WWYD - return MB for MBA?

[Big Apple]

Hey all!

Not sure if I should post here or in the MB section but figure this section might get more traffic today. My husband just bought me the rose gold MB i5/8GB/512GB SSD for my birthday. I haven't opened it yet as I figured I'd wait and see what happened today. Should I keep it since they have phased out the rose gold ( which is what I wanted) or return and replace with the new MBA? It's replacing my 2013 MBP which still works great but I was mainly looking for something lighter, as I do travel a lot and the MB is almost half the weight of my 3.46 lb MBP.

Thanks in advance!

 

[stockscalper]

If you like it, keep it. The new MBA's may not be available for awhile. Your computer has the latest specs and should do a great job for you. I'm typing this on a two year old MBP and I'm still happy with its performance.

 

[turbineseaplane]

They are essentially the same machine save for 1-ish inch of screen and touch ID.

I would just decide based on that framework and the cost associated with the change

 

[daikon]

The new MBA has the exact same footprint as the MBP 13 and is .25lbs lighter. It is much more comparable to the nTB MBP than to the MB...

 

[Mrbobb]

I definitely like me 2.03LB vs 2.75. The redeeming value on the new Air to me is the extra USBC port, which just might, might reduce your need for carrying an extra dongle and stronger speakers firing at you. On my old Air without the speaker grills, I often have to pull out my earphones which is kind of annoying, *but* no-grills have cleaner aesthetic to me. YMMV.

 

[Big Apple]

Thanks all! If I returned this I'd probably get the air with similar specs so cost would be roughly the same in the end. It looks like from the comments here there's no game changing difference between the two though the 2.03 lbs (vs 2.75 lbs vs my current 3.46 lbs) is quite a big difference for me, which is why I had been hinting at the MB for awhile It is the rose gold too which was my preferred color but the new gold looks nice too. The touch ID would be a nice feature to have though, as well as a better battery. If the MBA does release on 11/7, I would still (just barely) be in the return window so I may just go in that day and see if those differences are worth the extra weight for me. Thanks again for the responses - much appreciated!

 

[ColdShadow]

I'd keep it.
I have the 12" MB and it was a replacement for MBP,I can't even imagine going back to MBP.
the new MBA will be much bigger than MB still.
the form factor of 12" MB for portability is amazing and it's a joy to use, granted,it's noticeably weaker than MBP but not sure how it compares against the new MBA.
for portability and easy casual use at home, it's the BEST.

 

[applesith]

I'd return and get the MBA. I've have the rMB for a few years now and would prefer the MBA for around the same price. The bigger screen and extra port are worth it.

 

[stockscalper]

One thing I noticed looking at the MBA specs is that it only comes with 128GB storage and to upgrade to 256 costs 200 bucks. You already have 512 so even if you upgraded the storage on the MBA you'd still have half of what you've got now.

As for the claimed battery life on the Air don't believe what Apple posts. In real life tests, it's always much less than claimed. Go over to laptopmag dot com and look up specs on the MBP and you'll see that in real life usage the MB has good battery life.

 

[canuckRus]

Hey all!

Not sure if I should post here or in the MB section but figure this section might get more traffic today. My husband just bought me the rose gold MB i5/8GB/512GB SSD for my birthday. I haven't opened it yet as I figured I'd wait and see what happened today. Should I keep it since they have phased out the rose gold ( which is what I wanted) or return and replace with the new MBA? It's replacing my 2013 MBP which still works great but I was mainly looking for something lighter, as I do travel a lot and the MB is almost half the weight of my 3.46 lb MBP.

Hard to top what you now have for all the reasons you mention.Weight should be the clincher in your case.

 

[SHKLMRE]

Hey all!

Not sure if I should post here or in the MB section but figure this section might get more traffic today. My husband just bought me the rose gold MB i5/8GB/512GB SSD for my birthday. I haven't opened it yet as I figured I'd wait and see what happened today. Should I keep it since they have phased out the rose gold ( which is what I wanted) or return and replace with the new MBA? It's replacing my 2013 MBP which still works great but I was mainly looking for something lighter, as I do travel a lot and the MB is almost half the weight of my 3.46 lb MBP.

Thanks in advance!

The 1”size difference does make a big difference in usability. That along with the extra battery life should make for a really nice upgrade. In terms of going lighter, both will be a nice upgrade. I always recommend thoroughly testing the size of the MacBook when people ask me about it.

 

[ahipoke]

I've used the 12" MB and I think it's not balanced very well. When I use it on my lap, the screen feels like it wants to tip backwards. I find the 13" MBA more stable, but I haven't tried the new MBA yet.

 

[Big Apple]

One thing I noticed looking at the MBA specs is that it only comes with 128GB storage and to upgrade to 256 costs 200 bucks. You already have 512 so even if you upgraded the storage on the MBA you'd still have half of what you've got now.

As for the claimed battery life on the Air don't believe what Apple posts. In real life tests, it's always much less than claimed. Go over to laptopmag dot com and look up specs on the MBP and you'll see that in real life usage the MB has good battery life.

If I went for the MBA I would still have to get the 512GB SSD. That is the one upgrade that is most important to me. Right now my MB with 512 GB cost $1599. If I switched to the MBA with the same storage it would also be $1599. So I guess it all comes down to what is the better value for the money for the same price ( with weight also playing a factor in the final decision).

 

[Ma2k5]

Hey all!

Not sure if I should post here or in the MB section but figure this section might get more traffic today. My husband just bought me the rose gold MB i5/8GB/512GB SSD for my birthday. I haven't opened it yet as I figured I'd wait and see what happened today. Should I keep it since they have phased out the rose gold ( which is what I wanted) or return and replace with the new MBA? It's replacing my 2013 MBP which still works great but I was mainly looking for something lighter, as I do travel a lot and the MB is almost half the weight of my 3.46 lb MBP.

Thanks in advance!

Return and get the new one to be honest. It isn't just the TouchID, or the better battery life, or the better processor, or the extra port... You also get 3rd gen butterfly keyboard. No brainer.

 

[willentrekin]

Hey all!

Should I keep it since they have phased out the rose gold ( which is what I wanted) or return and replace with the new MBA?

If the color is that important you should obviously keep it, since the color you want isn't available in the other machine.

In terms of the machines themselves, though, I'd skip over to the MBA. It seems like it's better than the MB in just about every way (screen, keyboard, Touch ID, etc).

 

[madat42]

That's a tough call. Yes the MBA has newer specs and most likely an awesome laptop. But if you go for it, you'll never have had the joy of using the MacBook 12. It's fast and 2lbs. barely there.

 

[ET iPhone Home]

RETURN IT!

 

[axd1152]

Yeah, just get rid of it. You won't regret it!

 

[Ma2k5]

That's a tough call. Yes the MBA has newer specs and most likely an awesome laptop. But if you go for it, you'll never have had the joy of using the MacBook 12. It's fast and 2lbs. barely there.

And with the worse keyboard ever!

 

[Big Apple]

Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to post. As of right now, barring any major negative reviews coming out, I am going to return the MB and get the MBA. Everyone here made great points so I kept a running list and I think for my needs the MBA seems to be the best value for the money. I also thought about a newer model MBP since the prices and weight are similar to the MBA too. I only compared the base model cpu's and RAM with the upgraded storage I need, to keep the dollar comparisons as simple as possible. It's also just a basic list of the advantages for each, which I consider to be of varying importance to me at this time.

12" MB/ d-c i5 (1.3 GHz)/ 512GB/8GB RAM: $1599 - smallest and lightest at 2.03lbs so perfect for portability and travel. (Fits perfectly on airline tray tables from what I've read )

13" MBA/ d-c i5 (1.6 GHz)/512Gb/8GB RAM: $1599 - bigger screen, 2.75lbs, gen 3 keyboard, touch ID, extra port, best battery life ( great for my travel too), better speakers

13" ntb MBP/ d-c i5 (2.3 GHz)/512GB/8GB RAM: $1699 - bigger screen, 3.02lbs, more powerful, better graphics/display, extra port, better speakers

13" MBP/ q-c i5 (2.3 GHz )/512GB/8GB RAM: $1999 - bigger screen, 3.02lbs, most powerful, better display, gen 3 keyboard, touch bar and touch id, better graphics/display, extra ports, better speakers


My usage mainly comprises of writing and editing documents, spreadsheets, very occasional light photo and video editing, emails, web browsing, and some netflix/movies etc during travel. I'm willing to sacrifice some power and graphics for other features that are more important for me but I still need it to perform well enough to handle the tasks. I think all models listed above should work for my needs, and all are lighter than what I currently have which is a big plus for me. I travel 1-2 times per month and carry it with me every day so the weight and battery life are a bit more important to me than other things such as graphics or speakers etc.

So narrowing it all down ( and for the TL DR crowd ) I think the MBA is currently the best compromise of price, features and weight for my needs, so fingers crossed I'm making the right decision! Thanks again for all your input!

 

[ET iPhone Home]

Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to post. As of right now, barring any major negative reviews coming out, I am going to return the MB and get the MBA. Everyone here made great points so I kept a running list and I think for my needs the MBA seems to be the best value for the money. I also thought about a newer model MBP since the prices and weight are similar to the MBA too. I only compared the base model cpu's and RAM with the upgraded storage I need, to keep the dollar comparisons as simple as possible. It's also just a basic list of the advantages for each, which I consider to be of varying importance to me at this time.

12" MB/ d-c i5 (1.3 GHz)/ 512GB/8GB RAM: $1599 - smallest and lightest at 2.03lbs so perfect for portability and travel. (Fits perfectly on airline tray tables from what I've read )

13" MBA/ d-c i5 (1.6 GHz)/512Gb/8GB RAM: $1599 - bigger screen, 2.75lbs, gen 3 keyboard, touch ID, extra port, best battery life ( great for my travel too), better speakers

13" ntb MBP/ d-c i5 (2.3 GHz)/512GB/8GB RAM: $1699 - bigger screen, 3.02lbs, more powerful, better graphics/display, extra port, better speakers

13" MBP/ q-c i5 (2.3 GHz )/512GB/8GB RAM: $1999 - bigger screen, 3.02lbs, most powerful, better display, gen 3 keyboard, touch bar and touch id, better graphics/display, extra ports, better speakers


My usage mainly compromises of writing and editing documents, spreadsheets, very occasional light photo and video editing, emails, web browsing, and some netflix/movies etc during travel. I'm willing to sacrifice some power and graphics for other features that are more important for me but I still need it to perform well enough to handle the tasks. I think all models listed above should work for my needs, and all are lighter than what I currently have which is a big plus for me. I travel 1-2 times per month and carry it with me every day so the weight and battery life are a bit more important to me than other things such as graphics or speakers etc.

So narrowing it all down ( and for the TL DR crowd ) I think the MBA is currently the best compromise of price, features and weight for my needs, so fingers crossed I'm making the right decision! Thanks again for all your input!

Here's a little secret for you. Sometime close to Thanksgiving, Apple will offer a holiday extended return policy. Wait to buy your MBA close to that date. You have until January 2019 to return it. This will give you ample time to utilize the new MBA for your needs. Should it lack in CPU for your video/photography editing needs, you can then opt for the nTB MBP. This is exactly what I'll be doing when I get my new MBA. If within this period I feel content and satisfied with the Air, then I will just keep the Air with no need to exchange for nTB MBP At least this gives you more than 14 days to play with it and take it for a test drive. Good luck! Happy Computing.

 

[Big Apple]

Here's a little secret for you. Sometime close to Thanksgiving, Apple will offer a holiday extended return policy. Wait to buy your MBA close to that date. You have until January 2019 to return it. This will give you ample time to utilize the new MBA for your needs. Should it lack in CPU for your video/photography editing needs, you can then opt for the nTB MBP. This is exactly what I'll be doing when I get my new MBA. If within this period I feel content and satisfied with the Air, then I will just keep the Air with no need to exchange for nTB MBP At least this gives you more than 14 days to play with it and take it for a test drive. Good luck! Happy Computing.

Thank you so much for that info! That is really good to know. I will be traveling the week after Thanksgiving so it would be a great trial run for me!

 

[jjjoseph]

Hey all!

Not sure if I should post here or in the MB section but figure this section might get more traffic today. My husband just bought me the rose gold MB i5/8GB/512GB SSD for my birthday. I haven't opened it yet as I figured I'd wait and see what happened today. Should I keep it since they have phased out the rose gold ( which is what I wanted) or return and replace with the new MBA? It's replacing my 2013 MBP which still works great but I was mainly looking for something lighter, as I do travel a lot and the MB is almost half the weight of my 3.46 lb MBP.

Thanks in advance!

i would. Thunderbolt3 will let you keep your computer much much longer than USB-C. I would do the 2018 AIR over any Macbook. While I write this on a macbook.

 

[Big Apple]

Btw, this is the MBP I currently have. No problems running anything for work or personal needs, and 8GB Ram has been fine, though I may upgrade that too just in case when all is said and done. My storage is currently sitting at 227 GB which is why I'm looking for the 512GB upgrade if I want to realistically hold onto it for a few years.

 

[ET iPhone Home]

Thank you so much for that info! That is really good to know. I will be traveling the week after Thanksgiving so it would be a great trial run for me!

Just go to Apple.com and monitor the holiday return policy. If you buy your new MBA on the first date of that "extended holiday return" window, this will give you 6 weeks to try that MBA. Should you decide on the nTB MBP right after, then you have 14 days to decide to keep or go back to new MBA. I think by then you would've already decided which is best for you. So make sure not to buy just yet. Wait... to buy during and around Thanksgiving time. If I happen to see it, I'll come back and post it here.