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Good time to buy new MBA?

V

viperGTS

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Nov 15, 2010
1,560
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Hello MacRumors!

I'll keep this short and simple. So, the Airs were updated a week ago; cool! But, I've been seeing rumors online that a new processor is going to be announced soon by Intel. Would the Airs be updated in the fall to support this processor, or would Apple wait to update the Air next Spring?

It seems like Apple updates once a year regardless, so I think they would wait. What do you guys think? Is now a good time to buy a new MBA?
 
Not only would I buy now, I'd buy a 2013 refurb and save a ton of money. Battery life is virtually the same and the slight bump in graphics and processor is not worth the difference in price between a 2013 refurb and the new 2015 model.
 
capathy21 said:
Not only would I buy now, I'd buy a 2013 refurb and save a ton of money. Battery life is virtually the same and the slight bump in graphics and processor is not worth the difference in price between a 2013 refurb and the new 2015 model.
Click to expand...

2013, not 2014, correct?
 
capathy21 said:
Yes. The 2013 and 2014 models were virtually the same. You should be able to pick up a 2013 for less.
Click to expand...

The 2013 doesn't have PCIe-based flash storage, what would this mean between the two?

Apple has the 2013 13.3" model with 256 GB SSD, 1.3 GHz dual core i5 with 4GB of RAM for $889:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...nch-macbook-air-13ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5

For $40 more, I can get a 1.4GHz processor, 3x faster AC Wi-Fi, and PCI-e. Still 256GB SSD:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/GD761LL/B/refurbished-macbook-air-14ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5
 
The 2013 does have PCIe flash storage, they just didn't bother to mention it in the specs.

The 2013 and 2014 models are virtually identical - the 2014 model just got the minor speed boost with the Haswell "refresh" (i.e. it's a 100MHz faster)... that's why it cost $40 more, and that's why Capathy suggested getting the 2013 model.

If budget is really tight, go for the good deal. If a little extra money isn't a big deal, the 2015 model has some small but nice improvements.

viperGTS said:
The 2013 doesn't have PCIe-based flash storage, what would this mean between the two?
Click to expand...
 
ixxx69 said:
The 2013 does have PCIe flash storage, they just didn't bother to mention it in the specs.

The 2013 and 2014 models are virtually identical - the 2014 model just got the minor speed boost with the Haswell "refresh" (i.e. it's a 100MHz faster)... that's why it cost $40 more, and that's why Capathy suggested getting the 2013 model.

If budget is really tight, go for the good deal. If a little extra money isn't a big deal, the 2015 model has some small but nice improvements.
Click to expand...

RUGGLES99 said:
I just got a base 2014 13" mba for $819. Bb matched b&h low price.
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Christian 5G said:
I think now is the good time. 2014 model is solid!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, everyone! If I can find the 2014 for that price, I may just go for it. Otherwise, 2013 seems solid, especially since it has twice the storage for only $80 more.
 
Not a big difference the past several years. battery the same, performance not much improved.


I have an air from June 2011 that's working just fine.
 
if you ask then you can probly wait.

skylake, usb-c and the new force touch trackpad are most likely in the next one.

the 2015 model gets you thunderbolt 2, faster processors and faster flash storage (only in the 13" model) btw.
 
A lot has changed with the 2015 refresh. In Europe the prices were drastically raised, but the 2014 are still at retailers for the old price and even at a huge discount. Depending on you needs, last years base models are now an amazing bargain.

If you absolutely want the 2015 model I'd seriously consider the cpu and ram upgrade. Compared to the 2014 models, the upgrades have gotten cheaper relative to the price. Also the i7 2.2 ghz is very powerfull. The mba is not an ultrabook anymore. It's a powerhouse!
 
I'd say the MBA lineup is some of the best value to ever hit the Apple stores.

In Europe right now, the Apple Store hiked prices a bit, due to the strong dollar. So it's not a great time for any imported products right now.

But a lot of non-Apple retailers will still be selling models from last year all over the world, new and sealed. The prices are still the same, plus a discount because it's an old model. So the 2014 MBA is going for sub $900, even sub $800 prices. While the performance and battery life etc are better than a $1300 MB.

As for waiting for next year... I don't think the MBA is ever going to get another upgrade. If they do, it'll be a minor refresh, but no retina or whatever. They simply can't have an 11.6 inch retina MBA that's heavier and thicker, but still retina, AND have a MB that's thinner and lighter and also retina. Especially when the MB gets two ports and better performance from the new skylake chip. There'd be barely any differentiation between the MB and the MBA lineup, it'd be too confusing and make no sense.

If you want to wait, maybe expect to see an improved 12" and 14" rMB at $1200 and $1400 next year. But I don't think the MBA lineup will get better.

Might be a good idea to buy a 2014 for ~$800 with some big discounts, try to sell it for $650 in a year. You'll have had an awesome ~$12 a month laptop, and you can buy the 2nd gen MB with skylake and two USB-C ports, in a year when everything you buy will be USB-C and cables and chargers get super cheap because all the worlds factories will be producing USB C :p It'll be quite nice.
 
cycledance said:
if you ask then you can probly wait.

skylake, usb-c and the new force touch trackpad are most likely in the next one.

the 2015 model gets you thunderbolt 2, faster processors and faster flash storage (only in the 13" model) btw.
Click to expand...

What is Skylake?

Meister said:
A lot has changed with the 2015 refresh. In Europe the prices were drastically raised, but the 2014 are still at retailers for the old price and even at a huge discount. Depending on you needs, last years base models are now an amazing bargain.

If you absolutely want the 2015 model I'd seriously consider the cpu and ram upgrade. Compared to the 2014 models, the upgrades have gotten cheaper relative to the price. Also the i7 2.2 ghz is very powerfull. The mba is not an ultrabook anymore. It's a powerhouse!
Click to expand...

Woah, now this is making me consider the 2015 :p

Abbara said:
I'd say the MBA lineup is some of the best value to ever hit the Apple stores.

In Europe right now, the Apple Store hiked prices a bit, due to the strong dollar. So it's not a great time for any imported products right now.

But a lot of non-Apple retailers will still be selling models from last year all over the world, new and sealed. The prices are still the same, plus a discount because it's an old model. So the 2014 MBA is going for sub $900, even sub $800 prices. While the performance and battery life etc are better than a $1300 MB.

As for waiting for next year... I don't think the MBA is ever going to get another upgrade. If they do, it'll be a minor refresh, but no retina or whatever. They simply can't have an 11.6 inch retina MBA that's heavier and thicker, but still retina, AND have a MB that's thinner and lighter and also retina. Especially when the MB gets two ports and better performance from the new skylake chip. There'd be barely any differentiation between the MB and the MBA lineup, it'd be too confusing and make no sense.

If you want to wait, maybe expect to see an improved 12" and 14" rMB at $1200 and $1400 next year. But I don't think the MBA lineup will get better.

Might be a good idea to buy a 2014 for ~$800 with some big discounts, try to sell it for $650 in a year. You'll have had an awesome ~$12 a month laptop, and you can buy the 2nd gen MB with skylake and two USB-C ports, in a year when everything you buy will be USB-C and cables and chargers get super cheap because all the worlds factories will be producing USB C :p It'll be quite nice.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the 2014 models are quite the bargain. I'll look into this :)

Thanks everyone!
 
viperGTS said:
What is Skylake?
Click to expand...
Next CPU iteration from Intel.

Broadwell was the most recent update, and delivered only infinitesimal improvements over Haswell; mostly in thermal performance.

Skylake is the next generation intel CPU, which is supposed to come out sometime in the summer or fall, and is expected to provide significant performance improvements over Broadwell. Which probably won't show up in mac laptops until early 2016.

Common wisdom is that Broadwell is the generation to skip.
 
Just picked up an 11" 2014 MBA to go with my Hackintosh at home - was a good deal at best buy, feel like this is an excellent time to get one.
 
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