Which MBA

[steve1960]

Replacing my 9 year old daughters mid 2012 11 inch MBA. Don't want the latest greatest 13 inch, don't really want a 13 inch at all to be honest.

Don't want any butterfly keyboard issues.

Want another year or so of full Apple OS support.

So how late can I go used purchase? 2014?

A bit confused by what I have researched on the Internet.

 

[Buck987]

U wish to replace an 8 year old machine with a 6 year old machine.

whats confusing you? Are their multiple choices at there? I think 2014 may get u up to 2 years of OS support. But at least 1.

 

[Jack Neill]

[automerge]1594645872[/automerge]

Replacing my 9 year old daughters mid 2012 11 inch MBA. Don't want the latest greatest 13 inch, don't really want a 13 inch at all to be honest.

Don't want any butterfly keyboard issues.

Want another year or so of full Apple OS support.

So how late can I go used purchase? 2014?

A bit confused by what I have researched on the Internet.

The newest 11" is the early 2015 MBA 7,1. It can be purchased on eBay from 200-400 depending condition and specs. It came with a 1.6 i5 or a 2.2 i7 and 4 or 8Gb ram. It shipped with Yosemite and will should support Big Sur later this year. I would suggest installing the app Mactracker, it is a neat list of every Mac and its specs, its free in the MAS or can be installed standalone.

Mactracker - Get info on any Mac

Get detailed specifications on any Apple series, Mac, iPod, iPhone, or iPad.

mactracker.ca

 

[ghanwani]

As stated by @Jack Neill, the last year of the 11" was 2015.
The last year of the 13" with the old keyboard was 2017.
The 2018 13" and 2019 13" have the butterfly keyboard.
The 2020 13" has the new scissor keyboard.

Current compatibility for to-be-released Big Sur is here:

List of Macs Compatible With macOS Big Sur

Apple today previewed macOS Big Sur with redesigned interfaces such as the Dock and Notification Center, the addition of a Control Center, several...

www.macrumors.com