How difficult is it to replace Macbook Air SSD?

[sean12321]

I am on a budget and have considered buying the ultra-cheap Macbook Air on Black Friday and then buying a 256GB SSD on ebay. How difficult is it to replace this manually? I know the ram can't be replaced manually, but how is it to replace the SSD?

 

[Neolithium]

I am on a budget and have considered buying the ultra-cheap Macbook Air on Black Friday and then buying a 256GB SSD on ebay. How difficult is it to replace this manually? I know the ram can't be replaced manually, but how is it to replace the SSD?

I can't speak for it personally, but the OWC instruction videos make it look extremely simple. I haven't read any horror stories about installation on here either.

http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_air_2010_2011/

 

[ezramoore]

It is incredibly easy. The most difficult part is acquiring the pentalobe screwdriver. After you take the bottom case off and the battery out it is literally the first thing you see.

 

[sean12321]

Does the Air come with a USB stick that you can use to boot from when you replace the SSD?

 

[ezramoore]

The 2010 model did, I doubt the 2011 model does. It probably does Lion recovery via the internet by holding CMD + R at boot.