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Do Macbooks improve with age ?

C

calliscope

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 28, 2012
3
0
Hello,

I am fairly new to the whole Apple/Mac stuff, and being a GNU/Linux guy for several years, I've lost track of what buying hardware actually involves.

My current laptop is a 2005 1.6 GHz Centrino and it runs everything I need in my daily use (text, internet, media). However, I'd like to do record and edit some music, and there it encounters its limits. Effects processing and mixing down 8 to 12 tracks make me grind my teeth.

I have experienced the Garageband software and it is pretty neat. The whole user experience I thought I wouldn't care for is actually also quiet... entertaining. So I'm considering buying on those Macbook Air, hoping that the SSD and i5 processor will get me the edge I need.

My question is : since there are always new releases of Apple products, is it safe to buy the one that just comes/will come out or is it more sensible to choose a previous model of which possible flaws have been then worked out?

If so, is the current Macbook Air a safe choice, i.e. does it have problems? I've notably heard of some wireless troubles, cracks, weird stuff...

Also, can I dual boot Linux on these machines ?

Happy computing everyone!
 
Last edited:
calliscope said:
Hello,

I am fairly new to the whole Apple/Mac stuff, and being a GNU/Linux guy for several years, I've lost track of what buying hardware actually involves.

My current laptop is a 2005 1.6 GHz Centrino and it runs everything I need in my daily use (text, internet, media). However, I'd like to do record and edit some music, and there it encounters its limits. Effects processing and mixing down 8 to 12 tracks make me grind my teeth.

I have experienced the Garageband software and it is pretty neat. The whole user experience I thought I wouldn't care for is actually also quiet... entertaining. So I'm considering buying on those Macbook Air, hoping that the SSD and i5 processor will get me the edge I need.

My question is : since there are always new releases of Apple products, is it safe to buy the one that just comes/will come out or is it more sensible to choose a previous model of which possible flaws have been then worked out?

If so, is the current Macbook Air a safe choice, i.e. does it have problems? I've notably heard of some wireless troubles, etc.

Happy computing everyone!
Click to expand...


I just purchased an i7 Air about a month ago. Best computer I've ever had. And I have a maxed out 2011 iMac also.
 
I think it's fair to say, buy the newest you can afford. Warranty/Applecare will cover any defects you might encounter.
 
calliscope said:
Hello,

I am fairly new to the whole Apple/Mac stuff, and being a GNU/Linux guy for several years, I've lost track of what buying hardware actually involves.

My current laptop is a 2005 1.6 GHz Centrino and it runs everything I need in my daily use (text, internet, media). However, I'd like to do record and edit some music, and there it encounters its limits. Effects processing and mixing down 8 to 12 tracks make me grind my teeth.

I have experienced the Garageband software and it is pretty neat. The whole user experience I thought I wouldn't care for is actually also quiet... entertaining. So I'm considering buying on those Macbook Air, hoping that the SSD and i5 processor will get me the edge I need.

My question is : since there are always new releases of Apple products, is it safe to buy the one that just comes/will come out or is it more sensible to choose a previous model of which possible flaws have been then worked out?

If so, is the current Macbook Air a safe choice, i.e. does it have problems? I've notably heard of some wireless troubles, cracks, weird stuff...

Also, can I dual boot Linux on these machines ?

Happy computing everyone!
Click to expand...


MY macbook air has no probs!
Dual-booting took me a while for ubuntu (windows is easy to install) because it needed drivers.
I finally found an ubuntu script specifically made for the new macbook airs and got it working.
So yea, get it!
 
It's sometimes wiser to wait a few weeks or months, to wait for the kinks to be worked out (silently, of course).
 
I find that new redesigns of Apple products often have a few bugs in them so I'd say it's wise to wait til the first refresh, and that's where the MacBook Air is just now so if you want one there's no reason not to go for it really.

And yes it's perfectly possible to dual boot into Linux, although I'm not sure how driver support is these days. VMware Fusion works very well with various distress I find, that might work out better for you.
 
I just got a 13' Air. I like it. No problem here. You can dual boot with Linux. However as other have said you may have to track drivers down.
 
To answer your thread title, I say yes. I have a Rev. A MacBook that I much prefer over my unibody MacBook. I run a lot of the same software and am on the same OS, but it runs smoother, boots faster, and just seems to work better for me despite having an older, slower processor, slower hard drive (I think - can't remember what my worktop has) and 1/4 of the RAM.
 
Apple does release various firmware updates that fix issues, however I bought my 2011 MBA 2 days after it was released and I've never had a problem with it. My 2009 MBP is still going strong, although I don't use it much these days.
 
Thank you very much, you were really helpful. I won't feel like playing russian roulette.
 
Good luck with your decision

I pay my mortgage doing audio and video production. Avid user of Logic on the Mac (Garage Band is a phenomenal program...as you know, already included with purchase as part of the iLife suite on your new Mac;))

That said...I run Logic on both our 2010 and 2011 MacBook Airs...it's incredible! Speedy as can be and we now use them solely in the field. These aren't our primary studio editing machines...we use a pair of MacPros for the intense work of final production..>BUT, most of my tasks could be done easily on these new Airs. They are a fantastic piece of engineering. Over 25 years of buying computers, they are easily my favorite computing purchase I've ever made. Engineering marvels! I love 'em. I was finally able to dump our Windows laptops when Adobe cross-released "Audition" for OSX/Windows (finally, this past year!). Til that point, almost all of our field editing was done on Lenovo and a couple of HP laptops. We also had to carry a MacBook Pro for Final Cut...so it was easily 10+ pounds of laptops til two years ago...when the Air was re-introduced in the new form factor

Couldn't be happier...and indeed...they DO grow finer with age, in my opinion:) We still have an 11" 2010 1.6ghz/4GB RAM/128 SSD--came with Snow Leopard (I think--now I can't remember!)....regardless, updated it to Lion and it's just as snappy as they day I bought it!

As well...when you DO decide to move up down the road to a 'new' Mac model, you'll find (As I did) that you can STILL sell your computer!!! Hilarious...after two years of use on a Windows laptop...I was rarely able to give the damn things away--much less actually sell the machine:) Not so with Macs. They do depreciate...but it seems they plateau after a couple years at around 40-60% of their retail price. Especially if you have Apple Care.

I can't say enough about how much these little guys have transformed 'computing' for myself, my family, and especially, our business! Between the iPad and MBA...it's been a revolutionary change for me!

There will always be complaints, issues, etc with electronics...no matter what the product. With these Airs though...the challenges/issues/problems are few and Far between...and with Apple's unrivaled customer service, you're guaranteed to get a gem! (any issue, let 'em know and they'll replace it on the spot after purchase---no questions asked!).

Again...good luck, welcome to OSX...are you going to use one of the VM programs to continue Ubuntu/Linux/GNU (I can't remember what you were using specifically) usage? If so, I recommend Parallels--it's come a LONG way in the past 5 years that I've used it with both different Linux distros and Windows OS. As well, included on each Mac is 'Bootcamp' which will allow you to install any OS you'd like...however, you'll have to boot in to said OS.

Jer
 
Going based on what we currently know, it will be a smaller and lower-power consumption ivy-bridge chip.

Going based on speculation, it's could have a retina display, it could be a new design, or higher capacity SSDs.

However, like many have said, redesigns can be iffy. For example the additional heat given off by the new iPad compared to the iPad 2. Given what you want to do with the device, if you can't wait three months I would consider buying the current version. It should mix music for you just fine. Even iPads are doing that now a days!

As for running Linux... Linus loves to on his!
In his interview with TechCrunch he raves about it. article.
 
calliscope said:
Thank you very much, you were really helpful. I won't feel like playing russian roulette.
Click to expand...

You really don't have anything to worry about, no matter when you purchase it. You have 14 days to exchange it for a brand new one or get a full refund, if you're not happy with anything.

Then you get AppleCare for a year, so if anything goes wrong, Apple will fix it for free. You can purchase an additional two years AppleCare on top of that, but it's up to you if you think you'll be holding onto the computer for that long.
 
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