First Post!
For the brief time (30 days) that I owned a refurb Macbook Air Rev B, it was my main computer. Definitely loved it and it could handle whatever I threw at it.
Fortunately, Apple was able to make an exception on my return and now I am waiting for my new 13" MBA to come! My Rev B did have the 'grey lines' issue though honestly I would have kept it and been content if the new ones did not come out. It did give me an easy out on the return though... should I feel guilty?
Anyhow, my three main gripes have been completely solved with the new MBA (in order of annoyance):
1) The 4200rpm drive was atrocious. It was ok if you weren't doing much with the hard drive but if you were copying anything or maybe torrenting something, it would go to all hell. Was not good for Time Machine backups.
2) 2GB of RAM was alright for most usage but I really wanted 4GB for virtualization potential. I was able to accept that the Air should not be expected to handle this, but it is indeed great that they've given the option of 4GB now.
3) Battery life is much improved. I only consider it a gripe because of what the MBPs get in comparison to these far less powerful machines. It's good to know they've refreshed them to keep them relatively close. I know smaller size = less places to put a battery cell, but totally glad they bumped it a good few Watt-hours. Even if I do have a HyperMac hehe...
Of course, these weren't the only issues that I am glad were resolved. Stuff like no more port hatch, flush unibody, glass trackpad, SD card slot (!), 2 USB ports, and upped resolution were all welcomed additions.
I am somewhat disappointed that they took out the backlit keyboard. I have no idea why they would have done that. Perhaps as an identity thing to make people stick with the MB/MBP series? I feel it's kind of lame but maybe there will be a DIY on how to retro one back to backlit? I can be hopeful!
Even still, I personally can overlook that when all these other upgrades are there. Of course I would prefer it had it, but sure enough I can type without it. However, I totally understand where many see it as a bummer. I just can't resist!
At first I thought for SURE I'd go with the biggest one possible. However, I got to thinking about it. With my Rev B, I was debating on getting the Runcore 128 GB SSD for it but the price was kind of hefty. I then thought maybe I'd go with the 64 GB SSD instead since it was half the price, but I wasn't sure if I'd have enough space. Recalling this inner conflict made me side with the much cheaper 128 GB MBA for 1299. Adding another 2GB of RAM puts it up another $100 and might as well toss in the USB to ethernet adapter for another $30. That puts it up to close to $1500 and I'm perfectly fine with that, even as a main computer.
Why not the 256 GB? I simple do not need that much space on my main computer anymore. I recently got a 1TB Time Capsule (current gen) to replacing my dying router. I can store everything on it such as my iTunes and such. If I need some jams for the car/plane, I can either put them on my phone (Evo, 16 GB microSD) or maybe a good sized set on the MBA temporarily. All torrenting and server work (SVN, etc) is done on my aging PowerMac G4, which I cannot wait to upgrade to one of the new snazzy Mac Minis. I do have the MiniDP->HDMI converter but I doubt I'll use it too much outside dev work, I'm having too much fun streaming with the new AppleTV.
I know not everyone has tons of computers laying around like myself but I still find it fairly affordable to keep everything somewhat separated. Much safer and easier to have stuff on an external hard drive than the thing you carry around everywhere. Any mission-critical stuff can be on both, but as far as necessary space on the main computer, I am sure 128 GB will be more than enough.
