

Is it worth buying a MacBook Air? - winter_blue

I&#x27;m thinking of getting the 13-inch MacBook Air, but I&#x27;m not sure if it&#x27;s worth the investment.<p>I strongly prefer Linux to OS X (having used a company MBP for about a year), so OS X in itself is not so much of a big deal. But I&#x27;m still willing to give it (OS X) another shot, though.<p>Right now my biggest problem is justifying the value&#x2F;worth to be gained for the sky-high price tag (for my own peace). With the i7+(8GB RAM) upgrade, and NY tax (~9%), the price hovers close to $1,470.[1]<p>Is this machine really worth almost $1.5k?<p>[1] Base price: $1099.
i7 Upgrade: $150.
8GB RAM upgrade (from 4GB): $100.
Total (sans tax): $1349.
9% sales tax: $121.
<i>TOTAL</i> = $1,470
======
axx
I recently switched from a MacBook Air 13" to a Lenovo X220 12,1" (Intel i5, 4
gig RAM). I bought it used and it was in perfect shape and without any
scratches.

I paid ~490€ + 80€ for an SSD and a additional 70€ for an additional 9 cell
battery.

The 9 cell battery gives me around 10 hours of battery life with normal usage
and up to 12 hours with very little usage (mostly Terminal/SSH). But i still
own the old 6 cell battery: around 5 hours on top (sure, you need to reboot,
but it's still pretty cool).

The only downside is the display resolution (1366x768), but 90% of my day is
using the Terminal, so not a big problem for me. If you need more screen
estate, you can still hook it up to a monitor via Display Port.

I'm running Linux on it, and everything works perfectly, no drivers problems
or anything.

If you're not really depending on OS X, maybe a used Lenovo X220/X230 would be
an alternative.

For Hardware Specs -> ThinkWiki:
[http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:X220](http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:X220)

~~~
tom_b
I've been using the same Lenovo X200 for four years and have been extremely
happy with it. I'm running Linux on it these days after getting tired of
dealing with Windows for the first year.

The display resolution has become a drag though (same 1366x768 as the x220). I
love the portability and durability of this machine, but I've notice I tend to
hack when plugged into an external monitor more over the last year rather than
just using the laptop alone.

I've started eye-balling the X230, mainly because you can cram 16GB of ram
into it. I would also consider looking at some of the newish T430s/T431s.
Better displays, still under 4 lbs.If you buy a Thinkpad new, get the cheapest
configuration you can and upgrade the memory (I've used crucial.com) and drop
in an ssd yourself - you'll save hundreds of dollars.

~~~
japhyr
I just got my first Thinkpad this summer, a T430s. I absolutely love it, and
I'd like to reiterate the approach of buying the cheapest configuration
possible and then upgrading components separately.

I replaced the dvd with a bay battery, and I think I get about 7 hours of
battery life. I never use it that long at a stretch, and I recharge it every
night, so I just always have plenty of battery life.

I run Ubuntu 12.04 at the moment. My only complaint has to do with suspend.
I've noticed that while closed and suspended, it still works through the
battery's charge. I was surprised to leave it suspended with a mostly full
battery one day, and find it off the next day. Also, when I carry it in my
backpack in a case while suspended, it comes out of the case hot after a
couple hours. Apparently it is still working pretty hard while suspended.

------
aukatrau
I've been looking at this and the sony vaio pro 13, as they are similar. The
sony vaio pro 13 is a little more expensive, but I think the extra cost is
worth it for the following reasons: 1) Even though the mac book air is light,
the sony vaio pro is lighter 2) The resolution is higher (1440 x 900 on air,
1920 x 1080 on vaio pro) 3) Vaio pro has touch screen. Some people may say
that is unnecessary, but it is another method of input available and I believe
in the next few years it will be standard on all laptops. 4) It's made of
carbon fiber, so it's ridiculously strong

------
xpressyoo
Actually, I faced the same question a few months back. I'm a Linux user and
was looking for a light and decent laptop. I almost got the MacBook Air but
was not ready (yet) to move from Linux to OSX. I finally purchased a Thinkpad
X1 Carbon (i7)
([http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x1-ca...](http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/x-series/x1-carbon/))
for less than $1400 thanks to a discount from my University. It's not cheap
but definitely a nice machine. It's light, has a cool look (IMO), the display
is better than the Air but the X1's battery lasts less than the Air. However,
note that the battery life on recent MacBook Air's shows a rather sharp
decline compared to older MacBook Pro's:
[http://www.extremetech.com/computing/164129-macbook-air-
batt...](http://www.extremetech.com/computing/164129-macbook-air-battery-woes-
show-the-downside-of-the-quest-for-denser-batteries)

A comparison X1 vs Air:
[http://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1295563/face-
app...](http://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1295563/face-apple-
macbook-air-vs-lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon)

------
martin-adams
Lets say you intend to keep it for 3 years, would you be prepared to pay just
over $40 a month for it? I don't know if that helps but I like to think of
things as a cost over time, not a lump sum consumption like a meal or day to
the theme park.

~~~
prawks
While I completely understand the strategy, I think sometimes this is a
dangerous way of thinking, especially if you're tightly budgeted.

He's not taking $40 a month and putting it back where the money for the Air
came from, and if he has an emergency need for $1500 the day after, he's short
the money for the Air.

Just something to think about I suppose.

~~~
martin-adams
Completely agree. The money is sunk in now and absolutely affects cash flow of
anything coming up. Only think like this if you're looking at worth over
affordability.

For example, as a freelancer I look at the cost of equipment against the value
it provides against my earning potential.

------
yesimahuman
I'm a pretty heavy Linux user and I constantly oscillate between Desktop
Windows + Linux VM, and a Macbook Pro/Air.

Even though I feel Mac laptops are very overpriced, I keep coming back to
them. Some of the benefits you get are an intensely integrated experience,
along with dev tools that work very well, with a lot of support for whatever
kind of work you might be doing (lots of SO questions, etc.).

I've come to the conclusion that I just get more done more quickly on a Mac.
And my Air is probably the best laptop I've ever used. Light enough to carry
around, fast enough for any kind of development work, and very sturdy. You'll
love it, and completely forget the price tag.

One piece of advice though: Get a personal articles insurance policy. State
Farm (and maybe others) offer this special policy specifically for laptops,
and they will replace or pay for your machine to get repaid for any damage,
including water spillage. I spilled water on an Air last year and that machine
is essentially a wash now: too old to fix, and too broken to sell. Don't make
the same mistake.

EDIT: Thanks for the downvote :|

------
damian2000
Have you looked at Lenovo's Thinkpad X1 Carbon? I bought a Lenovo last year
that I'm happy with - decent build quality, solid keyboard. Maybe not as good
build quality as a Mac but near to it.

~~~
dubcanada
I'd also recommend a good Lenovo. They are still fairly amazing computers,
maybe not the quality of their old black ones, but still excellent.

~~~
davidw
I looked into those, but the resolution was abominable - 1366 x whatever. I
think this is a screen shot:
[http://www.vectronicsappleworld.com/collection/articlepics/a...](http://www.vectronicsappleworld.com/collection/articlepics/atari2600/combat1.png)

~~~
ddeck
The X1 carbon resolution is 1600x900 (14") vs 1440x900 (13.3") on the MBA.

~~~
dubcanada
The T series are all 1600x900 also. If you really want good resolution, then a
retina macbook would probably be the best idea. I just can't recommend anyone
get a pixel if you are concerned with money.

~~~
davidw
Oops, I was off by a bit. I have a 15" 1900x1200 Dell from several years ago,
and am apoplectic that it's almost impossible to find anything like that these
days.

That's 840,000 more pixels than a 1600x900 machine.

~~~
ddeck
Agreed. The dominance of the 16x9 format drives me nuts also. It seems the
average resolution on a cell phone exceeds that of the average laptop these
days.

------
npaquin
I have been using the same (ish) Air that you're looking at for about a year
now (this is my first Mac). I'm getting rid of it and grabbing a Dell XPS 13
Developer Edition - the screen resolution on the Air just isn't good enough,
and the OS is a joke compared to Linux.

~~~
dubcanada
Care to expand on how Mac OS is a joke?

~~~
winter_blue
I'd like to hear why you think OS X is a joke as well. It's a true POSIX
system[1] after all. You can get homebrew/macports which (I hope) offers
something comparable to apt-get.

[1] Unlike Windows, which passes POSIX certification on paper (or did), but in
reality it doesn't mean a thing.

------
paulocal
I absolutely love my macbook air. Had it for about 2 years now. Got the very
low end model at the time and use it for software development and photoshop
and it runs beautifully. My only regret is not shelling out a few more bucks
for a larger ssd (i have the 128gb model). The battery life has been great
even after 2 years.

As far as build quality, I'd say its unmatched. I've dropped it numerous times
and have never put a case on it. Never even put it in a sleeve. I've left it
on top of my car and driven off. It has a few scratches, but thats about it.
Maybe I've gotten lucky.

~~~
winter_blue
> The battery life has been great even after 2 years.

That sounds awesome. I thought the battery would degrade significantly after a
period of time like that.

Honestly, a big part of the reason why I'm even considering Apple is because
of the experience I've heard with the iPad. I bought the original iPad when it
first came out (in 2010), and I _still_ use it almost everyday. I've gotten so
much out of it.

On the other hand, the Nexus One (which I got in Feb 2010), fell once,
practically stopped being useful after that fall - and to top it off (even if
it worked today) Google has marked it as "obsolete" (and hence not worthy to
receive any new upgrades). I paid Google more for the Nexus One, than for the
iPad (16GB).

~~~
FireBeyond
Why do you decry Google for the Nexus One being "obsolete", released in 2010,
not getting any updates... when you have an original iPad from 2010, which is
stuck on iOS 5.1?

------
locusm
Maybe not... If you lean towards Linux - I've heard the guys at System76 are
great to deal with.
[https://www.system76.com/laptops/](https://www.system76.com/laptops/)

~~~
wldlyinaccurate
System76 laptops aren't known for their amazing battery life. The new(ish)
Galago UltraPro supposedly only lasts 4 hours. Fine if you're plugged in all
the time, but then why do you want a laptop?

~~~
winter_blue
> Fine if you're plugged in all the time, but then why do you want a laptop?

I travel between countries a lot, and I can see myself doing that more for the
near future. Being able to have _just one_ machine -- rather a powerful
desktop workstation and an ultraportable (like the MBA), is one reason I've
been considering getting a desktop replacement laptop.

You get to take you work with you, anywhere. It's the alternative I've been
considering, if I choose not to go for an MBA.

------
zimbatm
Compared to ?

It's not an apple to apple (huhu) comparison but here are models with similar
performance range:

[https://www.system76.com/laptops/model/galu1](https://www.system76.com/laptops/model/galu1)
with 120GB SSD and 8GB of ram is worth $1169.- Much bulkier. Has a CD slot.

[http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/s-series/s431/](http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/s-series/s431/)
with 8GB of ram is worth $949.52.-

~~~
galaktor
I have the system76. Not bulky at all. Mine has no CD slot but an SSD and 500
GB internal drive. Been playing steam games just fine on the Iris pro
graphics, it controls 2 external monitors simultaneously (3 in total including
laptop screen), drivers for everything worked out of the box (although Skype
for linux is acting up wrt audio). Add to that: System76 support is great.

Edit: I should add that keyboard and clickpad seem to annoy some people but I
haven't found anything unusual with them as laptop input devices go (they all
give you RSI anyhow). I only use them on the go when I really need to but use
ergonomic ones via USB most of the time.

~~~
etioyuahgdhjdkg
I also have the galago pro. A great machine! Like a lightweight desktop
replacement. Only downside is the 5 hour max battery life.

~~~
winter_blue
FYI the Galago UltraPro is a _Clevo W740SU_ (system76 sells re-branded Clevo
laptops).

You can get the Clevo W740SU / Galago UltraPro on avadirect.com as well, but
it's actually more expensive there (about $200 more than system76):
[https://www.avadirect.com/custom-laptop-
configurator.asp?PRI...](https://www.avadirect.com/custom-laptop-
configurator.asp?PRID=28184)

That being said, I'm not so sure about getting the W740U. I guess it's a
rather well-balanced laptop (between the two extremes of being an all-out
desktop replacement and an ultraportable).

But I would actually rather make up my mind first, about whether I want to
remain " _plugged in_ " all the time, or have the freedom to spend my day in a
library of coffee shop. (I haven't decided on this yet.)

------
Mustafabei
First of all, it's probabaly safe to say that it will be a good investment,
regardless of how you are going to use it. (School, work, design etc.) I'm all
up for the 8 RAM upgrade if you think you need it, but for the i7, I'd say
don't go there if you are not involved with complex rendering or serious
multitasking. i5 will do just fine. (I have an i5 model with 4GB and had no
problem for close to 7 months now.)

Just a heads-up, make sure to check the air's wi-fi connectivity when you buy
it, as the prime problem seems to be it.

Enjoy.

~~~
winter_blue
Thanks for the advice.

> for the i7, I'd say don't go there if you are not involved with complex
> rendering or serious multitasking

I'll be doing _some_ software development locally on my machine. It'll mostly
be small personal projects. I just thought maybe I'd benefit from the small
boost that comes from the i7. According to Anandtech, the i7 makes things
about 25% faster (according to various benchmarks).

~~~
waivej
I haven't read the benchmarks... But go for mhz rather than cores. (Amdahl's
Law)

~~~
winter_blue
The only differences, based on ARK Intel between the MacBook Air i5 and i7
are:

 _Speed_ : i5 @ 1.3 GHz vs. i7 @ 1.7 GHz

 _Cache_ : 3MB on the i5 vs. 4MB on the i7

So yes, the clock speed is higher -- but I'd assume that much of the increased
performance comes from reduced cache misses due to the larger cache size...
(correct me if I'm wrong).

------
oftenwrong
I used to own a macbook and I will never buy one again. Here are some of the
main reasons why:

1\. Apple's laptops are difficult to service.

2\. Glossy screens are terrible for viewing in sunlight.

3\. For the air specifically, carrying adapters is necessary. For example, you
cannot just plug an air into a TV with HDMI or an ethernet cable without using
an adapter.

4\. Ports like thunderbolt and firewire are not widely used, so they are
somewhat useless without buying special peripherals (or using adapters).

5\. No dock connector.

------
fideloper
Use Mac or Windows so you can use productivity tools needed (Microsoft Office,
Adobe products, if needed) and then run virtual machines for development.

My 11" MBA runs great. I've only installed a few things - I do NOT install
server tools (where "tool" == apache, nginx, pip, memcached etc etc etc etc).

Mac laptops are still good quality, and you're NOT stuck using the Mac OS for
_everything_ , especially development.

~~~
gte910h
Exactly, mac laptops are great windows and usually good linux machines too

------
daGrevis
In my opinion, if you prefer Linux over OS X, you should take a look at Dell
XPS 13 Ultrabook.

~~~
davidw
He's price conscious though, and that's a fairly expensive machine in its own
right. It's still worth a look though, as the value of getting a machine that
'just works' is not to be discounted. It would drive me bonkers to get a
computer with no apt-get, no focus follows mouse, one mouse button (three is
best), and so on.

~~~
Terretta
One mouse button? MBA has four.

~~~
davidw
> MBA has four.

Yeah? I haven't looked at one in person for ages, and don't see any at all in
the Apple site pictures, so I'm guessing that you just tap the trackpad? But
what if you want to right click to do something, or middle click to paste some
text?

~~~
epaga
you can click on both the left or the right corner and have that trigger a
left/right click.

alternatively (and by default), a two-finger tap is a "right click".

not sure about a middle click.

------
pizza234
It's not clear how much you need a Mac in itself.

If not, there are a few high-end ultrabooks having a better performance+build
quality to price ratio.

~~~
winter_blue
> _there are a few high-end ultrabooks having a better performance+build
> quality to price ratio_

Would you be able to recommend a few good ones? I've looked around a bit (only
a bit), and everything seems priced in the MacBook range (ie. $1000+).

~~~
koffiezet
I came to the same conclusion when looking around for a small lightweight,
high end quality laptop. Dell XPS and Lenovo X-series, that's about it I think
- and they're similarly priced.

Ended up buying the MBA Haswell with i7, 8gig, 512gb ssd for +-€1800. No
regrets here.

~~~
winter_blue
For comparison, my last laptop, an Ubuntu-certified (yay!) Dell set me back
$450 (€337).

It's a solid _average_ machine, works well, does what it's supposed to do. But
I've been feeling like getting myself a better (more "high-end" system) - be
it an ultraportable like the MBA, or a desktop replacement like the 17-inch
system76/Clevo laptops.

------
mchannon
I got the 11" rather than the 13"\- fits better on an airplane tray table and
$100 is $100. I was paranoid Xcode wouldn't fit within its tiny screen but its
non-retina screen is still very densely packed with pixels and my eyes still
work wonderfully with it. Terminal windows similarly work great.

The 8GB is a no-brainer, but it also makes it a little harder to buy from just
anywhere, and it's non-upgradable RAM so you have to make the commitment up
front. I didn't see much point for going for a more powerful processor; if you
push it, an MBA, even topped out, is never going to hold its own against
bigger computers- that's not why people get MBA's.

The SSD, which you can get on any size of iron these days, may be a very
pleasant adjustment as well.

You can also take $121 off your up-front price by buying mail-order from a
company that does not charge sales tax in your state (note: Amazon is no
longer in that category).

------
HugoDias
Oh man, 1.5k for a i7 + 8gb ram macbook air ... this is my DREAM. In Brazil
this same machine costs R$ 6.274,00 ( $2645.92 )!!!!!!

~~~
Casseres
For the difference in price, it seems like you could buy a round-trip ticket
to the United States. If they are a hot commodity in Brazil, you could buy
more than one and resell them. I've never been to Brazil though, so I don't
know how customs will react you importing 5 to 10 laptops.

~~~
HugoDias
Sadly we can't do this. Each person coming back from another country has an
limit in dollars to buy. If this limit is overpassed, a lot of taxes will be
setted in each product, increasing the price.

------
mvanvoorden
Regardless of the quality of their hardware, would you support a company that
doesn't pay taxes, that's turning their OS more and more into a cage, that
lets their hardware be assembled in factories where employees work in harsh
circumstances, etc?

In other words: Is a good product more important than ethics?

~~~
mikhailt
Really, you're bringing in ethnics and politics in this?

You should be blaming the governments for allowing everybody to bypass the
taxes with BS loopholes and everything.

It's not ethnics, it's pure business. Apple is a business, just like Dell, HP,
etc, their primary function is to maximize the profits at any given costs. If
there are loopholes in the tax laws that allows the companies to legally not
pay taxes, it is their function to take advantage of it. The US government
confirmed that Apple DID NOT BREAK any laws.

IIRC, the top 20 companies didn't pay 1.2 trillion of dollars that they would
own to US government if there were no loopholes.

Every frigging tech company is pulling the same BS.

Now, turning their OS more into a cage? Proof? I haven't seen them do anything
in the last 5 years to turn OS X into a _cage_.

Factories, really? Apple is just a small part of the big problem here, and
Apple is actually the one of the FEW companies that mandated the factories to
improve their stuff. I don't see anybody else on public saying they'll force
the factories to do stuff.

In other words, buying or not buying a Mac, IT WILL NOT CHANGE ANYTHING.

He needs a good product, he can get a MBA if he wants. If he wants to fight
the power, he can do it on a MBA that'll last 12+ hour for him.

~~~
mvanvoorden
It's easy to blame the governments for everything that goes wrong.

WE the people are the ones in power. WE the people are the ones who vote for
the policies of a company by buying their products. Since when did we shift
all of our responsibilities to government?

Do we really want to government to control every aspect of what a person or
company can or can't do? If yes, then we can't blame the same government that
we have to pay so much taxes or complain about lesser freedoms.

And it's not the function of a company to behave unethic just because it's
legal. Legality has nothing to do with it. And at the same time, I don't judge
anyone for buying at these companies, I just want to make people aware of what
it means when you buy some company's product.

OSX is slowly moving towards an operating system where you can only buy at the
App Store. Now you still can install outside of it, but the step of adding a
checkbox to disable this has already been taken. I would not be surprised if
this functionality will become the same as they do on iOS, which is already
quite a cage.

About the factories I know that more companies use for example Foxconn, but
that doesn't change the fact that this happens and they continue to use the
services of these companies.

I'm not judging anyone for buying Apple products, nor do I try to push any
opinion. I was just asking a question with the intent that this information
might be taken into consideration and to point out our responsibilities as
people for the behavior of companies.

------
overgard
I'm using a MacBook Pro so it's not exactly the same, but I will say, it's
hands down the nicest laptop I've ever owned by a large margin. (This is my
third laptop, all the others were not macs). I agree on the OS thing -- I
actually run windows the majority of the time so I'm not buying it so much for
the software.

In terms of cost, I think it comes down to how often you use it. I view
computer hardware the same way I view, say, beds in that if you're going to
spend 1/3rd of your hours with it, it's probably worth investing in something
you really really like. If not, go cheap.

On the other hand, you might also consider a Thinkpad. I haven't owned one,
but the ones I've used have always seemed like very solid hardware and if you
don't need OSX you can avoid paying the apple tax.

------
bluedino
The question isn't "Is the Air worth it", it's "Is the 13" Retina worth it".

------
adamlindsay
Does it absolutely need to be brand new? I typically buy my Macs refurbished.
Or being in NY, if you are developer, hunt down an ST.121-3 form and get it
tax free. Either route will probably save you quite a bit.

Next, take into account resale. All computers drop in value, but Apple
products hold theirs better than anything else I have ever seen. I regularly
resell my Macs after only a year or two with loss of only a few hundred tops.
So the question is more about the yearly cost of ownership. Which also brings
up the idea of leasing, but typically it doesn't work out well.

[http://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/st/st121_fill_in.pdf](http://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/current_forms/st/st121_fill_in.pdf)

------
nitai
If you only need Linux then simply get a System76 or a Lenovo one.

But, if you want a total integrated experience, one of the best laptops ever
and some of the best dev tools out there, the MacOS X and the AIR are simply
heaven sent.

No, seriously, I went from Linux, to MacBook Pro 17" to MacBook Pro 14" (1650x
resolution) to a MacBook Air 13" (1440x resolution, i7 with 8GB RAM and
512SSD) and it is really the best laptop I've ever owned.

You got all of the best things in one machine, it great to carry around, the
keyboard is simply awesome and it is extremely fast.

Best buy I've ever done.

------
danbee
Macs generally hold their value very well, plus you get 12+ hour battery life.

You should be able to run Linux on it too if you really don't get on with OS
X, although you will likely sacrifice some of that battery life.

~~~
winter_blue
> _You should be able to run Linux_

Yea, according to Phoronix it's just a matter of installing the wireless
driver (at least with Ubuntu).

> _you will likely sacrifice some of that battery life_

This is kind of a problem though. When I'm dishing out nearly $1.5k, I don't
want to loose out on the biggest advantage of the MacBook Air (the 12+ hour
battery life).

I guess I could just try and get used to OS X. (It's POSIX-based after all..)

------
colomon
I know everyone has their own tastes. Certainly when I'm on the command line,
I prefer Linux.

But for my money, the interface between me and the computer is _drastically_
better for the MacBook Pro than it has been for any other computer I've ever
owned. The trackpad is a joy to use, and the GUI is miles better than any
other I've experienced. That makes me more than willing to put up with the
added expense and sometimes balky performance.

And usually I've got multiple terminal windows SSH'd into a Linux box...

------
koffiezet
I have a MBA and the choice between OSX and Windows is a personal-one, but I
actually prefer OSX for desktop usage. Linux for me is the best server os
around, but using it on a desktop irritates me. OSX gives you the same
command-line power any *nix will give you, I use vim, tmux, clang and gcc,
grep/sed/awk/bash scripting on a daily basis on both my air and the Linux
servers I maintain. To that it adds an actually usable desktop that simply
works, multi-desktops that work brilliantly once you master the touchpad
gestures, and fullscreen apps. Without this, I think a 13" display would have
been too small for me. This however, is a personal OS choice. You can still
install Linux on it if you want to.

Regarding the laptop itself, the only one I've seen come close, is the Dell
XPS 13, which is impressive - but then again - it costs about the same. I've
heard good things about the Lenovo X series, but haven't had any hands-on
experience with them.

One of the things however that makes the MBA shine, and this I cannot
understate - is the quality of the user input. The touchpad is superior to
anything from the competition, and the keyboards is something the alternative
'light weight' laptops can't seem to get right (in my opinion). These are -
for me at least - very important points to make, you will use these every
single time you do something with the laptop, and if you're like me,
frustrated every touchpad except the ones Apple makes (seriously, why has
nobody figured it out that well as Apple?). I never thought I would ever say
this, but I prefer the touchpad on my air over a mouse. I expected to be put
off by the keyboard but was also pleasantly surprised. Could have been better,
but I guess this is very hard in such a thin laptop.

~~~
bluedino
That's it, Macs are just flat out nice. Really nice. You just can't get the
same package with other laptops, as nice as some of the others are.

The other thing that keeps me on a Mac is whenever I run Linux I'm always
tweaking shit - you can't on a Mac, so you just get to work instead of goofing
around with settings all day. Plus everything works the way it should, you
don't get some weird app you can't cut and paste in or just random things like
that.

------
drcross
It's an incredible machine, i got the 8gb, i7 upgrade and apple care. I used
my previous macbook for 7 years so if I get the use out of it, it will have
been low cost.

~~~
blackdogie
can anyone explain what major difference to expect from the i5 to i7 core
upgrade ? Speed & large cache is what I saw on the specs, but is there
something else I'm missing ? Any noticeable battery change ?

~~~
winter_blue
Anandtech has done an in-depth review on precisely this (the i5 vs i7 on the
MBA), and it seems like battery life is not really affected (in a few case it
is - but the difference is negligible).

~~~
winter_blue
Link to the Anandtech review:
[http://www.anandtech.com/show/7113/2013-macbook-air-
core-i5-...](http://www.anandtech.com/show/7113/2013-macbook-air-
core-i5-4250u-vs-core-i7-4650u)

------
growt
I don't think you'll find another machine with the same specs and formfactor
for much less. So the question is really do you need these specs and form?

~~~
winter_blue
That's a good question. I've been thinking of whether I should go with an
ultraportable (with great battery life) or a super-powered desktop replacement
(with 1-2 hours of battery life).

Clevos seem to give the most bang for the buck (in terms of
price/performance). system76 and Sager both sell rebranded Clevos. A model
I've been thinking about is the Clevo W370ST.

It's 17.3", has a 1080p matte screen and a bunch of other things. But I read
that the Clevo/system76/Sager's screen quality is not particularly good. Also,
one commentator on a thread complained about hard drive rattle (a case / build
problem) and others about very loud fan noise while doing CPU-intensive stuff.

------
chrisgoman
If you're asking then it's worth it. This may seem like a lot of money now but
in the overall scheme of things, you will be on this computer 10+ hours per
day so if it makes you happy just do it. If you have to get a new computer
anyway, then you're talking only about $500-700 more. Plus you can do iOS
development!

------
mburst
Go find another machine with the same specs then subtract the cost from the
air. If you'd pay that much for OS X then by all means get the MacBook Air. I
personally like developing in Ubuntu more compared to OS X and Windows so I
just use Windows with a virtualbox. This way I get the best of both worlds.

------
jetru
Check out the Asus Zenbooks. My friends have them and run Linux on them. Look
in the Microsoft Store online - they tend to have some good deals too.

I think the biggest factor with the Macbook Air will be the battery. If a 10hr
battery means something to you, it will be worth it. Or maybe not so much.

------
Glench
Just a small note that the power adapter on these things sucks:
[http://store.apple.com/us/reviews/MC747LL/A/apple-45w-magsaf...](http://store.apple.com/us/reviews/MC747LL/A/apple-45w-magsafe-
power-adapter-for-macbook-air?rs=mostUseful)

------
brandonb927
Unless you have specific reasoning to get the i7+8GB of ram version, I have an
i5+4GB and I absolutely love it. No gripes at all about it... well, maybe if
Apple would replace the damn LCD screen that has very small bubbles between
the LCD and the screen, I'd have 0 issues with it.

------
busbyjon
I've got an Air, and I love it.

Only comparison is to the Sony Vaio Pro 13, two of my team have them - and
they are _good_ machines.

Chose the air over the retina due to the size and weight, although I miss
having a HDMI port!

------
gprasanth
How about this:

An ultrabook (Asus? Dell? Lenovo?) + Tablet(Ipad? Nexus?) + Powerful Desktop
(Dell Vostro? Mac Mini?)

You see, it's psychology - Everyone prefers 3 candies for 12$ to 1 candy for
10$.

------
irrationalguy
One thing not to overlook is the convenience of just taking any apple product
to an apple store if you have problems.

~~~
winter_blue
> _taking any apple product to an apple store if you have problems._

Does this cross international borders?

It matters a lot to me, since I travel between countries quite a bit.

------
krak3n_
I recently got the top spec macbook air and it is easily the best machine I
have ever used, hands down.

------
johnwallz
I won't consider a macbook air again until the screen resolution improves.

------
mrvista
What's the ideal MBA specs for full-fledged web development?

------
leishulang
thanks for Adobe, OSX is still my de facto dev machine. If you can gimp, linux
all the way.

------
mknits
Personally, I feel that most Apple products are over-hyped and over-priced
items, nothing more. I know I'm going to be downvoted but I think it's the
truth.

~~~
wldlyinaccurate
I used to feel the same way. But have you tried finding a laptop of high build
quality and similar specs? The only one I can find that comes close in terms
of battery life is the new Samsung Series 9 (ATIV Book Plus) which is actually
more expensive than the Air.

The only thing holding me back from getting an Air right now is the low screen
resolution.

~~~
davidw
> But have you tried finding a laptop of high build quality and similar specs

I don't like Apple much, and do not want Mac OS, but these days, this
statement is sadly, frustratingly true. I am in the market for a laptop, and I
have to say the specs on the 15" Retina Macbook pro are really nice. Sure,
it's expensive, but I'll be staring at / working with the thing for countless
hours. I'm almost tempted to buy one, but hate the idea of spending money with
Apple only to have to fiddle to get an OS I like on the machine.

