An open box base model 2012 MBA 13 at Best Buy is <$1000. One of the best purchases I ever made. The cpu upgrade is minimal and a waste of money, the ram and storage upgrades are very circumstantial. I have a very hard time understanding how one justifies buying the pimped out model. The apple care is a complete waste of money, you are better off investing that money and using cash for repairs IF necessary. You get a year to decide and the next model will be out while your original warranty is still valid so if you decide to sell next year it's gonna be hard to recoup. I guess some people like to deck out their macs as a status thing, but you can buy a lot more cool stuff with the extra $1500.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is the Macbook Air still a good buy?
- Thread starter thebeachbum
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Well, my signature shows a white MacBook which I bought back in 2008, with a Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz processor. I remember that I paid about US$ 2,300-2,400 for this machine (yes, I live in Brazil and prices here are outrageous). Although I found it a fine laptop, it fell short of many of my expectations in regard to the processor speed, the video card (which could not drive an external monitor without lagging), the RAM (too little to run Parallels) and the screen resolution (too low at 1280x800). At the time, I couldn't afford to pay more than US$ 4,000 for a 15" MBP, so I had to settle with this one.
In the beginning of 2011, I bought a Windows laptop. A desktop replacement with a Core i7-2720QM, 8 GB RAM, an hybrid 500 GB HD (with 8 GB SSD), a dedicated NVIDIA video card and a 15.6" screen capable of displaying a 1920x1080 resolution. However, it lacks the premium feel and build quality of the Mac; it is also a little on the heavy side and the battery life is not as good as I expected. In addition, the hybrid drive disappointed me and I promised myself that I would never buy a computer with an HD again. The laptop performs well, though.
As you may wonder, I couldn't change this laptop for a MBA. In fact, every time I use the white MacBook, the thing that most bothers me is the low resolution and the lack of work area. I am not half as productive on the Mac as I am on the PC. I just couldn't go back to a laptop with a resolution lower than 1920x1080, especially a Mac, when you have font rendering technology which doesn't help readability on low resolution screens.
I am thinking of buying another laptop, though. But it will have to be some sort of "thin-and-light desktop replacement", which doesn't have the shortcomings of neither my two laptops. I am being extremely picky indeed because the shortcomings of my laptops haunt me every time I use them, and it really annoys me. Therefore, a MBA will not do. Some of the laptops which came to my mind are the 13" rMBP, the Sony Vaio Z, the 13" Asus Zenbook Prime and the Acer Aspire S7. They all look "premium laptops" while also being thin and light... I don't know if I like the keyboard and trackpad of all of them, though, and I think I'll just wait for Haswell to buy some new one.
If you want all of the following:
- an ultraportable (13.3" max) with decent build quality
- 8 GB RAM
- A screen better than the crap 1366x768
- At least intel i5
Then it seems to me that the Macbook Air is actually the cheapest machine available. So yes, I think it's a good buy. (and I'll buy one soon, I promise
- an ultraportable (13.3" max) with decent build quality
- 8 GB RAM
- A screen better than the crap 1366x768
- At least intel i5
Then it seems to me that the Macbook Air is actually the cheapest machine available. So yes, I think it's a good buy. (and I'll buy one soon, I promise
OH ok, that makes perfect sense now.
I currently own a MBA, having come from a 15" 2007 MBP. The difference is night and day. I think the current 13" MBA is actually the best value MAC aside from the Mac Mini. The portability is impressive, the screen size doesn't feel like a compromise. That being said, I do not use it for heavy gaming, nor do I use it for heavy photo/video editing. I still do those things, just not on the extreme end.
I do not think the 1st gen 13" rMBP is worth the investment. In fact, I'm having a tough time comparing what next year's MBA and 13" rMBP could be without still favoring the MBA.
So, my advice, based on what you're saying, (great performance, thin & light, great keyboard & trackpad), would be to get a 15" rMBP. I would start saving now, so you can spend 3k next year on the Haswell refresh. That should be a computer that you can proudly use for 5 years. Coming from a 17" beast, you will really appreciate it!
Actually, when I got my Core i7 in early 2011, I thought of a MBA. However, at that time, the Sandy Bridge architecture had just been released, and the MBA was still stuck with Core 2 Duo processors (not even Nehalem). I found that an ULV Core 2 Duo processor would be too little for my needs and then I skipped it. There were no ultrabooks that could serve as alternatives at the time, and the unibody MBPs did not really appeal to me.
Then I found this Core i7 which had a lot of power, yet it was announced as having a decent battery life (5 hours due to NVIDIA Optimus technology, and which I later found to last much less than that) and not really heavy (5.6 lbs, which is about the same as the 15" MBP, although later I found out that the AC adapter, which I would always have to carry due to the poor battery life, was a heavy brick). And, still, it was a real bargain at about US$ 3,000 (well, you may find it expensive, but I would have to fork US$ 6,000 for a 15" MBP with similar specs at that time, and I was not willing to do that).
Looking back, it may have been some overkill. I don't play games and I don't do photo editing. I mainly browse the web and I am currently writing my PhD thesis. A large screen area is important for managing all the research papers and notes I have to, so I could take advantage of the 1920x1080 real estate. And the performance was welcomed, as the MacBook struggled to handle my library of over 1,000 PDFs.
Now, I guess I'm spoiled by the performance and the features of the i7.
It's really a hard time. What could happen is the following (I'm not saying it will happen, nor that there is a strong chance it will happen, I'm just saying it may happen or not):
13" rMBP:
- may get a quad-core Haswell (depending on whether Intel will make mainstream quad-core processors for laptops or not);
- 256 GB SSD on the base model;
- better battery life;
- price may be reduced after the cMBP is discontinued.
13" MBA:
- may be redesigned and become even thinner and lighter with the adoption of new materials;
- may get a retina display;
- 8 GB DDR3 on the top-end model;
- Haswell ULV processor will allow a much better battery life;
- price may increase due to a possible redesign.
Apple may add some of these features to the 13" rMBP and MBA lines in 2013. It will probably not add all of them, but some of them will probably make their way into the 2013 line.
I am actually more inclined towards the 13" rMBP than the 15" rMBP, actually, due to the portability. I feel, however, that the 15" rMBP is a much better value, with a quad-core processor, a dedicated video card, a larger SSD and a higher resolution display.
Anyway, the 13" rMBP is currently selling for US$ 3,500 and the 15" rMBP, for US$ 5,000. Although it is a lot of money, I'll certainly not last 5 years and I'll exchange it within the next 2-3 years, as I always do...
In fact, I think Macs are well-built machines and they offer a very pleasant experience. OS X is a great OS to use, and it doesn't get inexplicably slow as Windows does. I just wished it could do everything that I can under Windows and that these two OSs were interchengeable so I could use any of them to do the tasks I need to. Regrettably, Microsoft Office for Mac is a bad piece of software, and Endnote for Mac (which I have to use, at least for now) is even worse. Therefore, I can't just get rid of Windows.
In addition, I don't find the MBA compelling, because there are Windows machines which can better fit my needs. But the rMBP, although expensive, is great hardware and unmatched by anything in the Windows world (which will probably catch up when Haswell is released next year). If I were to buy a Mac right now, it would definitely be the rMBP. Still, I have not closed my eyes to any of the two platforms (Mac and Windows) and I will buy my next computer based on what I think suits me better.
I also have to say that am a little concerned about turning myself totally to the Mac because of a simple reason: the pricing. And I am not afraid of Apple, here. The higher Apple pushes the prices of Macs, they will always be within a reasonable (although expensive) range. I am actually afraid of the Brazilian government. A 15" rMBP costs US$ 5,000 here due to the taxes. In addition to that, due to the exchange rate policy adopted by Brazil, Macs became 30-40% more expensive in the last 12 months (in local currency). The government is currently adopting a policy of lowering the value of the local currency vis-a-vis the US dollar as a protectionist measure against Chinese products. Protectionist measures have been frequently adopted in Brazil during the 20th century to foster the development of local industries (although that never happened and never will), heavily punishing customers (and that's why a Mac costs more than double here than in te US). And the incredibly high prices resulting from these protectionist measures are the reason why Macs were virtually unknown in Brazil some ten or twelve years ago. Now, although expensive, they are still affordable. But, although I can still buy a Mac right now (even if it costs 30-40% more than last year), I don't know if I'll be able to buy another one within 5 years (as it may end up costing double or triple what it costs today, depending on the exchange rate policies), and that's why I don't want to become too dependable on it. But I'll always be able to buy a PC, as the Brazilian government actually gives tax incentives to Brazilian companies to produce very low-end and crappy Windows machines.
You're not really answering the question. Obviously Mac isn't for you. Sound much more like a PC-man. I was born and raised with OSX and whenever I use a Windows it feels like traveling back in time.
As I see it you got 3 options:
1. buy a Windows laptop
2. buy a rMBP 15"
3. Move
Wow, ok now it all makes sense. Well I can agree that you definitely need a sharp screen for reading documents, and obviously prices being what they are in your country, it doesn't make sense to buy something that holds a premium for lower-tier mobile performance, when there are much much much cheaper alternatives.
Definitely get the 13" rMBP, but don't spring for the fastest one, because it doesn't sound like you will max out the performance. You may not even need to upgrade for a few years either, unless battery life jumps substantially. If prices are as high as you say, then it will still hold it's value in the resell, will it not?
If you're using it as a primary, you might want to consider a 15 rMBP although a maxed out MBA will suit you fine. It will be quite powerful and will handle mostly everything that you throw at it.
No
At that price it's not worth it
go refurbished
Apple has limited stock on maxed out 13" Air
Refurbished MacBook Air 2.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
13.3-inch
8GB memory
512GB flash storage
720p FaceTime HD camera
Intel HD Graphics 4000
for $1870
a non refurbished maxed out Air is just too much at that price go with the 15" RMBP
At that price it's not worth it
go refurbished
Apple has limited stock on maxed out 13" Air
Refurbished MacBook Air 2.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
13.3-inch
8GB memory
512GB flash storage
720p FaceTime HD camera
Intel HD Graphics 4000
for $1870
a non refurbished maxed out Air is just too much at that price go with the 15" RMBP
Do you think the 13inch MBA is robust enough to handle logic pro recording multiple instruments simultaneously+MIDI?
My dad is an artist and he uses his old Macbook (white). It's slow but works. With Ivy Bridge it should work fine, but most artists I know opt for the MBP line. The studio my dad records at only has Mac Pros, Macbook Pros 15"+. No 13" ones and no Retinas