Is €900 a good price for a used Macbook air?

[Modrisco89]

Running Windows will definitely benefit from the additional RAM. That's a tough decision. I see you can upgrade to 8GB for 120 Euro, although at that point you are at a 600 Euro difference...

Could you get away with the 128GB new model but with 8GB of RAM? Normally I would not suggest this tradeoff, especially if you need to run Windows, but it's another possible option.

How about a new 11" with 256GB/8GB RAM for 1299?

Ideally you could get something refurbished, but I see that there is nothing listed at http://www.apple.com/ie/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Any education discount available to you?

The big concern I have about the 2012 model is the battery life. It was already poor when new. It will be worse now. I guess if battery life is of little concern to you, then it might be an ok deal. However, having a computer with real all-day battery life frees you in ways you might not even realize if you've never enjoyed it before.

Thank you so much for the reply, I can get a student discount of 6% which is about 100 off, I think I might just go with the pro altogther just to be safe, I don't know what kind of programming i'll be doing in the future, plus it's an extra €200 on top of the 8gb 2015 air, and I'll get a better processing speed, might be just worth it plus I hear it'll last longer.

Thanks for all the help

 

[motrek]

Thank you so much for the reply, I can get a student discount of 6% which is about 100 off, I think I might just go with the pro altogther just to be safe, I don't know what kind of programming i'll be doing in the future, plus it's an extra €200 on top of the 8gb 2015 air, and I'll get a better processing speed, might be just worth it plus I hear it'll last longer.

Thanks for all the help

Again, the rMBP processor isn't that much faster than the MBA's.

Also, programming is counterintuitively one of the least intensive things you can do with a computer these days. Streaming an HD video is way more stressful on a computer than whatever programming you'll be doing.

Remember, people have been programming computers since they existed. They were only recently able to play videos.

 

[RedTomato]

I get you really want to buy it from your mate. We're saying its's overpriced.

Check out the second hand prices for a 2013 MBA with the specs you want (if you plan to run windows too, definitely get 8gb / 256gb), and either buy one from a reputatable dealer (ie not the cheapest, and from someone with a lot of feedback (or find someone near you and visit them for a look before paying)) or get your friend to reduce his prices.

 

[Tfb]

Isn't there some sort of automatic great Applecare for laptops bought in the UK? If so that would definitely sway me towards either a new or a refurb.

What did you end up doing?

BTW I've been working with a 2010 macbook air (128gb/4gb) since 2012 . It's still chugging away fine! I multitask (nothing too intense, usually Microsoft Office applications plus browser with a ton of tabs plus one or two other random things). Honestly I'd been looking for an excuse to replace it since it's now technically a five year old computer (I bought it refurbished straight from Apple) and I couldn't find one.

So I think a 2012 would probably work for you and have a decent shot of making it another 3 years. But unless you're rich and your friend is poor and you're seeing this as a way to do a little cash-transfer with dignity, I wouldn't pay anywhere near that much. Because you don't know whether it will last (especially if it's out of warranty), the cheap price (that it ought to be, considering later advances) gives you room to replace it in less than 3 years if you need too.

(But I finally got a little breathing room financially and I really covet the longer battery life. I found a good deal on eBay for 2013 mba for $680 (512gb/8gb) that was at the end of its current battery's life. I'm going to have it replaced and then whiz away).