Economically upgrade from most recent model.

[bri1232001]

I have a Jan 2011 MBA 13 Ultimate. Let's say I wanted to be one of those guys who has to have the newest model. What would be the most economical way for me to upgrade. Would it be wise to sell my 6 month old MBA now and put the money towards the newest one that will likely release in a month or so? I realize I would have to not have an MBA for a period of time to do that.

If I were to sell my MBA now, do you have any recommendations on getting the most in return for it...is Ebay a reputable choice for something like this?

Thanks.

 

[Hellhammer]

You could buy one and return it every 14 days Seriously speaking, selling it now will probably be the wisest because when the updates happens, there will be more MBAs on sale and people don't want to pay as much for an old model. Take a look at Craigslist since there are no fees like in eBay.

 

[bri1232001]

You could buy one and return it every 14 days Seriously speaking, selling it now will probably be the wisest because when the updates happens, there will be more MBAs on sale and people don't want to pay as much for an old model. Take a look at Craigslist since there are no fees like in eBay.

Thanks for the input. I see you a lot on these forums and I appreciate the help!

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Thanks for the input. I see you a lot on these forums and I appreciate the help!

yep he's here a lot, and a heck of a lot smarter than the average rabbit, BTW, nice new avatar HH! (and my wife says I never notice anything) ,OK,OK, I DID miss the new hair cut and color, but in fairness, she' not a MAC!

 

[Steamrunner]

You could also try selling to people you know - friends or colleagues. I generally send an email around my department at work or put an ad on our intranet.

I usually ask a little bit less than I'd expect to get on eBay, because I'm saving on shipping costs and you know that you're not going to have any eBay/Paypal issues with scammers. The convenience and peace of mind is worth £20 or so.

If you do sell on eBay, post lots and LOTS of detail and pictures - people pay more for something they can believe in. Just using the stock eBay descriptions won't get you as much as spending ten minutes describing every little scratch.

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

I say forget eBay. Use Craigslist or local college boards and such - or as mentioned above, post to groups or such that you belong to.

Biggest thing is to just ask a fair price for it from the beginning. Lots of folks want to maximize their return; but asking for a fair price upfront will get it sold quickly.

 

[axu539]

I'm actually in the same boat as OP here. What percentage of my original cost is a reasonable asking price? I bought my 11" 4GB in February.

 

[omicron]

I find it interesting that Mac computers are the only computers that have high residual value. Going prices I've seen are 600-800. Not a bad return. I personally wouldn't pay more than $500 and that's generous given that it has last generation's hardware in it but 600-800 seems to be market price and more depending on what its configured with.

 

[darngooddesign]

I'm actually in the same boat as OP here. What percentage of my original cost is a reasonable asking price? I bought my 11" 4GB in February.

That's a personal decision. Just look at what similar units are selling for on CL. You might decide the hit is too hard to stomach and you'll wait out this upgrade cycle. Just because the new one has an i5, doesn't mean it's going to be a fast i5 like the MBPs have. The GPU might suck as well. From what I've noticed more 11s are on CL and compared to the fewer 13s foe sale used, they're nit holding their values well.

To the OP, it's easier to sell when the replacement isn't staring buyers in the face. Just look at the prices if used iPads before and after the iPad 2 was released.

 

[gdeputy]

Heres the thing to take into consideration.

Check Refurb prices, add tax and do the math.

You'll likely need to come in BELOW that price for it to be even considered.

Next, take into account the wear on your MBA, meaning : any marks, scratches, Keyboard wear, battery wear ect.

Now deduct what seems reasonable and you'll get a good starting point.

the MBA 13" 128GB with 4GB RAM I have cost me 1400~ out the door brand new.

I could probably expect 1050 for it right now. Mine has no keyboard wear though (moshi cover) and absolutely no scratches or marks.

If I were to sell today I would take a 350~ dollar loss since november.

What you need to ask yourself is what you need your laptop for. I'm tempted by the new hardware but I KNOW for a fact I won't take advantage of it so I'll hold onto my current MBA. It's MORE than adequate for my uses.

 

[robertpolson]

Heres the thing to take into consideration.

Check Refurb prices, add tax and do the math.

You'll likely need to come in BELOW that price for it to be even considered.

Next, take into account the wear on your MBA, meaning : any marks, scratches, Keyboard wear, battery wear ect.

Now deduct what seems reasonable and you'll get a good starting point.

the MBA 13" 128GB with 4GB RAM I have cost me 1400~ out the door brand new.

I could probably expect 1050 for it right now. Mine has no keyboard wear though (moshi cover) and absolutely no scratches or marks.

If I were to sell today I would take a 350~ dollar loss since november.

What you need to ask yourself is what you need your laptop for. I'm tempted by the new hardware but I KNOW for a fact I won't take advantage of it so I'll hold onto my current MBA. It's MORE than adequate for my uses.

"I'm tempted by the new hardware but I KNOW for a fact I won't take advantage of it so I'll hold onto my current MBA. It's MORE than adequate for my uses."


Can you elaborate on this a bit more. I am currently debating if I should sell my current 3 month old MBA and get a new one or keep it.

 

[darngooddesign]

"I'm tempted by the new hardware but I KNOW for a fact I won't take advantage of it so I'll hold onto my current MBA. It's MORE than adequate for my uses."


Can you elaborate on this a bit more. I am currently debating if I should sell my current 3 month old MBA and get a new one or keep it.

If you find yourself waiting for your computer to complete a task you might need to upgrade. If you find that wait really annoying you should upgrade.

 

[axu539]

When I bought my 11" a couple months ago, I told myself I'd be satisfied with the low end model, but with 4 GB of RAM. Honestly, I guess I am still rather satisfied with the machine, for what I have been using it for. The last couple weeks, though, I notice that certain applications have really started to make the computer crawl (I have checked iStat, and it is both the CPU and the RAM that are capping out at times.) Granted, I have a 17" MBP powerhouse to use, but it's always nice to have a little bit more flexibility on the portable side. I've decided I will be selling my 11" for about $850 before the refresh comes out, and hopefully, the spec bump in the coming weeks will bring me a little bit more RAM and a little bit more kick in the processor department, without changing the great pricing they have right now.

 

[macjonny1]

When I bought my 11" a couple months ago, I told myself I'd be satisfied with the low end model, but with 4 GB of RAM. Honestly, I guess I am still rather satisfied with the machine, for what I have been using it for. The last couple weeks, though, I notice that certain applications have really started to make the computer crawl (I have checked iStat, and it is both the CPU and the RAM that are capping out at times.) Granted, I have a 17" MBP powerhouse to use, but it's always nice to have a little bit more flexibility on the portable side. I've decided I will be selling my 11" for about $850 before the refresh comes out, and hopefully, the spec bump in the coming weeks will bring me a little bit more RAM and a little bit more kick in the processor department, without changing the great pricing they have right now.

What applications? Just curious.... I have a 17" 2011 MBP like you, along with the 11" and I'm perfectly happy with my little 11" for what I use it for. Bought it recently heavily discounted from new.

 

[axu539]

What applications? Just curious.... I have a 17" 2011 MBP like you, along with the 11" and I'm perfectly happy with my little 11" for what I use it for. Bought it recently heavily discounted from new.

Skype and Matlab mainly. My girlfriend is overseas, so I have no choice but to use Skype (despite it being a terrible, terrible piece of software). I also know I shouldn't be doing Matlab on an 11" Air, but it fares decently well for light usage. Also, since one of the more recent Snow Leopard updates (the one that seemingly under clocked the CPUs a little bit), Safari scrolling has actually gotten a tiny bit choppy at times.

 

[tom vilsack]

-would use craigslist...do a search for other airs,to get idea of price

-always!!!! meet in public place and durning the daytime!!!

 

[gdeputy]

"I'm tempted by the new hardware but I KNOW for a fact I won't take advantage of it so I'll hold onto my current MBA. It's MORE than adequate for my uses."


Can you elaborate on this a bit more. I am currently debating if I should sell my current 3 month old MBA and get a new one or keep it.

What do you do on your Macbook Air? More importantly, is it sluggish?

Nothing I do on my MBA is at all slow. Everything is VERY speedy. I don't do any video editing or encoding or anything on the MBA. An upgrade is cool but I won't benefit from the features. The technology is impressive and it's a definite increase, but what is already IN the current MBA is already more than sufficient for my current needs. I use Word, Safari, Mail, Dropbox, Skype and... maybe i'm forgetting a few but that gives you an idea of my needs.

 

[axu539]

What do you do on your Macbook Air? More importantly, is it sluggish?

Nothing I do on my MBA is at all slow. Everything is VERY speedy. I don't do any video editing or encoding or anything on the MBA. An upgrade is cool but I won't benefit from the features. The technology is impressive and it's a definite increase, but what is already IN the current MBA is already more than sufficient for my current needs. I use Word, Safari, Mail, Dropbox, Skype and... maybe i'm forgetting a few but that gives you an idea of my needs.

How does Skype handle on your 13" Air. On my 1.4 GHz/4 GB 11-inch, temperature and fan usage would spike after about 5 minutes of a video chat, then after maybe 10-15, I'd start to see significant slowdown in all my processes. iStat would give me like 70-80% RAM usage, and like 70% CPU usage (just from Skype).

 

[flynz4]

I have a Jan 2011 MBA 13 Ultimate. Let's say I wanted to be one of those guys who has to have the newest model. What would be the most economical way for me to upgrade. Would it be wise to sell my 6 month old MBA now and put the money towards the newest one that will likely release in a month or so? I realize I would have to not have an MBA for a period of time to do that.

If I were to sell my MBA now, do you have any recommendations on getting the most in return for it...is Ebay a reputable choice for something like this?

Thanks.

Being one of the "must have the latest technology" guys... I have methodology that works for me... although it is not the cheapest.

For all of my Apple devices (iMac, MBA, iPad, iPhone), I use the "waterfall technique". I buy myself a new one of each as they are released, and then pass my old one downstream. So, depending on where we are in the (~1 year) technology cycle... we have:

Me: 0-1 year old technology
Wife: 1-2 year old tecnology
Daughter 1: 2-3 year old technology
Daughter 2: 3-4 year old technology

My wife basically doesn't care if she has the latest or not. She just accepts it all to humor me. I don't make any appologies to our daughters.

/Jim

 

[axu539]

Being one of the "must have the latest technology" guys... I have methodology that works for me... although it is not the cheapest.

For all of my Apple devices (iMac, MBA, iPad, iPhone), I use the "waterfall technique". I buy myself a new one of each as they are released, and then pass my old one downstream. So, depending on where we are in the (~1 year) technology cycle... we have:

Me: 0-1 year old technology
Wife: 1-2 year old tecnology
Daughter 1: 2-3 year old technology
Daughter 2: 3-4 year old technology

My wife basically doesn't care if she has the latest or not. She just accepts it all to humor me. I don't make any appologies to our daughters.

/Jim

I'll definitely keep this in mind for when I actually have a family haha. Problem with your methodology, though, is that for most people, there aren't 4 people, essentially, to share the costs of a purchase. You can justify your purchases by just saying "4 people are going to be using it, so it's really not THAT expensive." For those of us not in that kind of situation, we'd really like to pad the purchase just a little bit by trying to sell the older model.