Is the MacBook Air (2020) a good laptop, or a waste of money?

[shenfrey]

Over on the Apple discord channel, nobody is recommending the MBA and saying it needs to be scrapped as a product because it's 'too underpowered, overpriced with bad cooling', and they all seem to be recommending the MacBook Pro (or to wait for refresh) to anybody who is thinking about purchasing it.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the laptop is a complete waste, or a good alternative for non-power users?

I fall into the latter, I think it is a good alternative for non-professionals, but maybe I am just misinformed on the subject.

 

[gnasher729]

It's a fine machine. It does what it does. Look at the specs, decide for yourself. These guys are not the one's spending their money, they are trying to spend your money. Of course a machine for twice the money is twice as good, but it is also twice the money. And 2.8 pound of weight is excellent if you carry it around in a bag.

Start with the base model, if it doesn't quite meet your requirements then you can add things: I'd say 16 GB would be highest priority for me, then the cheaper quad core processor. You can add two huge monitors in the future, you can add any number of external hard drives, so it is absolutely extensible. You can switch the display to 1650 x 1050 pixels (only do this if your eyesight is good).

As a completely different alternative, Amazon UK is selling the 2015 MacBook Pro 15" for just over £1,000. Yes, it's old. It's also an absolute workhorse. The one that every single iOS developer in my company has.

 

[twintin]

Have had mine 2020 Air (base model) for a coupe of days and so far it has been very good (my previous one was a mid-2012 Air).

 

[gnasher729]

There's this huge thread with user reviews. The first thing coming up that was negative was someone about the WiFi being "limiting" which apparently he or she had never been using Everyone who actually uses it seems very happy.

 

[edubfromktown]

I got mine on Monday (Core i7/16 GB/512) and overall it is fine for my purposes.

I used a 2015 quad core 15" i5/16 GB/1 TB MacBook Pro for years and had downsized to a 12" 1.2 GHz i7/16 GB/512 in the past year or so (mostly for when I was traveling a lot... no longer happening or likely to resume). I could still run Lightroom and other apps that push dual core machines quite a bit. Wasn't the fastest experience but good enough for occasional use.

If you are a heavy graphics intensive user, a MacBook Pro may be a better option (I'd wait for the 14" to come out... only problem will be the cost will most likely be quite a jump from the MBA). Otherwise there is sufficient horsepower under the hood of the Air in my opinion.

For those who complain about excessive fan cooling:

1. Was it a clean install and app reinstall?
2. If not, did they clean up accumulated garbage before running User Migration Tool?
3. There is no more resource hogging browser than Chrome. If folks are using it, I suggest Opera or SRWare Iron as more resource thrifty and privacy-focused alternatives.

My only complaints about the 2020 MBA:

1. Inability of booting from an external device as part of the T2 chip security sandbox restrictions
   (even after I set the permissions in Startup Security Utility!!!)
2. Macbook Air 2020's purportedly do not support macOS releases prior to Catalina

Overall, for the $$$, weight savings and performance MBA's are just fine for many of us. You have 15 days to return it so why not order one and beat the crap out of it to see if it meets/exceeds your expectations?

 

[MarkAtl]

I got mine on Monday (Core i7/16 GB/512) and overall it is fine for my purposes.

I used a 2015 quad core 15" i5/16 GB/1 TB MacBook Pro for years and had downsized to a 12" 1.2 GHz i7/16 GB/512 in the past year or so (mostly for when I was traveling a lot... no longer happening or likely to resume). I could still run Lightroom and other apps that push dual core machines quite a bit. Wasn't the fastest experience but good enough for occasional use.

If you are a heavy graphics intensive user, a MacBook Pro may be a better option (I'd wait for the 14" to come out... only problem will be the cost will most likely be quite a jump from the MBA). Otherwise there is sufficient horsepower under the hood of the Air in my opinion.

For those who complain about excessive fan cooling:

1. Was it a clean install and app reinstall?
2. If not, did they clean up accumulated garbage before running User Migration Tool?
3. There is no more resource hogging browser than Chrome. If folks are using it, I suggest Opera or SRWare Iron as more resource thrifty and privacy-focused alternatives.

My only complaints about the 2020 MBA:

1. Inability of booting from an external device as part of the T2 chip security sandbox restrictions
   (even after I set the permissions in Startup Security Utility!!!)
2. Macbook Air 2020's purportedly do not support macOS releases prior to Catalina

Overall, for the $$$, weight savings and performance MBA's are just fine for many of us. You have 15 days to return it so why not order one and beat the crap out of it to see if it meets/exceeds your expectations?

Thanks for the insight. I have the same spec 2017 MB 12” and also had the 2015 15”.

i love the 12” due to its silence and portability and “good enough” performance, but am wondering if a new MBA (even base spec) would do and I could sell my MB for enough to pay for it.

What interests me is having 2 TB3 and also a better keyboard. Thoughts?

 

[CEaton]

I ordered my 2020 MBA i5/16gb/512 to replace a 2017 MBP nTB i5/8gb/256, and my goodness am I glad I hadn't sent my 2017 in for trade yet. Instead I sent back the MBA....the thermal throttling was just too much, I hadn't even installed VMware Fusion on it yet. Yes, I waited for the background processes to finish, and no, I wasn't gaming or 3d rendering, I was afraid to even start taxing the machine as I would watch it immediately start climbing in temp. Day to day performance on my 3 year old base model MBP is much better, it might not be as snappy from idle, but it will cool itself and power through what I need it to. I just didn't see the MBA standing the test of time, and I typically have my MacBook powering a 4k display or two, which makes matters even worse.

I ordered the magic keyboard case for my iPad Pro...going to see if that will replace most of my mobile needs...if not, I guess I will wait for the next MBP 13 to replace my 2017.

Hi Evan.

 

[edubfromktown]

Thanks for the insight. I have the same spec 2017 MB 12” and also had the 2015 15”.

i love the 12” due to its silence and portability and “good enough” performance, but am wondering if a new MBA (even base spec) would do and I could sell my MB for enough to pay for it.

What interests me is having 2 TB3 and also a better keyboard. Thoughts?

12" Macbooks in good condition go for >$1k in the high end configuration 1.2 GHz / 16 GB / 512 GB.

There were two 12" Macbooks in my herd... an 2015/m3 and my 2017/i7. Apple warranty replaced the keyboard in both mid-last year. The i3 keyboard is awesome- seems to have a bit more travel and easy to type on. Both the original and replacement keyboard on the i7 was not so impressive. Seemed as though I had to type harder on both and slowed me down. The keyboard on the Air is wayy nicer than either replaced 12".

A TB internally is overkill for me... between some cloud-based storage and external Lighting storage, I have plenty if/when needed. On the external storage front, I like the WD Passport Ultra for Mac. It is a hybrid (spinning drive and solid state cache) device and in larger capacities (4TB in my case), has plenty of performance.

 

[MarkAtl]

12" Macbooks in good condition go for >$1k in the high end configuration 1.2 GHz / 16 GB / 512 GB.

There were two 12" Macbooks in my herd... an 2015/m3 and my 2017/i7. Apple warranty replaced the keyboard in both mid-last year. The i3 keyboard is awesome- seems to have a bit more travel and easy to type on. Both the original and replacement keyboard on the i7 was not so impressive. Seemed as though I had to type harder on both and slowed me down. The keyboard on the Air is wayy nicer than either replaced 12".

A TB internally is overkill for me... between some cloud-based storage and external Lighting storage, I have plenty if/when needed. On the external storage front, I like the WD Passport Ultra for Mac. It is a hybrid (spinning drive and solid state cache) device and in larger capacities (4TB in my case), has plenty of performance.

Thanks - might see if my local Costco has one.

 

[masterjedi73]

Have had mine 2020 Air (base model) for a coupe of days and so far it has been very good (my previous one was a mid-2012 Air).

I have a mid 2012 Air, too, and I just ordered a 2020. The order has been processing for several days, though.

 

[edubfromktown]

Thanks - might see if my local Costco has one.

Mhhhh- unlikely that Costco will have the new model anytime soon. They tend to blow surplus out the door...

 

[deeddawg]

I don't know what Discord is, some sort of enthusiast community?

Enthusiast groups find it easy to spend other people's money, I'm guessing their advice is just go buy a MBP16 i9/32/2TB and you'll have no worries about it having enough power for your needs. What do they care if you spend an extra couple grand? Not their money.

Sarcasm aside - hammers make crappy screwdrivers and vice versa. Professional lawncare folks would scoff at my little push reel mower - but for my little postage stamp yard it's perfect as I need no gasoline or oil and maintenance is minimal. Proper tool for the job.

So if your needs are a fit for the low end model of the Apple Macbook line then it'll be a fine choice for you. If your needs are more suited to a higher level computer, then it maybe won't be a fine choice for you. Same computer. It is what it is. Difference is whether or not its capabilities match your needs.
[automerge]1587649383[/automerge]

Mhhhh- unlikely that Costco will have the new model anytime soon. They tend to blow surplus out the door...

Estimated delivery May 12 -

Apple MacBook Air 13" - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 512GB SSD

Apple MacBook Air 13" - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 512GB SSD

www.costco.com

Apple MacBook Air 13" - Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD

Apple MacBook Air 13" - Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD

www.costco.com

 

[stevesockmire]

I don't know what Discord is, some sort of enthusiast community?

Enthusiast groups find it easy to spend other people's money, I'm guessing their advice is just go buy a MBP16 i9/32/2TB and you'll have no worries about it having enough power for your needs. What do they care if you spend an extra couple grand? Not their money.

Sarcasm aside - hammers make crappy screwdrivers and vice versa. Professional lawncare folks would scoff at my little push reel mower - but for my little postage stamp yard it's perfect as I need no gasoline or oil and maintenance is minimal. Proper tool for the job.

So if your needs are a fit for the low end model of the Apple Macbook line then it'll be a fine choice for you. If your needs are more suited to a higher level computer, then it maybe won't be a fine choice for you. Same computer. It is what it is. Difference is whether or not its capabilities match your needs.
[automerge]1587649383[/automerge]

Estimated delivery May 12 -

Apple MacBook Air 13" - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 512GB SSD

Apple MacBook Air 13" - Intel Core i5 - 8GB Memory - 512GB SSD

www.costco.com

Apple MacBook Air 13" - Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD

Apple MacBook Air 13" - Intel Core i3 - 8GB Memory - 256GB SSD

www.costco.com

it's a social media platform like skype or steam that lots of teens use to talk, make servers, voice chat, etc. lol

 

[esphil]

If you guys are looking at Costco you can try Bestbuy, they have openbox Airs for ever less. If you use a AMEX card you get extended warranty on the units too.

 

[deeddawg]

it's a social media platform like skype or steam that lots of teens use to talk, make servers, voice chat, etc. lol

Thanks for the explanation.

Me:

 

[motulist]

Unless you have a pressing need to have one right now, I'd wait till the next model comes out.

 

[MarkAtl]

If you guys are looking at Costco you can try Bestbuy, they have openbox Airs for ever less. If you use a AMEX card you get extended warranty on the units too.

Costco no longer takes Amex.

I went there to check it out and they said they had the base i3, but the 2019 was on display. I’m going to wait.

 

[Pugly]

The 2020 MBA is finally at a decent price/features for their low end computer. The last 5 years or so Macs have had horrible value for the money, and the low end was really confusing with lots of weird gotchas in the lineup.

I have my MBA on order (I don't have first hand experience), but there really is nothing wrong with the MBA. It has more base storage than ever, it dropped in price, the keyboard works, the performance is fast enough to do lots of things, the screen isn't ancient technology, it has enough ports to get by(barely)...

If you have money to spend, it's probably better to wait for whatever the 13" Pro turns into... as a computer it'll be better in most ways (just more expensive, and slightly larger)... but that doesn't make the MBA not good choice either.

 

[Jackorias]

I love mine. Had it around a week and I'm glad I bought it. i5/8/256 version and it's plenty enough for me. Moved from a mid-2014 rMBP and I'm not a 'power user' so I can see this lasting me a long while (as long as I don't fall down the stairs with it like I did with my rMBP... which survived!)

I suppose it depends on your use case. If you want to sit and play leaderboards with YouTubers then it's probably not the one for you. If you're using it for emails, internet and working on documents then it's fine. I also love the form factor of the MBA and how light it is.

Overall, very happy with the product for the price I paid.

 

[esphil]

Costco no longer takes Amex.

I went there to check it out and they said they had the base i3, but the 2019 was on display. I’m going to wait.

I was referring to if you use AMEX at Bestbuy, they extend the warranty on purchases when you use it.

 

[MarkAtl]

I was referring to if you use AMEX at Bestbuy, they extend the warranty on purchases when you use it.

Gotya. They do the same at Costco with their Visa.

 

[deeddawg]

Gotya. They do the same at Costco with their Visa.

and some cards, like my Citi Doublecash mastercard, extends warranty as well. it's not just Amex.

 

[DerKommissar]

Look, it's apple's low end laptop. The problem with their low end is that many who buy them are looking for a bargain, but have needs that Apple would rather fill at the $2k range. It is quite possible that it's not really worth cramming an i7 in this chassis, but that does not make it a bad computer. It's a great computer for many use cases. Everyone gave apple **** for only offering one processor option last time. Now you have three, and you all are giving them **** for it. Maybe you all just like to give Apple ****.

 

[nill1234]

This whole thing is blown out of proportion. I own it since almost 2 weeks and programmed a lot on it in XCode with SwiftUi and had several tabs open. I almost forgot that it got a fan, the iPhone simulator is snappy and i cant complain. I have the I5 16 256 version.

 

[deeddawg]

This whole thing is blown put of proportion.

That never happens on MacRumors... 🤣🤣🤣