Is it still worth to buy 2017 MacBook Air or Wait Till 2018

[Birdflys]

Hey Fellow Members,

I've been looking for an answer for quite some time and I am grateful to you for having me here:

1. Is there any news or do you have any idea is Apple going to to release an update about Macbook Air in June 2018?

2. Is it still worth to buy 2017 MacBook Air 13in
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
1.8Ghz intel i5

or should I wait till June 2018 ?

I want to buy Macbook Air for video editing (1080p videos), is it a wise decision?

 

[redgreenski]

It depends how much money you have and how soon you need your laptop.
I recently spilled H2O on my 3.5 year old Air so I needed something ASAP and so I got 2017 MBA.
If I could have waited till mid June 2018 then maybe I would have since new MacBook Pro 2018 is going to come out with likely better processor and HOPEFULLY a working keyboard.

Now in terms of MBA 2017, I like it, having actual ports feels great. In terms of video editing power I can't give you much advise since I don't do those.

 

[sracer]

Hey Fellow Members,

I've been looking for an answer for quite some time and I am grateful to you for having me here:

1. Is there any news or do you have any idea is Apple going to to release an update about Macbook Air in June 2018?

2. Is it still worth to buy 2017 MacBook Air 13in
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
1.8Ghz intel i5

or should I wait till June 2018 ?

I want to buy Macbook Air for video editing (1080p videos), is it a wise decision?

"video editing" is a broad category. I regularly edit video on my 2014 11" MBA 4G/128GB. It is fine for the type of editing that I do... for others it would be impossible to use that system.

But in terms of buying an Macbook Air now or waiting, IMO the only deciding factor at this point is price. Never pay full MSRP for a new MBA. Best Buy regularly has sales on the Air... anything in the $200-$250 off range pretty standard.

 

[Boyd01]

Seems more likely that it will be discontinued in 2018 instead of updated. But then maybe you can get a good price on a refurb 2017 MBA. You can certainly edit video, I was doing it on my 2011 13" MBA with only 4gb RAM. Also works very will on my 2013 11" i7 8gb MBA. But if video editing is your main interest, it's probably not a very good choice.

One of the big limitations is that you can only attach one external monitor, and it ties up your only thunderbolt port when connected.

 

[Birdflys]

"video editing" is a broad category. I regularly edit video on my 2014 11" MBA 4G/128GB. It is fine for the type of editing that I do... for others it would be impossible to use that system.

But in terms of buying an Macbook Air now or waiting, IMO the only deciding factor at this point is price. Never pay full MSRP for a new MBA. Best Buy regularly has sales on the Air... anything in the $200-$250 off range pretty standard.

1. The first answer to your question is I need to edit YT video, do you use it for same purpose?

>But in terms of buying an Macbook Air now or waiting, IMO the only deciding factor at this point is price.
2. This is one of my concerns, the current price of MBA doesn't justify, If we compare the specs so I was wondering (asked as well in my thread) Is there any hope that Apple is going to release an update in 2018. After 2015 the next update came in 2017 for 13" MBA . If Apple has no plans then I'd go for 2017 MBA and in case if they have any plan then I may consider waiting till Jun 2018.

What do you say about that?

Thank you

 

[sracer]

1. The first answer to your question is I need to edit YT video, do you use it for same purpose?

Yes, I do. But I'm not doing any 4K stuff.

>But in terms of buying an Macbook Air now or waiting, IMO the only deciding factor at this point is price.
2. This is one of my concerns, the current price of MBA doesn't justify, If we compare the specs so I was wondering (asked as well in my thread) Is there any hope that Apple is going to release an update in 2018. After 2015 the next update came in 2017 for 13" MBA . If Apple has no plans then I'd go for 2017 MBA and in case if they have any plan then I may consider waiting till Jun 2018.

What do you say about that?

Thank you

Obviously none of us know for sure what the future holds for the MBA. But my guess is that even if Apple bumps up the processor, it won't be a noticeable difference. As @Boyd01 stated, it is more likely that the MBA will be discontinued in 2018. If I didn't already own an MBA and was in the market for one, I would buy one as soon as there is a sale in the $200-$250 off range.

 

[Birdflys]

Your comment makes sense. I was also wondering that Apple has not much choice here when it comes to MBA. My speculation is: they may release an update for MBA but it'll be a minor update because they can't update much in terms of hardware otherwise they will have to increase the price and the point is they can't increase the price otherwise the premise behind the concept of MBA will be gone and students or people who buy MBA because it is MBA not a high end pricey pro machine can't buy it. Does it make sense?

Yes, I do. But I'm not doing any 4K stuff.

1. I actually do not have any concern with 4k. All I want to render is 1080p video, hope you're also doing the same (and not 720p isn't?)

2. Would you please tell me how much time your MBA (2014 11" MBA 4G/128GB) takes to render a 5 mins video?

3. Which software do you use iMovie or Final Cut Pro? If you use FCP then how much HDD space is left?

Do you use any effect or just use the raw footage (I won't ask to share your YT video link but if you'd like then it's be great and I will have much better understanding)?

I am so grateful to you for answering my question, it's great help and also it'll be much helpful to others in the world who are in the same situation

 

[maerz001]

After 2015 the next update came in 2017 for 13" MBA . If Apple has no plans then I'd go for 2017 MBA and in case if they have any plan then I may consider waiting till Jun 2018.

What do you say about that?

Thank you

I wouldn't call the 2017 an update. They only bumped the i5 a tiny bit while still same old generation. Probably cos intel wasn't producing it anymore. The rest stayed the same.

So u can also just buy a 2015 model to save money. But for video I would recommend a rMBP. For 800 u should also find a 2015 model

 

[sracer]

Your comment makes sense. I was also wondering that Apple has not much choice here when it comes to MBA. My speculation is: they may release an update for MBA but it'll be a minor update because they can't update much in terms of hardware otherwise they will have to increase the price and the point is they can't increase the price otherwise the premise behind the concept of MBA will be gone and students or people who buy MBA because it is MBA not a high end pricey pro machine can't buy it. Does it make sense?

Just speculation on my part (but based on my experience in this field), but one possible reason why Apple keeps the MBA around is to "shore up" the price of the rMB and MBP. Without the MBA, there would be market pressure to drop the prices on the rMB and MBP. That would undo the work that Apple did to INCREASE the price on the MBP by providing some models with the touchbar at higher prices.

IMO the MBA will be safe from being discontinued until Apple can get profit margins up on the other macbooks to compensation for having to lower the price on those.

1. I actually do not have any concern with 4k. All I want to render is 1080p video, hope you're also doing the same (and not 720p isn't?)

2. Would you please tell me how much time your MBA (2014 11" MBA 4G/128GB) takes to render a 5 mins video?

3. Which software do you use iMovie or Final Cut Pro? If you use FCP then how much HDD space is left?

Do you use any effect or just use the raw footage (I won't ask to share your YT video link but if you'd like then it's be great and I will have much better understanding)?

I am so grateful to you for answering my question, it's great help and also it'll be much helpful to others in the world who are in the same situation

Here are some answers, generally speaking because I do a variety of encoding...

1. Mostly 720, some 1080 videos.
2. I've never formally timed it, but I estimate that 5 minute video on my 11" MBA takes about 2 minutes or so.
3. I use iMovie.
I use various effects that sometimes require multiple passes, such as composite green-screening and such.

Respectfully, I think you might be overthinking this.

The current Macbook Airs are roughly the same (processing-wise) as the low-end iMacs. I see only a slight difference in processing video on my 11" MBA as compared to my 21" iMac. The iMac is faster, which I attribute to the 8GB of RAM rather than the 4GB in the MBA. (that shouldn't be an issue now, because all new MBAs come with 8GB RAM)

Many of us Apple customers are susceptible to doubt, uncertainty, and fear when it comes to Apple products. Myself included! We don't want to "miss out" on something by not getting the next tier storage capacity, or AppleCare, or a full case/cover, etc.

Every macOS device that Apple currently sells is very capable for performing "non-professional" tasks. Just because Apple sells a faster, more capable device (Macbook Pro) doesn't render the MBA useless. It's the difference between viewing things as "good and better" vs. "bad and good".

Having said that, if you really are that concerned about the performance and capabilities of the Macbook Air for your needs, then don't buy one. Kick in the extra and buy a Macbook Pro. Because if a person has lingering doubts and concerns, they will never be content, and wonder about "the path not chosen".

 

[Anas Dilshad]

Its all depends on you how you can see all this scene. If you have enough money and try to use the latest one then why not, you should wait till 2018, otherwise you stay for MacBook Air 2017

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Its really not either get a MacBook if your use case is light or get the nTB MBP if you need more ports and performance (this is the natural successor to the 13 inch air and really should have replaced it in my eyes)

 

[lambertjohn]

Hey Fellow Members,

I've been looking for an answer for quite some time and I am grateful to you for having me here:

1. Is there any news or do you have any idea is Apple going to to release an update about Macbook Air in June 2018?

2. Is it still worth to buy 2017 MacBook Air 13in
8GB RAM
128GB SSD
1.8Ghz intel i5

or should I wait till June 2018 ?

I want to buy Macbook Air for video editing (1080p videos), is it a wise decision?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say there probably won't be a 2018 Air. Judging by the very minor upgrades over the years with the Air (mostly just CPU speed,) I think now is a great time to buy one.

 

[Pugly]

An Air doesn't seem like a great deal anymore... but if you NEED a mac, and want to get the cheapest/most conventional option, it'll do.

I don't see the the Air getting any better though, so might as well just get one now if you want one.

I'd wait to see if next years MacBook Pros go down in price at all. Next year they should get the new quad core 15watt chips, which will be a good boost compared to the current 13 MBP and Airs.