Refurbished MB air question

[riveting]

Hello,

Apple canada site has the refurbished Macbook air rev. A base model for CAD$1099, I am very interested in ordering the MB air for my wife, had bought the dell mini 9 from bestbuy, but I know that she'd perfer the MB air much more. However, I never had a Mac before so I really have a few questions before pulling the trigger,

1.I read some overheating issue about Rev. A Macbook air, how common is this problem, does it applies for these apple refurbish MB air product and does apple solved this problem? This is really my major concern about this product.

2. I am abit flexible in buying time, will there likely be any better options/price for MB air if I wait till back-to-school time? I know that I can get a new macbook w/ educational discount and got an ipod touch for free (after MIR), but is that usually a better deal than refurbished product? does apple offer any discount on refurbished product at back to school time?

2. I most likely have to run window besides OS-X because I have softwares for windows but not Macs, I know I can run windows through bootcamp, but any known bugs of XP and vista I need to aware of?

4. Is that worth to pay $250 extra for the 64GB SSD version, I am a bit of worried about the speed of the 4200rpm (more than the CPU or graphics), how much difference does it make in real life?


Thanks very much

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I read some overheating issue about Rev. A Macbook air, how common is this problem, does it applies for these apple refurbish MB air product and does apple solved this problem? This is really my major concern about this product.

I have a Rev A refurb and have not experienced the overheating issue. Most likely, any refurb you get will be much less likely to experience these kinds of issues since they have been fixed and QA'd to death before they are re-sold.

I am abit flexible in buying time, will there likely be any better options/price for MB air if I wait till back-to-school time? I know that I can get a new macbook w/ educational discount and got an ipod touch for free (after MIR), but is that usually a better deal than refurbished product? does apple offer any discount on refurbished product at back to school time?

Your free iPod + educational discount won't likely match the price difference between a new MBA and a refurb one, but if you need/want an iPod it might be worth it.

I most likely have to run window besides OS-X because I have softwares for windows but not Macs, I know I can run windows through bootcamp, but any known bugs of XP and vista I need to aware of?

I run VMware Fusion on my iMac (Windows 7 Beta) and my Mac Pro (Windows XP) and it runs just as (if not more) smoothly as most PCs I've used.

Is that worth to pay $250 extra for the 64GB SSD version, I am a bit of worried about the speed of the 4200rpm (more than the CPU or graphics), how much difference does it make in real life?

I can't really answer this objectively because I haven't used the SSD MBA extensively, but my MBA with the HDD runs very well. The SSD might run a little better, but unless you are trying to do something intensive, you may not notice.

 

[mshaf]

Bought my MBA refurb about 1 month ago. No problems with overheating at all. Screen and build are perfect. Love this machine. You wont regret it! I have HDD too and find it soo much snappier than my Windows PC with a more powerful processor

 

[Miker2k]

I got mine three weeks ago and love it. HD video on Hulu (only Hulu though) heats it up pretty quick but with Coolbook I am able to keep it manageable (85 ish degrees @ 6.5k rpm). The screen is amazing, the build is very solid. It's much more enjoyable to use than my previous Windows laptops.

 

[Scottsdale]

Figure in Cool Book software. Also, assume you know about past issues and that you are ok with its problematic video performance. If you are aware, and she doesn't plan to use too heavily, then give it a try.

 

[Maks]

I picked up a used MBA Rev A that was made in August and have had no problems with it. I use it mainly for work travel and when running a number of apps I've never had an overheating problem. Entourage/Word/Powerpoint/Firefox all running without issues. I've also watched full screen youtube videos with no signs of overheating. It seems the people who had overheating issues had some of the earlier models, you should be fine w/a refurb.

The HDD is a little slow, but nothing horrible. I personally wouldn't sacrifice the space on the 64m SSD for the added read speed. It will be a far more capable machine than the Dell mini 9, plus it has a full size keyboard. It's a good deal for the price, IMO, as long as you aren't expecting a powerhouse of a machine.

 

[wetrix]

4. Is that worth to pay $250 extra for the 64GB SSD version, I am a bit of worried about the speed of the 4200rpm (more than the CPU or graphics), how much difference does it make in real life?

OH YEAH!

The SSD is worth every penny. Once you've gone SSD, you'll never go back.

 

[riveting]

Thanks all for your suggestions/opionions. I returned my mini 9 yesterday. Called apple today trying to ask whether the printer promotion works with refurbished macbook air, ended up placing my order over the phone. I bought the HDD model with the MX-300 printer (the printer is free after $100 rebate, but the printer only sells $43 at local stores) and hope I won't regret did not spend $250 more for the SDD.

The price difference is too much to stretch for Rev. B. Anyway, I am crossing-finger and waiting for the Macbook air, this will be our (me and my wife)'s first Mac, let's see how it works out.

PS: I have considered the regular unibody macbook, it is actually $100 more expensive than the Rev. A air, but for my wife's use, I know she will prefer the form factor and maybe the better screen, keyboard more than the performance difference, optical drive and more ports. Plus, I don't think the performance difference is like night and day. My only concern is just the overheating issue, I read many of the problem but many people bought the refurbished also claims no problems with theirs, so I hope I got one of the no problem one.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

...My only concern is just the overheating issue, I read many of the problem but many people bought the refurbished also claims no problems with theirs, so I hope I got one of the no problem one.

If you do experience problems with your new MBA, do not hesitate to make an appointment at your local Apple Store and take it in. They will fix or replace it.

 

[still in school]

I have one and i love it. Never regretted getting it. This is my first Mac, so there's still much to learn but I'm enjoying every bit of it. Especially the FAST wake from sleep mode.

 

[Miker2k]

I have one and i love it. Never regretted getting it. This is my first Mac, so there's still much to learn but I'm enjoying every bit of it. Especially the FAST wake from sleep mode.

By fast you of course mean ... Don't blink or you'll miss is fast? I love this thing. Not only is the hardware extremely sexy and sleek but OSX just puts it over the top. I am a believer.

 

[still in school]

By fast you of course mean ... Don't blink or you'll miss is fast? I love this thing. Not only is the hardware extremely sexy and sleek but OSX just puts it over the top. I am a believer.

LOL yes. i remember my last Lenovo notebook with vista on it... i would have to sit there and wait so long that i would sit there and shake my mouse vigorously