Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Just ordered new MBA 13...am I destined for doom and gloom?

W

woodynorman

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 26, 2011
675
312
First off, let me say this post is a bit "tongue in cheek"...I'm keeping a positive outlook here. I've always had good luck with Apple hardware (Macbooks, iPads, iPhones, iPods). I'm confident my latest apple purchase (tonight on Apple.com) of a MB Air 13" i7/8GB/512 will be just as good and satisfying as the rest...but....

I spent the evening reading this MB Air forum and am now completely paranoid about Wi-Fi/SSD/display issues. It seems so many people have had problems with their new units. I'm prepared to return it if I have problems, but I plan on selling my late 2012 rMBP once I'm happy.

I'd love to hear from those who have had a POSITIVE experience with their MBA. And for those who didnt, I'm sure you've already posted somewhere here, so just ignore this thread :)
 
Last edited:
Either one - the 11" or the 13" are the best ultra-portables on the market. Really hard to go wrong if you want the best value in a perfect balance of overall performance and portability.
 
I have no issues of any type with the 2013 MBA.
Wifi problems?

3013413311.png


NAAAH! :D
 
It's my first Mac and I haven't had a single issue at all. Wifi is fine, SSD is fine, display is fine... Apple has released updates to fix most things you read.
 
I had a 2011 13" MBA, now have a 2013 11" MBA. Absolutely no problems with either one. I also have the 512gb SSD and haven't read of any problems with these, just the 128gb models and I think they are from 2012.

You should be fine, but if there's a problem Apple has good service.
 
My machine has been excellent. Considering the use it gets. It display/wifi had no issues. I have the 2011 model from launch.
 
Thanks for the replies.

I had a 2011 MBA i5/4GB/128 that I gave to my oldest daughter in June. I REALLY liked it. I miss the the "lapability" it had. it was light, didnt get overly hot and just plain felt good in the lap for hours on end. I spend 3-4 hours every evening doing my billing, invoicing and paperwork for my business, all of it from my Laz-y-boy in the living room. The rMBP is no heavyweight, but it's just not as comfortable to me. I hope I dont regret going back to a non-retina screen.

I purchased the rMBP 13" as a replacement for my 2011, but havent been totally thrilled with it. It can be a bit slow at times when I have a lot of things running, especially iPhoto. I worry that it's not as "future proof" as my new MBA will be.

I want a computer that I can give to my 14 yr old daughter when she goes off to college, and I just dont get the feeling this rMBP will be up to the task 4-5 years from now. Maybe I'm wrong though.
 
I have a 2013 13" 8gb 256gb SSD Air and I love it. It's the best laptop I've ever had. I've been a Windows user for the last 20 yrs and hadn't had a macbook since 1996 so this is a real treat for me. Light, powerful, long battery life, quiet (so, so quiet), great OS. Me happy.
 
What you think about you bring about.... My Macbook Air is excellent. Zero issues. I did use a custom profile for my display, other than that it's perfect.
 
Thought I had the wifi issue..

Miltz said:
What you think about you bring about.... My Macbook Air is excellent. Zero issues. I did use a custom profile for my display, other than that it's perfect.
Click to expand...

Spoke to a Senior Apple wifi tech. Explored my 2013 MacBook Air and found no problems. Found out a few days later that the router was dying. Purchased a refurbished router, and my Air is running as it was originally.

No monitor issues as has been claimed by others, or any other issues.

Been an Apple owner since 1988. Have had next to no issues with any laptop or desktop I have ever own.
 
Last edited:
I've had so many problems I cannot list any.
Because I've had no problems.

Yeah that career as a comedian is going no-where.

Basically, I've had no problems. Most of the moans on here are from people who have them, you will find less threads on anything in life of a bad job/a good job. Music, Film, TV etc. More likely to hear bad than good when you're looking for it.

Enjoy your machine, and if anything IS wrong, just return it within the 30 days.
 
woodynorman said:
I want a computer that I can give to my 14 yr old daughter when she goes off to college
Click to expand...

Maybe this is a good way to convince your wife that a new computer is a good investment, but aside from that I think it's pretty questionable. I still have my 5 year old MacBook Pro and it works fine, but it's very heavy and slow by today's standards. The battery probably wouldn't get through a full hour of steady use and the warranty expired long ago. Not the kind of high school graduation present I'd want to give my daughter. ;)

Like I said above, I love my MBA but I bought it for using today and not as a family heirloom.
 
Boyd01 said:
Maybe this is a good way to convince your wife that a new computer is a good investment, but aside from that I think it's pretty questionable. I still have my 5 year old MacBook Pro and it works fine, but it's very heavy and slow by today's standards. The battery probably wouldn't get through a full hour of steady use and the warranty expired long ago. Not the kind of high school graduation present I'd want to give my daughter. ;)

Like I said above, I love my MBA but I bought it for using today and not as a family heirloom.
Click to expand...

Actually, I'll probably give it to her on her 18th birthday, which is just 3 yrs, 1 month away. If the battery is shot, I'll probably replace it before giving it to her. I would like to think that a 3 yr old top of the line MBA would still be a viable machine.

My wife is totally cool about it, despite the fact I just bought my rMBP just a few months ago. She really did say "whatever makes you happy". I'm one lucky guy! Of course, it's also a business write off for me.
 
I can only speak for myself, but I've had none of these problems you've listed and I've had the Air since near its release. I wasn't even aware that these problems existed until I saw this thread...
 
Definitely think the build quality / quality control is atrocious as of late. On the positive side, I had none of the problems you listed. SSD was fine, WiFi was fine, and screen was fine (aside from the usual bad quality TN panel in these).
 
I have had my 2013 MBA about 3 weeks very happy no issues with wifi, had 2007 Airport Extreme fist gen. just updated yesterday to new Airpot Extreme did not have any problems with either just wanted dual band output at same time for older computer in the house.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back