Am I making a mistake here?

[Abyssgh0st]

Okay, so I've got quite a situation on my hands here.

So I'm getting rid of my PC and consolidating to just my iMac and my external HDD(s), and I'm interested in picking up an MBA 11". FYI: I will be selling whatever I buy now, and getting a maxed out MBA 13" (whether it is updated or not) in July/August of 2011 (but due to what I need a computer for between now and then, the 11" will be better for me).

Essentially my dilemma is this:

1. Buy 11.6" 1.4/4GB/64 using either MacMall or Apple.com (since this isn't sold in stores).
2. Buy 11.6" 1.4/2GB/64 at Apple store in about 2 hours. Save about $150 this way.

I will be using it for the following: Internet browsing (very little if any flash usage), Microsoft Office (2011), iWork (08), Apple mail, some iTunes, some standard definition movies, etc.

So, will getting 2GB and trying to sell it in 7-8 months be significantly harder than selling one with 4GB? Not to mention the fact that the 4GB variant will cost me ~$150 more up front. I think it'd be foolish to buy the 4GB version just to have an easier time selling it in a few months time.

Thanks guys! I am open to other suggestions, but I think that if I bought the maxed out 11.6" that it would depreciate more than the 11.6" base (or 4GB variant) will. But I guess I could go with the maxxed 11.6" if the potential depreciation is not too significant. Let me know what you guys think!

 

[Bluemeanie1976]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd go for the 4gb. Maybe you won't need it now, but who knows later. People don;t seem to be having too much trouble with the 2gb, so it's whether you want to risk it later, so to speak. Plus, the 4gb will have better resale, I would imagine.

 

[Appleind]

well its a psychological thing sometimes. I went in for a maxed out MBA 11.6" and my needs are pretty much the same as you described. If you buy a 2 GB one and then find it pretty slow for your needs, you will always be left with the thought that you could have gone for a 4 GB and a faster processor. Again i am not sure how easy it is to upgrade your MBA manually. So better go for the maxed out version. I really do not regret spending the extra bucks

 

[KPOM]

If you know you are only going to hold it 7-8 months then get the cheaper machine now. 2GB seems fine for what you plan to use it for, and if Lion requires more, you are getting a new machine, anyway. You likely won't get an extra $150 in resale value with the more expensive machine. The thing to remember with resale is that a more expensive Mac might have a higher percentage, but it also costs more upfront. My Rev B cost $2400 two years ago, compared with $1,500 for the "base" Rev B model. The Rev B was just appraised for a shade under $800 by a reseller. Even if the "base" now sells for $0 (which it doesn't), from a purely financial perspective, it still winds up costing less than my Rev B.

If you are keeping it for such a short time, though you might consider seeing if a used Mac is available. $849 will get a refurbished 1.86GHz MacBook Air (HD only).

 

[drambuie]

The 4GB upgrade is only $100, so it would be 1099. If you can afford another $300, you can get the fully spec'd 128GB flash model, with 1.6GHz CPU and 4GB of RAM, for $1399 at an Apple retail store.

 

[KnightWRX]

Why not just go for the 13" now ? Doesn't make sense to lose money in a buy/sell scenario just to upgrade in 6 months.

 

[neteng101]

I would suggest getting the maxed out 13" if that's your end goal anyways in 8 months.

 

[KPOM]

I would suggest getting the maxed out 13" if that's your end goal anyways in 8 months.

I think he's guessing that in 8 months the MacBook Air might have a Core i-series processor, or that there might be an "Air-like" 13" MacBook Pro with one.

 

[silverblack]

Always buy the cheapest model if you want to minimize you loss at resale. Upgrades can increase the resale value, but never at the level you are paying now.

 

[KPOM]

Always buy the cheapest model if you want to minimize you loss at resale. Upgrades can increase the resale value, but never at the level you are paying now.

Exactly. Remember, a computer (unless it's an Apple I) has a guaranteed negative return. It's an expense. If overall cost is your concern, lower the upfront cost. The main reasons to buy a more expensive computer are to keep it longer, or because your current applications require the computing power.

 

[Abyssgh0st]

The reason I did not get a maxed out 13" now is because I need it as more of an iPad replacement and ultimate portability is key. I know the 13" is very portable, as I will be getting it for college next year, but the 11" really fits my needs best until then.

Anyways, I went up getting the base 1.4/2/64 11.6". Only $1027 out the door! I put it through quite a bit of stress testing (approximately 27 second bootup, good statistics in activity monitor with quite a few things open, decently battery estimation, etc). I really am impressed with the speed of this bad boy with such superficially low specs. I'll be reporting back to tell you guys how I am liking it.