Is it worth spending extra $$$ on 2013 MBA?

It's very possible that you and I are looking to buy the same MBA. Cutting down the specs would certainly save a bit of money at first, but if I did so, I'd probably kick myself over and over again for not buying the upgraded ram and ssd. My hunch is it's better to have more computer than what you need than not enough.

 

I wouldn't stress so much about the depreciation, but if you already plan on selling it next year, then I suggest not holding back on the specs. In a relative price comparison, you get more resale value for higher spec'd machines, if you sell it a year or so after purchase (and if in excellent condition). If you purchase the base specs, the entry level Apple refurbs will lower the resale value on eBay dramatically in 6 to 8 months from now.

Heck, you might find that this MBA is what you needed all along, and might decide to just keep it. I mean, for a student, the portability will be a major plus. If that happens, you will not regret your decision to bump the specs in the least bit.

 

I never consider resale. I buy what works for me.

My maxed out mid 2012 13" MBA is stellar.

 

I wouldn't go too far on the specification bumps, when buying used laptops, a lot of people are trying to find a bargain, the laptops featured won't be brand new and will often feature last generation processors.

Because of this, the current generation processors will usually be 20% faster, that specification bump will probably still be slower than the competing like for like laptop on sale from new. I doubt people buying a 2nd hand laptop will be bothered about an incremental specification bump; hence them opting to buy second hand.

 

This year's update to the Haswell chipset should bring significant power saving and therefore, hopefully, a noticeable improvement in battery life.

 

I completely agree. When I browse Craigslist, especially for the 11" MBA, the majority of the ones for sale are the low end model with 64 GB of RAM (2011 & 2012 models). Only a few are 128's. (Currently, there's a single 2011, 11/i7/4/256 for $820).

To the OP, If you are only planning on keeping the computer for a year, I don't think you would recover the cost of the upgrades like you think. You are already talking about your next machine, so think about what specs fit your current needs and don't worry about future-proofing (there's no such thing).

However if you think you'll keep the machine for more than 2 years, then yes, upgrade the things that cannot be upgraded later.