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Which refurb did you buy and are you happy with it?
- Thread starter cheapa55
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1.8GHz 64SSD. Would have rather had the HDD, but I wanted the faster processor. Had I bought one new I would have gotten a 1.86 120HDD but with tax it was close to $2000. I figured I can get by with a smaller HDD on my secondary computer, but for the sake of resale value and what I may/ may not use the computer for, the faster processor and SSD warranted the extra $300, but not the $2000 especially since the battery life is similar, if not the same.
I'd rather have rev B as well, but for the price, i'm only sticking with the refurbs.
I'm trying to figure out if the the SSD is worth the extra 30% premium and if I will retain that extra 30% premium when I resell compared to the 1.6/80
Thanks for the responses so far.
I have a white 20" iMac for heavy lifting. My MacAir replaces a 2.0GHz MacBook which I only used for quick email, web browsing light document processing and XCode development when I'm puttering around the house or on travel...
1.6 80Gb rev A - prev was a MBP 17" 320Gb 2Gb ram 256MB Ati, Core Duo 2.16
well it's slower on disk transfer sure - i just copied over 10,455 photo's into iPhoto 09 and that took a while but i am happy with it - i'll take portable anyday of the week and twice on sunday's
but i am thinking of a Mac Mini around April mmmm Maaaaaac Miiiiini
below is a picture of my soon to be sold MBP 17"
well it's slower on disk transfer sure - i just copied over 10,455 photo's into iPhoto 09 and that took a while but i am happy with it - i'll take portable anyday of the week and twice on sunday's
but i am thinking of a Mac Mini around April mmmm Maaaaaac Miiiiini
below is a picture of my soon to be sold MBP 17"
Attachments
Returned Rev B 1.86 SSD(had lines) for 80HHD, there is a difference in speed but not worth 2.5x the price
and you are happy with the 80HDD??? what is your other computer if you have one?
thanks for the replies guys. I was leaning SSD, but with all the happy 80HDD owners, I might save myself some money by going 80HDD.
The 80GB is the way to go...wait about 6 months and you'll be able to put a 128SSD in it for about 200$...I'm more than happy with my 1.6 revA. and for 999$ it's a steal !!!
I bought the 80G HDD and I'm thrilled. It's a lovely computer and performs very well. I replaced an aging 12inch power book, and I have a couple of mini's with lot's of hard drive space hanging off the firewire ports. The Air is a perfect addition to my setup and my favorite computer.
Everyone likes the price/performance ratio of the refurb HDD. I'm not sure I'd be happy if it was the Jan 08 price. I have my Mac Pro so I don't demand much of my MBA even though I have every application I use loaded in case I need to open and edit, which it does fine.
Just did a drive clone at 60GB which has bare minimum of my documents since I remotely access the MP for files as needed. So SSD space doesn't fit my needs. Only advantage I see in the Rev A SSD is resale, but an uninformed ebayer may like the pidly 64GB.
I bought a 1.6 GHz, 80 GB HDD when the original MBA was released. I used it as a writing tool. I sat on the couch, on the patio, at the park and etc writing. It is great for a writer. But, it is very slow to do video... my wireless was weak. I was never that happy with the battery life. I always felt like I got a "bad one." But I talked to others that said the exact same thing.
I did attempt to run CS3 on it, but was very unhappy with it. I was very unhappy running anything other than Pages (iWork), Word, email, and Safari. It seemed to drag when had too many open apps. I always closed each app then opened the one I wanted to work on. It SUCKED!
The first version MBA was simply a netbook. The new MBA in either HDD or SSD is a REAL MACBOOK in Air form. I would strongly advise anyone/everyone interested in a MBA to save the extra money and buy a RevB MBA. The differences are night/day, black/white...
I plan to upgrade to a new MBA revB soon from a unibody aluminum 2.4 MB. I have clients with the MBA revB in both 1.6 and 1.86 in HDD and SSD. For normal use, the HDD is nearly as fast as the SSD. I have worked on three of the four MBA revB (1.6 HDD, 1.86HDD, 1.86SSD). I will say that the SSD boots really fast. And it opens apps nearly instantly. BUT, once an app is open, I didn't notice any difference. Also, I didn't notice any difference at all between the 1.6 and 1.86 running HDD.
Here's the thing, both the low-end and high-end MBA revB computers have an Nvidia GPU, 2 GB RAM, 45 NM Penryn chip (very little speed differences), 6 MB L2 Cache (this is BIG), and an amazing display. Based on all that I have seen, I would recommend that people spend the extra money and get a $1799 MBA revB 1.6, 120 GB HDD. I would NOT recommend spending the extra $700 to get a slightly faster processor or SSD which boots the computer twenty seconds faster for normal users.
I bought the new unibody MB and went from five computers to ONE. Then the new MBA was finally shipping and I saw the differences while working on the revB MBA. The displays on all of the MBAs I have seen have been beautiful. I have seen maybe seven MBA revBs and never seen lines on a display. I really think that it is not as big of an issue as people make out here. I do plan to migrate to the MBA revB 1.86 SSD. Now, why would I do that when I know the differences are minor??? It's a business deal for me, and I will use it for business and I WANT (don't NEED) the extra speed for bootups. When working with clients, I want it to boot as fast as possible. For business, the $700 is worth it for me.
So, BUY A REVISION B, MBA. Instead of using two computers, sell your "other" Mac and use the revision B MBA as your only computer. It will work for most as a primary/sole computer. The MBA revB doesn't need to be a second computer or a netbook.
If you just want a netbook, buy a MBA revA. If you wait another two months, the price may be $799 for a refurbished one from Apple.com.
One more thing, I cannot wait for MBA revC. It should be amazing. I am hopeful for...
2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (6MB of L2 Cache - or maybe 8MB of L2 Cache)
4 GB RAM (I really want this)
256 GB SSD
Glass display (if thin enough as to not weigh it down)
Glass trackpad
I did attempt to run CS3 on it, but was very unhappy with it. I was very unhappy running anything other than Pages (iWork), Word, email, and Safari. It seemed to drag when had too many open apps. I always closed each app then opened the one I wanted to work on. It SUCKED!
The first version MBA was simply a netbook. The new MBA in either HDD or SSD is a REAL MACBOOK in Air form. I would strongly advise anyone/everyone interested in a MBA to save the extra money and buy a RevB MBA. The differences are night/day, black/white...
I plan to upgrade to a new MBA revB soon from a unibody aluminum 2.4 MB. I have clients with the MBA revB in both 1.6 and 1.86 in HDD and SSD. For normal use, the HDD is nearly as fast as the SSD. I have worked on three of the four MBA revB (1.6 HDD, 1.86HDD, 1.86SSD). I will say that the SSD boots really fast. And it opens apps nearly instantly. BUT, once an app is open, I didn't notice any difference. Also, I didn't notice any difference at all between the 1.6 and 1.86 running HDD.
Here's the thing, both the low-end and high-end MBA revB computers have an Nvidia GPU, 2 GB RAM, 45 NM Penryn chip (very little speed differences), 6 MB L2 Cache (this is BIG), and an amazing display. Based on all that I have seen, I would recommend that people spend the extra money and get a $1799 MBA revB 1.6, 120 GB HDD. I would NOT recommend spending the extra $700 to get a slightly faster processor or SSD which boots the computer twenty seconds faster for normal users.
I bought the new unibody MB and went from five computers to ONE. Then the new MBA was finally shipping and I saw the differences while working on the revB MBA. The displays on all of the MBAs I have seen have been beautiful. I have seen maybe seven MBA revBs and never seen lines on a display. I really think that it is not as big of an issue as people make out here. I do plan to migrate to the MBA revB 1.86 SSD. Now, why would I do that when I know the differences are minor??? It's a business deal for me, and I will use it for business and I WANT (don't NEED) the extra speed for bootups. When working with clients, I want it to boot as fast as possible. For business, the $700 is worth it for me.
So, BUY A REVISION B, MBA. Instead of using two computers, sell your "other" Mac and use the revision B MBA as your only computer. It will work for most as a primary/sole computer. The MBA revB doesn't need to be a second computer or a netbook.
If you just want a netbook, buy a MBA revA. If you wait another two months, the price may be $799 for a refurbished one from Apple.com.
One more thing, I cannot wait for MBA revC. It should be amazing. I am hopeful for...
2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (6MB of L2 Cache - or maybe 8MB of L2 Cache)
4 GB RAM (I really want this)
256 GB SSD
Glass display (if thin enough as to not weigh it down)
Glass trackpad
I really dont get the people that say the Rev A is just a Netbook? Have any of you actually used a Netbook compared to the Rev A MBA? If so, how can you compare the two at all.
According to a BestBuy manager, there were 2 Rev A SKUs for MBA shipments they received, one in February the second in July. It's unfortunate you got the first batch and I can't comment on its performance.
But looking at manufacturing time, the Rev A refurbs being sold today are from the second batch which for everyone here seems to have solved overheating / video playback issues.
Bottomline, it's a finely tuned notebook not netbook.
As someone who owns both Rev A and Rev B MBAs and two Dell Mini 9 netbooks, one of which is running OSX, I feel I can accurately give my 2 cents without talking out my @$$ like others are!
Specs on my machines
Rev B MBA - 1.86GHz C2D - 2GB RAM, 128GB SSD
Rev A MBA - 1.60GHz C2D - 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD
Dell Mini 9 - 1.60GHz Atom - 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD
The Rev A is far from a netbook and with the latest firmware and OS updates from Apple, it performs very well. Much better than it did when released, I owned one for 2 months before returning it to Apple. For every day tasks such as surfing the web, MS Office, iTunes (music) and iPhoto, I see very little if any noticeable performance difference between the two. If you are doing a lot of video or high horsepower tasks such as photo shop or video editing, there is a difference between the two and then yes, the B is much better suited. Even then, the Rev A still runs VMWare Fusion, Photoshop and other resource intensive programs admirally well. The MBA has an amazing keyboard and screen... use it back to back with a netbook and these two things alone will immediately reinforce the fact that it is not a netbook!
As for how my Dell netbook compares to the Rev A. Performance wise it benchmarks at about 2/5 the speed but still does extremely well, again for every day tasks such as surfing the web, MS Office, iTunes and iPhoto. I think the SSD contributes a lot to the snappy feeling. The two most noticeable sacrafices are the cramped (but still very usable) keyboard and the limited 1024x600 screen resolution however that's exactly what you get if you want something as small and portable as a netbook. On the other hand, the Dell Mini has a built in ethernet port, built in VGA port and 3 USB 2.0 ports making it somewhat more usable than either generation MBA depending on your needs!
If I had to do it again, based on my needs and how I use my MBA's, I would hands down purchase a refurbed Rev A to a new Rev B!
My home office setup.
I tried 5 revA MBAs and they all suffered from overheating and core-shutdown while watching youtube videos.
Saying that the late revA MBAs are different from the earlier ones is a total BS according to my experience.
Lately, I tried to play World of Goo on my LAST revA and it stuttered like a little baby even a $300 PC (I am tired of saying Netbook) can run this game without any issues.
I would of course love to save the money and by a revA, but what is the use of spending a $1000 on a machine that won't let me watch my youtube videos?
My HTC Diamond can handle youtube without any issues and I can do all the other office work on the go using it without any hassle.
The only reason we are paying this premium price for Apple's NETBOOK is for its cool look, otherwise it is JUNK JUNK JUNK at least for me. If you are NOT going to watch any youtube or hulu videos, or NOT bother trying any game, then revA is a perfect machine for the price since it has a fantastic screen and keyboard compared to other NETBOOKS!
Go ahead and fight me over this NETBOOK now
Saying that the late revA MBAs are different from the earlier ones is a total BS according to my experience.
Lately, I tried to play World of Goo on my LAST revA and it stuttered like a little baby
even a $300 PC (I am tired of saying Netbook) can run this game without any issues.I would of course love to save the money and by a revA, but what is the use of spending a $1000 on a machine that won't let me watch my youtube videos?
My HTC Diamond can handle youtube without any issues and I can do all the other office work on the go using it without any hassle.
The only reason we are paying this premium price for Apple's NETBOOK is for its cool look, otherwise it is JUNK JUNK JUNK at least for me. If you are NOT going to watch any youtube or hulu videos, or NOT bother trying any game, then revA is a perfect machine for the price since it has a fantastic screen and keyboard compared to other NETBOOKS!
Go ahead and fight me over this NETBOOK now
I tried 5 revA MBAs and they all suffered from overheating and core-shutdown while watching youtube videos.
Saying that the late revA MBAs are different from the earlier ones is a total BS according to my experience.
Lately, I tried to play World of Goo on my LAST revA and it stuttered like a little baby
I would of course love to save the money and by a revA, but what is the use of spending a $1000 on a machine that won't let me watch my youtube videos?
My HTC Diamond can handle youtube without any issues and I can do all the other office work on the go using it without any hassle.
The only reason we are paying this premium price for Apple's NETBOOK is for its cool look, otherwise it is JUNK JUNK JUNK at least for me. If you are NOT going to watch any youtube or hulu videos, or NOT bother trying any game, then revA is a perfect machine for the price since it has a fantastic screen and keyboard compared to other NETBOOKS!
Go ahead and fight me over this NETBOOK now
When you sound like a 12 year old and fail to bring up anything that a $300 netbook can do that a MBA cant you sound... well, like a 12 year old.
Please show me a $300 netbook playing games that the Air cant (PC to Mac differences aside of course.) Comparing a C2D machine to a Atom one is laughable.
I agree, the MBA revA is a "glorified" Netbook. Most Netbooks have tiny displays. But from a power standpoint, it's hard to get past a PATA drive which is a thing of well, NETBOOKS. The thing is you can do the same things on the MBA revA as a Netbook. Yes, the display on the MBA is great, but from a speed/power standpoint, it's a Netbook.
Look at revB MBA, SATA-II NOT PATA. REAL Penryn 45 NM Chip (Same as MBP), and on the Penryn is 6MB L2 Cache, an Nvidia GPU with amazing graphics capabilities to power a 30" Apple Cinema Display. The two are totally different. I understand all of the people buying MBA revA want validation, and if you are using the MBA revA as a Netbook or secondary computer, it will work fine... But the revB MBA is a real high-powered MACBOOK! The differences are huge. Have you looked at the benchmarking of the revA MBA? Now, have you looked at the revB MBA? I have used both, and I am not making this stuff up. Look at the facts.
I know that Apple has made changes to QuickTime and other things trying to make everything easier for the MBA revA, but that is not making the MBA a better more powerful computer, it is simply reducing the needs to show a video. Look back to the time of the MBA revA and all of the bad articles about it. People were complaining because they couldn't even play a simple video on it without it overheating and would just freeze.
So, the support is a lot better for the MBA revA, but it is not a fully capable MacBook. It's an underpowered computer, or a really nice Netbook.
I wish I could go buy a MBA revA for $999 and have it do everything my MacBook can, but it CANNOT. To have the power you have to buy a MBA revB for $1799. That is the truth. I simply think people should quit masking the limitations of the MBA revA, just because they got a great deal on it compared to the price last year. It's NOT a great deal at $999. I am sorry, but it's not. At $599, it would be a good deal to get the power of a Netbook, but run OS X and use it for email, word processing, and Internet browsing. For $400, you can buy a nice 9" Netbook and such, I agree the MBA revA is worth more than $400, but at $999 for what you get, it's still overpriced.
I think in all the MBA is the coolest computer ever. And with the capabilities of the revB, it's the most incredible computer ever. To do everything all within that tiny aluminum casing is awesome.
So the topic here is "Which refurb did you buy and are you happy with it?"
Someone had started a thread on Macbook vs MBA. Interesting read.
- Fact is that size, not performance is the biggest factor in defining what a netbook is.
- Fact is that many netbooks use SATA, PATA does not define a netbook.
- Fact is you can do the same things on a MBA RevB as a Netbook. You have your argument backwards... it's a weak argument though, so doesn't really matter much!
I wish I could go buy a MBA RevA for $999 and have it do everything my 3.06GHz iMac can, but it CANNOT. Any idea why?
Your arguments and comparison of the MBA Rev A to a netbook are weak! As someone who owns all three computers in question, I'd be more than happy to pick them (your arguments) apart piece by piece if you like!