Taking advantage of the store by returning the free apple tv to lower the price is wrong. Because of this type of misuse I think Best Buy will bring back restocking fees and limit returns if this continues.
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Bought a Late 2010 13" MBA, did I screw up?
- Thread starter Apollothedog
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Except . . . the way the purchase broke down on the receipt, one could also read it as Best Buy taking advantage of the OP to stick him with an Apple TV (instead of just letting him buy the Air alone for $700). If they are going to list it as two SKUs with two prices on the receipt (instead of, say, "MBA/ATV Bundle"), what did he do wrong by returning one?
That said, I love my MBA and my Apple TV and think the OP got a great deal.
Thanks for all of the replies everyone. Seem like most feel that 2 gb is not enough. I would tend to agree, but the thing is, I have tried to max out this thing by running all the MS Office apps, Safari and a few others and I did not see any performance degradation. The only time the fan kicked on was when I also began streaming flash videos.
Is it possible that Apple has so effectively implemented the c2d chip and SSD that performance for most of us will not be hindered? I know if this was a Windows machine, I would have seen a few hourglasses with this test using this configuration. Also keep in mind that I am using Lion.
Is it possible that Apple has so effectively implemented the c2d chip and SSD that performance for most of us will not be hindered? I know if this was a Windows machine, I would have seen a few hourglasses with this test using this configuration. Also keep in mind that I am using Lion.
I wouldn't say that "Apple has so effectively implemented", but that either you did not go over 2GB in memory usage, or you're tolerant of the delay between the swap from Virtual Memory to Memory because of the SSD. The swap delay is much longer when using a traditional HDD - no matter what operating system you're running.
Agreed; when I'm doing a lot of work and running a VM on top of my daily routine, I run straight out of RAM with 4 gigs. Swapping of files takes ages.
this is the typical buyer's remorse. You buy it and you regret, just like me. I think you got a cheap price and an old Air. You got what you paid for.
It's like buying a '96 corolla for low price, and then you realized this car is not equipped with mp3 and GPS.
I am not going to be like everyone else and tell you that you are fine, I think you did screw up.
It's like buying a '96 corolla for low price, and then you realized this car is not equipped with mp3 and GPS.
I am not going to be like everyone else and tell you that you are fine, I think you did screw up.
I was annoyed when I found out the 2011 MBA had more RAM, but that's technology for you. It's my wife's laptop and she's perfectly happy with it. So the question is are you happy with it? Does that MBA do everything that you need it to do? If yes, stop listening to what others are telling you.
Otherwise, be prepared to return or sell it and pay an extra $500 for the latest and greatest.
Wow! Only $700? And to think that you would have paid almost double that to get the same laptop 2 months ago!
I think you can easily live with 2GB RAM for the next year and then upgrade to the current (2011) version with 4GB. There should be bucketloads in the market by that time when everyone will be going mental on the then latest model.
I think you can easily live with 2GB RAM for the next year and then upgrade to the current (2011) version with 4GB. There should be bucketloads in the market by that time when everyone will be going mental on the then latest model.
They have to put it on the receipt under two different SKUs for inventory and tax purposes. It wasn't a bundle it was a free gift. if you don't want the ATV sell it don't abuse the stores kind gesture. I think at this age you should know the difference between right and wrong.
I wanted the laptop for $700, the guy said take the Apple TV instead, if you don't like it bring it back. Why are you bent out of shape? Do you think I put a gun to the customer service person's head to take it back? I just handed her the receipt for an item I didn't need and she refunded my money. Why is that morally wrong? I happen to have a very good relationship with the store manager, he had no problems with me taking it back.
Today, I was able to get an additional $25, using the BB open box coupon that is currently out. All open box Macs are an additional $125 off. So my manager friend gave me the difference of the value for both promotions, I was hoping they would have stacked. So now I'm at $675 for my computer and still uneasy about the purchase but so far I am enjoying the computer, I find myself using this more then my iPad. I think I am going to keep it for awhile.
One question though, what happened to the"Backspace" key?????
crazy programmer over here, with xcode + visual studio 2010 + access(dont ask why) + 10 tabs of chrome browser,
of course i ran out of ram, i only got 2gigs, but the ssd makes it less painful and u can certainly live with that and have lots of fun with this machine...
i bought it for a same price as you so i understand the motives, you made the right choice
wait for ivy bridge and upgrade, thats what ill do.
of course i ran out of ram, i only got 2gigs, but the ssd makes it less painful and u can certainly live with that and have lots of fun with this machine...
i bought it for a same price as you so i understand the motives, you made the right choice
wait for ivy bridge and upgrade, thats what ill do.The C2D is a VERY worthy processor, and you will NOT notice any performance hit compared to the new i5 or i7 processor unless you're doing some CPU-intensive stuff like encoding video. For every day tasks (internet, email, photoshop, office, etc) you will absolutely notice no difference whatsoever.
In the other hand, 2gb RAM is a bit too tight for today's standards. I believe you could certainly use the 4gb RAM.
In the other hand, 2gb RAM is a bit too tight for today's standards. I believe you could certainly use the 4gb RAM.
I guess most people forget Steve Job's under his breath comments during an interview when people were complaining about the Dual Core and 2 gigs when Apple was still using it when the industry was using i Cores.... I remember him saying (summary) something like Dual Core "is" more than enough...I wish I could remember when or could site the talk for the skeptical, but I guess you will have to trust me on the comment. Also that 2 gigs are plenty for general use.
The MacAir is not meant to replace the Mac Pros and if you want more fire power, than buy a Pro if you want to do gaming, photoshop or heavy graphics etc..
The MacAir's were designed to be a travel, light weight laptop and not necessarily your main computer. You did well by getting the late 2010 model. Some say that generally it functions better than the newer models overall, regardless of the increased fire power.
I had a first generation MacAir and Apple traded me for a new late 2010 Air because they messed up a repair... I would still have my first generation Air if it was not replace, and I would be satisfied. It was in perfect condition and the store was amazed when I brought it in...
The Macbook Air is the best laptop ever created. If you could get your hands on a rev. C for a good cost, that would probably be a good buy as well.
If anyone remembered, the Macbook Air's were more than twice the price tag when they first came out. That is not just because they could charge more. They were built better. In order to reduce the price tag and compete with the cheaper pc laptops, they had to find ways to decrease the costs. If anyone has had consecutive generation air models you may or can relate. The newer ones are cheaply made compared to the older models, but they are still superior than anything else out in the market. If you have the funds to continue to purchase models every year when they come out with a faster CPU, graphics card etc, than by all means, continue to buy and keep the economy going, but i believe that most of us desire a good machine that will last for the buck. Just buy what you can afford at the time and it will work without regrets.
I would say the 2010 model is "overall" better generally and should work, but if you really need a faster CPU and more RAM (while most REALLY do not need - get a pro), than wait more years until you can get an Z1000 CPU with 100 TB of RAM, 100 TB Graphic card etc. By the time those come out, computers will be obsolete and we will be using the actual "air" or matter for screens. People will still complain about the clarity on the "air" screens... or is not good enough
The MacAir is not meant to replace the Mac Pros and if you want more fire power, than buy a Pro if you want to do gaming, photoshop or heavy graphics etc..
The MacAir's were designed to be a travel, light weight laptop and not necessarily your main computer. You did well by getting the late 2010 model. Some say that generally it functions better than the newer models overall, regardless of the increased fire power.
I had a first generation MacAir and Apple traded me for a new late 2010 Air because they messed up a repair... I would still have my first generation Air if it was not replace, and I would be satisfied. It was in perfect condition and the store was amazed when I brought it in...
The Macbook Air is the best laptop ever created. If you could get your hands on a rev. C for a good cost, that would probably be a good buy as well.
If anyone remembered, the Macbook Air's were more than twice the price tag when they first came out. That is not just because they could charge more. They were built better. In order to reduce the price tag and compete with the cheaper pc laptops, they had to find ways to decrease the costs. If anyone has had consecutive generation air models you may or can relate. The newer ones are cheaply made compared to the older models, but they are still superior than anything else out in the market. If you have the funds to continue to purchase models every year when they come out with a faster CPU, graphics card etc, than by all means, continue to buy and keep the economy going, but i believe that most of us desire a good machine that will last for the buck. Just buy what you can afford at the time and it will work without regrets.
I would say the 2010 model is "overall" better generally and should work, but if you really need a faster CPU and more RAM (while most REALLY do not need - get a pro), than wait more years until you can get an Z1000 CPU with 100 TB of RAM, 100 TB Graphic card etc. By the time those come out, computers will be obsolete and we will be using the actual "air" or matter for screens. People will still complain about the clarity on the "air" screens... or is not good enough
So far I am impressed with this machine. Thinking of doing the dual boot thing with Windows to complete the transition to the MBA.
I agree with the 4gb upgrade, if it was possible, it would already have been done.
BTW any suggestions on how I should partition the drive when setting up the dual boot configurations?
Give what you want enough space to satisfy your needs? I mean, we can't really tell you how much to give each one when you're the one using it.
YOu have x amount of space; gauge how much you're willing to give up on OS X's side and give it to Windows 7.
There are programs that you can buy to change the size later, but they run the risk of causing problems; that's something you should read up on though when the time comes, or before you make the initial partition.
You can always delete and start over; you cannot use TM to backup the windows partition.
You got a great deal. I'd keep it until the 2012 Ivy Bridge Airs come out.
I have a 2010 13" Air and love it. I too was concerned about the Core 2 Duo in it, when much cheaper laptops had newer processors. But after 9 months of regular use, I have no regrets, not even now that 2011 Airs have Sandy Bridge processors. The C2D in the 2010 Air when combined with the NVIDIA graphics and SSD makes for a very zippy and satisfying experience, whether I'm running Lion or running Windows 7 natively via bootcamp.
Yes, I did drool a bit when the 2011s came out, and thought hard about upgrading. But the 2010 Air serves my needs great, and will definitely hold me over until the 2012 Airs.
Good luck!
I have a 2010 13" Air and love it. I too was concerned about the Core 2 Duo in it, when much cheaper laptops had newer processors. But after 9 months of regular use, I have no regrets, not even now that 2011 Airs have Sandy Bridge processors. The C2D in the 2010 Air when combined with the NVIDIA graphics and SSD makes for a very zippy and satisfying experience, whether I'm running Lion or running Windows 7 natively via bootcamp.
Yes, I did drool a bit when the 2011s came out, and thought hard about upgrading. But the 2010 Air serves my needs great, and will definitely hold me over until the 2012 Airs.
Good luck!
You like the multi-touch pad; you like the display--you have paid for these pleasures.
You got reliable mac OS--you pay for this privilege.
How much would that superior-spec Asus cost if you try to get a unibody aluminium body on it?
If you really think about it Apple is not really overpriced.
If it gets your job done, enjoy it. The more you compare, the more you will continue to fret.
You got reliable mac OS--you pay for this privilege.
How much would that superior-spec Asus cost if you try to get a unibody aluminium body on it?
If you really think about it Apple is not really overpriced.
If it gets your job done, enjoy it. The more you compare, the more you will continue to fret.
For the equivalent of Windows "Delete," press fn-delete
First, with 2GB of RAM, I'd just install Windows 7 32-bit. I'd give Windows 7 about 32GB if you are intending to install Office or a similarly sized program. Windows 7 takes up about 16GB by itself.
Agreed. $700 is a decent deal. The Ivy Bridge MacBook Airs will have improved graphics performance and better battery life than the Sandy Bridge versions. In the meantime, spend the next year or so learning OS X. Then you can re-assess your computing needs and determine where to go from there.