Has anyone on here bought a MacBook Air AFTER the MacBook was released, and what was your reason

[Hieveryone]

I really like to MacBook Air. It seems like the perfect notebook at first glance, until to find out there is no retina display.

I was wondering if there was anyone on here who decided to buy the MacBook Air over the MacBook, and what was your reasoning.

 

[Tergan]

I did. I went with the basic 13" 4GB Ram, 128GB SSD and I could not be happier. Of course that basic rMB is better in terms of screen res, specs (RAM, SSD) and size/weight, but is significantly more expensive than MBA. Here are my reasons:
1) Price - a big PLUS for MBA
2) Battery - a big plus as well, the best battery of all Macbooks
3) Connectivity - one USB-C? Hell no since I still use (like majority of others) classic USB external discs, USB sticks etc.
4) Display - a plus for me, I dont mind lower res, my former laptop was 1366x768 and thanks to lower res, better batery life
5) Classic CPU - I hate the slowing down on Core M
6) Design
and some others.

For my use - school, internet, Youtube and light gaming like HS, the best laptop out there
Of course, in few years rMB will be better than MBA, with price drop and when more things will be wireless, but now, not a chance for me.

PS. 4GB Ram is more than enough for me, with my usage

 

[Hieveryone]

I did. I went with the basic 13" 4GB Ram, 128GB SSD and I could not be happier. Of course that basic rMB is better in terms of screen res, specs (RAM, SSD) and size/weight, but is significantly more expensive than MBA. Here are my reasons:
1) Price - a big PLUS for MBA
2) Battery - a big plus as well, the best battery of all Macbooks
3) Connectivity - one USB-C? Hell no since I still use (like majority of others) classic USB external discs, USB sticks etc.
4) Display - a plus for me, I dont mind lower res, my former laptop was 1366x768 and thanks to lower res, better batery life
5) Classic CPU - I hate the slowing down on Core M
6) Design
and some others.

For my use - school, internet, Youtube and light gaming like HS, the best laptop out there
Of course, in few years rMB will be better than MBA, with price drop and when more things will be wireless, but now, not a chance for me.

PS. 4GB Ram is more than enough for me, with my usage

Agreed! I had forgotten the price benefit. The 13" is also nicer than 12"

 

[organic bond]

I did last year, mainly because of the batteries and power. Bought another MBA instead. Now it could be different as the new MBs are improved.

 

[andreyush]

I did. I went with the basic 13" 4GB Ram, 128GB SSD and I could not be happier. Of course that basic rMB is better in terms of screen res, specs (RAM, SSD) and size/weight, but is significantly more expensive than MBA.

I disagree a little xD
MB has the next advantages : Screen res, and USB-C (but this is a subjective topic) and this is it.

In terms of performance, specs and size/weight the difference is sooooo small. In the new MBA 2016 the SSD and RAM are great! The size/weight are perfect and you can see in benchmarks that the performance is the same even better in some cases.
MBA is great and this comes from a rMBP user xD. I would never go for a rMB if I would want

 

[Sensamic]

I did, a couple of months ago. I saw a great sale on the 2015 MacBook Air 13 inch basic configuration for 800€, which was 200€ cheaper than it's original price here (999€).

Reasons:

- It was a sale. Brand new latest MacBook Air at the time (2015 model) for just 799€. I wanted it as a secondary computer. It's not my main computer (a 27 inch 2009 iMac is), so I didn't need much power. For me price was more important, since I didn't want to pay close to 1000€ for a secondary computer to use on the couch and for some light college work. I would have liked a better display, but it made no sense to pay 1350€ for a MacBook to use it as a secondary computer. That's a lot of money for a secondary computer. I prefer to save money to use it when I want to upgrade my main computer, the iMac, in the near future.
- Battery life is better.
- 12 inch screen of the MacBook felt too small for any real work IMO. Not much space to have multiple apps on the screen.
- After reading the forums many people said the MacBook had lag, and I saw it multiple times when trying it on stores. Didn't want to pay 1350€ for a secondary computer that lags!
- Ports. The MacBook Air has better ports. 70€ for an adapter? Are we insane? That would have put the MacBook cost up to 1420€!!! That it too much money for a secondary computer, like I said. That price would be normal for your main computer.
- Hated the MacBook keyboard. MacBook Air keyboard is way better.
- MacBook Air has MagSafe, which is awesome to prevent accidents (already saved my ass a couple of times).
- MacBook Air has more power, thanks to the better CPU and lower res screen. Having such great performance on my secondary computer is just awesome! Awesome!
- The Air is still plenty light and thin! If I want to keep this baby for a long time it needed to be thin, light and fast (thanks to the faster 2015 Air SSD it is extremely fast! 8 seconds it takes to boot up!).
- Better webcam for Skype with friends.

These were my reasons. There was a huge price difference between the Air (799€) and the cheapest MacBook (1350€). Not worth it when you get worse performance, battery, webcam, smaller display, worse keyboard, etc.

 

[BigMcGuire]

My wife and I did. Price was probably the biggest. We got ours for super cheap ($100 off at Best Buy). We went with the Macbook Air 11' for portability. I've had the 13' (in 2011) and it was just too big. The 1 port thing wasn't HUGE but would have been a bother - just 2 USB ports are too few for us. I wanted the Macbook 12' so I could charge it with my Anker batteries... but wife and I ended up getting the 11'.

Year later? We're both very happy with them. Wife uses hers all day at college for her graduate work and at home hooks it up to dual monitors (thunderbolt and USB to DVI). I love the keyboard on the Air. Plays World of Warcraft very acceptably (60+fps with everything turned down and vsync on).

Summary: Price, size, usb ports. We were talking about upgrading next year and even though we could afford Macbook Pros, we're probably going to get the next generation Air 11'.

 

[SusanK]

I got a base model 11" MBA at the end of April from Best Buy for $749.00. The sale price was a nice incentive but it's always MBA for me. I love the size, shape, feel. It's perfect for me. The screen is not an issue and I want ports. MagSafe is must. The list goes on.

MacBook is not in contention for me.

 

[Pakaku]

The Air is the last "thinnest" laptop Apple makes that is still technically a Macbook. Keyboard doens't suck, has a decent amount of ports, Magsafe is still a thing, etc

The rMB might be a laptop, but its design philosophy is too similar to the iPad for me to consider it it a macbook.

 

[Tergan]

Just saw the Asus presentation on Computex and can´t stop laughing. New Zenbook 3 - a 1:1copy of rMB (almost). Guys am I crazy, that I don´t want to spend 70E for a dongle? Where is the portaibility, when I need to carry multiple dongles.

As I said, cant be more happy with basic MBA 13", but what will I do in few years, when there will be no MBA? I guess rMB will be the winner then, in FEW years.

 

[ryannel2003]

I just purchased an open box 11" Air from Best Buy for $650. Battery had two cycles on it and the computer looked new. It will complement my iMac nicely.

 

[HeyKatie]

I did because I don't care about retina and I wasn't happy about the USB-C being the only port on the MB.

 

[iP1rate]

I own the latest 15 inch rMBP, and I do most of my computing on it. I work full time and go to college in the evenings, so I purchased the latest 13 inch MBA about 1 month ago just so I can have something lighter and more compact to take to class with me. I don't need a ton of computing power in class just for note taking and writing code. I bought the MBA over the rMB because I prefer the aesthetics of the MBA. Also, the battery life, decent computing power and regular style keyboard were benefits for me over a rMB. I can live without the retina display on a machine I use for 3 hour classes, 4 days a week.

 

[Hieveryone]

The 11" screen would take some time getting use to for me, but I don't see any reason why I wouldn't get use to it.

I want to get a laptop that I can carry everywhere and use and yes that includes the bathroom. Almost like an iPhone replacement...

 

[ryannel2003]

When I purchased my iMac last year I sold my rMBP and "replaced" it with an iPad mini. Huge mistake. The iPad is not a device that can replace a laptop just yet. Multitasking is still a chore and it's hard for me to type on the screen. The 11" Air is the perfect laptop to carry with you everywhere. I find the Air to be a good deal... Especially at $650.

 

[koigirl]

I bought an 11" MBA last summer so my daughter could take my 2012 13" MBA to school with her. I didn't even seriously consider the MacBook because of its lackluster processor, keyboard, single port and lack of MagSafe. Basically for me it represents a thinner, retina MBA with too many other compromises and a higher price tag. I have really been disappointed with the 11" MBA's poor screen, though, especially considering it's now the year 2016. Really kind of inexcusable considering what I paid for it with upgraded RAM and processor. But I still believe the MBA's are a good option for the price-conscious if you want Mac, don't want to spend a fortune and/or lug around the heavier rMBP, and refuse to support the gimped-out MacBook concept Apple is now pushing. I really, really wish they would upgrade the MBA to a Retina display. I would gladly pay the difference.

 

[DFWHD]

I just picked up a refurb 13" Air (2.2/8/512) in April for less than the macbook. I use it for portability only (have another mac as main system). My new Air has a better processor and better connectivity options. I never even considered the macbook.

 

[LauraJean]

I bought my 11" Macbook Air in January, 2016 to replace some functions performed on my 13" Snow Leopard 2010 Macbook Pro, namely online banking and most online shopping. (One of my banks quit accepting the Snow Leopard platform). The Macbook Air, with ad-block, has also replaced my 2012 iPad Mini for news media surfing. The Mini became intolerable to use with its slow loading and twitchy jumpy behavior at certain web sites. I find the Macbook Air's size and light weight just as comfortable when used lying down on the couch. The Air's display is slightly better than my old Pro's. While at the Apple Store, the Macbook Air was on the same table as the retina Macbook; my senior citizen eyes could not see any difference. I haven't had any problems with El Capitan, but when I work on the Pro, Snow Leopard is always a welcomed sight, with its business-like appearance.

 

[itsmefudge]

I got my 2015 13" 128GB Air on sale at Best Buy and with the mover coupon (do they still have those?) I only paid $729+tax. I didn't even consider the MacBook. I needed the USB ports for work with sharing thumb drives and have a Transcend JetDrive in the SD card slot that houses my iTunes to keep my HD from filling up. The MacBook is a nice machine, but I love the battery life of my Air.

 

[jmoore5196]

The Air is the last "thinnest" laptop Apple makes that is still technically a Macbook. Keyboard doens't suck, has a decent amount of ports, Magsafe is still a thing, etc

The rMB might be a laptop, but its design philosophy is too similar to the iPad for me to consider it it a macbook.

Exactly. While the MBA display may be a hindrance to some, it's an enormously capable small machine.

 

[navaira]

i bought the 13"/8/128 in November 2015 with a nice €150 discount vs Apple price.

– Keyboard
– One slot
– No SD
...were the reasons I picked MBA over rMB. Oh, and price, I'd have to pay 400 euro more to get the slower rMB. No thanks.

 

[Bel Marduk]

I really like to MacBook Air. It seems like the perfect notebook at first glance, until to find out there is no retina display.

I was wondering if there was anyone on here who decided to buy the MacBook Air over the MacBook, and what was your reasoning.

After much debate with myself, I concluded that I, once again, would buy a MacBook Air. Its the best computer I've ever had and does everything I need it to do.

The resolution of the screen doesn't bother me anywhere near as much as the wimpy core m processor.

To me, the MacBook is just a fashion accessory like the Apple Watch.

 

[crzdcolombian]

i bought the 13"/8/128 in November 2015 with a nice €150 discount vs Apple price.

– Keyboard
– One slot
– No SD
...were the reasons I picked MBA over rMB. Oh, and price, I'd have to pay 400 euro more to get the slower rMB. No thanks.

agreed..... do people not get how small a MBA is!! The keyboard on the MB hurts my hands, the screen is smaller, cost almost as much as a MBP, has 0 ports and the battery life is shorter....

better question is why are people buying the MB over the MBP(if you want retina) or the MBA?

 

[navaira]

better question is why are people buying the MB over the MBP(if you want retina) or the MBA?

Because pretty I guess...? You can't really show off a MBA after so many years...

 

[sracer]

The 11" screen would take some time getting use to for me, but I don't see any reason why I wouldn't get use to it.

I want to get a laptop that I can carry everywhere and use and yes that includes the bathroom. Almost like an iPhone replacement...

I'm going on 2 years owning a 4GB/128GB 11" MBA. The 11" screen can be a bit challenging, but by slightly altering the way I use OSX, I've found it to be fine. (in a nutshell: put the dock on the left or right side, auto hide, and use apps in full-screen mode and use trackpad gestures to switch apps) I'm still amazed to have a full-functioned notebook in something practically the same size as the 9.7 iPad.

I'm a bit sad because a majority of my mobile computing is now taking place on a 12.9 iPP w/ASK rather than the MBA. But about once a week or so I fire it up and work on some tasks to see/remind myself of the difference.

agreed..... do people not get how small a MBA is!! The keyboard on the MB hurts my hands, the screen is smaller, cost almost as much as a MBP, has 0 ports and the battery life is shorter....

better question is why are people buying the MB over the MBP(if you want retina) or the MBA?

Because the MBP is heavier and larger. I'm no fan of the MB but I can definitely see particular use-cases where the MB is the best option....but I don't have any of those use-cases.