Macbook Air, "Best ever Mac" Buy Now!!!

[Checksix2x]

The air is certainly a very capable machine for that task. I'd say the sound, for the size, is better than expected but is only really loud enough for being right in front of the machine.

without knowing anything about this person, I'm wondering if a laptop is the way to go. does she need portability? also, most laptop screens are pretty dense, small letters. maybe a base Mini and a low DPI monitor would be a better fit? There are a wide variety of 27", 1920 by 1080 monitors. that will have some pretty big pixels, so easier to read. and a better size for watching TV, movies... Should that become a thing. Add some external speakers that it the space the computer is in. and a desktop system would be more, set it and forget it. with a laptop, you are potentially dealing with having to plug and unplug things, wireless connection issues...

alternately, going off the experience of some of my own older relatives, this might be a good fit for an iPad. built in camera for FaceTime. I've kept my parents in Macintoshes for 17 years now and they are still more comfortable with the iPad, and especially with Words with Friends. and to that, you could add an adjustable arm mount, next to the comfortable chair, so she could use it without having to hold it up.

Thanks for your input! She seems to be very comfortable with a laptop, but a little apprehensive using an iPad (her sons have them). They've talked to her about how versatile they are, but she seems to really enjoy a laptop over the iPad. Her vision isn't a problem - she's more than capable of seeing even the smallest details and has never worn glasses. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get her the Air.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[617660]

I have to disagree with you. My wife has one and I wouldn't have one. The keys feel cheap compared to the Air and it's hard to type on. The screen is too small for me. The trackpad is funky and the M core processor just doesn't have enough power to do what I need. I've looked at the Pro and they're clunky. The Air just fits what I need and I don't have a problem with the screen. I hope they will keep it in the line up. If not, maybe the newer, rumored thinner Pro's will do. But the Macbook just won't do what I need.

I completely agree with you there. However, the writing is on the wall. The replacement for MacBook Air is the MacBook.

I will be keeping my MacBook Air for as long as possible. I just can't get by with the new butterfly keyboard.

 

[RyawesomeU13]

I bought the late 2010 MacBook air when it was announced by Steve Jobs. Coming from windows computers it was a bit of a learning experience adjusting to the different os. It ran flawlessly for me for 3 years at which point I decided I really was a windows guy and always wanted an alienware. Well, lucky for me (I thought) I was able to trade for a m14x alienware, it was a beast for what it was but it had a crap screen, was super heavy, ran very hot, and I ultimately hated it, I didn't game much anyways. Thought I was always a windows guy and bought the surface pro 4 when it came out, hoping it would be like a newer better MacBook air, I always missed my 2010. Well, after a crap year with that thing having horrible battery drain, many glitches, and all sorts of issues (a very nice screen though) I decided I'd give apple another try since I love my iPhone and iPad. picked up a 2013 MacBook pro 15 for a smoking deal on kijiji. Absolutely loved it and the iMessage and other iCloud integration. My wife needed a computer so I decided that I'd get her a MacBook air. Found a good deal on a 6 month old base one, 128gb, 4gb ram, etc, and was super impressed how well they have aged. I loved that computer so much I bought another one I found, same specs, early 2015, with only 12 cycles on the battery. My MBPr15 is my main work computer however my mba 13 is my travel and home computer. Is the screen lower res and finicky with viewing angles, yes. Did it take some getting used to after using my retina one, yes again. But, honestly i'm used to it now and the distance I sit back from my computer, the screen doesn't bother me, after I increased size of fonts in a few programs. I read reviews talking about the MacBook air as the best laptop ever made for a number of years, and, to me, it is. I supposed the new MacBook pro nonTB would be a better machine but hey, I paid less than 1/3 of what that would cost, since I also didn't pay tax on a used computer. It doesn't have the processing power or gpu of a larger MacBook nor is it a gaming machine, but it is an amazing computer that seldom gets even warm on the bottom, is a pleasure to type on, and the trackpad is unbeatable. I recommend the MacBook air to all my family members looking for a computer however they usually fall to the temptation of cheap dells or toshibas and typically within a year, dying batteries, faulty keyboards, and all sorts of other quality control issues.

 

[Osty]

I bought the late 2010 MacBook air when it was announced by Steve Jobs. Coming from windows computers it was a bit of a learning experience adjusting to the different os. It ran flawlessly for me for 3 years at which point I decided I really was a windows guy and always wanted an alienware. Well, lucky for me (I thought) I was able to trade for a m14x alienware, it was a beast for what it was but it had a crap screen, was super heavy, ran very hot, and I ultimately hated it, I didn't game much anyways. Thought I was always a windows guy and bought the surface pro 4 when it came out, hoping it would be like a newer better MacBook air, I always missed my 2010. Well, after a crap year with that thing having horrible battery drain, many glitches, and all sorts of issues (a very nice screen though) I decided I'd give apple another try since I love my iPhone and iPad. picked up a 2013 MacBook pro 15 for a smoking deal on kijiji. Absolutely loved it and the iMessage and other iCloud integration. My wife needed a computer so I decided that I'd get her a MacBook air. Found a good deal on a 6 month old base one, 128gb, 4gb ram, etc, and was super impressed how well they have aged. I loved that computer so much I bought another one I found, same specs, early 2015, with only 12 cycles on the battery. My MBPr15 is my main work computer however my mba 13 is my travel and home computer. Is the screen lower res and finicky with viewing angles, yes. Did it take some getting used to after using my retina one, yes again. But, honestly i'm used to it now and the distance I sit back from my computer, the screen doesn't bother me, after I increased size of fonts in a few programs. I read reviews talking about the MacBook air as the best laptop ever made for a number of years, and, to me, it is. I supposed the new MacBook pro nonTB would be a better machine but hey, I paid less than 1/3 of what that would cost, since I also didn't pay tax on a used computer. It doesn't have the processing power or gpu of a larger MacBook nor is it a gaming machine, but it is an amazing computer that seldom gets even warm on the bottom, is a pleasure to type on, and the trackpad is unbeatable. I recommend the MacBook air to all my family members looking for a computer however they usually fall to the temptation of cheap dells or toshibas and typically within a year, dying batteries, faulty keyboards, and all sorts of other quality control issues.

Mate, great post but for the love of white space!!!

 

[RyawesomeU13]

Mate, great post but for the love of white space!!!

And that's the condensed version .

 

[michaelsviews]

I had several MBA's. Decent machines, but, I certainly enjoy my MB more. More portable, lighter, way way way better screen. Not saying the MBA's are bad, as they are certainly great machines. Just my perspective.

Your too funny just trolling along

Macbook Air best computer Apples put out. Not sure WTF there thinking with those macbooks, shame allot of returns and seems they never sell in the refurbished section either. Maybe if they get a refresh with a better processor. Seems like its good for small every day task's email web.

 

[capathy21]

Your too funny just trolling along

Macbook Air best computer Apples put out. Not sure WTF there thinking with those macbooks, shame allot of returns and seems they never sell in the refurbished section either. Maybe if they get a refresh with a better processor. Seems like its good for small every day task's email web.

I used to agree with you until I tried one. I have the 2015 base model and it handles any task that my 2013 MacBook Air handled. The 2016 has improved performance which is on par with the newest MacBook Air. I run windows through Virtual Box while running several other programs and many browser tabs without a hitch. It really is an underrated machine. That being said, I will always miss the battery life of the 13 MBA along with the keyboard.

 

[michaelsviews]

I used to agree with you until I tried one. I have the 2015 base model and it handles any task that my 2013 MacBook Air handled. The 2016 has improved performance which is on par with the newest MacBook Air. I run windows through Virtual Box while running several other programs and many browser tabs without a hitch. It really is an underrated machine. That being said, I will always miss the battery life of the 13 MBA along with the keyboard.

I'll still take a MBA over that Macbook. Keyboard and processor, battery life just not for me. Heh if you like it great. What works for one may not work for others obviously.

 

[Osty]

I will always miss the battery life of the 13 MBA along with the keyboard

For an ultrabook my most import selection points are:

1. Keyboard (I'm a professional writer)
2. Battery life
3. Weight

The MBA wins hands down on points 1 and 2. The MacBook keyboard is awful; maybe it feels like a luxury for kids who're growing up typing on glass. As for battery life...how bloody stupid is it to promote this device as the laptop for the wireless world and then give it less battery life than the device it's meant to replace.

As for weight, I don't regard the 430 gram difference (13 inch model) as being a significant advantage when it comes at the expense of points 1 and 2.

When you also consider the MacBook Air has better IO, Magsafe and is $500 cheaper in my country it really isn't a contest at all.

I'm not about to tell others what they should do or think but for me and a great many people on this forum the Air represents an outstanding mix of value, portability, and power.

 

[kiwipeso1]

Almost every posting on this little machine has a complement in it. Battery life, ports, reliability, computing power etc. etc..

So just to add to the soup - my biggest dislike is not in any way the fault of the MBA.

Why can I not have a browser setup that recognises the shallow screen and enables the ability to dump/hide the mostly unnecessary stuff. e.g.. the top of this page I am writing on. I cannot CMD+ because it mucks up the next page. I know some browsers have a simplified version for the little stuff; iPhones etc. so why not the MBA and the shallow screens? I recognise this is out of sync. with the OP but it shows (to me) how hard I have to look to be critical.

It seems most find many things to suite them with the "deal breaker" being an individual need that life is just no good without.

Nothing is perfect (ask God; he, she, it knows).So I reiterate my earlier thought.

The modern MBA is IMO the nearest to bestest there is at the moment; apart from that 24hr, 500ppi - in eye display, mind reading one you keep behind your left ear that I heard of which obviously should be behind your 'right' ear - idiot designers. DUH!!!

Regards

Sharkey

You mean fullscreen mode ? Or hide parts of the interface like bookmarks bar and toolbar always shown in fullscreen ?
That is part of the view menu in chrome.

 

[Pugly]

Almost every posting on this little machine has a complement in it. Battery life, ports, reliability, computing power etc. etc..

So just to add to the soup - my biggest dislike is not in any way the fault of the MBA.

Why can I not have a browser setup that recognises the shallow screen and enables the ability to dump/hide the mostly unnecessary stuff. e.g.. the top of this page I am writing on. I cannot CMD+ because it mucks up the next page. I know some browsers have a simplified version for the little stuff; iPhones etc. so why not the MBA and the shallow screens? I recognise this is out of sync. with the OP but it shows (to me) how hard I have to look to be critical.

It seems most find many things to suite them with the "deal breaker" being an individual need that life is just no good without.

Nothing is perfect (ask God; he, she, it knows).So I reiterate my earlier thought.

The modern MBA is IMO the nearest to bestest there is at the moment; apart from that 24hr, 500ppi - in eye display, mind reading one you keep behind your left ear that I heard of which obviously should be behind your 'right' ear - idiot designers. DUH!!!

Regards

Sharkey

You mean fullscreen mode ? Or hide parts of the interface like bookmarks bar and toolbar always shown in fullscreen ?
That is part of the view menu in chrome.

I have the solution... you can disable the toolbar in full screen. View-> disable toolbar in full screen. I've turned this on and have never looked back.

On an 11" it really helps make the space usable. That's one thing I like about tablets, they often lose the interface and just let the content show... and macOS has integrated many of these features splendidly.

 

[Stefanyaj]

Can someone suggested me..
I know maybe it wont be subjective because most of the people here love MBA

My condition, I have MBP 13" late 2011/early 2012 I forgot,4Gb ram, 2,2 Gz, HD 500Gb still working until now. Sometimes I need to do things at home for work but I'm very lazy to bring my MBP mobile, since it's so heavy.

At first I'm thinking to buy some cheap windows hybrid so I can use the laptop easily wherever I want.
But then, I remember that my work often needs photoshop and imovie to do video editing so I think Intel Atom/Celeron wouldn't be a wise choice. But then when I look for i3,i5 most of the laptop has bigger screen than 12". The smaller one, has quite expensive price. With those bigger screen budget, I realized I can buy also MacBook Air 11".

I need your advice, whether it's a wise choice to buy MBA 11" 128Gb, 4Gb ram since it's the cheapest and the most suitable for me, since I think MBA 13" maybe still too big for me.
Oh and I live in Indonesia, so I don't think I am able to buy a refurbished one

Thank you.
Really appreciate your help

 

[Osty]

Can someone suggested me..
I know maybe it wont be subjective because most of the people here love MBA

My condition, I have MBP 13" late 2011/early 2012 I forgot,4Gb ram, 2,2 Gz, HD 500Gb still working until now. Sometimes I need to do things at home for work but I'm very lazy to bring my MBP mobile, since it's so heavy.

At first I'm thinking to buy some cheap windows hybrid so I can use the laptop easily wherever I want.
But then, I remember that my work often needs photoshop and imovie to do video editing so I think Intel Atom/Celeron wouldn't be a wise choice. But then when I look for i3,i5 most of the laptop has bigger screen than 12". The smaller one, has quite expensive price. With those bigger screen budget, I realized I can buy also MacBook Air 11".

I need your advice, whether it's a wise choice to buy MBA 11" 128Gb, 4Gb ram since it's the cheapest and the most suitable for me, since I think MBA 13" maybe still too big for me.
Oh and I live in Indonesia, so I don't think I am able to buy a refurbished one

Thank you.
Really appreciate your help

Mate, my money would be on a 2015 11 inch Air if you can find one. Would suit your listed needs very well.

 

[Stefanyaj]

Mate, my money would be on a 2015 11 inch Air if you can find one. Would suit your listed needs very well.

Thank you for your reply!!
Is it better the 256GB or actually 128 is enough?
I will use my external hard disk also..
THank you.

 

[Reality4711]

Thank you for your reply!!
Is it better the 256GB or actually 128 is enough?
I will use my external hard disk also..
THank you.

In all things with MACS - Max it if you can!

 

[Stefanyaj]

In all things with MACS - Max it if you can!

Thanks!!

 

[Osty]

Thank you for your reply!!
Is it better the 256GB or actually 128 is enough?
I will use my external hard disk also..
THank you.

In all things with MACS - Max it if you can!

Short answer is yes: @Reality4711 said it best.

Slightly longer answer is it depends on your needs and budget. Remember too that the Macbook Air can be upgraded with an after-market SSD from OWC.

 

[sracer]

Short answer is yes: @Reality4711 said it best.

Slightly longer answer is it depends on your needs and budget. Remember too that the Macbook Air can be upgraded with an after-market SSD from OWC.

Are those aftermarket SSDs as good as the ones from Apple? and what is the price of that SSD compared to the difference in price between the 128 and 256 GB models? It could be more cost effective to simply buy the higher capacity model.

As to whether or not 128GB will be sufficient for @Stefanyaj , it depends upon what they'll use it for. If it's going to be their primary system, then I would recommend 256. OSX/macOS has a very efficient footprint. On my 4GB/128GB 11" MBA, with Sierra Installed, a bunch of office suites (iWorks/iWorks'09/MS Office 2011), reference software, iMovie, and my assorted mix of content creation apps, I have around 88GB free. That's crazy (in a good way). I keep my media (music/videos/photos) on my thumbdrive. But the MBA is NOT my primary system.

The 11" MBA does NOT contain an SD card slot (the 13" does) so that makes expanding storage a bit trickier. I use a 64GB Sandisk nano USB stick that barely sticks out from the usb port to supplement the internal storage.

 

[Crazy Badger]

I've had 3 MBA's, starting with a base 2008 model (the very first one which came with a 80GB HDD, but was upgraded to a 128GB SSD), then a maxed out 2010 (256GB SSD and 4GB RAM but no backlit keyboard ) and a maxed out 2013 (512GB SSD and 8GB RAM). I'm now using a MacBook (512GB SSD and 8GB RAM) and whilst I'm still struggling with the keyboard a little, the size and screen more than make up for that. It's very similar in performance to the 2013 MBA and the single USB-C port hasn't really caused me any issues, yet!

Not sure if the MBA is the 'best ever mac' but it must be up there. I still don't understand why Apple didn't put a decent screen into it, as that was all that kept me from buying another one last year.

I still have the 2013 and 2010 MBA's though. My partner uses the newest one, and I've been playing around with Linux and FreeBSD on the older one, which is still more than capable of basic office stuff and web browsing even though it's over 6 years old.

 

[Osty]

Are those aftermarket SSDs as good as the ones from Apple? and what is the price of that SSD compared to the difference in price between the 128 and 256 GB models? It could be more cost effective to simply buy the higher capacity model.

They're not as fast I believe but that largely depends on the SSD controller on the motherboard. OWC is reliable and they have a great warranty and customer service.

I pointed this out as an option to consider; go into it with eyes wide open as there are fors and againsts!

As to whether or not 128GB will be sufficient for @Stefanyaj , it depends upon what they'll use it for. If it's going to be their primary system, then I would recommend 256. OSX/macOS has a very efficient footprint. On my 4GB/128GB 11" MBA, with Sierra Installed, a bunch of office suites (iWorks/iWorks'09/MS Office 2011), reference software, iMovie, and my assorted mix of content creation apps, I have around 88GB free. That's crazy (in a good way). I keep my media (music/videos/photos) on my thumbdrive. But the MBA is NOT my primary system.

Agreed.

I have 128GB in mine, but my needs are light. I mostly use it for writing and light development (python, php and web) so apart from the OS and stock apps I only have productivity apps and text editors.

All my media, iPhotos and big project files are stored on my Mac mini, which I mostly use as a server and occassionally a work station.

The 11" MBA does NOT contain an SD card slot (the 13" does) so that makes expanding storage a bit trickier. I use a 64GB Sandisk nano USB stick that barely sticks out from the usb port to supplement the internal storage.

That's why I bought a 13 inch- the SD card is super useful for extra storage and flashing Raspberry Pi cards. I have one of those San Disk USB sticks too.

 

[cincygolfgrrl]

Thank you for your reply!!
Is it better the 256GB or actually 128 is enough?
I will use my external hard disk also..
THank you.

If you're using an external disk 128 is more than enough. Enjoy your new machine.

 

[Stefanyaj]

Thank you everyone for your reply.
It turns out that my brother said He doesn't use his MBA. He has MBA 13", but it's mid 2011 tho.. And I think He really never uses it since the OS is still Lion.
I have another question. Is it fine to update to Sierra? Since I'm using CS5, or will it giving me a hard time?
What's the benefit in Sierra?
THank you so much

 

[kiwipeso1]

Thank you everyone for your reply.
It turns out that my brother said He doesn't use his MBA. He has MBA 13", but it's mid 2011 tho.. And I think He really never uses it since the OS is still Lion.
I have another question. Is it fine to update to Sierra? Since I'm using CS5, or will it giving me a hard time?
What's the benefit in Sierra?
THank you so much

Anything 2011 will run Sierra no problems. The only thing is that the 2011 models are the last to still have USB 2, but they do have thunderbolt 1. This means you can still get it to run USB 3 by a thunderbolt 1 or 2 dock (2 is backwards compatible with 1, it will just run at TB 1 speeds of 10 gb/s both ways, rather than 20 gb/s single way.)
With a TB dock, you can get HDMI, gigabit ethernet and a few USB ports, along with audio in/out. Some docks also have firewire or SD card slots.
I would advise you to get Sierra for free on the app store if you have the traffic, or get a friend to make a USB installer if you've got not enough traffic / need to do a clean install from scratch. (which may be a good idea.)

You will find that it should be capable of running fast enough for Sierra, and most professional programs run fast once loaded. It is best to keep them in sleep unless you take it away from power for a long time, which may depend on battery life. (You may still be fine on battery cycles though, but batteries are cheap currently as people start trading them in.)
California and Turkey require support for 7 years rather than the end of 5 years elsewhere, so you should be able to get parts from California until end of 2018.

 

[Reality4711]

Thank you everyone for your reply.
It turns out that my brother said He doesn't use his MBA. He has MBA 13", but it's mid 2011 tho.. And I think He really never uses it since the OS is still Lion.
I have another question. Is it fine to update to Sierra? Since I'm using CS5, or will it giving me a hard time?
What's the benefit in Sierra?
THank you so much

Sierra will give a lot if you are into cloud/siri syncing etc. with some newer facilities, in Mail, for instance not working without it. CS5 however, if I remember correctly, will run on Lion very well. Mountain Lion memory serves was a little sharper with CS5 and took less space up on the HD.

I have found over the years that the further down the OS upgrade route I went with an older machine the more sluggish and quirky it became - just my observation. I have no historical proof or examples though.

Regards. Sharkey

 

[cincygolfgrrl]

Is it fine to update to Sierra? Since I'm using CS5, or will it giving me a hard time?
What's the benefit in Sierra?
THank you so much

My mid-2011 MBA runs Sierra with no difficulties. Among the benefits of upgrading to the latest OS are you'll have the latest features available, some of which are pretty good (split screen is my favorite) and newer apps will work as promised by the developer (they might not on Lion).