The "I just bought/ordered/got/shipped my new/refurb MBA" thread, [Merged]

[MacRazySwe]

Happy to be posting here once again!

Last time, was back in 2011 when I purchased my first MacBook Air. A computer which I loved. Then came the Retina-hype, so I sold it for a new 2013 Retina MacBook Pro.

While the display of the Pro was indeed fantastic, I did end up with a computer that was not only thicker and heavier, it also ran warm with fans spinning up easily. Needless to say, the Retina MacBook Pro never had the same charm to me and in many ways felt like a step backwards from the MacBook Air.

Five years later - Apple have finally made the computer that I have been waiting for.

Would the 2018 MBA have been better with a brighter display and 15w Quad Core processor? Yes, and I even considered returning it for the 2018 MBP for a while. However, after researching the MBP-forums, I can tell that nothing has changed. MBPs still have better displays and more power, at the expense of heat, battery life and fan-noise. I'm not making that same mistake again. Moreover, I love having Touch ID without the annoyance of the Touch Bar.

For me, it's not about numbers. Not about GeekBench scores, Display nits, et.c. It's the experience from actually using it! Otherwise I would be using a PC.

For me as a casual user - a modern computer should be thin. It should be lightweight. It should run silent and cool to the touch.

None of my apps take advantage of Quad Cores. In Single Core performance, which is my day to day usage, this computer actually performs just as well as the MBP. The MBA does this, without the additional weight and thickness (arguably not much these days), without running hot and with 2 hours of extra battery life.

It may not be for everyone, but it has excelled at everything I've thrown at it, and the display brightness (which is equivalent to -2 points from full brightness on a MBP) is a very small price to pay for it.

The 2018 MacBook Air is the best balance based on my criteria.
I went with the 8GB/256GB version in Space Gray.

 

[CrazedVW]

Happy to be posting here once again!
The 2018 MacBook Air is the best balance based on my criteria.
I went with the 8GB/256GB version in Space Gray.

I have to agree with you here. I bought the same model in spec/color. As much as I'd love to be able to have a MBP I'm just not sure my usage justifies the power and price. I've used a 2017 MacBook for the past 14 months and while I greatly appreciated the weight and size in my bag going back and forth to work each day the single port and smaller screen began to become serious annoyances for me. Having used 13" machines for years that extra inch of space really makes a big difference and having an additional port is also huge. (Four would be nice but just like the power, hard to justify for the price.) I was concerned about the slightly dimmer screen but so far at least I feel like the issues I've read with it are overblown. I also find the keyboard to be far superior and more comfortable to type on, not to mention not as loud. Due to Thanksgiving week I've only had a chance to use the Air one day at work so far after buying it Monday night but it seems like it will meet my needs. I used the MacBook for occasional video as well as some photo editing in Pixelmator and found it more than adequate so I don't think the Air will have any issues with that.

 

[ascender]

I got rid of my 11" MBA some time ago and ended up with some MBPs, but due to a change in one of my jobs it was way over-powered for what I needed. I tried the iPad Pro and also a 12" MacBook, but today picked up a 13" Air. It really is a lovely machine. Noticeably snappier and more responsive than the MacBook and not that much bigger/heavier. Its good to be back!

 

[marshallbedsaul]

Pulled the trigger on the new air. Picked up gold with 256hb he. Saved 200.00 with Best Buy holiday pricing. Still not sure if I should get the non Touch Bar MacBook Pro.
My average use light photo/video editing.

 

[CrazedVW]

What is this $200 Best Buy holiday pricing you mention? I haven't seen any discounts on them outside of B&H.

Pulled the trigger on the new air. Picked up gold with 256hb he. Saved 200.00 with Best Buy holiday pricing. Still not sure if I should get the non Touch Bar MacBook Pro.
My average use light photo/video editing.

 

[lambertjohn]

Pulled the trigger on the new air. Picked up gold with 256hb he. Saved 200.00 with Best Buy holiday pricing. Still not sure if I should get the non Touch Bar MacBook Pro.
My average use light photo/video editing.

Best Buy does not have 2018 Airs on sale right now. Can you explain your $200 BB holiday pricing deal, please?

 

[JPH675]

Ordered an 8 GB RAM MacBook Air tonight (11/24) from Apple.com paying full retail price, delivery is shown to be 11/29. Chose Apple.com instead of one of the less expensive Apple Authorized Resellers like Adorama or B&H in case I need to return it because I cannot live with that display coming from an early 2015 retina MacBook.

Really, really want to be satisfied with the MacBook Air but we will see...

Decided to try trading-in my early 2015 base 1.1 MacBook, which I am using to type this post and is my primary laptop. Apple says they will give me $400 for it by refunding $400 on the credit card I used to buy the MacBook Air. Interested in seeing how that works out.

 

[gnairn23]

Consumerism is all about stuff, buy this, buy that, upgrade that… you’re lead to believe what you currently have is never good enough. I am content with my 2017 MacBook Air

 

[ascender]

So, what is it exactly about the form factor of the Air which makes it so nice to use? I know its lighter and a bit smaller than my previous 13" MBP, but it just feels so right.

 

[JPH675]

High school age daughter got the 2017 MBA at $799 this holiday season. Here's why.

-2017 MBA screens are much brighter than the 4x more high-def 2018 MBA screen with mediocre colors. Most of the time displays are dimmed to preserve battery life at school.
-2017 MBA has 2 USB ports for her USB flash drives, SD card reader, Thunderbolt-2 and the terrific mag-safe charger vs. just 2 Thunderbolt-3 ports on 2018 MBA. She needs to carry no adapters or battery charger during the school day.
-The proven 2017 MBA keyboard is flawless vs. the 2018 MBA butterfly keyboard but the 2018 MBA has very cool touch ID.
-2017 MBA has Bluetooth 4.0, which is very close in performance to Bluetooth 4.2 on the 2018 MBA. She can use her AirPods.
-Processor performance is very close in the real world between 2017 and 2018 MBAs.
-Battery life is also really close in the real world, all day for both notebooks with the 2017 MBA proven.
-2017 MBA storage SSD is upgradeable if she needs more, while nothing on the 2018 is upgradeable.
-2018 MBA: 1/4 pound lower weight and smaller size mean very little to her after borrowing her Mother's 2014 MacBook Air for school from time to time. Wife/Mother also bought a 2017 MBA this week.
-Office 2019 for Students will be installed and utilized for school assignments and projects.
-And she simply loves the display lit apple logo when the 2017 MBA is awake.

Daughter thought the 2018 rMBA refresh/update came with too many compromises/losses and is not really worth it for a student taking it to classes everyday, so she wanted 2017 MBA. I like her thinking. Steve Jobs once charged like $3,000 for a new 64 GB SSD MacBook Air back in 2008 and 10 years later it is still a useful multi-port, student Mac notebook for just $799 on sale.

 

[The Samurai]

High school age daughter got the 2017 MBA at $799 this holiday season. Here's why.

-2017 MBA screens are much brighter than the 4x more high-def 2018 MBA screen with mediocre colors. Most of the time displays are dimmed to preserve battery life at school.
-2017 MBA has 2 USB ports for her USB flash drives, SD card reader, Thunderbolt-2 and the terrific mag-safe charger vs. just 2 Thunderbolt-3 ports on 2018 MBA. She needs to carry no adapters or battery charger during the school day.
-The proven 2017 MBA keyboard is flawless vs. the 2018 MBA butterfly keyboard but the 2018 MBA has very cool touch ID.
-2017 MBA has Bluetooth 4.0, which is very close in performance to Bluetooth 4.2 on the 2018 MBA. She can use her AirPods.
-Processor performance is very close in the real world between 2017 and 2018 MBAs.
-Battery life is also really close in the real world, all day for both notebooks with the 2017 MBA proven.
-2017 MBA storage SSD is upgradeable if she needs more, while nothing on the 2018 is upgradeable.
-2018 MBA: 1/4 pound lower weight and smaller size mean very little to her after borrowing her Mother's 2014 MacBook Air for school from time to time. Wife/Mother also bought a 2017 MBA this week.
-Office 2019 for Students will be installed and utilized for school assignments and projects.
-And she simply loves the display lit apple logo when the 2017 MBA is awake.

Daughter thought the 2018 rMBA refresh/update came with too many compromises/losses and is not really worth it for a student taking it to classes everyday, so she wanted 2017 MBA. I like her thinking. Steve Jobs once charged like $3,000 for a new 64 GB SSD MacBook Air back in 2008 and 10 years later it is still a useful multi-port, student Mac notebook for just $799 on sale.

Good on you, nice one.

It's a shame they completely screwed on pricing with this model. The 2018 is ri-cock-ulously priced. $799 is the sweet spot for the majority of the buyers i.e. school/colleges. As has been said by many commentators, their Macbook range is a cluster-f at the moment, who knows what they are up to.

 

[glycerine00]

I was talking myself into getting one but had fear of the screen (went to test it in person twice in different stores) and the keyboards, plus the one I wanted would be the 256 gb (or even 512) version, pref 16 gb ram... way too expensive for my budget.

But on Cyber Monday I scored a great deal! In my country there is barely ever a promotion on new MacBooks, so when I opened up a the site of a chain here (where I normally never order Apple gear) there was a 10% discount on MacBooks and iPad.

I thought about getting the 256/8 as there was a ten percent discount on this model (normally costs € 1599 here..), but I felt uncomfortable with the price as again, I had doubts. In the end I decided to go for it and ended up buying the base model which was already reduced in price from 1349 to € 1214 (one day only? I don't know, it's already back up)

With the 10 % off I ended up paying €1092.60... Which I felt comfortable with as I knew I wouldn't find that deal anywhere else. So I was willing to part with that money to give this Air a good go. I figure if I end up not liking it, I should be able to sell it with no loss to me, as the prices went up again.

So far
- screen wise: if it's the laptop you look at first the screen is fine. If however you are like me and still have a MBA late 2014, and my baby rMBP late 2013... The new Air is better than the old one, but my Pro still has the best screen. So when I come off the Pro and look at the new Air it's an adjustment to me
- keyboard is a nonissue for me, already used to it (although, I do hope it stays that way!)
- color :I picked gold but I'm not sure if it's something I will like forever. It's fun for now but I don't think it can beat the classic silver

Now I feel stupid for having three MacBooks so I need to get into gear and sell one (the old Air probably)... But I loved that design and the light up logo. I got it for my mom because I wanted one and my mom never uses hers anyways lol.

Does anyone else have a hard time letting go of "old" tech to save some money on the new one? Just last weekend I found my iPod mini and my iPod Video lol, I still have two iPod touches laying around, 2 old iPhones and an old Mac mini... I can't get it over my heart to pass them on but I should get my butt in gear and sell the old Air

 

[dagored]

I was talking myself into getting one but had fear of the screen (went to test it in person twice in different stores) and the keyboards, plus the one I wanted would be the 256 gb (or even 512) version, pref 16 gb ram... way too expensive for my budget.

But on Cyber Monday I scored a great deal! In my country there is barely ever a promotion on new MacBooks, so when I opened up a the site of a chain here (where I normally never order Apple gear) there was a 10% discount on MacBooks and iPad.

I thought about getting the 256/8 as there was a ten percent discount on this model (normally costs € 1599 here..), but I felt uncomfortable with the price as again, I had doubts. In the end I decided to go for it and ended up buying the base model which was already reduced in price from 1349 to € 1214 (one day only? I don't know, it's already back up)

With the 10 % off I ended up paying €1092.60... Which I felt comfortable with as I knew I wouldn't find that deal anywhere else. So I was willing to part with that money to give this Air a good go. I figure if I end up not liking it, I should be able to sell it with no loss to me, as the prices went up again.

So far
- screen wise: if it's the laptop you look at first the screen is fine. If however you are like me and still have a MBA late 2014, and my baby rMBP late 2013... The new Air is better than the old one, but my Pro still has the best screen. So when I come off the Pro and look at the new Air it's an adjustment to me
- keyboard is a nonissue for me, already used to it (although, I do hope it stays that way!)
- color :I picked gold but I'm not sure if it's something I will like forever. It's fun for now but I don't think it can beat the classic silver

Now I feel stupid for having three MacBooks so I need to get into gear and sell one (the old Air probably)... But I loved that design and the light up logo. I got it for my mom because I wanted one and my mom never uses hers anyways lol.

Does anyone else have a hard time letting go of "old" tech to save some money on the new one? Just last weekend I found my iPod mini and my iPod Video lol, I still have two iPod touches laying around, 2 old iPhones and an old Mac mini... I can't get it over my heart to pass them on but I should get my butt in gear and sell the old Air

Go for it. My wife's old air base model 2013 was worth $200 to Apple. I sold it outright for $240. That will bring your price down even lower. Mine is top their 2013 Air, and I think it's going for about $450. I still need to make sure I have all my stuff off and converted or updated. Then it is out the door.

I love my 16/512 Air. Keyboard is great so far and the screen is down three notches. I really think some people did get bad screens in the beginning, or we're unlucky.

 

[oghowie]

Got the new MBA with 8GB / 256GB for $200 off on eBay and it is great. Keyboard is fine, screen brightness is fine. Things run so much better compared to my 2013 MBA now. Definitely try it out in person if you're worried, but most of the online complaints seem like exaggerations now.

 

[AlexJoda]

High school age daughter got the 2017 MBA at $799 this holiday season. Here's why.

-2017 MBA screens are much brighter than the 4x more high-def 2018 MBA screen with mediocre colors. Most of the time displays are dimmed to preserve battery life at school.
-2017 MBA has 2 USB ports for her USB flash drives, SD card reader, Thunderbolt-2 and the terrific mag-safe charger vs. just 2 Thunderbolt-3 ports on 2018 MBA. She needs to carry no adapters or battery charger during the school day.
-The proven 2017 MBA keyboard is flawless vs. the 2018 MBA butterfly keyboard but the 2018 MBA has very cool touch ID.
-2017 MBA has Bluetooth 4.0, which is very close in performance to Bluetooth 4.2 on the 2018 MBA. She can use her AirPods.
-Processor performance is very close in the real world between 2017 and 2018 MBAs.
-Battery life is also really close in the real world, all day for both notebooks with the 2017 MBA proven.
-2017 MBA storage SSD is upgradeable if she needs more, while nothing on the 2018 is upgradeable.
-2018 MBA: 1/4 pound lower weight and smaller size mean very little to her after borrowing her Mother's 2014 MacBook Air for school from time to time. Wife/Mother also bought a 2017 MBA this week.
-Office 2019 for Students will be installed and utilized for school assignments and projects.
-And she simply loves the display lit apple logo when the 2017 MBA is awake.

Daughter thought the 2018 rMBA refresh/update came with too many compromises/losses and is not really worth it for a student taking it to classes everyday, so she wanted 2017 MBA. I like her thinking. Steve Jobs once charged like $3,000 for a new 64 GB SSD MacBook Air back in 2008 and 10 years later it is still a useful multi-port, student Mac notebook for just $799 on sale.

Just did the same for my student daughter. Some additional aspects for the 2017 MBA might be:

• Got a very good 27“ 1440p display for her with >99% sRGB accuracy. For some more demanding work with a good display this is the better idea for me compared to invest tons of money in a 13“ Retina display. With the external display there is no difference between the 2017 and 2018 MBA...
• The 50% that the 2018 MBA cost more can be saved for possible future investment in a 27“ iMac with a dedicated GPU. That is a much better system to do some heavy lifting like working with video or big photoshop jobs. A notebook doesn’t need to be that powerful in my eyes. It is mainly for having a very mobile system for taking it to the university and doing stuff like presentations and so on....
• The battery is very easy replaceable when needed.
• The keyboard is much more durable than the 2018 MBA but if something gets damaged the keys can easily be replaced.
• The only adapter needed is a small mini displayport dock with HDMI and VGA interfaces. Everything else is already build in.
• The 2017 MBA is the real classic MacBook Air. The 2018 MBA is a kind of reduced and limited MBP. You can buy an original and much better non TB MBP for roughly the same money as a 265 GB MBA 2018.

 

[MacRazySwe]

You can buy an original and much better non TB MBP for roughly the same money as a 265 GB MBA 2018.

...Which is thicker.

...Which is heavier.

...Which has worse battery life.

...Which runs warmer to the touch.

...Which has a keyboard that will most likely fail, at some point.

...Which does not have Touch ID.

...Which does not have the T2 Chip.

...Which is most likely to be discontinued and phased out below MSRP (worth noting in terms of 2nd hand value).

Just saying, "better" is subjective. If these are not important points to you, get the MBP. I for one prefer the MBA. (I compared the 2018 MBA extensively to the MBP, although I have to admit the 2017 non-TB was not even an option).

As you are speaking in terms of students - I think most students would (and do...) actually much prefer a lighter computer with better battery life over a brighter, P3 display. Unless they work outside in bright sunlight of course.

 

[JPH675]

Got a very good 27“ 1440p display for her with >99% sRGB accuracy. For some more demanding work with a good display this is the better idea for me compared to invest tons of money in a 13“ Retina display. With the external display there is no difference between the 2017 and 2018 MBA...

May I ask 2 questions?

1) What brand monitor?

2) How does it connect to the 2017 MBA?

 

[AlexJoda]

May I ask 2 questions?

1) What brand monitor?

2) How does it connect to the 2017 MBA?

It is a Viewsonic VG2719-2K IPS display with 2560 x 1440 Pixel (WQHD). The 2017 MBA has a Mini DisplayPort connector. You can buy Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cables which also transfers the audio to it.
[doublepost=1543795488][/doublepost]

...Which is thicker.

...Which is heavier.

...Which has worse battery life.

...Which runs warmer to the touch.

...Which has a keyboard that will most likely fail, at some point.

...Which does not have Touch ID.

...Which does not have the T2 Chip.

...Which is most likely to be discontinued and phased out below MSRP (worth noting in terms of 2nd hand value).

Just saying, "better" is subjective. If these are not important points to you, get the MBP. I for one prefer the MBA. (I compared the 2018 MBA extensively to the MBP, although I have to admit the 2017 non-TB was not even an option).

As you are speaking in terms of students - I think most students would (and do...) actually much prefer a lighter computer with better battery life over a brighter, P3 display. Unless they work outside in bright sunlight of course.

You are right. But if the students prefer a lighter computer with better battery life they can also choose the 2017 MBA. It has an even brighter display for about 500€-600€ less here in Europe.

For the more demanding folks there can be the non TB MBP. It is only thicker at front and not that much heavier. If the keyboard of the 2018 MBA is really better has to be seen. It has only some additional plastic applied. Touch ID seems not that useful to for a notebook than for an iPhone. You don’t log in so often....The T2 chip means that you are not able to repair it with third party repair shops and that you will have crashes from time to time because of that chip...

 

[Watchin Macs]

You are right. But if the students prefer a lighter computer with better battery life they can also choose the 2017 MBA. It has an even brighter display for about 500€-600€ less here in Europe.

For the more demanding folks there can be the non TB MBP. It is only thicker at front and not that much heavier. If the keyboard of the 2018 MBA is really better has to be seen. It has only some additional plastic applied. Touch ID seems not that useful to for a notebook than for an iPhone. You don’t log in so often....The T2 chip means that you are not able to repair it with third party repair shops and that you will have crashes from time to time because of that chip...

It is hilarious how you keep trying to justify your 2017 MBA purchase. The screen may be brighter but its way lower resolution. Touch ID is extremely useful for notebooks. It's better to have it than not. The T2 chip allows the laptop to be much more secure. But good on Apple to convince people to continue spending hundreds of dollars on an identical >5 year external design.

 

[JPH675]

It is hilarious how you keep trying to justify your 2017 MBA purchase. The screen may be brighter but its way lower resolution. Touch ID is extremely useful for notebooks. It's better to have it than not. The T2 chip allows the laptop to be much more secure. But good on Apple to convince people to continue spending hundreds of dollars on an identical >5 year external design.

I disagree: The original MBA was a masterpiece and is still a superb choice at $799:

-2017 MBA screens are much brighter than the 4x more high-def 2018 MBA screen with mediocre colors. Most of the time displays are dimmed to preserve battery life at school.
-2017 MBA has 2 USB ports for her USB flash drives, SD card reader, Thunderbolt-2 and the terrific mag-safe charger vs. just 2 Thunderbolt-3 ports on 2018 MBA. One needs to carry no adapters or battery charger during the school day.
-The proven 2017 MBA keyboard is flawless vs. the 2018 MBA butterfly keyboard but the 2018 MBA has very cool touch ID.
-2017 MBA has Bluetooth 4.0, which is very close in performance to Bluetooth 4.2 on the 2018 MBA, and one can use AirPods.
-Processor performance is very close in the real world between 2017 and 2018 MBAs.
-Battery life is also really close in the real world, all day for both notebooks with the 2017 MBA proven.
-2017 MBA storage SSD is upgradeable if she needs more, while nothing on the 2018 is upgradeable.
-2018 MBA: 1/4 pound lower weight and smaller size mean very little. Wife and daughter both bought a 2017 MBA this week.
-Office 2019 for Students is installed and utilized for school assignments and projects.
-And many simply love the display lit apple logo when the 2017 MBA is awake.

The 2018 rMBA refresh/update came with too many compromises/losses and is not really worth it, particularly for a student taking it to classes everyday. The 2018 rMBA, which I type this message using, is not optimized yet, perhaps 2019 refresh will get there?

 

[Watchin Macs]

Wife and daughter both bought a 2017 MBA this week.

Like I said it's hilarious seeing people justify spending hundreds of dollars on a design that's over five years old. I too have the 2018 rMBA and its a fantastic machine. I have a 1" x .5"USB-C to USB-A adapter adapter that I keep in my bag. Which I rarely use because everything is mostly done through email attachments or cloud drives. Other than price, the 2018 rMBA is better in every aspect for a student. Are thumb drives still really that popular? I'm amazed.

But seriously look how tiny these are.

 

[Cameront9]

Does anyone else have a hard time letting go of "old" tech to save some money on the new one? Just last weekend I found my iPod mini and my iPod Video lol, I still have two iPod touches laying around, 2 old iPhones and an old Mac mini... I can't get it over my heart to pass them on but I should get my butt in gear and sell the old Air

I've never gotten rid of any of my old tech. I have a drawer full of i-Devices, and my old Powerbook. Of course, I'm also into retro computers, so I've added a bunch of old Macs that are 15-30 years old, too!

 

[sheiko]

Not sure that is the right topic, but I will try to ask here.
Can anybody type "nvram -p" in Terminal on new MacBook Air 2018 just to see what is the default parameter for "AutoBoot"?
'cause for now I'm in some experiment with this setting. For example, as you may know, "AutoBoot=%00" turns off automatic power up when you open's the lid or connect your power adapter in new MBP. It works and for new 2018 Air. By the way, as I checked, "AutoBoot=%01" do the same thing. But, "AutoBoot=%02" does not and "AutoBoot=%03" too. So, in the net people saying that "%03" is the default nvram parameter and I need to know is that true, 'cause I do not want to reset nvram to check this out.

 

[0092762]

Got an "open box" which I inspected and it was brand new 8/256 from MicroCenter for 1079 + tax. Which is a fair price for the laptop, not that ridiculous 1399 lol.

 

[sheiko]

Not sure that is the right topic, but I will try to ask here.
Can anybody type "nvram -p" in Terminal on new MacBook Air 2018 just to see what is the default parameter for "AutoBoot"?
'cause for now I'm in some experiment with this setting. For example, as you may know, "AutoBoot=%00" turns off automatic power up when you open's the lid or connect your power adapter in new MBP. It works and for new 2018 Air. By the way, as I checked, "AutoBoot=%01" do the same thing. But, "AutoBoot=%02" does not and "AutoBoot=%03" too. So, in the net people saying that "%03" is the default nvram parameter and I need to know is that true, 'cause I do not want to reset nvram to check this out.

Will answer myself.
Yesterday I went to a store that sells Apple equipment and accessories to it, bought a docking station for the watch and decided to see the default settings for nvram on computers that were there, namely mbp and new air. And you know what? When I typed "nvram -p" command in Terminal, I didn't see the "AutoBoot" parameter at all. It turns out that by default it is not at all in the settings and with its prescription we add it manually?