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Upgrading from MBA 13" mid 2012

Y

yerawizardharry

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 9, 2015
11
2
Well, the time has come to upgrade my current Macbook Air, 13" mid 2012.

I've been searching the web but unfortunately haven't found anything useful and since I'm not super tech-savvy I can't do a proper comparison myself (or so I think).

Anyway, I love the portability of my current laptop, so I will probably go for the Macbook or the new Macbook Air. For work I only need my browsers (I often have Safari, Chrome and Firefox running at the same time) and apart from a few occasional uses of Photoshop I don't have or need any bulky software.

I'm mostly concerned about the claims that the new Macbook is underpowered and it's not worth the price. Setting money aside, what would you guys do? I'd go for the Macbook over the updated Air as long as its performance is even a little better than my current MBA.

What do you guys think?
 
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It's not underpowered. For what you've said you use it for, it's fine, it's fast, it's responsive.

If you love portability, then get the MacBook. It's fanless so you can put it on cushions etc without even thinking about fans. (Part of being port-able is being put-down-able).

And it's ridiculously light.
 
I'm going rMB from rMBP 15", and I edit videos, do tons of photo editing, and programming. I got the base model, and I know it's going to suffice.
If I ever need more power, I'll get the iMac 5K because this thing is so damn light, and I wouldn't mind getting a desktop after ditching it for 7 years.
 
I switched over from a mid 2012 macbook air. I use it mainly for browsing as well and it works very fast. Well worth the upgrade. You can never go wrong with a base apple product unless you are a troll.
 
i was in the exactly same situation! i ve got a macbook and I am pretty satisfied. I cant complain
 
only issue going from MBA 13 to this is the battery life. expect to see significant less battery than what you are used to
 
Thank you all for your comments!

Regarding battery life, I believe my mid-2012 MBA has the same battery life as the rMB. The 12-hour batery of the 2015 MBA certainly looks appealing, but since I'm already used to charging my computer for a bit during the day that's not a deal breaker.
 
may i ask why you are upgrading? honest question.

I currently have a 13" MBA (mid 2011) and have felt absolutely no slowdowns whatsoever. It runs perfectly fine and because of the SSD it is incredibly speedy with any normal tasks (quicker than my late 09' iMac 27"). I have not felt any compelling reason to upgrade and get a new computer. It is totally fine for what it does now.

Don't get me wrong. I want one. BADLY. Why else would I be on this forum. The lightweight and thin form factor (as well as that screen) is so lust worthy. I want to get rid of this computer as well as my iPad Air and replace them both with the new Macbook.

But that's the problem. All of these are "wants," not "needs". I don't feel the need to get a new computer. There is no real need for me to upgrade when this computer will do all of the tasks in the same fashion as the new Macbook; both are highly competent and both do it really well.
 
danniexi said:
may i ask why you are upgrading? honest question.

I currently have a 13" MBA (mid 2011) and have felt absolutely no slowdowns whatsoever. It runs perfectly fine and because of the SSD it is incredibly speedy with any normal tasks (quicker than my late 09' iMac 27"). I have not felt any compelling reason to upgrade and get a new computer. It is totally fine for what it does now.

Don't get me wrong. I want one. BADLY. Why else would I be on this forum. The lightweight and thin form factor (as well as that screen) is so lust worthy. I want to get rid of this computer as well as my iPad Air and replace them both with the new Macbook.

But that's the problem. All of these are "wants," not "needs". I don't feel the need to get a new computer. There is no real need for me to upgrade when this computer will do all of the tasks in the same fashion as the new Macbook; both are highly competent and both do it really well.
Click to expand...

In the same position really! Got an early 2011 13" Air and an iPad Air 2 which do the job just fine. New MacBook is lovely and would replace them both but selling my current kit would only raise about half the money needed to upgrade. Still want to though!!
 
konicky said:
In the same position really! Got an early 2011 13" Air and an iPad Air 2 which do the job just fine. New MacBook is lovely and would replace them both but selling my current kit would only raise about half the money needed to upgrade. Still want to though!!
Click to expand...
At this point, the only way I will feel compelled to buy one is if the price dropped. significantly. What I am hoping for is the Macbook to get a minor spec bump next year along with a price cut. Then will I purchase a new one.

Or maybe tell my wife that my Macbook Air "accidentally" fell out of my bag... and got run over by a car a few times for good measure. :D
 
Totally agree with last few posts. I am going to be getting a 12" base rMB because we need another laptop, but both my 11" and 13" MBA's run perfectly on 10.10.3, and frankly, my gen 1 iPad Mini's are fine too.

These are the first devices that I feel like having been unuse-able within 3 years.
 
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