Buying my first MacBook Air, but don't know which one

[Deleted User] · 08/08/14 - 14:20

So I've been a slave to Bill Gates all my life, until I picked up a bargain iPad Mini, to which I love.

I need a new laptop, but instead of getting another WIndows, I am tempted to follow through with my iPad love and get a MacBook Air.

Strangely, I found there's lots and lots of versions out there, so any advice on a decent, 2014, version (without going top spec) would be appreciated!

anthony david · 08/08/14 - 15:37

When I went into the Apple store to look at an Apple laptop, (XP was ending and I hated windows 8), I told the man I already had an iPad mini. "Ah" he said, "that's how it starts".
The bigger the screen or memory the more they cost, you will have to set a budget and go on from there. My Mac book pro is a delight to use, unlike windows, but it was expensive.

mred2000 · 08/08/14 - 15:56

Try one out a few times before making the plunge, OSX is a wee bit different from messing around on an iPad and a fair bit different from Windows...

(just to clarify, I use both Windows based PCs and Macs so I'm not a fanboy of either. I've used both platforms for years, they're just tools to get my job done)

anthony david · 08/08/14 - 16:38

mred2000 wrote: »

Try one out a few times before making the plunge, OSX is a wee bit different from messing around on an iPad and a fair bit different from Windows...

(just to clarify, I use both Windows based PCs and Macs so I'm not a fanboy of either. I've used both platforms for years, they're just tools to get my job done)

True there is a learning curve but I found that the problem was more unlearning windows than learning Mac. Mac assumes you are an ordinary person with few technical skills, windows is aimed more at engineers and geeks. Unfortunately being an engineer, and long time windows user, I kept looking for complicated solutions to simple things, I often kicked myself when I found out how simple and logical the solution to a problem was.

victorslot · 09/08/14 - 12:21

As is often said in these forums it depends on what you are going to use it for. If you don't know anyone with Mac experience then your first port of call should be an Apple Store or Apple reseller. Try out as many options as you can, ask them lots of questions, listen to what they say and then go away and think about it. If you still want a Mac decide on your budget and try to match a machine with it.

IvanIV · 09/08/14 - 13:15

I'd go for 13'' 128GB SSD, i5 processor, 4GB RAM. That's a basic configuration, I think. I think 11'' is too fiddly to use. The disc capacity should be enough, you can keep anything excessively big on external disk. RAM and processor should be enough for normal activities. I am not sure if I would want to upgrade any part over the provided standard. RAM would be the cheapest, but I do not know how memory hungry programmes are and if it makes sense at all. Bigger SSD means more than +£100. Better processor? Again, what you want to do with it. For a typical work, i5 should be fine.

ibatten · 09/08/14 - 22:12

Unless you're really stuck for the money, get an 8GB version. There is absolutely no upgrade path at all (the RAM is soldered to the logic board), and the 4GB on my 2011 is the one thing that feels like a potential problem for the future. But I do need to run multiple Virtual Machines, so my experience may be unusual.

The 13" is a lot more screen for not much more size and weight, and has a better battery life. Only get the 11" if you absolutely need the small size.

The i7 is unlikely to make much difference for anything other than extreme workloads.

You can upgrade the SSD later, although it's not easy, so it's marginal if it's worth buying more "just in case". 128GB is probably fine. The 2013 models have USB3 so external disks are faster.

Applecare is a steal if you can get it on Higher Education Discount (about £35 for three years)

Wolfsheadish · 12/08/14 - 18:20

If you're not an experienced Mac user (and perhaps even if you are) I recommend you buy the Missing Manual for Mavericks if you decide to buy the MacBook.

paulj48 · 13/08/14 - 09:52

Wolfsheadish wrote: »

If you're not an experienced Mac user (and perhaps even if you are) I recommend you buy the Missing Manual for Mavericks if you decide to buy the MacBook.

I would'nt as it will be out of date very soon when Yosemite comes out.

Quackers · 13/08/14 - 11:43

If you want a bargain you can get refurb Macbook Airs direct from Apple with a 12 Month warranty, they come in a different box but apart from that they come like brand new.

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

They have got both the Mid 2013 and the Early 2014 model of the Air in 13" in the refurb store at the moment, aint a massive difference between them mainly a small processor jump, its just a case of deciding how much storage you want. The 128GB can fill up quick, so personally i would go for a 256GB , stick with the i5 , and go for the 8GB RAM if you can afford it.

Like you i had been a Bill Gates slave my entire life, got a 2011 Macbook Air few years back and love Macs now wish i had got one years before, it did take a few months for the Mac OS to feel natural for me. Good thing is it runs as fast today as it does the day i bought it, yet with Windows i re-install every 6 months because it just seems to get progressively slower, i.e. Windows Rot.

Macrumors is a great website/forum if you want to browse, has a dedicated Macbook Air Forum. Also a buying guide for Apple products.

davidseven · 13/08/14 - 12:58

ibatten wrote: »

Unless you're really stuck for the money, get an 8GB version. There is absolutely no upgrade path at all (the RAM is soldered to the logic board), and the 4GB on my 2011 is the one thing that feels like a potential problem for the future. But I do need to run multiple Virtual Machines, so my experience may be unusual.

The 13" is a lot more screen for not much more size and weight, and has a better battery life. Only get the 11" if you absolutely need the small size.

The i7 is unlikely to make much difference for anything other than extreme workloads.

You can upgrade the SSD later, although it's not easy, so it's marginal if it's worth buying more "just in case". 128GB is probably fine. The 2013 models have USB3 so external disks are faster.

Applecare is a steal if you can get it on Higher Education Discount (about £35 for three years)

Along with the battery being glued in I guess. No wonder Wozzie left!

paulj48 · 13/08/14 - 15:01

davidseven wrote: »

Along with the battery being glued in I guess. No wonder Wozzie left!

That should'nt be an issue though, Apple state that after 1000 full charge cycles the battery will have 80% capacity compared to a new battery. So if you completed a full charge cycle every other day (which you probably wouldnt) then in almost 6 years the battery will still have 80% capacity.

cnbcwatcher · 13/08/14 - 15:26

IvanIV wrote: »

I'd go for 13'' 128GB SSD, i5 processor, 4GB RAM. That's a basic configuration, I think. I think 11'' is too fiddly to use. The disc capacity should be enough, you can keep anything excessively big on external disk. RAM and processor should be enough for normal activities. I am not sure if I would want to upgrade any part over the provided standard. RAM would be the cheapest, but I do not know how memory hungry programmes are and if it makes sense at all. Bigger SSD means more than +£100. Better processor? Again, what you want to do with it. For a typical work, i5 should be fine.

I'm typing this on an 11" Air from 2012. I personally don't find it too fiddly. In fact I'm going on holidays next week and taking the 11" Air rather than the 13" Pro because I'm flying Ryanair and I'm not likely to play Windows games while I'm away. I guess it depends what you want to do with the computer.

IvanIV · 13/08/14 - 19:00

cnbcwatcher wrote: »

I'm typing this on an 11" Air from 2012. I personally don't find it too fiddly. In fact I'm going on holidays next week and taking the 11" Air rather than the 13" Pro because I'm flying Ryanair and I'm not likely to play Windows games while I'm away. I guess it depends what you want to do with the computer.

That's something one has to try for themselves. For me, when laptop then 13'' and when tablet then 10''. I tried smaller laptops in the shop and it was a bit uncomfortable, maybe because I have bigger hands. I also have 8'' tablet and while it is a pretty little thing I prefer using the 10'' one.

Wolfsheadish · 13/08/14 - 21:13

paulj48 wrote: »

I would'nt as it will be out of date very soon when Yosemite comes out.

*sigh*

ibatten · 13/08/14 - 22:22

davidseven wrote: »

Along with the battery being glued in I guess. No wonder Wozzie left!

It's not glued in place.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook-air/macbook-air-faq/macbook-air-battery-replacement-instructions.html

Izak · 15/08/14 - 17:48

I bought a MacBook Air 11 inch model last year. I upgraded the spec to i7 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD. It's a fantastic machine. I debated for ages whether to go with the 11 or 13 inch eventually settling for the 11 inch because I wanted a really portable machine and I have never been happier with a computer. The 11 inch screen is perfect for the vast majority of jobs and I have a 1080P DisplayPort monitor for those tasks that need a bit more space.

I use it as my main system too since it is so fast at starting up and every task I have thrown at it so far, it has done with ease from browsing the internet, photo editing, video editing, DVD ripping and even playing games.

The only thing it has ever struggled with was a specific iMovie special effect (theatre curtains) which slows the system down quite a bit but other than that I've hardly ever noticed any slow down which is something I came across on a daily basis on my older Windows PC.

[Deleted User] · 22/08/14 - 12:29

Is it hard in general to switch from Windows to iOS? For example I am a very active torrent user, will this be a problem? I am thinking of 11" Mid 2013 as they have up to 512 GB space. Thank you very much for the reply

alan1302 · 22/08/14 - 12:57

Iitis_Me wrote: »

Is it hard in general to switch from Windows to iOS? For example I am a very active torrent user, will this be a problem? I am thinking of 11" Mid 2013 as they have up to 512 GB space. Thank you very much for the reply

iOs is what's used on the iPhone/iPad Macs

But it's generally an easy transition - only problem I have is sorting out any problems as you get used to working it out with Windows but a Mac is different so sometimes takes a while to sort it out. I have the same problem when i use Linux!

Maxatoria · 22/08/14 - 14:10

If you're going to buy a new one check when the next refresh is as it would be terrible to buy one and then find out that two weeks later you could have the new one thats 20% faster for the same money

and don't forget applecare as a 30 second glance at the price of apple spare parts is enough to require a few barrels (not bottles) of whiskey to steady the nerves

and you can of course dual boot it so you can run osx and windows for those programs that there just aint an apple version (games mainly or very high end specialist programs that cost as much as a car)

Gormond · 22/08/14 - 15:07

What puts me off getting a MacBook Air is the terrible screen resolution for such an expensive machine.

Do you require an Ultrabook or are you just getting the Macbook Air as it's the cheapest Apple laptop?

If you do require an Ultrabook I suggest you have a look at the competition http://www.ultrabookreview.com/3214-samsung-ativ-book-9-comparison/

Like others have said OSX is nothing like iOS so don't let that sway you.

[Deleted User] · 22/08/14 - 15:19

Once you go Mac, you never go back. That's all I'll say.

However, I do find you get (slightly) more value out of a desktop Mac rather than the laptops.

Gormond · 22/08/14 - 15:29

bassebuwa wrote: »

Once you go Mac, you never go back. That's all I'll say.

However, I do find you get (slightly) more value out of a desktop Mac rather than the laptops.

I did but I would like to get a Mac Mini if they ever bother upgrading it.

[Deleted User] · 23/08/14 - 18:57

Gormond wrote: »

I did but I would like to get a Mac Mini if they ever bother upgrading it.

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac

This page will be your friend. I've kept my eye on it many times when I go to buy an Apple product, and a lot of the time, it's paid off. Saying that, they very quietly update the Mac lines nowadays, so the rumour mill might not be worth as much as it used to.

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Buying my first MacBook Air, but don't know which one

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