Decided to keep my Air....

[PsyD4Me]

most Rev A buyers have been SCREWED OVER by Apple and the hinges.

define MOST?
that's a pretty ridiculous statement to make.
MOST people come on here to post problems they have, MOST users are not even on these forums....
my hinge is fine.

 

[Halon X]

I only speak the truth. I think readers should hear the truth about the original MBAs... some just cannot handle it. Some do not want to hear that their baby is no comparison to the new kid on the block - and that is why the hostility from some.

Truth is that the Rev A, while no comparison to the B (just like most A/B comparisons) is still a very capable and usable computer and is an absolute steal at the prices offered for refurbs.

As I've said before, I own and use both Rev A and B MBA's (both SSD) so am able to compare the two directly. When used for Email/Web/Office/iPhoto/iTunes, there is little noticeable difference in performance between the two. Most people I know who use the air use it for exactly these tasks and are therefor completely satisfied with their laptop.

There have been times I've thought I was on one laptop only to realize I was on another when I couldn't find a file I knew I had saved to the disk.

Had I to do it again, I would have purchased a refurb Rev A over the Rev B.

 

[Halon X]

define MOST?
that's a pretty ridiculous statement to make.
MOST people come on here to post problems they have, MOST users are not even on these forums....
my hinge is fine.

I know 11 or 12 MBA Rev A owners, all completely satisfied with their laptops and not one who posts or uses the forums.

One of my friends purchased the MBA and was very unhappy with the performance, she ended up returning it in exchange for an MBP!

 

[dborja]

Truth is that the Rev A, while no comparison to the B (just like most A/B comparisons) is still a very capable and usable computer and is an absolute steal at the prices offered for refurbs.

As I've said before, I own and use both Rev A and B MBA's (both SSD) so am able to compare the two directly. When used for Email/Web/Office/iPhoto/iTunes, there is little noticeable difference in performance between the two. Most people I know who use the air use it for exactly these tasks and are therefor completely satisfied with their laptop.

There have been times I've thought I was on one laptop only to realize I was on another when I couldn't find a file I knew I had saved to the disk.

Had I to do it again, I would have purchased a refurb Rev A over the Rev B.

+1

I've been mostly staying out of the Rev A vs Rev B debate/arguments but I had two cents lying around so I'm tossing them in.

I don't think there's any argument against the fact that the Rev B MBA is better than the Rev A MBA. It's evolution and applying lessons learned just like in the case of the Mini, iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacPro.

Depending on people's operational needs, they may be perfectly fine with the previous gen machines. And, especially in the case of refurbs, issues with the previous gen may have been rectified or workarounds have been found that do require extra steps on the part of the owners but still do not detract from the intended use of their machines.

The savings on refurbs and previous gen clearance deals hit the sweet spots for some people's budgets so that they could now pull the trigger. And, in some cases, the previous gen may be better than the current ones for people's needs. Witness the discussions going on with the iMac previous and current gen graphics cards in that MacRumors forum...

In my case, I had a white 20" iMac and a MacBook just two months ago. I've been wanting a 24" iMac and an MBA for my computing needs but could not justify the price vs how much I can sell my current machines for. Then the refurb MBA Rev A came out and the new iMacs caused the then-current iMacs to go on clearance. I did my research and found that they met my needs and were at the sweet spot WRT pricing for me. Bam! (With my apologies to Emeril, who has apparently copyrighted the expression) I'm now a happy owner of a previous gen 24" iMac and a refurb Rev A MBA. My computing needs are now better met.

"Different strokes for different folks." I think there should be an acknowledgment of this truism rather than the myopic view that this or that version/configuration is the only right one for everybody.

Ok, I'm getting off the soapbox now. (Boy! Those two cents went a long way didn't they?!) I don't expect my post will end the arguments but I do feel better now, thank you!

 

[cryonicjim]

Was tempted, but couldn't deal with the hard drive limitations

Back in July when i was getting a new laptop for college, I almost took the leap and got a rev. A macbook air (the low end, with the 80gb pata drive). i wouldn't have gotten the high end just because it would have set me back basically my whole salary for the summer (i work as an IT intern, doesn't pay much). In the end I couldn't deal with the Hard drive size limits (I have 84gb of itunes files). I ended up getting a black macbook.

 

[Halon X]

Ok, I'm getting off the soapbox now. (Boy! Those two cents went a long way didn't they?!) I don't expect my post will end the arguments but I do feel better now, thank you!

Sometimes I wish we could move the discussions had here to a pub...

 

[dborja]

Sometimes I wish we could move the discussions had here to a pub...

As long as the darts are stowed...

 

[EnderTW]

The problem with the revA MBA was that it couldn't handle Flash video, not for long periods of time. For those of you who say "well get coolbook" you're wrong. You shouldn't have to rely on a third party application to make your computer work.

RevA was and is one of Apple's blunders. They totally changed the engineering in the RevB, that goes to show how far they noticed the RevA was horribly engineered.

If revA works for you, more power to you. It's a great laptop for only specific tasks.

 

[Scottsdale]

The problem with the revA MBA was that it couldn't handle Flash video, not for long periods of time. For those of you who say "well get coolbook" you're wrong. You shouldn't have to rely on a third party application to make your computer work.

RevA was and is one of Apple's blunders. They totally changed the engineering in the RevB, that goes to show how far they noticed the RevA was horribly engineered.

If revA works for you, more power to you. It's a great laptop for only specific tasks.

Very wise statement. Very accurate. Very nice to see others who are capable of admitting the problems of the original MBA. Mine couldn't play Quicktime or any video for 90 seconds without overheating.

Yes, anyone can buy an original MBA for cheap, but that doesn't make the value good for everyone. I agree, if it works for them, great. So, some don't require the capabilities of the rev B, in that case be happy with the refurbished original and save some money.

I think some just want to believe they are right for buying the original refurbished. And they don't need other opinions to make it right for them. They shouldn't take the truth about the original MBA as an attack on them personally. Different people have different requirements, and I don't feel it's an attack for me to state issues I see/experienced with the original.

 

[aussie.damo]

I really enjoy reading the hysterical assertions that MOST Rev A MBAs were basically un-useable. There is never any actual statistics provided, just the tired old "everyone on this forum hates it" argument.

It's especially funny when those people claim that they deal in FACTS yet never actually provide any.

In any case, my house has 2 Rev A MBAs and both are just fine. From my statistical analysis, that means 100% of Rev A MBAs are perfect?

Damo

 

[dudup]

I would love to see your statistical (or any other factual) support for this assertion. The number of Airs (version A) sold versus the number of complainers on a handful of Apple oriented message boards? I really do not think we are talking "MOST" here. I'm not defending Apple, if the product has problems, it has problems, but your bald assertion to try and win an internet argument, simply strains credibility.

OK, I'm a Rev. A lover, I have problems with core shutdowns now and then, I would love to upgrade to Rev. B, but hadn't the bollocks to do that.

But I can tell you something:

Here in Brazil, I know precisely five Rev. A owners other than me.

All of them sold their MBAs and bought unibody MBs when they came out.

All of them complained a lot about the heat and core shutdown issues, and all of them patiently wait for Apple's updates, and gave up after seeing not much improvement on that.

All these guys would never come to a forum to post complains. Never.

Looking and Mercado Livre (which is eBay for Brazil), you'll see like 15% of the MBAs there are Rev. B. All the rest are Rev. A that are hanging there for months. That's because the MBA is seen here as a pricy flop.

I'm a huge fan of the MBA, but no one believes me when I say it's a great machine. No one.

Sad, but true.

So, it's not a scientific or representative measure or anything, but the fact that Apple ships thousands, millions of machines and we only see a handful of users complaining at boards doesn't means they're not having issues.

In fact, I never saw any refurbished Apple laptop get so big discounts like the Rev. A is doing. That must mean something, don't you agree?