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Would you buy the MacBook Air?
- Thread starter gobikerider
- Start date
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Why do I read these threads? I just picked up a new MBA today. Best Buy had a sale over the weekend and someone clicked my keypad. 
I had both and returned the Macbook. I found the keyboard to be terrible design. Way to clicky. The screen is nice but the keyboard did it for me.
Now is literally the worst time to buy the Air, in my opinion. It’s very outdated, especially the screen (which belongs in 2010).
Not only that; there are credible rumours of an update in the next few months that will bring retina screen and possible price cut.
So no, I personally would not feel good about that purchase at all.
Not only that; there are credible rumours of an update in the next few months that will bring retina screen and possible price cut.
So no, I personally would not feel good about that purchase at all.
I would have to agree now is the worst time to buy the Air... with current rumors saying that the new Air may come with a retina display I would wait and see what happens. Perhaps the rumors will be true and we will finally see a Retina MacBook Air...
Not everyone will wait and although the aluminum display bezel may look outdated, the overall package that is MacBook Air is still a wonderful and light laptop in my opinion...
$600 is a steal. However, I am in your position (university computer science student), running VM's daily with Linux and Windows. I am using a 2015 MacBook Pro and I have not experienced a hiccup. You mentioned running Linux and Windows at the same time -- I have done this a handful of times without any slowdowns.
I believe you will get similar performance with the current Air model, however I will say one thing -- staring at code all day would be a chore on that 1440x900 screen. I don't think I could handle that. Not sure if they even sell the 2015 MacBook pro anywhere new, but if you could find a deal on it I would recommend it.
I believe you will get similar performance with the current Air model, however I will say one thing -- staring at code all day would be a chore on that 1440x900 screen. I don't think I could handle that. Not sure if they even sell the 2015 MacBook pro anywhere new, but if you could find a deal on it I would recommend it.
I just bought an Air 256 gb with a student discount for $930 out the door. I just wanted something for under $1000 that was new. Only complaint is I wish it had a retina display, but it is not a big deal. I absolutely love this keyboard! I couldn't pass it up. I looked at other Macs but I kept finding things I didn't like about them or things I had read on here. I am going to keep this. It is so portable. Also going to get an iMac soon. So this will be fine to play with around the house.
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Oh wow. I feel super old reading this.
He just bought a Mac that suits his purposes for half that amount. How is that a waste?
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I remember I was 10 at the time and I thought the new redesigned MacBook Air was the coolest piece of technology in the world. I miss the worry free days of my childhood
Whatever "updated Air" Apple puts out will have more in common with the Retina MacBook than the Air: 1) that trash keyboard they seem to be all-in on 2) no MagSafe, which is a damned tragedy 3) USB-C ports which are going to mean living that dongle life for the foreseeable future.
Like a lot of others here, I've found that the plus column for the MBA vastly outweighs the "meh" screen: good ports, SD reader, battery life, MagSafe, usable and durable keyboard, great build quality....
And let's be real, even that non-retina screen does just fine with the vast majority of what one does with a laptop.
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I did the same with the first-gen MacBook Retina, which had zero tactile feedback and was just awful to type on. I gave it a solid month and then sold it and went back to my good old 11" MBA. The ONLY thing I miss is the screen. Everything else was lacking from the battery life to the grotesque port/charging situation. And I missed MagSafe way more than I had anticipated. I think it still stands as a pinnacle of Apple functionality.
I couldn't have said it better myself. People will always find something to gripe about.
Both the 21.5 and 27-inch iMacs have gorgeous 4K and 5K Retina displays, but a lot of people as of late are calling the bezels around the display "too big," "ugly" or "so not 2018." I have no complaints.
I love the ports and the keyboard that the Air has vs the other options that the MacBook and MacBook Pro have. I am not into the dongles! For all the other needs I will get a new iMac soon.
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Agree completely.
To my mind, the Air is the best computer that Apple has ever designed - especially since it received a battery upgrade in 2013.
It is fast, powerful, portable, reliable, has an excellent battery life, a super keyboard and the MagSafe and USB slots.
The computer I am using to type this post is a CTO 11" MBA from 2014 (8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, and i7) and - to my mind - it is easily the best computer I have ever owned.
If Apple still made the 11", I'd buy another in a heartbeat. Yes, the retina screen is nice, but the drawbacks of the modern keyboard - among many other problems (lack of USB slots for another) - mean that the MBP and rMB are not yet the computer that the MBA became.
BestBuy has them $350 off in a flash sale so I bought 2 for my daughters for school.
To the cool guys with a worldview that stops at their basement door it's a waste, to happy users not so much
Amen, brother. I just picked one up myself for 350$ off. It's a beautiful thing and kudos to BB for still being in business and not doing a CC!
[doublepost=1522286842][/doublepost]Btw, I gave away my 2010 MBA to the inlaws and do I regret it. It was a wonderful servant and now they're getting first class service from it but I wanted one back as it's just a fantastic computer. Thanks, Steve!
Picked up a 128gb Air at BB tonight for $575 after a few reward zone coupons. An absolute steal at that price no matter what the screen looks like. Will handle my office work perfectly fine for the next 4-5 years and function mostly in clamshell mode at that.
Glad to see others picking them up and enjoying them. I actually thought about taking it back and exchanging it for a MBP today with all the B.B. deals going on, but then decided against it. It really is a good machine.
I remember I was 10 at the time and I thought the new redesigned MacBook Air was the coolest piece of technology in the world. I miss the worry free days of my childhood
G'day OP, your signature still says "Insert future Macbook" does that mean you returned the MacBook Pro? You got the Pro with the TB right? I am weighing up between a MB and a MBP 13tb, currently have an 11 inch Air, and I want a retina screen.
If you can hold out until WWDC you may be in luck, although there is reason to believe that it'll be early 2019 until a new MB with cannonlake, but I hope they spec up the processor on these ones between now and then.
the 2017 MB has a redesigned keyboard, not sure if you've tried that one? you can also get a plug in 'magsafe like' adapter, with 1 port thought it may be annoying, possibly I'd explore getting a dock then using the magsafe adapter through that.
Btw, they're all third party, it wouldn't be compatible with old chargers which makes me sad, but still.
Ah, I miss the 11" MacBook Air I had....
How wonderful it was to type on, and SO portable.
I might had picked up one again if there were 11" still.
So it would be a MacBook in that case....can't justify that for now.
iPad isn't a replacement, for some things.
How wonderful it was to type on, and SO portable.
I might had picked up one again if there were 11" still.
So it would be a MacBook in that case....can't justify that for now.
iPad isn't a replacement, for some things.
@gobikerider May I ask, what is the change you're looking for when they announce the new models?
I've been asking this myself, and I have some requests, I'm not sure if they'll be met, but here's mine.
2018 MB
Larger battery (always)
Improved thermals (also always)
At least +1 port, preferably on the other side
re-redesigned keyboard
Larger size (might be nice)
2018 MBP 13 TB
Larger battery
Improved thermals
Quad core chip, hopefully more efficient
re-redesigned keyboard
32GB ram option (so I can get 16GB without paying more)
Dedicated graphics
Thunderbolt on both sides
Strangely my list for the Pro is longer than the MB, despite me leaning more toward the Pro model. I'm looking at this as an upgrade that unlike many other computers, will hopefully be fairly future proof, as my MBA 11 has been. The price gap is not that much and the MB's improvements are so subtle to the MBA's, it doesn't seem worth investing in a a great sum of money into it, I'm staving off the future for far less time, and a very similar cost.
I've been asking this myself, and I have some requests, I'm not sure if they'll be met, but here's mine.
2018 MB
Larger battery (always)
Improved thermals (also always)
At least +1 port, preferably on the other side
re-redesigned keyboard
Larger size (might be nice)
2018 MBP 13 TB
Larger battery
Improved thermals
Quad core chip, hopefully more efficient
re-redesigned keyboard
32GB ram option (so I can get 16GB without paying more)
Dedicated graphics
Thunderbolt on both sides
Strangely my list for the Pro is longer than the MB, despite me leaning more toward the Pro model. I'm looking at this as an upgrade that unlike many other computers, will hopefully be fairly future proof, as my MBA 11 has been. The price gap is not that much and the MB's improvements are so subtle to the MBA's, it doesn't seem worth investing in a a great sum of money into it, I'm staving off the future for far less time, and a very similar cost.