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.
Should I buy 2017 MBA or wait for the new one?
- Thread starter setarezandi
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Apple is likely to discontinue the MacBook Air.
The MacBook is thinner and lighter than the Air, and the entry level MacBook Pro is now as thin and as light as the Air while being more powerful.
At this point, you're better off buying a MacBook Pro on the refurb.
The MacBook is thinner and lighter than the Air, and the entry level MacBook Pro is now as thin and as light as the Air while being more powerful.
At this point, you're better off buying a MacBook Pro on the refurb.
I know. If apple does introduce an air replacement, it'll be closer to a Macbook than ever.
MacBook may be thinner and lighter, Pro might be similarly endowed - but I recently saved myself $CDN450 buying an MBA over a similar RAM / SSD MBP (and those price differentials via the Refurb Store), and got a computer that does what I want it to do without the known additional dongle, keyboard or, frankly, performance issues of the MB or Pro.
Jeez, I mean, I tacked on AppleCare + and still saved myself over $200 over the Refurb edition MBP.
MBA may be discontinued. Maybe not. But then, so may the baseline MBP. But the next OS (and probably the next couple of OSs) will run on the 2017 MBA, and if it does what you want a notebook to do (and with the peripherals you already have), there's little real justification for blowing the additional bucks.
I need a portable computer for the coming term (starts 31 July), so am buying a MacBook Air tomorrow.
As a teacher the Mac Mini has served me well since I bought my first in 2005, replaced with my second when the HDD and power supply failed in 2009. Still using that. I wanted something easily occasionally transportable a few times a term, not something to tote on a daily basis; the Mini has been ideal.
Times have changed. Now using more digital material, I'll be needing a computer in class most days. Also could be coming up to a more itinerant phase of my life, as I think about returning to my home country, from where I have been based as an expat for more than a decade. The Air should see me through that.
Going for the base model as the Air will supplement the Mini rather than replacing it. I prefer use a desktop to a laptop. When the Mini does fail, I'll get a new one..... Done nearly 10 years and hopefully it will see out a dozen before then though!
Last edited:
If you are going for the 'base model' MBA, I would recommend that you get 256 GB SSD at the very least.
As I have posted elsewhere and her, the MBA (post 2013) is the best computer Apple has ever made, to my mind.
Decision made:
I bought an i7 8GB 512GB Mac Book Air - now waiting in couch how long Apple needs for the urgent NEW design of MB and MBP and maybe after some years I get one of these...
I bought an i7 8GB 512GB Mac Book Air - now waiting in couch how long Apple needs for the urgent NEW design of MB and MBP and maybe after some years I get one of these...
Last edited:
Though I generally agree with "more storage is better", it's not necessarily an absolute, as some users have minimal storage needs. I had actually already picked the 256gb, and while the Best Buy lady was in the back room retrieving it, I had second thoughts. As I was waiting, I checked the 128gb display model, and I saw that it had about 95gb available. Since this is just a secondary computer for me, that's more than enough space.
Granted, there's a chance my needs will change in the future, and I'll regret not having more space, but I'm willing to accept that for the $200 I saved. For my college student kids, on the other hand, I went the opposite direction, initially leaning towards 128gb, but switching to 256gb because these are their only computers.
Fair enough.
You have made a decision based on your needs after thinking the thing through.
Good luck with the MBA; it is a brilliant computer.
Yes, it's a great machine! Admittedly, I had a very difficult time with this particular decision, as the new MBPs sure are sleek and fast, very tempting to someone who appreciates such speed and aesthetics. In the end, practicality won out, as the MBA is more than fast enough for what I'll be using it for, and still has a good look/feel to it as well.
I'd say the only thing that gave me hesitation was the non-retina screen. But after a lot of side-by-side comparison in the store with the MBP, I decided that this feature was not worth the substantially higher price.
My upgraded custom mid 2011 is a perfect second computer except for the battery life on low RAM available. I cannot yet justify upgrading, since the 1.7 Ghz i7 it has has been augmented with a 1TB faster drive (you could still upgrade those models) and a WiFi/BLE card for full continuity. I like the backlit keyboard over newer models.
If they come up with a nice upgrade in the same form factor without that new keyboard, I would consider upgrading. Even with new batteries I only get about 150 min out of mine.
If I would buy now I would consider an Apple refurb - they are in good supply except my favorite 11" model.
If they come up with a nice upgrade in the same form factor without that new keyboard, I would consider upgrading. Even with new batteries I only get about 150 min out of mine.
If I would buy now I would consider an Apple refurb - they are in good supply except my favorite 11" model.
What makes you think after allll theses years that Apple will release or is working on a new air. Aside from spec upgrade face it. THERE WILL BE NO NEW MACBOOK AIR! EVER!
The entry level MacBook Pro nonTb is the airs replacement. Apple even said so. It’s better and even smaller than the air. Wake up, the air had its time, let it go.
[doublepost=1532305351][/doublepost]
Lmao. Let’s face it, your decision came down to price, the air is old, hideous, has huge bessels, slow and played out. It’s dead, the new non touchbar pros (which is the airs replacement) runs laps over the air.
Well, I thought I already explained my point #21~#23 in this post.
Guessing you're just replying too fast so I could say that again.
I'm not exactly waiting for a new MacBook Air, but a new entry-level MB as rumors said before, no matter what it is or true or not.
Because there isn't a good deal right now in my place, so I'd wait a couple more months. If I would get a good deal in the current models, I won't hesitate to purchase.
Price was certainly a factor, but not the only factor... I can easily afford a MBP, but I didn't need the horsepower (mainly using it for casual office stuff, email, writing, etc., so why pay double, just for a retina screen? No thanks.). Then again, my kids edit videos on theirs, and although admittedly it's not necessarily ideal for that, they don't complain.
The other main determining factor was the keyboard. The non-TB MBP 13" would have suited me just fine, but unfortunately, it apparently did not receive the updated keyboard (with the silicone membrane for dust protection... hopefully at least). Yes, there's the 4 year extended service program, but there's no indication that the replacement keyboard truly fixes the problem (vs. just giving you a temporarily functional keyboard until another speck of dust renders it unusable), and I didn't want to get stuck in an endless cycle of replacements, then end up with a virtually worthless machine when the 4 years is up. I also considered the 12" MB, but disregarded it for the same reason.
Admittedly, the MBA is not as sexy and sleek as the more modern offerings, but it's a stretch to call it "hideous" in my opinion. And again, not everyone needs the speed of the MBP.
Well if that is how you feel, congratulations, Apple makes a product for you. For those of us who simply want a reliable device to get work done, the Macbook Air is the product for us. Looking back over the last 7 years, the Macbook Air has proven to be the Apple notebook of the highest quality of all the notebooks they’ve offered. Some “get it” most don’t.
Pretty much reflects my own thoughts regarding storage, but it is each to their own situation.
I'm somewhat reluctantly making the move to getting a poky screened laptop, but needs have changed. Having something to tote day to day, rather than the "occasionally transportable" has become more than just desirable. As such the MacBook Air will be a secondary device, mainly for use at work and occasionally when travelling (I don't have a smartphone or tablet), thus will only need to store files that are currently in use.
I far prefer use a desktop, with a decent sized monitor and my own choice of peripherals. My Mac Mini has served me well for over 9 years, will continue to do so for a bit, but will be replaced sooner or later (I guess within a couple or three years). Archives, audio and photos will continue to be handled by the desktop, either on board or in external drives. The latter can also be used with the Air.
Costwise, the base model MacBook Air already represents about 5 week's pay for a quasi-academic in a partially developed country..... stumping up another week's pay for 128 Gb more storage is a step too far, when 1 TB of external storage can be had for less than two day's pay.
A Windows based laptop could be had for half the cost, but in my observation they are a lot more hassle, and they don't seem to last much longer than about three years in the hands of my colleague who use them. Overall the MacBook Air seems to represent better value for money.
Last edited:
I totally agree on that ! ... People does not realize it yet.
But [Macintoshrumors], MBA is the best deal in 2018 money wise (cos it is possible to find good deal or second hand 2015 or 2017 for not much) + super dupper neat in design (if Apple continued it for so long there is a reason for that)... Of course if you have too much money to spend you can buy a sleek MBP with its infamous keyboard.
Check my post here if you think that the MBA is so slow...
Last edited:
Agree. Buy it now while you can as the follow on will msssively disappoint, IMO.
Well, ended up having to return the MBA... I installed the Mojave beta, but then subsequently decided to go back to High Sierra. Booted from the USB installer I had previously made, erased the SSD, and started the installation, but the installer gave an error after a while (and recommended running diagnostics, which came up clean). Tried again several times, same result. 
The store didn't have any more in stock, so I ponied up for the MBP 13.
The store didn't have any more in stock, so I ponied up for the MBP 13.
That is a fantastic computer (the same spec as my current 11" MBA, and my previous 13" MBA).
Well wear and do enjoy using it.
I'm still using an early 2015 i5 8 GB and love it.
Do I care that other people find it dated with its non-retina screen, large silver bezel, and legacy usb ports? No because it's mine, not theirs.
Do I care that other people find it dated with its non-retina screen, large silver bezel, and legacy usb ports? No because it's mine, not theirs.
Get it refurb, if you can - that will represent a decent enough saving.
There are posts elsewhere on the qualitative differences as well as the quantitive differences between 128GB and 256GB SSD drives in the MBA - I seem to recall other posters writing that the quality of the larger drive was better - possibly because it may have been come form a different manufacturer.
But, perhaps, someone else can clear that up.
Anyway, the very best of luck with whatever you decide to purchase.
A colleague picked up a refurbished MacBook Air when he went back home to the USA recently. However for me here in Thailand, without a credit card, buying refurbished on-line is not as straightforward as heading down to the Apple retailer, cash in hand and buying off the shelf.
I realise there are advantages to the 256 GB SSD model, not just in the capacity but also in the longevity of the SSD. (Technical reasons, has to do with the way data is stored and erased). Although Apple states this on their MacBook Air page:
Please note that the storage is built into the computer, so if you think you’ll need additional storage capacity in the future, it’s important to upgrade at the time of purchase.
In practice (unlike the RAM) the SSD can be replaced, thus there is still the option to swap a small capacity SSD out for a larger one in future, should needs dictate, albeit not with the blessing of Apple.
On the Air, at this stage at least, I'll mainly be storing Pages and Numbers documents, and a few work related Apps along with associated audio and pictures, so I don't anticipate having great storage needs.
I will be using Photos for editing pictures because it has Photos 3.0, which I find quite good. My Mini is stuck with the abysmal Photos 1.0. I liked iPhoto, but lost that with the upgrade to El Capitan (can be restored from App Store, but not in Thailand for some reason). Photos 3.0 restores the editing tools of iPhoto and includes a few more. It is also an improvement on Photos 1.0 for organising.... However I won't be storing many pictures on the Air. Those that I want to keep on hand will be stored on the Mini, and I am in the habit of archiving on an external drive. Frankly, most of those archived will never be looked at again, they are still there if I do get a request for a picture from some long forgotten event, which occasionally happens.
Most of my audio, picture and non work related files will remain on on my 2009 Mac Mini, which I guess will soldier on for a couple or three more years, albeit with a new, larger HDD at some stage. It still has the original HDD, which is only 120GB.
All things considered, I went for the 128 GB SSD model, rather than stump up another week's pay (literally) for the bigger one. Loading what I wanted to transfer from the Mini to the Air went smoothly using Migration Assistant.
I am well pleased with the Air, as now I don't have to take a CD player and CDs (and occasionally tapes) to class, or transport my Mac Mini when I want to use an app stored on it. Working more efficiently too as now I can update records in class, rather than having to update at home from paper records.
But still the modern Air will remain supplementary to the ancient desktop..... I prefer work with a decent sized monitor, using a full sized keyboard.
I have a 2011 mba and im waiting for the new one, its an awesome machine but the screen is not acceptable in 2018.
The longevity of the SSD, and the build quality - the larger ones were better built - as much as the extra capacity were what persuaded me that the larger SSD drive was the way to go for me (that, and my large iTunes music library, which is well over 100GB - I'm not enamoured of the cloud rentier model).
But, enjoy your MBA and the best of luck with it - it is still s superb computer.
Last edited: