Wait for 2014 MBA?

[madman555]

So I currently have a 2010 MBP and 2011 MBA. I've decided to sell both and get an Air on Black Friday. I really don't need two laptops.

I know the Air was just refreshed in June but I can't decide if I should:
-Sell both, get 2013 MBA
-Sell one, keep one (sell in 2014), get 2014 (Broadwell??) MBA

I got a quote from powermax.com for my current two laptops (about $500 each) so I figure I could probably get a little more selling them on Craigslist.

I know I'll get less for my laptops if I wait 9 months. But then I'd wait for the Back-to-School promotion to somewhat offset that.

What do you guys think?

 

[mattbaar26]

Just get it now, a 6 month old laptop is not an old laptop. Every year there will be something newer so stop waiting and get it

 

[halledise]

sell both and get a current Air.
it'll keep you happy and productive for a couple of years at least.
new Haswell together with Intel HD 5000 makes a huge difference over the previous iteration.
here's hoping you make a profit on the deal too

 

[cedwhatev]

Sell both, get the 2013. You can get more than 500 for each other your laptops too. I still see MBA 2010's selling for 500-600, so you should be able to make at least 1200-1300 for the two laptops you have there.

 

[Rileyx2]

I'd say sell both and get a 2013 model. The advancements from the 2010 and 2011 models (namely faster flash and a more powerful CPU/GPU combo) are worth it, and waiting x amount of months for something (cough cough Haswell MacBook Pro) is not fun when you are itching for something new.

The next MBA will be improved, and so will the one after that. That's the way technology is.

 

[Y So Jelly]

Are you serious?? No way!!












I'd at least wait until 2016.

 

[calvol]

Keep the 2011 Air, sell the 2010 MBP, skip the 2013 Air, buy the 2014 Air, if it's totally redesigned with smaller chassis and IGZO screen.

Say that for two reasons:
1) The 2013 Air has some problems, WiFi and random blank screen issue, which suggest problems may be in silicon with Broadcom and Intel chips, which means they are not fixable. Can understand this with a new 802.11ac standard, and a new Intel GPU, HD5000. The HD4000 had HDMI, snow screen, crushed whites, and blinking issues that were not fully resolved as well.
2) The 2013 has the same screen, chassis, keyboard, etc. as previous Airs. All you're really getting is an updated processor, USB3, 802.11ac (if it works).

I have a 2010 13 Air, and waiting for a better screen, redesigned case, and resolved WiFi and GPU issues. Be smart, wait.

 

[octatonic]

Keep the 2011 Air, sell the 2010 MBP, skip the 2013 Air, buy the 2014 Air, if it's totally redesigned with smaller chassis and IGZO screen.

Say that for two reasons:
1) The 2013 Air has some problems, WiFi and random blank screen issue, which suggest problems may be in silicon with Broadcom and Intel chips, which means they are not fixable. Can understand this with a new 802.11ac standard, and a new Intel GPU, HD5000. The HD4000 had HDMI, snow screen, crushed whites, and blinking issues that were not fully resolved as well.
2) The 2013 has the same screen, chassis, keyboard, etc. as previous Airs. All you're really getting is an updated processor, USB3, 802.11ac (if it works).

I don't have any of these problems on my 2013 Air.
It flies and is so far pretty faultless.

 

[Boyd01]

If you don't need a new laptop, then you might as well wait.

I had a friend in need of a new laptop this summer and helped her out by selling her my 2011 13" i5/4gb/256gb MBA at a bargain price. I upgraded to a 2013 11" i7/8gb/512gb MBA. USB 3, 8gb and 512gb weren't available in 2011, so those were nice upgrades for me. It's definitely faster than the 2011 machine - latency dropped from 12ms to 8ms in Logic and rendering is faster in Final Cut Pro.

But aside from that, I really don't notice much difference for "everyday" type things such as web browsing, iTunes, Mail, MS Office, etc. I guess it depends on your use - you might not notice a whole lot of difference if you're an "average" user.

As far as the "problems" that calvol mentioned, I haven't seen any of them on my 2013 MBA and it's my primary computer that I use all day, every day.

 

[cedwhatev]

Keep the 2011 Air, sell the 2010 MBP, skip the 2013 Air, buy the 2014 Air, if it's totally redesigned with smaller chassis and IGZO screen.

Say that for two reasons:
1) The 2013 Air has some problems, WiFi and random blank screen issue, which suggest problems may be in silicon with Broadcom and Intel chips, which means they are not fixable. Can understand this with a new 802.11ac standard, and a new Intel GPU, HD5000. The HD4000 had HDMI, snow screen, crushed whites, and blinking issues that were not fully resolved as well.
2) The 2013 has the same screen, chassis, keyboard, etc. as previous Airs. All you're really getting is an updated processor, USB3, 802.11ac (if it works).

I have a 2010 13 Air, and waiting for a better screen, redesigned case, and resolved WiFi and GPU issues. Be smart, wait.

These are big ifs. No one knows if the 2014 will be redesigned. As for the problems, all MBA's have been reported to have the random black screen issue, but this is not very common. The Wifi issue has been fixed, but there are reports of people who still have problems.. (not everything can be perfect). Simple answer is, do what you want, but you can't go wrong with the 2013.

 

[DisplacedMic]

2045 that's going to be the sweet spot. anybody who doesn't wait that long is a moron


Triple constraint: given a shortage you can have 2 of the 3 following benefits: speed, quality, price.

If you HAVE to have the best of the best now, you pay.
If you are willing to wait, you can pay less.
If you have to have it now but don't want to pay as much you are going to get lower quality.

that's just how it is... so, do you need a laptop now? Yes? get one.
can you afford to wait? then wait.

i want a new phone...but mine is working fine. i don't HAVE to have it, so i am just going to wait and see what comes and what happens.

I had to have a new laptop, so i got the new air.
we can't really answer this question for you.

Unless something is just right around the corner then the answer is up to you. and even then how you even define "right around the corner" is subjective. a new laptop coming out this summer might be around the corner for one person, one coming out next month, or even one next year.

But then for someone who is leaving to join the peace corp in 2 weeks - 3 weeks is too late if they want to take the computer with them.

good luck! either way i'm sure you'll be happy...there's always something better on the horizon, that will (hopefully) never change.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

the 2011 Macbook Air is similar to the 2013 Air. Besides gaming, battery life, and USB 3.0 there's not much difference. Even the CPU speed is similar (87% as fast as the 2013 model). The pro is even faster. Do you need more power?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The old adage 'if you need, buy now, if you merely want, buy maybe later', applies, but then there is the conundrum of possessing computers from both 2010 and 2011.

Reading the very funny posts (from Y So Jelly and DisplacedMic respectively) which suggested that you wait until 2016, or 2045, had me in stitches; they have a point.

Seriously, what is the cycle of computer development that most meets your needs? For me, for example, the 'must change' factor kicks in when my Applecare is about to expire; in practice, that is not quite at 36 months, but probably closer to 32/33 months, irrespective of technological changes. Thus, this year, I moved from a 2010 MBA to a 2013 MBA, a leap from 2 GB RAM to 8 GB RAM which was very striking.

Are beachballs constantly, or increasingly, making an appearance? Is your SSD showing signs of indigestion? (Mine, an old 128 from 2010, most certainly was; I needed more memory). Are things just that bit slower than they used to be? All of these are signs that maybe, just maybe, it is time to consider an upgrade.

From my perspective, I have never been one to buy the latest and greatest, merely because it is available. For one thing, the latest and greatest in technology usually needs some time to deal with possible 'teething problems'; for another, annual upgrades often mean that the changes are incremental rather than earth-shattering.

So, it is really up to you. Buy now if you need it, try waiting it out until the next (inevitable) update if you don't. My two cents.

 

[flowrider]

The next BIG THING is always just around the corner. If you wait for it you'd still be using this.

Lou

 

[skaertus]

Keep the 2011 Air, sell the 2010 MBP, skip the 2013 Air, buy the 2014 Air, if it's totally redesigned with smaller chassis and IGZO screen.

Say that for two reasons:
1) The 2013 Air has some problems, WiFi and random blank screen issue, which suggest problems may be in silicon with Broadcom and Intel chips, which means they are not fixable. Can understand this with a new 802.11ac standard, and a new Intel GPU, HD5000. The HD4000 had HDMI, snow screen, crushed whites, and blinking issues that were not fully resolved as well.
2) The 2013 has the same screen, chassis, keyboard, etc. as previous Airs. All you're really getting is an updated processor, USB3, 802.11ac (if it works).

I have a 2010 13 Air, and waiting for a better screen, redesigned case, and resolved WiFi and GPU issues. Be smart, wait.

I agree.

Sell the 2010 MBP. Keep the 2011 MBA for now. It's not worth to sell the 2011 MBA now to get the 2013 model, as they are very similar (the biggest differences being the faster video card and the much improved battery life).

In 2014, Apple will probably launch a redesigned, all-new, MBA. It is very likely to happen. All manufacturers are announcing or releasing ultrabooks which are thinner and lighter and have better screens. Apple will have to follow this trend, or present something even better, to keep up with competition. The current MBA design is having its last breath now. Not wise to buy one now if you already have an older one and you can wait until 2014.

So, sell the 2010 MBP now, keep the 2011 MBA. When Apple releases a redesigned MBA next year, sell yours and buy the brand new one. That's my suggestion.

 

[skaertus]

These are big ifs. No one knows if the 2014 will be redesigned. As for the problems, all MBA's have been reported to have the random black screen issue, but this is not very common. The Wifi issue has been fixed, but there are reports of people who still have problems.. (not everything can be perfect). Simple answer is, do what you want, but you can't go wrong with the 2013.

No one really knows if the MBA will be redesigned in 2014. But it is very, VERY likely to happen. Why? Because of the following reasons:

(1) Apple redesigned the MBA in October 2010. almost 3 years ago. In 2014, the current design will celebrate its 4th anniversary. Apple (a) redesigned the original MBA (in October 2010) less than 3 years after its current release (in January 2008); (b) redesigned the unibody MBP, by releasing the rMBP (in June 2012), less than 4 years after its release (in October 2008); (c) redesigned the iMac (in November 2012) for the last time 3 years after its release (in October 2009). See a pattern here? Models are usually redesigned before 4 years. It's a guess, of course, but an educated guess. There's a big chance Apple releases a redesigned model in 2014.

(2) Competitors are getting better and better. Ultrabooks are becoming more and more attractive. Microsoft announced a Haswell Surface Pro, which is a tablet with laptop capabilities; Sony released the Vaio Pro, very thin and light, and seems to have gotten ultrabooks right now; Asus announced the new Zenbook with a 2560x1440 resolution; Acer upgraded the S7 series to get more battery life and a 2560x1440 screen; Samsung already released the Ativ Book 9 with a dazzling 3200x1800 resolution, taking the crown of the rMBP as the highest-resolution laptop in the planet; Lenovo announced new versions of the ThinkPad and the Yoga which are very thin and light, have stellar battery life and have very high resolutions; Dell announced the convertible XPS 11; and the list go on. Ultrabooks might have been crap in the past, but they are improving year after year, and the Haswell processor allows them to be real beasts. And now there is the Bay Trail platform, which will allow convertible tablets with good performance to be released for as low as US$ 500. Some of these new offerings are mouth-watering. Of course you may say that all these products run Windows, and that Windows is crap, and that OS X is far better, and all that Apple fanboy speech. But will that alone stop people from buying them. Can Apple get away with a 3-year old MBA design relying on its brand and on its operating system? How long can Apple keep its old design to compete with offerings that are getting better and better every year?

4 years is an eternity in tech's world. When Apple redesigned the MBA in 2010, it used a Core 2 Duo processor on it. We're already four generations ahead. Next year, we'll be five. Let's just be realistic. The world changes, and Apple, being the huge company it is, knows exactly what to do.

----------

The next MBA will be improved, and so will the one after that. That's the way technology is.

Yes, but Apple doesn't work exactly this way. Once in about 3-4 years, Apple completely redesigns its product. Apple doesn't do these incremental upgrades much. It does revolutions. Look at the current MBA chassis. Basically the same version as the 2010 one. Same size, weight, thickness. Same materials. Same screen. The tech may have improved, but the carcass is still the same.

Apple kept the 2008 MBP chassis unchanged until 2012. Then, it revolutionized everything with the introduction of the 2012 rMBP, with its dazzling screen, thinner and lighter body, all-flash memory, and so on.

Apple updates its products year after year. But the big breakthroughs come with the redesigns.

 

[DisplacedMic]

Yes, but Apple doesn't work exactly this way. Once in about 3-4 years, Apple completely redesigns its product. Apple doesn't do these incremental upgrades much. It does revolutions. Look at the current MBA chassis. Basically the same version as the 2010 one. Same size, weight, thickness. Same materials. Same screen. The tech may have improved, but the carcass is still the same.

Apple kept the 2008 MBP chassis unchanged until 2012. Then, it revolutionized everything with the introduction of the 2012 rMBP, with its dazzling screen, thinner and lighter body, all-flash memory, and so on.

Apple updates its products year after year. But the big breakthroughs come with the redesigns.

be that as it may, "waiting" doesn't make a tremendous amount of sense in the context in which it is often used in these forums. If you can wait then you don't need it. Ergo, if you need it, then you can't wait. (all you future and present lawyers out there will appreciate that little LSAT trick )

i know it sounds like splitting hairs but if you don't really need it now then it isn't really waiting in the fiscal or strategic sense.

if i had a perfectly functioning computer or something that was redundant then yes - i would "wait"
if i didn't i wouldn't.

That's really all there is to it. if you wait you'll get something better. if you don't, you'll have something now.

 

[skaertus]

be that as it may, "waiting" doesn't make a tremendous amount of sense in the context in which it is often used in these forums. If you can wait then you don't need it. Ergo, if you need it, then you can't wait. (all you future and present lawyers out there will appreciate that little LSAT trick )

i know it sounds like splitting hairs but if you don't really need it now then it isn't really waiting in the fiscal or strategic sense.

if i had a perfectly functioning computer or something that was redundant then yes - i would "wait"
if i didn't i wouldn't.

That's really all there is to it. if you wait you'll get something better. if you don't, you'll have something now.

Yeah, it always depends.

If the author of the topic had a 2004 G4 iBook or even a 2006 Core 2 MacBook and couldn't handle it any more for another six months, or if he had its laptop stolen last week, I would say "Oh, go buy another one. A MBA or a rMBP, or whatever suits your needs and is available right now".

But the author of the topic has a 2011 MBA, which, as I understood, is perfectly functional. There's no point in updating it to get marginal improvements, especially when there is a perspective of having a much better improvement in the next 6-9 months.

As for me, I wouldn't buy a 2013 MBA. It has a 3-year old design and a TN screen with a resolution which is not on par with the competition. I would either wait for Apple to redesign it, or I would buy another laptop (possibly a rMBP or a brand-new Haswell ultrabook from another manufacturer). The MBA would be completely out of question for me. But that's just me, and each one has its own opinion. If you don't mind buying now a 3-year old design which is probably about to be dropped, then go for it.

 

[cedwhatev]

No one really knows if the MBA will be redesigned in 2014. But it is very, VERY likely to happen. Why? Because of the following reasons:

(1) Apple redesigned the MBA in October 2010. almost 3 years ago. In 2014, the current design will celebrate its 4th anniversary. Apple (a) redesigned the original MBA (in October 2010) less than 3 years after its current release (in January 2008); (b) redesigned the unibody MBP, by releasing the rMBP (in June 2012), less than 4 years after its release (in October 2008); (c) redesigned the iMac (in November 2012) for the last time 3 years after its release (in October 2009). See a pattern here? Models are usually redesigned before 4 years. It's a guess, of course, but an educated guess. There's a big chance Apple releases a redesigned model in 2014.

(2) Competitors are getting better and better. Ultrabooks are becoming more and more attractive. Microsoft announced a Haswell Surface Pro, which is a tablet with laptop capabilities; Sony released the Vaio Pro, very thin and light, and seems to have gotten ultrabooks right now; Asus announced the new Zenbook with a 2560x1440 resolution; Acer upgraded the S7 series to get more battery life and a 2560x1440 screen; Samsung already released the Ativ Book 9 with a dazzling 3200x1800 resolution, taking the crown of the rMBP as the highest-resolution laptop in the planet; Lenovo announced new versions of the ThinkPad and the Yoga which are very thin and light, have stellar battery life and have very high resolutions; Dell announced the convertible XPS 11; and the list go on. Ultrabooks might have been crap in the past, but they are improving year after year, and the Haswell processor allows them to be real beasts. And now there is the Bay Trail platform, which will allow convertible tablets with good performance to be released for as low as US$ 500. Some of these new offerings are mouth-watering. Of course you may say that all these products run Windows, and that Windows is crap, and that OS X is far better, and all that Apple fanboy speech. But will that alone stop people from buying them. Can Apple get away with a 3-year old MBA design relying on its brand and on its operating system? How long can Apple keep its old design to compete with offerings that are getting better and better every year?

4 years is an eternity in tech's world. When Apple redesigned the MBA in 2010, it used a Core 2 Duo processor on it. We're already four generations ahead. Next year, we'll be five. Let's just be realistic. The world changes, and Apple, being the huge company it is, knows exactly what to do.

----------



Yes, but Apple doesn't work exactly this way. Once in about 3-4 years, Apple completely redesigns its product. Apple doesn't do these incremental upgrades much. It does revolutions. Look at the current MBA chassis. Basically the same version as the 2010 one. Same size, weight, thickness. Same materials. Same screen. The tech may have improved, but the carcass is still the same.

Apple kept the 2008 MBP chassis unchanged until 2012. Then, it revolutionized everything with the introduction of the 2012 rMBP, with its dazzling screen, thinner and lighter body, all-flash memory, and so on.

Apple updates its products year after year. But the big breakthroughs come with the redesigns.

Yeah, this does make sense, and it's quite possible that they will "reinvent" the MacBook Air once again. The thing is, Apple set the bar when it comes to Ultrabooks, so they will have to do it again, but they gotta do it right. My guess is that they have probably been working on this for a while now, and eventually, once it's right, a new and "improved" version will be released. The last thing I would want to see is Apple release something like the Sony Vaio Pro. Sorry, it may look good, but I think a 3 year old could break it in half, it feels so flimsy.

I was a PC user all of my life up until two years ago. I am not an Apple "fanboy".. I was anti-Apple until I finally got to the point where I needed something new, because every single PC I ever bought crapped out on me over and over. A person can only take so much.. but the bottom line is that OSX is superior to Windows. I've yet to have any problems with my Apple products, and when it comes down to it, I'd rather pay 1500.00 for an MBA, than pay 1300.00 for a Sony PC product. I prefer quality when spending my money, but that's just me.

 

[ValSalva]

Some would argue that you should get the 2013 MBA especially if there is going to be a redesign in 2014. It would be a first generation product and that's often not a good thing.

No product is perfect and there will always be issues with a minority of users. But the 2013 MBA is solid. It's fast, cool, and the battery life is amazing. Most importantly it's the fourth generation of the current form factor. It's a known quantity.

 

[twingo]

Keep the 2011 Air and invest the money you get for the Macbook Pro in important things like food, drinks and holidays.

 

[madman555]

Thanks everyone! I didn't expect so many (helpful) responses!
I've decided to sell the 2010 MBP and hold on to the 2011 MBA and wait until a redesign comes out. Thanks again!

 

[skaertus]

Yeah, this does make sense, and it's quite possible that they will "reinvent" the MacBook Air once again. The thing is, Apple set the bar when it comes to Ultrabooks, so they will have to do it again, but they gotta do it right. My guess is that they have probably been working on this for a while now, and eventually, once it's right, a new and "improved" version will be released. The last thing I would want to see is Apple release something like the Sony Vaio Pro. Sorry, it may look good, but I think a 3 year old could break it in half, it feels so flimsy.

I was a PC user all of my life up until two years ago. I am not an Apple "fanboy".. I was anti-Apple until I finally got to the point where I needed something new, because every single PC I ever bought crapped out on me over and over. A person can only take so much.. but the bottom line is that OSX is superior to Windows. I've yet to have any problems with my Apple products, and when it comes down to it, I'd rather pay 1500.00 for an MBA, than pay 1300.00 for a Sony PC product. I prefer quality when spending my money, but that's just me.

Well, perhaps you are right.

I don't know if Apple will reinvent the MBA or only improve it. But something must be done, and it can't take long. I guess Apple will make the MBA even lighter, perhaps dramatically lighter. The 13" rMBP weighs just a little bit more than the 13" MBA, and if Apple intends to keep both products in the market, it better put some factor to set them apart. In addition, some offerings are now much lighter than the MBA, so it would make sense for Apple to reduce weight. I don't know if Apple will apply some other material instead of aluminum to make it lighter. Carbon fiber would make sense, but doesn't look as good as aluminum, so I really don't know.

I have not yet seen the Sony Vaio Pro (I live in Brazil and these laptops take forever to get here). I've had mixed feelings with Sony Products lately. Some look good, but most of them are crap. I was hoping the Vaio Pro would be something better. Perhaps it only looks fragile. I don't know.

There are really lots and lots of crappy PC laptops out there. But there are also too many PC laptops. Some of them manage to be reasonably decent. The Samsung Series 9 (now Ativ Book 9) looks good. I also liked the Lenovo Yoga, the Aspire S7 and the Zenbook. I haven't seen the Haswell versions, but they'll probably have improvements over the previous versions. I tend to prefer any of these laptops (I mean, the new versions, with Haswell) over the current MBA.

As for OS X being superior to Windows... well, that's a matter of taste, first of all. In a Mac forum, it would be a hard task to say otherwise, as most people here are Apple users and many are fanboys. I like OS X, but I'm not sure it's superior to Windows. In addition, Windows has a clear advantage in terms of software offerings, including the best, most up-to-date and most complete version of Microsoft Office, which is probably the most used productivity software ever. So, the fact that the laptop runs Windows or OS X may be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the point of view. Of course you can install Windows on your Mac, but it won't have a touch-screen and it will take some precious SSD space.