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4 Months Later and I still love my macbook air 2011

G

GKDAIR

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 4, 2011
230
4
Hi all.

I bought my macbook air 2011 13 inch 128 sad back in early october. My Windows Gaming Laptop (An asus) finally crashed on me for the 2nd time in less than 2 months, so I finally said screw it and bought a mac.

4 months later I still love it. More then I have any other computer before. I can honestly say I will never go back to Windows.

Anybody else have similar stories?
 
GKDAIR said:
Hi all.

I bought my macbook air 2011 13 inch 128 sad back in early october. My Windows Gaming Laptop (An asus) finally crashed on me for the 2nd time in less than 2 months, so I finally said screw it and bought a mac.

4 months later I still love it. More then I have any other computer before. I can honestly say I will never go back to Windows.

Anybody else have similar stories?
Click to expand...

I left Windows behind in November 2004 for about the same reason. My current MBA (13") is the best overall machine I've owned to date. Can't wait to see what they do to this model going forward!

It's nice to be able to have good stuff like this in ones life so enjoy!
 
Mine is the complete opposite. I have a Macbook Air 13" 2011 now that I used to replace my Alienware M11x. Given the avalanche of issues that I have encountered, I am actually ordering a new Alienware laptop right now.
 
I still love mine too. I bought it in September I think and I'm still quite smitten. The MacBook Air with the iPad 2 is a sweet setup.
 
minnus said:
Mine is the complete opposite. I have a Macbook Air 13" 2011 now that I used to replace my Alienware M11x. Given the avalanche of issues that I have encountered, I am actually ordering a new Alienware laptop right now.
Click to expand...

What issues have you had exactly?
 
i just purchased a high end 11" 4 nights ago. this has absolutely been the best laptop i have ever owned. i take it everywhere with me, just as portable as an iPad but so much more practical. i have learned to use my iPhone for all my iOS/mobile needs. best purchase in a long, long time.

:)
 
I got mine in August and love it too. Barely use my Mini now cuz it's so nice to sit on the couch and surf with the MBA. Fast, light, stylish... what more could one want?
 
I agree the mac air is amazing. I made the switch from a PC and can't see going back. I just had to print something. The mac searches for and finds the available wireless printers, downloads the software and prints. That simple. Compare that to the hassle it is to set up a wireless printer to a PC.
 
So you got an air as a replacement for a gaming laptop?

Is it not a bit too underpowered for you in the GPU department then? No troll intended, just asking...
 
GekkePrutser said:
So you got an air as a replacement for a gaming laptop?

Is it not a bit too underpowered for you in the GPU department then? No troll intended, just asking...
Click to expand...

I game on mine all the time...runs GREAT! I currently have Skyrim, Rage, Assassins Creed Brotherhood and Prototype running wonderfully on it.
 
I wish I could say the same for my 13" 2010 MBA. I just never warmed up to it.

I have an iMac and LOVE it still (27" quad core 2008). I wanted the Air as a portable option with the ability to game if I had to be away from my home on courses etc.

Turns out that 13" is just not big enough for me (that just sounds wrong haha). I am going to sell it for the MBP when they next refresh.

Happy that you are loving your little beast though!
 
I love my 2011 13" base too, except for the occasional creak on the lower right palm rest area. I've already exchanged it once with Apple and for some time, the new one didn't creak, but it eventually crept back. It's less severe than my first go around.

Also, it still irks me there's no dedicated forward delete key. I would have loved for Apple to use the power on button as forward del, and have the power switch be off to the side sort of like on the Pros.

The creaking does kind of suck and detracts from the premium-ness of the Air, but besides that, still loving and getting great usage.
 
GekkePrutser said:
So you got an air as a replacement for a gaming laptop?

Is it not a bit too underpowered for you in the GPU department then? No troll intended, just asking...
Click to expand...

Eh, considering im not 12 anymore and rarely have time for games I could care less.

Besides it was a gaming laptop with a less then 2 hour battery and weighted like 20 pounds.
 
onthecouchagain said:
I love my 2011 13" base too, except for the occasional creak on the lower right palm rest area. I've already exchanged it once with Apple and for some time, the new one didn't creak, but it eventually crept back. It's less severe than my first go around.

Also, it still irks me there's no dedicated forward delete key. I would have loved for Apple to use the power on button as forward del, and have the power switch be off to the side sort of like on the Pros.

The creaking does kind of suck and detracts from the premium-ness of the Air, but besides that, still loving and getting great usage.
Click to expand...

The creaking is caused by the screws on the bottom loosening. There are many threads here about it. :)
 
GKDAIR said:
Eh, considering im not 12 anymore and rarely have time for games I could care less.
Click to expand...
Hey gaming is not for 12 year olds!!!!
It's also for 22 year olds who still think they're 12, like me. :D

Anyway, yeah since changing to mac I actually look foreword to getting up and doing work, where as it was a chore with windows. I suppose I would go as far to say that since using a mac I am more productive because I actually WANT to use the computer.

I remember Stephen Fry saying that there is no difference between form and function, the more beautiful the product is, the better designed it is, the more useful intuitive software it has, the more we want to use it, the more we get out of it, the more productive it is.
So next time a Windows fan boy begins to list off the specs of his computer that cost half the price of your mac yet has more ram, tell him this.
 
I have had mine for 3 weeks and still in love with it. I wonder if that 'like new' feeling will wear off? It probably will once Apple refreshes the line :)
 
GKDAIR said:
What issues have you had exactly?
Click to expand...

I've gone through three Macbook Airs. The first was the 13" Ultimate. It suffered terribly from the gradient edge problem (much more so than typically accepted here - even my current one suffers from this problem, but at a much lesser degree), a squeaking keyboard (like, a rusty metalic squeak could be heard when hitting the space bar, and a creaking body. I returned it and purchased a 13" Base from an online retailer. (The ultimate was picked up at the Apple Store during a tax-free weekend).

The second MBA was great, till the screen was damaged. Refer here (summary - an tablet of ~ 1lb sat ontop of the MBA for a day or so - after which the screen was damaged ): https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1234731/

It was set to the depo, and it was repaired. I babied it, and after a couple flights, the screen was damaged again. Apple agreed to repair it, and this was the result (summary - wire was exposed and blocked the vent, and the bottom panel no longer sat flush):

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1299177/

About 5 more visits to the Apple store, it is finally back to normal - except I have serious concerns carrying around the MBA again.

I just ordered an Alienware laptop. I am likely keeping the MBA, but from my past experience, I never had to baby my Alienware.
 
Last edited:
No offense but it kind of sounds like you don't take care of your products at all.

Why did you leave something sitting on it for like an entire day, and I checked out the topic, why did you not even use your computer for like 5 days?

My macbook air has survived car rides unprotected, college unprotected, and even been bumped on some walls and hard tables, and the worst thing thats happened is a tiny scratch on the bottom.

I'm not saying its your fault, it very well could be a manufacturing issue too, as that does happen sometimes. But my diagnosis is that you simply have no idea how to take care of things, hopefully with your alienware being the size of a lunchbox it will help you better.
 
I picked up my first ever apple computer, the MBA 11" in August this year.
I'll admit, I'm one of those who always looked at apple from afar. Beautiful hardware, And intresting OS i've wanted to try.

But i wasn't spending the bucks that Apple products generally require. (NOT STARTING THE DAMN DEBATE ON COST HERE). as far as I was always concerned, yes, apple costs slightly more, but not completely unreasonably. it also depends on the lifecycle when you buy.

However, My dad for my birthday in August gave me an Apple store gift card for $650 (OMG!). it was only usable in the Apple store. I debated between the Ipad2 and the recently released MBA11' base model. I weighed my options, and decided my usage lends itself more to the need for a keyboard. I chat a lot, I type constantly and write out a lot of stuff, that a tablet just wasn't suitable for.

After my previous laptop died, and i was stuck for nearly a year on the lowest end netbook, I decided to jsut get the AIR.

well, 5 months later now.

The Macbook air hardware wise, has been the fastest, best built, easiest to use laptop i have ever owned (technically my 7th laptop). Performance wise easily trumping other notebooks, including 15.4" monstrosities i've had to use (and omg 768 screen at 15.4" pixel density makes me cry). it's got the best battery i've ever had, the keyboard feels fantastic, and the SSD truly makes it fly. I also love the industrial design of Apple (always have).

but after 5 months, After finally using OSx I can't make any bold claims that I'm "loving it" over windows or Linux. It feels just like an operating system. it doesn't truly give you anything that any of the other OS's give. Different looks and feels. But ultimately, it's just a GUI platform in which my own productivity applications reside on. And for the most part, they're platform independant. I'll probably return to windows just to resume some form of uniformity accross my existing infrastructure as OSx really hasn't given me anything over Windows in terms of usability
 
Love my MBA 2011 too. The SSD just make everything much snappier and the new core i5/i7 processors are great for encoding on-the-go. The whole machine just feel very well made and very solid. I had the MBA 2010 and this 2011 model just made everything faster.

I'm planning to get some thunderbolt devices to play with. I also had black iCarbons skin on my MBA2011 and it's looking great and easier to grip and prevent the bottom from scratching on the desk. I recently put the white iCarbons on my wife's MBA 2011 and it looks great and I think I actually like the clean white look better than the black. :cool:
 
GKDAIR said:
No offense but it kind of sounds like you don't take care of your products at all.

Why did you leave something sitting on it for like an entire day, and I checked out the topic, why did you not even use your computer for like 5 days?

My macbook air has survived car rides unprotected, college unprotected, and even been bumped on some walls and hard tables, and the worst thing thats happened is a tiny scratch on the bottom.

I'm not saying its your fault, it very well could be a manufacturing issue too, as that does happen sometimes. But my diagnosis is that you simply have no idea how to take care of things, hopefully with your alienware being the size of a lunchbox it will help you better.
Click to expand...

I have 3-5 computers at any given time. I build my own desktops, and I like to sample various laptops - particularly due to form factor. I am not dependent on any one machine, and a new machine requires time to configure and set up.

Why CAN'T something sit on top of it? What laptop besides the air lacks the ability to support a little weight on the lid? Regardless, it happened when someone was tidying the place and decided to stack a few of my electronics. I don't blame the person at all - I have never had an issue stacking multiple laptops and honestly would have done the same myself.

No offense? Offense is taken when it is very apparent that you do not treat your Macbook Air as well as I have for you to make such assumptions. Bump it on walls and hard tables? The genius bar agreed to repair my machine each time because it is literally "new" in condition. No scratches. No dents. Spotless. I am not so spoiled as to not pamper devices that I pay well over 1k for.
 
minnus said:
Mine is the complete opposite. I have a Macbook Air 13" 2011 now that I used to replace my Alienware M11x. Given the avalanche of issues that I have encountered, I am actually ordering a new Alienware laptop right now.
Click to expand...

I call BS. Enjoy your Dell.
 
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