MacBook Air 11" > MacBook

[e34guy]

Am I the only one (stupid enough?) that ended up getting the MacBook Air after the announcement of the 12" MacBook?!

The MBr design is AWESOME and the retina screen will be missed, but coming from a 2010 MBP I really haven't been spoiled fully by retina (its on my iPhone).

I ordered the Air 11" with upgraded RAM and the i7 processor. Still super excited for it to come in the mail!

Old is Gold, right?

 

[mattopotamus]

I loved the air form factor, but that screen is a bear to deal with. I hated it to death. With the rMB you get the best portability on the market, with a retina display.

I feel like this will kill of the air in the next two years (once the price drops to $999)

I did have a maxed out 11" in 2012 and loved it (minus the display).

 

[Rigby]

When they introduced the Macbook in the keynote, my first impulse was to replace my 11" MBA with it. After I saw that it has no ports that are usable for anything without a dongle, I decided to keep my MBA. Maybe next year. I'm pretty sure they will add another port in the next iteration just like they did with the first MBA. The display is very nice (checked it out in the store), but I never had any issues with the MBA's. The new keyboard sucks, IMO.

 

[cinealta]

I don't like the non-Retina screen. It looks blurry and washed-out to me.

 

[redheeler]

I don't like the non-Retina screen. It looks blurry and washed-out to me.

That's mainly because it's non-IPS.

 

[SusanK]

The MBA is a great notebook. I love mine. Retina is nice but not a deciding factor for me. Weight difference is only about 5oz so that doesn't get to me either.

Enjoy your new MBA!

 

[kingdf]

Am I the only one (stupid enough?) that ended up getting the MacBook Air after the announcement of the 12" MacBook?!

The MBr design is AWESOME and the retina screen will be missed, but coming from a 2010 MBP I really haven't been spoiled fully by retina (its on my iPhone).

I ordered the Air 11" with upgraded RAM and the i7 processor. Still super excited for it to come in the mail!

Old is Gold, right?

Thats not stupid at all. I did the same thing. After the announcement of the rMB I sold my 2013 rMBP and bought a 2015 11" Air. I just wanted something smaller and lighter and the screen is still fine even though it's not retina.

The rMB is slower than the current Air and Pro with its Core M processor and it only has one port that isn't USB. The only thing the rMB has over the Air is the retina display and the Air's display is fine even coming from a rMBP.

 

[MarvinHC]

Exactly the same for me.

I had been holding back for weeks waiting for the 12" to be launched instead of buying the 11" Air for my wife. When it was finally launched I was deeply disappointed by the combination of price and lack of ports.

Happily picked up a refurb 11" Air for the equivalent of 660 USD.

Looking forward to the 2nd gernation of the MBR, until then the Air will do just fine.

 

[David58117]

I'm happy with my 2014 11" air!

I have a 15" retina too - and notice that it's jarring going between them only at first, but then I get use to it and it doesn't bother me.

The rMB does look awesome - I'm really excited for version 2-3 and where the future of MacBooks are going.

But I'm happy with what I have now!

 

[newellj]

If you can live with the display, keep the MBA and be happy. I bought a new 11" MBA last month (second try with the 11") and wound up retuning it. YMMV.

 

[bubulol]

I prefer MBA 11 over new Macbook for several reasons:

- More powerful

- 2 USB 3.0 ports which i need to connect hard drives and hub usb at home + Thunderbolt port

- MBA design doesnt seem to be old fashioned, it has its own charm

- price, i got basic MBA for about 550 bucks which its a good price overall
I dont want to buy an overpriced deluxe netbook

 

[bingeciren]

Let's list the minuses of the 11" MBA and the rMB

11"MBA
1) The only minus is the display, which is adequate.

rMB
1) Underpowered (compared to the i7 2.0 GHz Air)
2) No Thunderbolt i.e. cannot connect to the Cinema Display
3) Single USB-C port
4) Must carry adapter for USB-C to USB
5) Must cary adapter to charge and connect simultaneously.
6) No Magsafe

Both machines are nearly identical in size and weight. A maxed out 11" Air and maxed out rMB is about the same price.

This is like taking 6 steps back in order to leap forward. I'll wait for Apple to leap forward with the 2nd or 3rd gen rMB.

Meanwhile I'm quite content with my Maxed out 2012 11" Air.

 

[jdechko]

If I needed a laptop today and money weren't a consideration, I'd probably get the MacBook. It seems like it would work well for my needs mainly. Dropbox and tethering have mostly replaced flash drives for me, which is about 90% of what I connect to my Air.

I already use my Air unplugged most of the time, so the one port isn't as big of a concern as I initially thought. It's almost exclusively charged bedside at night time, so the lack of MagSafe isn't a big deal either. Thankfully, Apple left the headphone jack, as it's almost certainly the port I use most.

I'm also mid-cycle for my Air, so by the time I need/ want a new laptop, hopefully most of the bugs will be worked out.

 

[mikeray]

Yes!! Don't underestimate the power of the maxed out 11-inch. I am on my second one

That being said I have preordered a maxed out Space Grey rMB

 

[motrek]

Yes!! Don't underestimate the power of the maxed out 11-inch. I am on my second one

That being said I have preordered a maxed out Space Grey rMB

I saw the new one in a store today. The screen is definitely very nice. But the size and weight difference between it and my 11" MBA did not impress me.

 

[Woochoo]

Let's list the minuses of the 11" MBA and the rMB
...

rMB
1) Underpowered (compared to the i7 2.0 GHz Air)
...

Both machines are nearly identical in size and weight. A maxed out 11" Air and maxed out rMB is about the same price.

Add to that "minuses" list 1 hour less of battery life, compared to the 11" version (comparing Apple's numbers).
I was going to a maxed out MBA if it was released with retina screen instead of being a model apart, now definitely going to 15" MBP. Meanwhile, really happy with a 2014 13" MBA.

 

[Mr. Thompson]

I have a 15" retina Pro for my main machine and also just ordered a maxed out 11" Air. I waited for the new rMB. No ports and it won't handle serious photo editing on the go. I hope Apple is listening.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I also think that the MBA is a better device than the rMB. The lack of ports and the slower/less powerful processor are a turn off for me. If I was going to spend that much I'd just get a MBP.

 

[robdrj45]

IMHO, the rMB should cost around $800. At that price, it's an attractive alternative to an Air or iPad. For $1300, I'd buy the 13'' rMBP.

 

[kingdf]

Another thing better about the Air than the rMB is the aluminum bezel. Not only does it look better but it doesn't come with the issues of the coating ripping off of the plastic bezel as seen on the rMBP that uses the same bezel as the rMB.

 

[cinealta]

Isn't the MBA 11 only 16:9 aspect ratio compared to 16:10 on the new rMB? That extra vertical space is great for office apps (word processing, spreadsheets, PDFs etc).

 

[jdechko]

IMHO, the rMB should cost around $800. At that price, it's an attractive alternative to an Air or iPad. For $1300, I'd buy the 13'' rMBP.

If Apple had been able to price the base retina MacBook at $799, they would have almost certainly killed the Air (or put it on life support). At $799 it beats the base model Airs in nearly every spec except CPU (and ports obviously).

 

[Adithya007]

Hello

I prefer MBA 11 over new Macbook for several reasons:

- More powerful

- 2 USB 3.0 ports which i need to connect hard drives and hub usb at home + Thunderbolt port

- MBA design doesnt seem to be old fashioned, it has its own charm

- price, i got basic MBA for about 550 bucks which its a good price overall
I dont want to buy an overpriced deluxe netbook

How were you able to get the MBA for 550$????? Can you share it with us and what model is it?

 

[bubulol]

Second hand but in very good condition
MBA 11 Haswell 2013

 

[6r4ff3r]

Its normal prefer a model which was tested and facelifted after years than a "first gen".

I can ignore the retina, force touchpad and redesigned keyboard (for example); and have a functional distribution of physical ports, more hw power benchs and cheaper price. But others don't....

Its a tough decision. One model is made for actual standards, but the other has more future-proof arguments (even with less powerful CPU and gpu).

Considering the planned obsolescence, the air is a secure choice and there are many promos around the world..