Should i wait until Oct 2011 for any upgrades to the 2011 13 inch MBA.. pls advise

[Emreddy]

New to the mac world and already decided on the new 2011 - 13 inch i7 MBA .. Been researching and reading these forums and now a lttle unsure if i should probably wait until oct/nov 2011 for any upgrades or rectifications of reported concerns.. 'Concerns' picked up during my research include Samsung vs Toshiba's SSD's, Monitor color fade issues ? , down graded Thunderbolt in place , and most importantly i would love the rumoured Black aniondised casing if that were a delayed release later this year.. Just don't know the MBA trends from the past if i should hold out for a little bit longer ( a couple of months or so ) or just make the plunge now.. interested to know from people sitting it out or who are experienced with past trends in Mac products if its worth the wait.. for now .. appreciate your take and Thanks !!

 

[Raptura]

Nothing's going to change until a refresh. A MBA refresh won't happen until 2012 guaranteed.

Also, go here to check product refresh patterns. - https://buyersguide.macrumors.com//

 

[MrCheeto]

Macrumor's Buyer's Guide

 

[KPOM]

It was updated less than 6 weeks ago. It isn't go to be updated in October or November. There's a slight chance that there will be a new product introduced (perhaps a 15" "Air" or Air-like Pro), but that's a better bet for February.

I wouldn't worry too much about the brand of SSD. The "downgraded" Thunderbolt is simply a function of the fact that the Air can only drive 1 external display. There's no need for the higher capacity chip. Individual Thunderbolt devices will run just as fast as they will on other Macs.

If you are concerned about production defects (e.g. screen gradient), that's what the return period and warranty are for. You might be less likely to get one of them when the refurbished units go on sale, but my advice would be that if you want one, just go ahead and get one.

 

[reputationZed]

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I doubt we will be seeing any revisions to the MBA, other than the possible introduction of a 15" MBA, until well into 2Q or 3Q 2012. Apple may silently change the SSD or screen but guessing if or when they might do so is a long shot at best. If you want an MBA buy now.

 

[peskaa]

New to the mac world and already decided on the new 2011 - 13 inch i7 MBA .. Been researching and reading these forums and now a lttle unsure if i should probably wait until oct/nov 2011 for any upgrades or rectifications of reported concerns.. 'Concerns' picked up during my research include Samsung vs Toshiba's SSD's, Monitor color fade issues ? , down graded Thunderbolt in place , and most importantly i would love the rumoured Black aniondised casing if that were a delayed release later this year.. Just don't know the MBA trends from the past if i should hold out for a little bit longer ( a couple of months or so ) or just make the plunge now.. interested to know from people sitting it out or who are experienced with past trends in Mac products if its worth the wait.. for now .. appreciate your take and Thanks !!

1) The Samsung/Toshiba SSD 'issue' is overblown, and makes no difference to real world performance. You'll only get upset when running artificial benchmarks. Apple will most likely continue using two suppliers, as one probably can't provide enough parts for demand.

2) If you have a problem with a screen, swap it out straight away. Mine is fine, so are most of the others out there.

3) The Thunderbolt port isn't 'downgraded' - it's exactly the port that Apple intended to include. It's a full-fat port, it just has less channels available as mandated by the size of the MBA - the iMac, being a desktop, has plenty of space for the huge full-size chip, so has a pair of TB ports. The MBA will happily do all Thunderbolt tasks at full speed.

4) Black anodised probably isn't happening. It's wishful thinking/rumouring.

5) Just buy it.

 

[reputationZed]

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Keep in mind that there are plenty of us who are perfectly happy with our MBA's. We are just not as vocal about it as those who post about screen quality (subjective) or SSD performance (benchmarks that have little bearing on real world performance). The TB chip used in the MBA is a single lane by design. Apple most likely went with this chip to save on mb real-estate and some cost. There's no complaining reason for them to change to a different chip. Researching the forums before you buy can gain you some valuable insight about the product. Unfortunately it's just as likely to fill your head with FUD. You can always wait another year for the next rev but my guess is the forum will be no less full of threads on the perceived shortcomings of that model either.