Secondary Machine - Base 2017 MB or Base 2019 MBA?

[Nacho98]

Clearly nobody cares, but I'll continue to update.

#3 is here. Looks beautiful, nice fit and finish, but has something loose in it as well, and I have narrowed it to something in the display assembly, which aligns with so many other reports online. Just seems to be the way these 12" MacBooks are. This one isn't as bad though as #2. Was on the verge of accepting this one as a keeper and just living with that.

Then I noticed that on a plain white page on full brightness (a normal use case for me), the right 1/5 of the screen has a yellow tinge all the way down from top to bottom. Bummer, the first two had perfect uniformity on white. Screen on this one is super bright which is great, so this uniformity issue is a bit of a letdown.

Not sure what to do now - really want to keep it.

 

[KPOM]

Clearly nobody cares, but I'll continue to update.

#3 is here. Looks beautiful, nice fit and finish, but has something loose in it as well, and I have narrowed it to something in the display assembly, which aligns with so many other reports online. Just seems to be the way these 12" MacBooks are. This one isn't as bad though as #2. Was on the verge of accepting this one as a keeper and just living with that.

Then I noticed that on a plain white page on full brightness (a normal use case for me), the right 1/5 of the screen has a yellow tinge all the way down from top to bottom. Bummer, the first two had perfect uniformity on white. Screen on this one is super bright which is great, so this uniformity issue is a bit of a letdown.

Not sure what to do now - really want to keep it.

Odd. I had the 2015, 2016, and still have the 2017 MacBook and never had a problem with any of them.
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Clearly nobody cares, but I'll continue to update.

#3 is here. Looks beautiful, nice fit and finish, but has something loose in it as well, and I have narrowed it to something in the display assembly, which aligns with so many other reports online. Just seems to be the way these 12" MacBooks are. This one isn't as bad though as #2. Was on the verge of accepting this one as a keeper and just living with that.

Then I noticed that on a plain white page on full brightness (a normal use case for me), the right 1/5 of the screen has a yellow tinge all the way down from top to bottom. Bummer, the first two had perfect uniformity on white. Screen on this one is super bright which is great, so this uniformity issue is a bit of a letdown.

Not sure what to do now - really want to keep it.

Adorama has the base MacBook for $999 and the 512GB model for $1199. That’s all they have left. Maybe try them?

 

[Nacho98]

Odd. I had the 2015, 2016, and still have the 2017 MacBook and never had a problem with any of them.
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Adorama has the base MacBook for $999 and the 512GB model for $1199. That’s all they have left. Maybe try them?

Decided I'm going to return this one and just skip the 12" - wasn't meant to be. I'll think about an Air, or just sitting and seeing if Apple releases a 12" ARM Macbook...rumor mill has been fairly quiet on that lately and if rumors say 2020, it will inevitably end up delayed til 2021 if it even sees the light of day.

 

[FilmIndustryGuy]

hahah after reading your posts I shook my 12 inch and yea there is a back and forth tighter rattle in the screen. Had this for 2.5 years and never noticed it. I dont see this as an issue since I never wave my laptop around with the screen open. do you by any chance have OCD?

 

[Nacho98]

hahah after reading your posts I shook my 12 inch and yea there is a back and forth tighter rattle in the screen. Had this for 2.5 years and never noticed it. I dont see this as an issue since I never wave my laptop around with the screen open. do you by any chance have OCD?

No. I noticed it in normal handling picking the computer up, as soon as I picked it up normally with one hand I heard and felt something shift, and I could feel it when my hand was on the bottom case.

I just returned #3, I'm done trying. Product just isn't for me I guess, unfortunately.

 

[FilmIndustryGuy]

No. I noticed it in normal handling picking the computer up, as soon as I picked it up normally with one hand I heard and felt something shift, and I could feel it when my hand was on the bottom case.

I just returned #3, I'm done trying. Product just isn't for me I guess, unfortunately.

sorry to hear that. I'm a bit passionate about mine. If apple put a smoother chip and new keyboard in the next one plus maybe less bazels more screen it will keep me up at night with temptation.

 

[playtech1]

This sounds like a heck of run of bad luck. I have had a 2015 and two 2017s (the last two Apple Refurbs) and no issues like you describe. I have also lucked out and not had any keyboard issues either.

If you are minded to try again then Apple's refurb store seems like a good bet.

The MacBook Air is not my favourite laptop as I think it is outclassed by the 12 inch on portability and the 13 inch on performance, without offering much that's compelling in its own right. But if the 12 inch is out of the question (as is increasingly the case) then I am sure it will be a fine machine for a daily driver.

 

[ascender]

Can get a base 2017 MB new for $1000, or a base 2019 MBA new for $850.

Would be a secondary ultraportable for just kicking around the house/coffee shops with, so specs don't really matter, so looking at base models. Kind of sick of using an iPad for this. Main machine is a 16" MBP desktop replacement.

MBA seems like a no brainer because both machines are plenty/equally portable, and the MBA has a more reliable keyboard, brighter screen, and more current internals, but at the same time if I'm picking up another machine it makes the most sense to get the smallest possible to create the largest differential with my 16".

Which would you choose and why?

I've been in this situation myself recently and it was the Air every time - its head v heart for me. I love the 12" MacBook, I really do, but you're just getting so much more for your money with the Air.

I guess the only time I'd be able to justify the MB over the Air (unless I got a really good deal for one) would be if I was commuting to work regularly and had to carry my laptop in my rucksack as its still noticeably lighter than anything else.

I really believe if they come out with a new ultra-portable at the right cost, with a couple more ports, they'll sell an awful lot of them.

 

[Nacho98]

I don't think I'm going to go with the Air, it just isn't what I want, which is an ultra portable.

 

[KPOM]

I've been in this situation myself recently and it was the Air every time - its head v heart for me. I love the 12" MacBook, I really do, but you're just getting so much more for your money with the Air.

I guess the only time I'd be able to justify the MB over the Air (unless I got a really good deal for one) would be if I was commuting to work regularly and had to carry my laptop in my rucksack as its still noticeably lighter than anything else.

I really believe if they come out with a new ultra-portable at

I disagree about the MacBook Air. You really don’t get much more for your money. It has basically the same processor as the 12” MacBook, and is the same price when you factor the SSD size. Sure you get an extra port, but it weighs nearly as much as the 13” Pro that comes with a quad-Core processor.

 

[maerz001]

No. I noticed it in normal handling picking the computer up, as soon as I picked it up normally with one hand I heard and felt something shift, and I could feel it when my hand was on the bottom case.

I just returned #3, I'm done trying. Product just isn't for me I guess, unfortunately.

I have it in my 2016 as well. It probably is a magnet coming lose. There were some threads about it. But no problem while using it for 4 years.
don‘t get OCD over this.

i would just recommend to buy a used 2017 for half the price

 

[ascender]

I disagree about the MacBook Air. You really don’t get much more for your money. It has basically the same processor as the 12” MacBook, and is the same price when you factor the SSD size. Sure you get an extra port, but it weighs nearly as much as the 13” Pro that comes with a quad-Core processor.

Bigger screen with higher res
Two ports (which are thunderbolt3) - don't underestimate that one)
Faster memory
Better graphics card with ability to drive a wider range of displays
Better FaceTime camera
Impvoved keyboard
Faster CPU
More battery life

I agree though, if you're then looking at an Air, maybe consider a refurb or used MBP 13".

I'm a really big fan of the MacBook, but unless you're getting a good deal, you're going to end up paying over the odds for the specs IMO.

 

[spiderpumpkin]

I've had my 2017 i5/16GB since August 2017 and it's awesome. I use it everyday and haven't had a single problem with it. I must have lucked out and got a good keyboard because zero issues with this keyboard. I love typing on it and the computer is fast enough for everything I do. I really don't care about the ports because all I do is use the USB-C to charge it. I don't think I've ever had to use the port for anything else. I also don't use the headphone jack.