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Too late to purchase to a MacBook Air?

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shenfrey

macrumors 68030
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May 23, 2010
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I know they will most likely be refreshed this year at some point, though I have found a decent deal where I could about £150 off. I will only use it for browsing and watching video content. Should I just hang on until the refresh’s or just go for the current model?

I know this is subjective, just looking to get some advice either way.
 
Overall, I agree with the MacRumors Buyer's Guide in giving this one a "neutral". With the deal it might tip it over to "yeah, probably an alright idea". It's definitely not for performance if I were to advice you to wait anyhow. I doubt that'd make a meaningful difference to you. But changes to keyboard, speakers, display could.
Apple products tend to hold value well though so if you buy it and decide when a new one is shown that the upgrade would be meaningful I don't think you'd lose super much selling it to get the replacement.

I think you'd be satisfied enough getting it, and there's always something new round' the corner in tech. Well, at least unless you were waiting for the Mac Pro upgrade 2013 onwards...

Personally though, if there's nothing that makes me need it now, I wait until a new one has just been released, either getting the last gen cheaper or getting the new one as it ships.
 
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New model is not going to be cheaper, so choice is between this old model with cheap price or new model with higher price (if that is even coming soon). So my take on this is that if you need notebook now and you already think current one would meet your requirements it may be a perfect machine at current discount prices. I think price difference between the units will likely compensate the difference.

But no one knows what is coming, so I know it is hard to choose.

For what it is worth I got Air 2018 a week ago at discount price and I've had some issues with it but I basically like the machine in many ways I might consider keeping it. I think that if I end up returning this, it will be replaced with pro versions. I still hesitate whether I should have gotten pro but it is hard to justify because I have no real use for the machine other than taking my first step to Mac OS and probably use it to integrate with my other Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, AW and AirPods, and use if for browsing web and consuming media maybe (definitely not for any heavy lifting as I have powerful Windows desktop I mainly use for that purpose). Still I cannot help that I know display in Pro is better and even I don't need brighter more colorful display, knowing there are better ones available makes me still hesitating if I should get it anyway even it practically cost me double of what I paid for this, unless I go for Pro 2017 model but it is so old model at this point, I don't think it would be a good choice.
 
Dont buy Macbook Air...a new model with a new keyboard is coming this year probably in 2-3 months
 
shenfrey said:
I know they will most likely be refreshed this year at some point, though I have found a decent deal where I could about £150 off. I will only use it for browsing and watching video content. Should I just hang on until the refresh’s or just go for the current model?

I know this is subjective, just looking to get some advice either way.
Click to expand...

Dont buy. New keyboard coming up.
 
I think we should also consider the price. You can get current Air 2018 base model for under 1K. Do you think new model will be the same since list price for the current model is already higher? So depending where you live it is going to be likely under 1k for current model vs 1.3-1.5k for "new" model.

Anyway there as so many things to consider, so choice is never easy. I got current Air 2018 model last week and I'm still sitting on the fence whether to keep this or exchange ii to current Pro, or just return and wait for possible new releases. But again, I realize none of those are nowhere close to the price I paid for this one and since I personally don't even have any actual use or reason I bought this. I really think if that makes any sense to get better model but I can't help that I know Pro models have better display and depending on the model more or much much more powerful CPU (I'm not sure how many years current Air 2018 CPU is capable of running at sensible speed with upcoming OS updates and programs). Then again I'm back to square one - under 1K for current model vs 1.3K for Entry Pro model vs. 1.8-2K for entry level Pro TB vs what even is coming later the year and what price... :)
 
You're really over-thinking this. The MBA works fine today. It'll work fine next year, and for many years to come (depending how you treat it). Better spec'd models will come along. No, really, they will. And, if you keep looking backwards, you are going to suffer "buyers' remorse" forever. And forever is a very long time.

We buy these lumps of aluminium and silicon because they do work. They're tools. They keep doing work even when a "better" machine comes along. So, do stuff with it until the day comes that you need more grunt or it dies or you feel like treating yourself to a new toy or whatever floats your boat.

I bought a base MBA quite early for ~1,000. Nine months on it looks as good as new, works as good as new, and does the job I bought it for. It's a far better machine than I expect, tbh, and I use it far more than I intended.

I'll need to replace my late-2013 MBP at some point; but here I am looking at the current models and thinking: It does the job I need it to do. It's not dead, yet. I'm fine with the toys I have.

Buy the tool for the job you need it to do. Get on with the job. When the tool no longer does the job you need it to (or you feel like treating yourself), buy a new tool.
 
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fokmik said:
Dont buy Macbook Air...a new model with a new keyboard is coming this year probably in 2-3 months
Click to expand...
How long after that before we know if the new keyboard is faulty? It took multiple years for the butterfly keyboard to be exposed as failing.
 
Just months, not years...after years Apple is changing the keyboard system
I think this time will be ok. Im afraid that Apple will mess up another thing.
 
Buy a 2017 Air and be done. If you're worried about keyboard, that's the best one. If you're worried about performance, it's not much difference in real world use. If you're worried about the screen then don't buy an Air at all, the new air retina isn't as nice as the Pro's so it's half arse at best and I'd rather have the 2017 screen that doesn't use much processing power to run and has been used for years and proven itself. Basically, buy a 2017 Air or don't buy an air at all. A refurb Pro is the next logical step. My 2017 Air is neck and neck with my Pro opening programs. In real world use it's indistinguishable. If you're looking at an Air, you obviously don't need Pro power. Usually about the time Apple fixes everyone's complaints and makes a perfect laptop they come out with something completely different and mess it all up again (2015 Pro, 2017 Air, etc...).
 
Unless you really hate the keyboard, the current MBA is fine. Go to the Apple refurbished store, there are great deals there. Apple refurbs are basically brand new. They replace all external components, and test everything internal. I got a refurbed MBA and it only had 4 battery cycles on it.
 
Just thought I’d pop in and say I bought the 2018 version. As I got it for a discount and it’s something I need (upgrading from a slow 2011 MBA) I thought it was a good deal.

Letting you guys know now because if people keep this thread alive of course it’ll eventually be too late to buy the new MBA 2018 lol.
 
one1 said:
If you're worried about the screen then don't buy an Air at all, the new air retina isn't as nice as the Pro's so it's half arse at best and I'd rather have the 2017 screen that doesn't use much processing power to run and has been used for years and proven itself. Basically, buy a 2017 Air or don't buy an air at all.
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It is a fact that display is not quite as good as in Pro but honestly Air 2018 display can show full 100% sRGB, has almost perfectly calibrated display colors and gray scale, good viewing angles from IPS and even brightness is pretty good even not quite as bright as Pro.
I know P3 display colors are richer and I'm drawn to them also but still Air 2018 screen is very good. How many other Windows notebooks have even sRGB or above color space? It is quite rare at this price range.
Also IMHO there is a huge difference between Air 2018 and older Air models. I don't see TN screen can compete with IPS at all. Sure older Air can be good for many tasks, I don't see it fit if color quality, resolution or viewing angles are important.

bcaslis said:
I got a refurbed MBA and it only had 4 battery cycles on it.
Click to expand...
Could you comment battery health on your refurb Air 2018?


shenfrey said:
Just thought I’d pop in and say I bought the 2018 version. As I got it for a discount and it’s something I need (upgrading from a slow 2011 MBA) I thought it was a good deal.

Letting you guys know now because if people keep this thread alive of course it’ll eventually be too late to buy the new MBA 2018 lol.
Click to expand...
Just curious about your first impressions with Air 2018? How is your battery health doing?
 
Wait for the 2019 refresh later this year no later than September. I'm counting my days towards the 2019 refresh mba! The scissor keyboard should have better reliability than the outgoing butterfly counterpart.

Apple knows mba is their most important mac lineup - they cannot screw it anymore. They already took a massive reputation damage w/ the 3rd gen keyboards already. Trying to fix the keyboard on their most popular mac w/ the first iteration of scissor keyboards makes a lot of sense to me. This is why I don't buy first gen products. I had enough pains in the past of being an early adapter.
 
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vaugha said:
Wait for the 2019 refresh later this year no later than September. I'm counting my days towards the 2019 refresh mba! The scissor keyboard should have better reliability than the outgoing butterfly counterpart.

Apple knows mba is their most important mac lineup - they cannot screw it anymore. They already took a massive reputation damage w/ the 3rd gen keyboards already. Trying to fix the keyboard on their most popular mac w/ the first iteration of scissor keyboards makes a lot of sense to me. This is why I don't buy first gen products. I had enough pains in the past of being an early adapter.
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Honestly, it depends on how low travel they make it. Maybe Apple understand the problem, maybe they don't.
 
Exactly. They cannot go back to long key travel as in previous models without adding thickness or reducing the battery size. Mobo is already so small they cannot take any space from there to keep the battery capacity the same. I don't think there will be any huge change in that coming. Also I don't quite get why peoples are talking about possible scissor keyboard coming in the future since isn't butterfly keyboard scissors also, just a bit different implementation than traditional but it is scissor from what I can tell seeing a photos of it.

Also why would they start with entry level pricing models when releasing new keyboard design? I'd say all new "improvements" will come in pro models first. Wasn't it the same case with butterfly keyboard?
 
I’ve had my MBA for a few months and it’s a solid computer. I’m not sure if the update will be in the fall or next spring but if you want to get one I’d just go for it. Even if they do update it in the fall it’s not going to change into the MacBook Pro category of power and would be a minor spec bump.
 
If the rumored 16 inch MacBook Pro comes out and everything seems fine, the next MBA will be a good deal with the scissor switch keys.

I am genuinely concerned that the MacBook upon launch did not initially reveal keyboard issues. It took some time for the complaints to crop up.
 
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