Why AIR's take a harder price drop than any other model!!!?

[GadgetGeek407]

Its ridiculous but people sell their 2008 2009 13 inch pro models for $750-800 easy when the orignal price was like 1199.

yet the fully loaded air which was like $1799 is on ebay for like $950, and truth be told a WAY better machine than any pro as far as speed and portability. How come the pro market doesn't get it that hard? in that respect of resale is it better to get a retina base than a loaded air?

Even older 2010 Air seem to still fetch big money, did I miss something this time around?

 

[miles01110]

Because Airs can't be upgraded, and are designed to be throw-away machines.

 

[mobilebuddha]

cuz mac fanatics who buy 2008/09 machines for 800 bucks are stupid? morons? isheeple?

take your pick.

aside from the "i reallllllly want that retina screen" (and certain folks have to have that 15/17in screen), there's almost no reason for most people who would buy a mac laptop to prefer MBP over MBA nowadays.

Its ridiculous but people sell their 2008 2009 13 inch pro models for $750-800 easy when the orignal price was like 1199.

yet the fully loaded air which was like $1799 is on ebay for like $950, and truth be told a WAY better machine than any pro as far as speed and portability. How come the pro market doesn't get it that hard? in that respect of resale is it better to get a retina base than a loaded air?

Even older 2010 Air seem to still fetch big money, did I miss something this time around?

 

[mattopotamus]

Because Airs can't be upgraded, and are designed to be throw-away machines.

this is the main reason. People interested in the Pro models know they can be upgraded, so they hold value really well. The difference between the Pros is merely CPU.....the difference in the airs is RAM, CPU, and SSD, all of which (aside from the SSD) cannot be upgraded. RAM being the biggest factor. The difference between a base AIR 2011 w/ 2gb of RAM and a 2012 AIR with 8gb of RAM will be massive in a years time....pros do not face these limitations.

 

[KPOM]

I think the better question is why the older 13" Pro models sell for so high given that the current models are much more powerful. The Air has a more normal pattern. The 2012 models are cheaper than than the 2011s or 2010s when they came out, and are more powerful (plus they have USB 3.0).

"Upgradeability" of a 13" Pro is overrated. The RAM can be upgraded to 8GB (same as the Air), and the SSD is user replaceable. Beyond that, they are about as upgradeable as the Air. Certainly a 2009 13" Pro, even "upgraded" isn't worth $800, at least it shouldn't be.

 

[mattopotamus]

I think the better question is why the older 13" Pro models sell for so high given that the current models are much more powerful. The Air has a more normal pattern. The 2012 models are cheaper than than the 2011s or 2010s when they came out, and are more powerful (plus they have USB 3.0).

"Upgradeability" of a 13" Pro is overrated. The RAM can be upgraded to 8GB (same as the Air), and the SSD is user replaceable. Beyond that, they are about as upgradeable as the Air. Certainly a 2009 13" Pro, even "upgraded" isn't worth $800, at least it shouldn't be.

same as the 2012 Airs....That is the whole point. Hands down, you can get more life out of a pro than an Air. Maybe not the current Airs b.c they are beast, but in the past being limited to 4gb ram and 2gb by default will limit people down the Road. If you bought a 2011 pro and a 2011 air, the pro will last you longer if you want it to based on minimum requirements alone(3-4 years down the road). Today's models....the 13" pro would be a stupid buy IMO

 

[KPOM]

same as the 2012 Airs....That is the whole point. Hands down, you can get more life out of a pro than an Air. Maybe not the current Airs b.c they are beast, but in the past being limited to 4gb ram and 2gb by default will limit people down the Road. If you bought a 2011 pro and a 2011 air, the pro will last you longer if you want it to based on minimum requirements alone(3-4 years down the road). Today's models....the 13" pro would be a stupid buy IMO

But that doesn't explain why a 2009 Pro would go for $800. Sure, it can and should go for more than a 2009 Air, and a 2011 Pro could go for more than a 2011 Air, but the Pro prices given above seem inflated.

Now that the Pro line is starting to go down the same path as the Air (the Retina MacBook Pro is even less upgradable than the Air), we should start seeing a leveling of price patterns. If we see a 13" Retina Pro, it likely will be in the form factor of the 15" Retina Pro (primarily for the extra battery), and may have a 2nd Thunderbolt port. But I don't expect it to be upgradable.

 

[mattopotamus]

But that doesn't explain why a 2009 Pro would go for $800. Sure, it can and should go for more than a 2009 Air, and a 2011 Pro could go for more than a 2011 Air, but the Pro prices given above seem inflated.

Now that the Pro line is starting to go down the same path as the Air (the Retina MacBook Pro is even less upgradable than the Air), we should start seeing a leveling of price patterns. If we see a 13" Retina Pro, it likely will be in the form factor of the 15" Retina Pro (primarily for the extra battery), and may have a 2nd Thunderbolt port. But I don't expect it to be upgradable.

Agreed. Also, people who do not know a lot about technology assume the word "pro" means better. I have plenty of friends who think that way and would pay more for a pro just because the name.

 

[OneMike]

Because Airs can't be upgraded, and are designed to be throw-away machines.

The fact that they can't be upgraded other than SSD is a reason.

Market is next. I think the percentage of people that are interested in Air's and of those people, the percentage that are interested in used Air's is just low.

I sold my 2011 Air in Feb and broke even since I had got on Amazon at a discount and no tax. This was on craigslist. Overall interest was low though. I didn't even get low ball offer emails.

Other Macs I'd get a ton of inquiries.

 

[seared.ahi]

Agreed. Also, people who do not know a lot about technology assume the word "pro" means better. I have plenty of friends who think that way and would pay more for a pro just because the name.

Hehe. My brother just bought a 13" Macbook Pro yesterday. My own brother!!! And he got the $1499 one. I went to the Apple Store with him even, asked if he wanted to get the base and upgrade the RAM for $100 but nooooo. Lol.

 

[mattopotamus]

Hehe. My brother just bought a 13" Macbook Pro yesterday. My own brother!!! And he got the $1499 one. I went to the Apple Store with him even, asked if he wanted to get the base and upgrade the RAM for $100 but nooooo. Lol.

They kinda advertise it that way too.....air, pro, retina. If you are going to go pro, imo, it only makes sense to start at the 15" with quad core.....otherwise you are throwing money away with a dual core pro.

 

[seared.ahi]

They kinda advertise it that way too.....air, pro, retina. If you are going to go pro, imo, it only makes sense to start at the 15" with quad core.....otherwise you are throwing money away with a dual core pro.

15" was too expensive for him he said.

My MBAs coming today, we'll probably end up comparing them.

 

[mattopotamus]

15" was too expensive for him he said.

My MBAs coming today, we'll probably end up comparing them.

and you will be rocking that SSD, which will blow his out of the water....that alone will make him wish he went AIR. Also, with the 15", by time you put more RAM in and an SSD, you could have gone retina.

 

[Wokis]

and you will be rocking that SSD, which will blow his out of the water....that alone will make him wish he went AIR. Also, with the 15", by time you put more RAM in and an SSD, you could have gone retina.

Nah. $1799 + $238* = $2037. That's $162 saved! Well.. ok.. that's not that much ^^

*Current price for a Crucial M4 256GB SSD and a 4GB Kingston 1600MHz SODIMM on newegg.

 

[mattopotamus]

Nah. $1799 + $238* = $2037. That's $162 saved! Well.. ok.. that's not that much ^^

*Current price for a Crucial M4 256GB SSD and a 4GB Kingston 1600MHz SODIMM on newegg.

with the student discount your save $200 on the retina and only $100 on the pro unless you get the high end...and online everyone is a student

 

[Phil22]

If that is the case miles01110 then will the new retina macbook pro suffer from the same lack of re-sale value as it's unable to be modified or upgraded as well?

Is the retina a throw-away machine?

 

[stchman]

Because Airs can't be upgraded, and are designed to be throw-away machines.

The SSD and battery on the MBA can be user replaced.

The only thing on the MBA that can't be upgraded that normally gets upgraded on other laptops is the RAM.

In defense of the MBA, the rMBP can't have the RAM upgraded and the battery is glued in.

As a general rule, laptops are not the most upgradable devices regardless of manufacturer.

 

[linuxcooldude]

Because Airs can't be upgraded, and are designed to be throw-away machines.

Ultra portability comes at a cost. To reduce the size/weight most components are not made to be easily replaceable. Adding more components to make the parts replaceable would increase the physical size of the enclosure. So compromises had to be made.

 

[Beanoir]

Because Airs can't be upgraded, and are designed to be throw-away machines.

There's the answer in a nutshell.

 

[markintosh]

Memory Upgrades

"Upgradeability" of a 13" Pro is overrated. The RAM can be upgraded to 8GB (same as the Air), .

Actually, the Pro can go to 16GB RAM. I have that running in my early '11 13" MBP. I'd rather have an AIR, but with VMs and Adobe products, the extra 8GB makes it for me.

 

[Calot]

this is the main reason. People interested in the Pro models know they can be upgraded, so they hold value really well. The difference between the Pros is merely CPU.....the difference in the airs is RAM, CPU, and SSD, all of which (aside from the SSD) cannot be upgraded. RAM being the biggest factor. The difference between a base AIR 2011 w/ 2gb of RAM and a 2012 AIR with 8gb of RAM will be massive in a years time....pros do not face these limitations.

Are you saying that because people can get a 2009 13" MacBook Pro, and spend 500 bucks to get a decent SSD and 8GB of 1060 mhz RAM in it, they resell better that Airs?

The Airs have been evolving into more and more powerful machines. I just got my 13" i7/8GB/256GB and it is ridiculously fast. 7900 geekbench.

Those old MacBooks will never be 1/3rd as fast as mine. Why? No matter what SSD you get the interface is NOT SATA 3 as mine. 8GB of 1060 mhz RAM will feel a lot slower than my 1600 mhz RAM.

Add USB 3, Thunderbolt, MUCH better resolution, half the weight. And you get a much better machine.

True, 2008-2010 MacBook Airs are kind of a joke.

2011 and 2012? Not really.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

Are you saying that because people can get a 2009 13" MacBook Pro, and spend 500 bucks to get a decent SSD and 8GB of 1060 mhz RAM in it, they resell better that Airs?

It's quite obvious that is what they are saying. Also, the price is more likely closer to $250-300 for a good 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM.

Also, it's not that they will, it's that they know they can.

The Airs have been evolving into more and more powerful machines. I just got my 13" i7/8GB/256GB and it is ridiculously fast. 7900 geekbench.

Those old MacBooks will never be 1/3rd as fast as mine. Why? No matter what SSD you get the interface is NOT SATA 3 as mine. 8GB of 1060 mhz RAM will feel a lot slower than my 1600 mhz RAM.

1/3 as fast doing what? The biggest factor in speeding up desktop responsiveness is the SSD and if you think you'll be able to tell the difference between a SATA 2 and a SATA 3 drive you're kidding yourself....even on huge files the difference will be in seconds.

"feeling" RAM speeds? hahahaha.

Were you until very recently a Windows user?

 

[Calot]

It's quite obvious that is what they are saying. Also, the price is more likely closer to $250-300 for a good 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM.

Also, it's not that they will, it's that they know they can.



1/3 as fast doing what? The biggest factor in speeding up desktop responsiveness is the SSD and if you think you'll be able to tell the difference between a SATA 2 and a SATA 3 drive you're kidding yourself....even on huge files the difference will be in seconds.

"feeling" RAM speeds? hahahaha.


Were you until very recently a Windows user?

Hmmmm. Not feeling a difference between Intel HD 3000 and 4000? 1060 mhz RAM and 1600 mhz RAM?

Oh, you must be one of those people that uses their White Macbook to check their email and watch porn. So when you go to the Apple store and try the same on a Mac Pro with 16Gb of RAM, you can't "feel" the difference. Right. Kewl.

Bottom line: paying 1200 bucks for a used, fat, old, less resolution MacBook with 8Gb of RAM and SSD.... Hmmm not very smart.

Anyway. If there are people that use Android and Love Samsung, there certainly will be people that do that. Just not "smart" people.

 

[stchman]

It seems that the big complaint is that the RAM cannot be upgraded on the MBA is the reason that it is valued less.

What about the rMBP, it's even less upgradable than the MBA?

 

[mattopotamus]

Hmmmm. Not feeling a difference between Intel HD 3000 and 4000? 1060 mhz RAM and 1600 mhz RAM?

Oh, you must be one of those people that uses their White Macbook to check their email and watch porn. So when you go to the Apple store and try the same on a Mac Pro with 16Gb of RAM, you can't "feel" the difference. Right. Kewl.

Bottom line: paying 1200 bucks for a used, fat, old, less resolution MacBook with 8Gb of RAM and SSD.... Hmmm not very smart.

Anyway. If there are people that use Android and Love Samsung, there certainly will be people that do that. Just not "smart" people.

no one is saying pay $1200 for a used pro. We are explaining why they hold value better, and until recently (which you agree) the Airs were limited by their specs. I would buy a 2010 pro with 8gb of RAM and an SSD over a 2011 Air with 2gb of RAM no matter what size the SSD was. If I wanted I could push the pro much longer b.c in a few years 2gb of ram will not even meet the minimum requirements....hence the pros selling at a higher price. Now, will the 2012 Airs hold value any better? only time will tell, but I would imagine so....especially for people who upgraded the RAM