.

If I buy anything this year it will be a Retina MacBook Pro or a Apple Cinema Display

 

[Mopar]

This is a bad poll. It's like saying who will trade in their car within 3 years... most people in the US don't have the means to do so, so don't. Of course the majority of people who bought a big ticket item last year won't upgrade. WILL and WANT are two different things.

Anyone who says they don't WANT to is lying.

That's not exactly true. If you own a classic car and the new models are less powerful, less charismatic, more expensive and uglier to boot, why would you "WANT" one?

There are many times when I've contemplated selling my 2011 11.6" machine and buying a 2010 model - because the older models have better battery life.

They're just two examples of someone stating they don't want the "latest" because it's not the "greatest" - and that's without lying!

 

[dgdosen]

I see the 2012 as a minor spec bump

Boy was I wrong. Between the procs (especially the i7) and the HD speeds, I cancelled my order for refurb and went with a new air. Apple should be happy they'll have my SSD money instead of OWC.

And I'll still be able to pick up an aftermarket SSD, if and when they're available...

 

[raftr]

Yes, this is exactly the upgrade I was waiting for: 8GB RAM, USB 3.0 and this time I'm getting the top i7, possibly with 500GB.

If it weren't for the USB, I probably wouldn't bother because my i5 1.7 does pretty much everything I throw at it—with ease. Still, faster processor and the RAM should make work with Lightroom even smoother.

 

[KittyKatta]

I just got a brand new 2011 13" 256GB Air from Amazon for $1098! Its listed from Amazon Warehouse deals as "Like New" so I expected a returned item with no box but what I got was a sealed Air where the only flaw was some scuffs on the plastic wrap. Inside was a brand new unregistered Air with full warranty so even though I still would prefer a 2012 Air, then I'm fine with having this "older" machine and putting that $550 (no tax!) I saved into my "2013 Retina Air" fund.

The only thing I feel Im missing is USB3 but hopefully that can be addressed with a Thunderbolt->USB3 adapter.

 

[los318]

I'm opting not to upgrade. The new one has very nice features and if i where in the market now, for sure, i would buy it but my mid 2011 MBA is performing just nicely. The only thing that would have caused me to upgrade would have been a Retina MBA. I'm assuming the next gen chip, Haswell, will help greatly in pushing that display for the MBA.

Although, i am considering a SSD upgrade. But that is just to satisfy the geek side of my brain.

 

[dcorban]

I just recieved my Macbook Air 13, 256 i5 about a week ago. It was a gift from my parents, and since they dont understand computer technology and such as well as I do, they didnt wait till the update to buy me a gift.

There is little reason not to take it to the Apple store and exchange for a new model. Do it ASAP. The increased SSD speeds alone would justify the time spent doing the exchange, not to mention the lower price.

 

[Timshan0876]

There is little reason not to take it to the Apple store and exchange for a new model. Do it ASAP. The increased SSD speeds alone would justify the time spent doing the exchange, not to mention the lower price.

The thing is, I am about 5000miles away from the store my MBA was purchased from. So its kind of difficult for me to do so.
Thanks for the advice, but not possible for me.. haha

 

[Zzari]

The thing is, I am about 5000miles away from the store my MBA was purchased from. So its kind of difficult for me to do so.
Thanks for the advice, but not possible for me.. haha

Pretty sure you can exchange it at any Apple store.

 

[Timshan0876]

Pretty sure you can exchange it at any Apple store.

Are you sure?
I love my MBA already but if you are sure, then Ill go to the local Apple store today and do it.

----------

Pretty sure you can exchange it at any Apple store.

You are correct, but Apple's refund policy only allows a 14day refund period.
So sadly, I cannot refund, I think my macbook air is around 25days or something hahaha

Oh well, I shall upgrade in 2 or 3 years!
See ya guys!

Congrats on the MBAs

 

[Geekbabe]

I have the 13 inch July 2011 MBA with 4GB ram, 128GB SSD with AppleCare till 12/14. The computer is running flawlessly so far,no complaints. My problem is that I was gifted with an ipad 3, the screen is amazing! I am tempted to sell this unit & put the funds toward a base retina MBP with 16GB of memory. I'd be able to get the edu discount to help take the sting off the price tag.

I'm torn though, my MBA is so light & easy to carry, the screen is actually not horrible, should I just keep it & perhaps buy a thunderbolt display? should I sell it & get the retina pro? Should I sell it & upgrade to an Air with 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD?

I know... First world problems

 

[ZBoater]

I had convinced myself I wouldn't do it. The arguments against it in this thread are very compelling. But I found myself at the Apple store, and low and behold they had the 13" ultimate config in stock. I tried to run away, but it followed me home.

The upgrade is not worth the cost for those of us with 2011 MBAs. But I did it anyway. I have no good reason other than to admit I have a technology addiction that clouds my judgement.