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2017 MacBook Air - A good buy?

Indeed, I bought a 15' MacBook Pro 2018 and it's horrible, hate the Touch Bar, a lot of adapters, typing ist really strange. I have also a MacBook Pro 13' 2015 for Homeoffice and travelling and last week I bought a 11' 2015 MacBook Air changed the 2 TB Samung Evo in it and now it's my favorite Computer, totally happy. Damned the 11' they stopped the production in 2015, the 13' 2017 MBA are bit better, my wife works with the 2017 MBA and she don't want to take MBP 2015 and even the MBP 2018 ;-)
 
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It may still be excellent value, depending on use cases.

I purchased a Late 2011 MBP 15 in November 2011. That was my first Mac. I upgraded to 16GB myself, and added a 256GB SSD myself. I have no qualms with the machine. Sold it while it still worked in 2018. Graphics chip had started to show signs of impending failure. That was the only issue - it was a ticking time bomb. The machine served me very well and I wholeheartedly used its muscle.

Purchased a 2016 MBP 13 in November 2016. That was my second Mac. Sold it in 2018 since the keyboard failed, processor performance (felt usage, not statistics) was unfortunately not worthy of the price I paid, and I realised that if anything happens to the computer post its warranty (2020 for keyboard) I will need to shell out a price I will not be able to justify. Battery for $700+ in my country? Insanity. Again, the keyboard became a ticking time bomb thing for me. And I didn’t like that I purchased a ticking time bomb for a bomb.

Got myself an MBA 2017 13” i5 256/8, display piece, for $550 in December 2018. No headaches and fears with regards to keyboard failure. Performs nice and fast. Fits in the bag that the 2016 MBP did, “roughly” same dimensions and weight. This computer will last me for its life and I am completely happy with this - something I was not with the 2016, despite its noticeable and appreciable superiority in some areas of my use. I really appreciated that, but the price plus serviceability tanked the value for me, and then lack of reliability for the keyboard meant that I just wasn’t sure that tomorrow when I boot my laptop, I will be able to type error-free for a living.
 
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macintoshmac said:
It may still be excellent value, depending on use cases.

I purchased a Late 2011 MBP 15 in November 2011. That was my first Mac. I upgraded to 16GB myself, and added a 256GB SSD myself. I have no qualms with the machine. Sold it while it still worked in 2018. Graphics chip had started to show signs of impending failure. That was the only issue - it was a ticking time bomb. The machine served me very well and I wholeheartedly used its muscle.

Purchased a 2016 MBP 13 in November 2016. That was my second Mac. Sold it in 2018 since the keyboard failed, processor performance (felt usage, not statistics) was unfortunately not worthy of the price I paid, and I realised that if anything happens to the computer post its warranty (2020 for keyboard) I will need to shell out a price I will not be able to justify. Battery for $700+ in my country? Insanity. Again, the keyboard became a ticking time bomb thing for me. And I didn’t like that I purchased a ticking time bomb for a bomb.

Got myself an MBA 2017 13” i5 256/8, display piece, for $550 in December 2018. No headaches and fears with regards to keyboard failure. Performs nice and fast. Fits in the bag that the 2016 MBP did, “roughly” same dimensions and weight. This computer will last me for its life and I am completely happy with this - something I was not with the 2016, despite its noticeable and appreciable superiority in some areas of my use. I really appreciated that, but the price plus serviceability tanked the value for me, and then lack of reliability for the keyboard meant that I just wasn’t sure that tomorrow when I boot my laptop, I will be able to type error-free for a living.
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Is the MBA 2017 you bought a refurb or second hand? And what was the cycle count of it’s battery when you bought it?
 
supertiffany said:
Is the MBA 2017 you bought a refurb or second hand? And what was the cycle count of it’s battery when you bought it?
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It was not a refurb. You may call it second hand. It was an Apple Store piece, 218 or so cycles on the battery, and the MLB was replaced. Probably that is why I got it that cheap.
 
I have two Macbook Airs a 2014 and 2015. Both are i5's are solid machines. The keyboards are magic, and they have had zero problems. One recently started to show signs that the battery was slowly on it's way out, so I bought a new 2017 13" MBP, returned it, and bought a 13" 2019 MBP with Touch Bar and returned it as well. The Touch Bar was cool for about a week until I started hitting it all the time while typing, not to mention hardware issues. The previous generation Macbook Air is a solid machine.

The Airs are fast enough for most tasks. I have even run Final Cut Pro on them. Granted it was not the fastest way to go, and you can't do 4K, but for most stuff it did just fine.

I bought both of mine on sale at Best Buy for about the same price. I think you did pretty well. If I am not mistaken you can upgrade the SSD as well. I can on both of mine.
 
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Just got around to opening my Brand New (Refurbished) 2017 i5/256/8 MacBook Air from Apple.

As I'm typing on it as of this very reply, all I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!!! I knew Mac was superior, but wow!!! This thing is a work of art on to itself; I MEAN REALLY!!!

Can't believe it still, MY FIRST MAC!!! This thing is a fine chiseled machine, seemingly forged from Mt. Olympus. Sooo glad I bypassed the 2018/2019 version for the last of the GREAT MacBook Air's. Other than work, I'm finally rid of the last vestiges of the "PC" world. This thing is such a pleasure to use, even though this is literally moment one.

So happy to finally be a part of the Mac family. This thing will make me want to actually start taking my computer out and about with me again, something I haven't done in ages. I can finally say I see for myself what all the hype is about. It's NO CONTEST as regards to PC vs. Mac... MAC WINS!!!

I missed my Introduction to Mac 101 session this past Sunday, so I can't wait to reschedule that. My Mac is officially up and running, and I can't wait to get going on it.

2017... this thing is definitely a beast!!!
 
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Wide opeN said:
Just got around to opening my Brand New (Refurbished) 2017 i5/256/8 MacBook Air from Apple.

As I'm typing on it as of this very reply, all I can say is WOW!!!!!!!!!! I knew Mac was superior, but wow!!! This thing is a work of art on to itself; I MEAN REALLY!!!

Can't believe it still, MY FIRST MAC!!! This thing is a fine chiseled machine, seemingly forged from Mt. Olympus. Sooo glad I bypassed the 2018/2019 version for the last of the GREAT MacBook Air's. Other than work, I'm finally rid of the last vestiges of the "PC" world. This thing is such a pleasure to use, even though this is literally moment one.

So happy to finally be a part of the Mac family. This thing will make me want to actually start taking my computer out and about with me again, something I haven't done in ages. I can finally say I see for myself what all the hype is about. It's NO CONTEST as regards to PC vs. Mac... MAC WINS!!!

I missed my Introduction to Mac 101 session this past Sunday, so I can't wait to reschedule that. My Mac is officially up and running, and I can't wait to get going on it.

2017... this thing is definitely a beast!!!
Click to expand...

Welcome, and congratulations as well.

You have certainly missed a fine period of Mac OS X (I came to Mac OS X on 10.4 on a Hackintosh all the way up to Snow Leopard) but macOS in its Mojave and Catalina form are not that bad either. Hardware-wise, for everyday lightweight to moderately heavy usage, you will not feel the computer slow.

I got myself a MacBook Pro 15" with dGPU (stock, top spec) in November 2011, used it lovingly till November 2016 when I added a 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to my collection. Unfortunately, in a year and half, I was disenchanted with the graphics performance and the keyboard had multiple errors and I "write" for a living, so it was time for it to go. I got the top case replaced and sold it off. I was not happy with the potential repair costs when the computer would go out of warranty, and it matters to me since I keep my computers for as long as they serve my needs the way I want them to.

From the Pros, I "downgraded" to a 2017 Air. The keyboard on this feels something between the 2011 and 2016. It is good. What I like most about this is that this machine is plenty fast for my usage, and is compact enough to fit in the same space as the new 2016 did, and most importantly, I can use it without fear.

You have bought yourself a great machine that will serve you for a long time and for varied purposes, so long as you are not into constant heavy-lifting, at which point you will realise its limitations (I sometimes feel the CPU to be slightly underpowered - just sometimes). Beyond that, for everyday lightweight to moderate use, this machine is good.

The screen and colours are alright by me. Sure, the new displays are far better. But the computers with those better displays are not reliable. :p
 
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I bought the 13" 2017 (to replace an 11" 2011) from Apple's Refurb store, a couple of months before (and specifically because of the rumours of the 'features' coming with) the 2018. I wanted MagSafe, legacy ports and a known, reliable keyboard.
Nothing but happy with the decision.
 
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macintoshmac said:
Welcome, and congratulations as well.

You have certainly missed a fine period of Mac OS X (I came to Mac OS X on 10.4 on a Hackintosh all the way up to Snow Leopard) but macOS in its Mojave and Catalina form are not that bad either. Hardware-wise, for everyday lightweight to moderately heavy usage, you will not feel the computer slow.

I got myself a MacBook Pro 15" with dGPU (stock, top spec) in November 2011, used it lovingly till November 2016 when I added a 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to my collection. Unfortunately, in a year and half, I was disenchanted with the graphics performance and the keyboard had multiple errors and I "write" for a living, so it was time for it to go. I got the top case replaced and sold it off. I was not happy with the potential repair costs when the computer would go out of warranty, and it matters to me since I keep my computers for as long as they serve my needs the way I want them to.

From the Pros, I "downgraded" to a 2017 Air. The keyboard on this feels something between the 2011 and 2016. It is good. What I like most about this is that this machine is plenty fast for my usage, and is compact enough to fit in the same space as the new 2016 did, and most importantly, I can use it without fear.

You have bought yourself a great machine that will serve you for a long time and for varied purposes, so long as you are not into constant heavy-lifting, at which point you will realise its limitations (I sometimes feel the CPU to be slightly underpowered - just sometimes). Beyond that, for everyday lightweight to moderate use, this machine is good.

The screen and colours are alright by me. Sure, the new displays are far better. But the computers with those better displays are not reliable. :p
Click to expand...

Thanks for the congratulations!!! Yeah, the screen isn't as sharp as I would like it, but then again it's not my iPhone either, lol. I'm no power user, so I think it'll age well and gracefully.
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Bazza1 said:
I bought the 13" 2017 (to replace an 11" 2011) from Apple's Refurb store, a couple of months before (and specifically because of the rumours of the 'features' coming with) the 2018. I wanted MagSafe, legacy ports and a known, reliable keyboard.
Nothing but happy with the decision.
Click to expand...

Those are all the reasons I bypassed 2018/2019 MacBook Air's. MagSafe is the coolest!!!
 
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Wide opeN said:
Like you mentioned mountain lion being 10. whatever, didn't know if Mac OS still had corresponding number versions
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Oh, they do.

macOS Mojave is 10.14 - it is currently at 10.14.6.

macOS Catalina is 10.15 - it is currently in beta, number 6, build 19A536g.
 
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Bought a new 2017 I5 8 GB RAM 128GB SSD from Micro Center about a month ago for $699.00. They still have a few but they are $799.00 right now.
 
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Despite the display resolution, the Air is a fantastic and reliable computer. The 2010 11-inch was my first Mac and I loved that little thing. Right now I have a 2015 11-inch with 4GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD that I upgraded myself that serves as a backup Mac to my 2016 MacBook Pro. It's amazing how well this thing runs for basic tasks with just 4GB of RAM and it handles most of my workflow.

Though I will say that I'm more used to the butterfly keyboards now (have no issue with them) and every time I use the Air I type slower.
 
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