Got a 13" i7 4GB 256 SSD MBA today for $500, should i still get the MBR?

[vanimal]

-So the title explains it all, i was browsing CraigsList and a guy was selling a good condition MBA late 2011 with the i7 1.8Ghz & 4GB of RAM 256 SSD. He was originally asking $600, so i just texted & asked $500 cash & he said yes. I thought $500 was a REALLY good deal with the specs being a i7 with the 256 SSD. I was ORIGINALLY looking to pickup the new MBR before i found this deal.

-So, Is the MBR REALLY worth the extra $800 plus tax? Sure its a damn pretty machine & the retina helps. But ill be honest, i have owned a MBP Retina in the past and while its a beautiful screen, the regular MBA screen isn't THAT bad as some say, especially once calibrated. The way people explain it, its almost like they say its like watching 8 bit Nintendo games lol. Plus HUGE difference after calibration through the built in calibration. Sure it doesn't have the viewing angles like the MBPR, but i mean i am always looking at it straight on.

-First off my needs. Browse the web, download a movie or TV show now & than for my GF. Browse the web, browse the web....... Did i say browse the web? Other tasks, control my small eBay store, print out invoices for packaging labels. Watch Youtube, Watch Hulu, & Netflix. Transfer over pictures from iPhone, once and a while connect to my 23" monitor at my desk. And watch some Twitch TV gaming streams. Lots of streaming watching. Honestly most of my tasks can be done via a iPad, but i always prefer the Apple track pad along with the keyboard. And my iPhone 6 plus is close enough to a iPad as it is.


-So, do i do myself a favor AND NOT go to the Apple store on the 10th? Because if i do, I'm sure just by looking at it ill end up buying one off impulse lol. Yes i can afford it technically but anymore as i get into my 30's i try to be "smart" with my money and save it for a small family trip or something etc. From what I've read the MBR performs on par with my MBA i just bought. Aside from the retina screen etc etc. I mean i thought what i got for $500 is a GOOD deal. Plus maybe i can sneak a Apple Sport 42mm watch in the mix with the money ill be saving if i did not get the $1300 MBR I really just don't know if i can justify the beauty of the machine and the retina for a extra $800-$900. I think this MBA can hold me over until the next MBR comes out and see what that brings. The only meh... i have about the MBA i just bought is the HD 3000 GPU chip. But honestly if i am not gaming, does it really matter?

To me the MPR seems like a piece of beauty a business man would take out, or if you hang out at coffee shops i guess. Me, i use mine at home. Nobody ever sees my machine. So i can't even show off the money i potentially wasted lmao.

Thoughts?

 

[Theophil1971]

Seems like you wrote a whole lot of words when you already know the answer to your own question. You just bought a computer that fits your needs, and got a great deal on it. Why would you buy another computer that you don't need, and which costs a lot of extra money?

So....to answer the question in the thread title.... No. You shouldn't buy the rMB.

 

[vanimal]

Very true, but i am one to like the greatest and latest even at a cost. I was just curious if anyone could come up with a good excuse for me to still get it. I apologize for the rambling, there is just a small part of me that REALLY wants the new MBR. Obviously its beautiful & man a whole pound almost lighter than the Air i have now is pretty crazy.

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You also have to keep in mind, there are plenty others that already have a much capable machine. And just want the new MPR for its beauty, screen and portability. But obviously, that all comes with a cost for sure.

I guess this all went the opposite way for me as i originally intended to get one, until i stumbled across the Air today.

 

[Booji]

You got a great deal on a very usable machine that is still up to date in terms of performance.

However, its hard to resist the pure sexiness and ultimate portability of the new rMB.

The only reason it would be "practical" to upgrade would be your degree of mobility - to an always travelling road warrior the smaller footprint is worth every penny.

 

[vanimal]

You got a great deal on a very usable machine that is still up to date in terms of performance.

However, its hard to resist the pure sexiness and ultimate portability of the new rMB.

The only reason it would be "practical" to upgrade would be your degree of mobility - to an always travelling road warrior the smaller footprint is worth every penny.

Very true, i appreciate your input exactly what i was looking for. Responses from a community who use these machines. I really have well, my wife to ask for opinions lol. I sorta stumbled upon the MBA today, many listed the last few days but $680-$800 i seen. Which at that point i would just go for the 2015 version for $900 at Best Buy currently.

As for road warrior nah i go to Florida once a year. At least we agree on the whole hard to resist. Its beautiful in video, one can only imagine how awesome it is in person. I would prob use this machine until the next MBR comes out and see what it offers. They always say the FIRST GEN apple product is a market tester. Or something like that. Will be interesting to see if they drop the Air line by next year.

But damn, almost a WHOLE pound lighter than my current Air. Sheesh that is pretty crazy!

 

[Airboy1466]

Very true, i appreciate your input exactly what i was looking for. Responses from a community who use these machines. I really have well, my wife to ask for opinions lol. I sorta stumbled upon the MBA today, many listed the last few days but $680-$800 i seen. Which at that point i would just go for the 2015 version for $900 at Best Buy currently.

As for road warrior nah i go to Florida once a year. At least we agree on the whole hard to resist. Its beautiful in video, one can only imagine how awesome it is in person. I would prob use this machine until the next MBR comes out and see what it offers. They always say the FIRST GEN apple product is a market tester. Or something like that. Will be interesting to see if they drop the Air line by next year.

But damn, almost a WHOLE pound lighter than my current Air. Sheesh that is pretty crazy!

You got your self one hell of a deal and you wouldn't notice a diffterence based on your usage in the new MacBook and to correct you the rMB isn't 1 pound lighter than the 11 inch model only the 13 inch and the 11inch model is actually actually 11.6 inches .4 inches smaller than new rMB and as you have said the screen on it isn't bad at all

Now to give you a reason to get it you can give your self the opportunity to compare the two models 11 inch MBA vs 12 inch rMB which I think is pretty cool

And I highly doubt apple will discontinue the 13.3 inch MBA its in a category of its own but will more than likely get rid of the 11.6 MBA why it's very competitive with the new model

 

[vanimal]

You got your self one hell of a deal and you wouldn't notice a diffterence based on your usage in the new MacBook and to correct you the rMB isn't 1 pound lighter than the 11 inch model only the 13 inch and the 11inch model is actually actually 11.6 inches .4 inches smaller than new rMB and as you have said the screen on it isn't bad at all

Now to give you a reason to get it you can give your self the opportunity to compare the two models 11 inch MBA vs 12 inch rMB which I think is pretty cool

And I highly doubt apple will discontinue the 13.3 inch MBA its in a category of its own but will more than likely get rid of the 11.6 MBA why it's very competitive with the new model

I appreciate your input. I know the answer seems clear and easy. But sometimes hearing others opinions help. Especially when i had my mind set on getting the MBR. That is the other thing i guess that went over my head with all the "beautiful engineering" for the MBR. Its 1.3" smaller than my current MBA i bought. Might not seem like much, but for someone who just drags it around my house and not travel. That is a good chunk of screen to give up.

I can't lie though with the screen calibration it looks good to me. Looks much warmer and better contrast like the MBPR compared to non calibrated. Sure the you need to adjust the lid a tad more compared to the MBPR. But i mean its not that bad at all.

Its in REALLY good shape too, hardly any wear. I believe 110 battery cycles and its a mid 2011 machine. Battery health is good to via Cocunut battery.

 

[maclook]

Does your wife know about the GF that you download TV shows for?

 

[vanimal]

Does your wife know about the GF that you download TV shows for?

LMAO! Nah not like that, I'm actually engaged newly. So technically........ I am sure i mixed that up in the reply's . GF, Wife same thing to me technically. Hell she makes more money than me so....

 

[Airboy1466]

I appreciate your input. I know the answer seems clear and easy. But sometimes hearing others opinions help. Especially when i had my mind set on getting the MBR. That is the other thing i guess that went over my head with all the "beautiful engineering" for the MBR. Its 1.3" smaller than my current MBA i bought. Might not seem like much, but for someone who just drags it around my house and not travel. That is a good chunk of screen to give up.

I can't lie though with the screen calibration it looks good to me. Looks much warmer and better contrast like the MBPR compared to non calibrated. Sure the you need to adjust the lid a tad more compared to the MBPR. But i mean its not that bad at all.

Its in REALLY good shape too, hardly any wear. I believe 110 battery cycles and its a mid 2011 machine. Battery health is good to via Cocunut battery.

Completely missed that it was a 13.3 inch model figured you had the 11.6 inch one and yes if you had an iPad Air and place it on your current macbook that's the difference in size huge size difference you should see if you can sell your current MBA for profit although I would keep it and wait for skylake next year that's the game changer not an ultra portable laptop with 2011 specs besides like you said your trying to become more financially stable and you also love technology so I say just keep the MBA and upgrade next year instead

 

[vanimal]

Completely missed that it was a 13.3 inch model figured you had the 11.6 inch one and yes if you had an iPad Air and place it on your current macbook that's the difference in size huge size difference you should see if you can sell your current MBA for profit although I would keep it and wait for skylake next year that's the game changer not an ultra portable laptop with 2011 specs besides like you said your trying to become more financially stable and you also love technology so I say just keep the MBA and upgrade next year instead

Agreed, and yes i do have a iPad air. Which technically gets me along just fine for most tasks. But i need a physical KB and trackpad at the end of the day via preference. All that tip tap on the iPad just makes my big hands cramp lol. Plus i have a iPhone 6 plus so its just a smaller iPad basically. Was originally going to sell the iPad and put that cash towards the Macbook Retina. But i would still be a good amount off. I think riding out a year would be the smart choice and see what version 2 brings.

Now the KEY part to the equation. STAY AWAY from the Apple store display lol. I am a impulse buyer if you have ever seen one.

 

[maclook]

LMAO! Nah not like that, I'm actually engaged newly. So technically........ I am sure i mixed that up in the reply's . GF, Wife same thing to me technically. Hell she makes more money than me so....

Lol calling her the right thing will take some getting used to.

Back on topic, I actually have that model MBA and is what I'm looking to replace with the rMB. It's an entirely capable machine and I'm torn on whether to sell/trade it in or give it to someone I know just because it's still a great, perfectly functional machine running the newest OS with all the newest features minus Handoff. The MBA will be more than enough to hold you over until a refreshed rMB. I'm upgrading just because I want a new computer and I want a retina display. It was the same story back when this MBA replaced my Blackbook, which was perfectly functional machine at the time.

 

[vanimal]

Lol calling her the right thing will take some getting used to.

Back on topic, I actually have that model MBA and is what I'm looking to replace with the rMB. It's an entirely capable machine and I'm torn on whether to sell/trade it in or give it to someone I know just because it's still a great, perfectly functional machine running the newest OS with all the newest features minus Handoff. The MBA will be more than enough to hold you over until a refreshed rMB. I'm upgrading just because I want a new computer and I want a retina display. It was the same story back when this MBA replaced my Blackbook, which was perfectly functional machine at the time.

Good insight. And being you owned yours for a bit now makes logical sense you would want to get something "newer". For me, i stumbled basically on accident on a good deal. I had to think fast, because i don't think it would have lasted long at the price i got it.

I had every intention to get the new MBR. But, even typing on it at the moment, the MBA that is. I think its going to hold me just fine for the time being. I don't do anything fancy on my machine. Just prefer the trackpad, and keyboard with a nice sized screen. Sure the retina i WANT. But this plays my Youtube vids pretty damn clear and the streaming content i watch clear as heck. And like i said when i am sitting at my desk where my Xbox One is, i will hook the MBA up to the 23" LED 1080p monitor i have and use it like a desktop. Technically if i hooked up the new MBR to my 23" 1080p i would be downscaling the resolution lol. And i would need that $80 adapter.

The answer for me is obviously clear, but it helps when others share their opinions. Because lets face it, who DOESN'T want the latest and greatest

 

[Jobsian]

Don't want to rain on your parade but as devil's advocate, but I would definitely get the MBR, again depending on your objectives.

For me, portability is paramount. People keep saying the MBP is light enough, true, but that small difference in weight between it and the MBA is HUGE in terms of impact (for me). I found it much easier to carry the MBA around the house, sofa, bed, lap, sitting at an angle, sideways, putting it on my chest/neck when I'm really lazy etc. It's just not the same for the MBP, I don't care about the numbers in weight. Given that the MBR is even lighter, I feel that's going to take it to another level.

Personally speaking I've had no problems with the MBA's screen, but there's no doubt that unlike most other components in the thing, most of us use the screen 100% of the time, having a retina panel is going to make the experience better.

No-one can say for certain yet but it's a pretty good bet that the RMB CPU should perform as good or better in most tasks than a 2011 MBA. Especially pertinent as OSX gets more bloated (sadly). That being said, the 2011 MBA CPU should still run Yosemite/common apps fine.

As far as I recall, the 2011 MBA battery life is the worst since the 2010 MBA redesign. The RMB's battery will smoke it. Massive factor for me.

Finally a 2011 MBA SSD is likely to be a good bit slower (though may not translate into much real world difference).


Just some thoughts to consider, especially as you say yourself, you like the "latest and greatest" even at a cost.

 

[MH01]

I'm one for the latest and greatest, though you got a great bargain, and in the case of the new macbook , the latest and greatest at the right performance might be the higher end CPU models. I still remember the 2008 MBA, it was the latest and greatest, though, it's came with many contraints , this new machine reminds me of that, and gen 2 model might be the one to get. Latest and greatest Is fine, but beware gen 1 . Hope that kinda helps.

Read the reviews tomorrow, that will also help

 

[newellj]

Purely a personal decision. I got a killer deal on a 2014 11" MBA a couple of weeks ago. The price was more than $500 less than the base rMB will be. I have had two MBAs before and didn't like them but for the price I thought I'd give it a shot. I hated going back and forth between the retina display and that crappy TN panel in the MBA, so it went back. Only you can tell what works for you, though.

 

[David58117]

Not to burst any bubbles - but is $500 for a 2011 13" air really such a good deal?

The 2014 are on clearance for $899 right now at Best Buy (in USA at least) - and at least once during the past 2 weeks I've seen it even lower.

Heck, even just looking now - bhphotovideo has it priced at $799, and Best Buy price matches them.

Combine that with an extra 10% off from a movers coupon (very easy to get), and a $50 education discount (if applicable) - and you're paying not too much more for something with parts that are 3 years newer.....

And Haswell improved the battery significantly, and when people think of an air, I believe they think long battery life - precisely because of haswell.

If it was an 8GB model I could see some slight redeeming quality, but I don't think an i7 from a 2011 model would be significantly faster than a 2014 stock.

I think you're putting too much emphasis on that 256GB SSD - and I don't think it's worth sacrificing the rest of the computer just to have 256GB.

 

[OzyOly]

Very true, but i am one to like the greatest and latest even at a cost. I was just curious if anyone could come up with a good excuse for me to still get it. I apologize for the rambling, there is just a small part of me that REALLY wants the new MBR. Obviously its beautiful & man a whole pound almost lighter than the Air i have now is pretty crazy.

The rMB is the latest, but it's not the greatest yet. I'm personally going to wait until Skylake in the autumn and hope for a 16GB RAM option (although that may be unlikely).

 

[lcseds]

Not to burst any bubbles - but is $500 for a 2011 13" air really such a good deal?

The 2014 are on clearance for $899 right now at Best Buy (in USA at least) - and at least once during the past 2 weeks I've seen it even lower.

Heck, even just looking now - bhphotovideo has it priced at $799, and Best Buy price matches them.

Combine that with an extra 10% off from a movers coupon (very easy to get), and a $50 education discount (if applicable) - and you're paying not too much more for something with parts that are 3 years newer.....

And Haswell improved the battery significantly, and when people think of an air, I believe they think long battery life - precisely because of haswell.

If it was an 8GB model I could see some slight redeeming quality, but I don't think an i7 from a 2011 model would be significantly faster than a 2014 stock.

I think you're putting too much emphasis on that 256GB SSD - and I don't think it's worth sacrificing the rest of the computer just to have 256GB.

Not to mention what the battery cycle count may be on a 2011.

 

[newellj]

Not to mention what the battery cycle count may be on a 2011.

Plus, even when brand new right out of the box, the 2011s had pretty mediocre battery life.

 

[vanimal]

Not to mention what the battery cycle count may be on a 2011.

I checked via coconut battery. Its at 105 when i bought it. Battery Health says its 92%.

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Not to burst any bubbles - but is $500 for a 2011 13" air really such a good deal?

The 2014 are on clearance for $899 right now at Best Buy (in USA at least) - and at least once during the past 2 weeks I've seen it even lower.

Heck, even just looking now - bhphotovideo has it priced at $799, and Best Buy price matches them.

Combine that with an extra 10% off from a movers coupon (very easy to get), and a $50 education discount (if applicable) - and you're paying not too much more for something with parts that are 3 years newer.....

And Haswell improved the battery significantly, and when people think of an air, I believe they think long battery life - precisely because of haswell.

If it was an 8GB model I could see some slight redeeming quality, but I don't think an i7 from a 2011 model would be significantly faster than a 2014 stock.

I think you're putting too much emphasis on that 256GB SSD - and I don't think it's worth sacrificing the rest of the computer just to have 256GB.

I have the i7 model not i5. And the upgraded 256 SSD. $899 2015 base model only gets you a i5 and 128GB SSD. The model you would need to compare mine to would be the $1,199 MBA. So in that case yes i think $500 is a GOOD deal with only 105 battery cycle counts. Via eBay i see pricing for this model hover realistically around $650-$750. Hell i have even seen a bid on one for $598 with a cracked LCD screen. so i mean i think the $500 i paid was a good deal.

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Plus, even when brand new right out of the box, the 2011s had pretty mediocre battery life.

I can agree with you there. 7-8 hours is what I'm seeing with my use. I never travel. Go to Miami FLA once a year & usually bring a iPad. I lug my MBA around my house, bed and desk. Thats it. No road warrior or even light traveler here.

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Purely a personal decision. I got a killer deal on a 2014 11" MBA a couple of weeks ago. The price was more than $500 less than the base rMB will be. I have had two MBAs before and didn't like them but for the price I thought I'd give it a shot. I hated going back and forth between the retina display and that crappy TN panel in the MBA, so it went back. Only you can tell what works for you, though.

Can agree there. I have since calibrated it and it looks A LOT better. Better contrast etc. I used to have a Macbook Pro Retina a bit back beautiful screen obviously. But at this current moment saving $800 sits well with me. I still have a iPad Air and a 6 plus with the retina screen. I purely bought a MBA because i hate typing on the iPad and hate those ****** $100 Zagg folio keyboards that transforms the iPad into a suitcase lol. So i just wanted a Air with a nice trackpad and keyboard. I literally browse the web on my MBA.

 

[z31fanatic]

Not to burst any bubbles - but is $500 for a 2011 13" air really such a good deal?

I have to agree. I don't see how it's a good deal for an almost 4 year old model, i7 or not.
I think he paid market price but that is definitely not a good deal to me.

Not that it matters though. He seems to be happy with the new machine and that's all that matters.

 

[David58117]

[/COLOR]

I have the i7 model not i5. And the upgraded 256 SSD. $899 2015 base model only gets you a i5 and 128GB SSD. The model you would need to compare mine to would be the $1,199 MBA. So in that case yes i think $500 is a GOOD deal with only 105 battery cycle counts.

But there isn't much of a difference between the i7 model and the i5 model for the dual core processor in the MBA - especially since it's a 2011 model.

According the maccrazy about the 2011 models:

"i7 upgrade for MacBook Air 13″: The performance gains from upgrading the 13 inch MacBook Air to an i7 are hard to notice - around a 10% speedup. Probably not worth it."

http://maccrazy.com/macbook-air-i5-vs-i7-is-the-upgrade-worth-it

And that's just between the i5 model vs the i7 model of the 2011 13".

Now when you add that it's 3 years old - the stock i5 processors today easily trumps it. You're paying for a name that's very much outdated..

Now the battery -

Who cares about cycles? Even at full capacity - a major update was released only a few years after yours (2013 I believe?) that nearly doubled the battery life.

The 2011 13" is listed as having a 7 hr battery - while Haswell bumped it to 12 hours (with numerous reports of it lasting even longer).

So even if your battery was at 100% health - you would be settling for nearly half of the battery of a haswell release..

I really think you're just paying a premium for the 256 GB SSD.

Sorry for being such a downer, but it's the truth.

 

[z31fanatic]

Via eBay i see pricing for this model hover realistically around $650-$750. Hell i have even seen a bid on one for $598 with a cracked LCD screen. so i mean i think the $500 i paid was a good deal.

ebay is for suckers, so no surprise there.

 

[vanimal]

ebay is for suckers, so no surprise there.

Yes and no, there are some legitimate deals to be found on there. For instance i needed a OEM part for Kawasaki ZX-10R and got it half price compared to local dealers. I run a small eBay store as well but thats another story. eBay isn't what it used to be, now that its 10% fee on top of 3% Paypal fee. But it beats running into weirdos on Craigslist lol.

You have to keep in mind, Apple products hold their value VERY VERY well. Like sometimes it shocks me how well.

I think its fair to say the MBA i bought is worth at least $650, $600 dead bottom minimum? But i mean 105 load cycles and body in good shape you can't sit here and honestly tell me $500 isn't a good deal?

At the same time the Macbook intrigues me still. But i don't think i will run out this Friday like i intended to.

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But there isn't much of a difference between the i7 model and the i5 model for the dual core processor in the MBA - especially since it's a 2011 model.

According the maccrazy about the 2011 models:

"i7 upgrade for MacBook Air 13″: The performance gains from upgrading the 13 inch MacBook Air to an i7 are hard to notice - around a 10% speedup. Probably not worth it."

http://maccrazy.com/macbook-air-i5-vs-i7-is-the-upgrade-worth-it

And that's just between the i5 model vs the i7 model of the 2011 13".

Now when you add that it's 3 years old - the stock i5 processors today easily trumps it. You're paying for a name that's very much outdated..

Now the battery -

Who cares about cycles? Even at full capacity - a major update was released only a few years after yours (2013 I believe?) that nearly doubled the battery life.

The 2011 13" is listed as having a 7 hr battery - while Haswell bumped it to 12 hours (with numerous reports of it lasting even longer).

So even if your battery was at 100% health - you would be settling for nearly half of the battery of a haswell release..

I really think you're just paying a premium for the 256 GB SSD.

Sorry for being such a downer, but it's the truth.

Ok fair points. So you think i should have went out and spent $1199 on the comparable MBA 2015? I'm speaking of the 256GB SSD version. Hell even compare it to the 128GB version. Do you still think the extra $400 plus tax is worth it if i plan to get next years MBR? For my needs, that would literally be throwing money down the toilet. Same screen, virtually same performance.

Now battery life, prob half as good ill agree. But i travel to South Beach Miami once a year. Other than that, the MBA goes from my Desk, to my bed, to my couch to my kitchen.

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I love all the responses. But this brings me back to the time i thought i needed a $2,000 gaming PC because my Xbox One wasn't sufficient enough. Long story short i hated gaming with Keyboard/Mouse and that $2,000 gaming PC became a glorified web browsing desktop. And went back to my Xbox One. And ended up selling the gaming PC.

I do plan to get the 2nd gen Macbook Retina. So i am not sure i can justify it would even make sense to get a newer macbook Air even when i don't even travel to begin with. I just like to be mobile with it around the house.