Lifetime of a MBA?

[RustyMacVet]

Hey all. I'm waiting for the new iMacs to come out and was thinking of buying a Macbook Air to tie me over. I don't want a Pro because I like the ultraportability of the MBA.

I was looking at the 11" the other day and thought "Hey this screen isn't as small as I thought". So I'm thinking the MBA would be good substitute until I can get the new iMacs.

I'm just wondering what the lifespan is. I'm going to be heading back to College in 2 years and was wondering if I would need to buy a new MBA then. I don't like laggy computers, so if the MBA would be slow in 2 years I would rather hold off on buying one until then.

What do you guys think?

 

[icarlos]

It should last you at least 5 years. Make you get the memory upgraded to 8gbs when ordering it since cannot be upgraded later. Do yourself a favor and get you a moshi cover to protect against scratches and dings.

good luck!

 

[kodeman53]

Hey all. I'm waiting for the new iMacs to come out and was thinking of buying a Macbook Air to tie me over. I don't want a Pro because I like the ultraportability of the MBA.

I was looking at the 11" the other day and thought "Hey this screen isn't as small as I thought". So I'm thinking the MBA would be good substitute until I can get the new iMacs.

I'm just wondering what the lifespan is. I'm going to be heading back to College in 2 years and was wondering if I would need to buy a new MBA then. I don't like laggy computers, so if the MBA would be slow in 2 years I would rather hold off on buying one until then.

What do you guys think?

My 2010 MBA11 was running fine when I sold it. I have no idea what you mean by 'slow' or 'laggy' since those terms are relative.

My 2012 MBA13 is faster than my 2010. It is stating the obvious that the 2014 MBA will be faster than the 2012 MBA. If that is your definition of slow and laggy, then do not buy one now.

 

[\-V-/]

There's been 3 threads on this very topic today alone.

 

[RustyMacVet]

There's been 3 threads on this very topic today alone.

Lol My apologies I was unaware.

I guess this question is moot because I think the main concern is that the 2014 MBA will make me feel like a 2012 isn't good enough. Of course it will be obsolete.

I think I'll go ahead and get one now. And I will upgrade the ram.

Thanks all, sorry for the dupe thread.

 

[\-V-/]

Lol My apologies I was unaware.

I guess this question is moot because I think the main concern is that the 2014 MBA will make me feel like a 2012 isn't good enough. Of course it will be obsolete.

I think I'll go ahead and get one now. And I will upgrade the ram.

Thanks all, sorry for the dupe thread.

I got the Air and maxed out the RAM for the purpose of future-proofing. It's not an expensive upgrade and it's definitely worth it since you can't upgrade the RAM later. You'll feel better if you go ahead with the RAM upgrae.

 

[koigirl]

2-3 years before it starts to feel really
dated. Just the nature of computer processor and technology advances. At least with the Mac you get quality hardware. And definitely get the 8MB RAM. You can always update the SSD later...

 

[Fattytail]

2-3 years before it starts to feel really
dated. Just the nature of computer processor and technology advances. At least with the Mac you get quality hardware. And definitely get the 8MB RAM. You can always update the SSD later...

I'm almost at 2 years with my 2010 11" MBA, but it doesn't feel dated at all for my needs. Just depends on what you use it for. I'll probably hold on to this thing for another 2-3 years. I'm more concerned about the battery holding up that long than anything else, although I suppose I could just get a new battery.

 

[emoore]

I'm almost at 2 years with my 2010 11" MBA, but it doesn't feel dated at all for my needs. Just depends on what you use it for. I'll probably hold on to this thing for another 2-3 years. I'm more concerned about the battery holding up that long than anything else, although I suppose I could just get a new battery.

Yep its all about what you use it for. I'm still on a 5 year old macbook and it works just fine. Starting to get a little slow and I can't upgrade to ML but it still does what I need it to do. My next computer will be a MBA but I'm holding out as long as I can. When I do buy a MBA I expect it to last 5 years like my macbook.

 

[plucky duck]

I'm almost at 2 years with my 2010 11" MBA, but it doesn't feel dated at all for my needs. Just depends on what you use it for. I'll probably hold on to this thing for another 2-3 years. I'm more concerned about the battery holding up that long than anything else, although I suppose I could just get a new battery.

How much does apple charge for a new battery replacement?

 

[mayuka]

how much does apple charge for a new battery replacement?

120 $

 

[plucky duck]

120 $

Wow, really, that's it? That's not bad at all, I was thinking along the lines of $250+

 

[Beanoir]

There's been 3 threads on this very topic today alone.

Depressing reading isn't it!

 

[thekev]

If something feels laggy, roll back to a prior OS/software revision. Make sure you have backups of things. IF you have to use a computer for many years, at some point you'll end up freezing it in time somewhat if you want to maintain a good user experience. Batteries are expendable. Expect to replace them at some point. SSDs have limited numbers of write cycles. If you're doing a lot of work with applications that move large chunks of data, getting enough ram is a good idea. Now that said spending twice as much on a rMBP will not make it last twice as long before it feels dated under the vast majority of circumstances.

 

[mmomega]

Had my 2010 MBA 13 for about 2 years and recently sold it to get the newest model, out of pocket $153.

 

[mayuka]

Wow, really, that's it? That's not bad at all, I was thinking along the lines of $250+

This is a bad price and a good deal for Apple! A good new battery for the 2009 Macbook cost about 30 $ (non-Apple). Apple will charge ~ 190 $ for the retina MBP, though.

 

[miles01110]

MBAs are designed to be 2-3 year machines.

 

[\-V-/]

MBAs are designed to be 2-3 year machines.

Based on what, exactly?

 

[thekev]

This is a bad price and a good deal for Apple! A good new battery for the 2009 Macbook cost about 30 $ (non-Apple). Apple will charge ~ 190 $ for the retina MBP, though.

3rd party batteries are nothing new, but you have to be careful. You're paying parts and labor with Apple, so the rMBP costs a different amount than the prior ones. It's a bit bigger, and it probably requires more labor to replace.

 

[Orange Furball]

I'm still using a 4 year old MacBook with nothing but the ram upgraded. You should be fine! Worst case scenario you can't use the current version of OS XI

 

[Beanoir]

MBAs are designed to be 2-3 year machines.

What an absolute load of nonsense!

Apple design computers to last, I'm sure anybody can see that. I visit studios and offices all over the country with Apple set-ups that are far in excess of that, and home use of Apple products is much the same.

If they weren't built to last more than 3 years then how do you explain the high resale value they hold at that age?

 

[kodeman53]

Based on what, exactly?

You don't expect an answer do you?

Too bad the OP didn't use some common sense. What can 'wear out' on an MBA? The main item is the battery, and that can be replaced. The simple truth is, you'll get tired of using an MBA before it wears out.

 

[Liquinn]

What an absolute load of nonsense!

Apple design computers to last, I'm sure anybody can see that. I visit studios and offices all over the country with Apple set-ups that are far in excess of that, and home use of Apple products is much the same.

If they weren't built to last more than 3 years then how do you explain the high resale value they hold at that age?

I'm sat here with a Powermac G5 (late 2005) in very very good condition considering it's age. Apple computes are built very well.

 

[miles01110]

Based on what, exactly?

What an absolute load of nonsense!

Seriously? Apparently you guys can't see the forest for the trees. Normal consumers replace their machines every 2-3 years. Apple knows this. They are steadily progressing their business model to where new, heavily advertised features will *only* run on the latest hardware. And why wouldn't they? That's where the profits are.

 

[mayuka]

Seriously? Apparently you guys can't see the forest for the trees. Normal consumers replace their machines every 2-3 years. Apple knows this. They are steadily progressing their business model to where new, heavily advertised features will *only* run on the latest hardware. And why wouldn't they? That's where the profits are.

No. Not Apple is adapting their business model to the consumers, it's the other way round: they are forcing ever increasing update cycles to the consumers and most of them gladly accept because the newest things are always the best. It's ridiculous.

My Powerbook G4 (mid 2005) is still running and I'm still using it for live events. It never let me down. Ableton Live and Traktor 3 still run smooth.