Apple MacBook Air MJVP2LL/A 11.6-Inch Laptop (256 GB) NEWEST VERSION
- 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz) with 3 MB shared L3 cache
- 4 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM; 256 GB PCIe-based flash storage
- 11.6-Inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Glossy Widescreen Display, 1366 x 768 resolution
- Intel HD Graphics 6000
- OS X Yosemite, Up to 9 Hours of Battery Life
Picked up a 11" 256GB at the Apple Store only because Amazon only carried the 128GB in the 11". Would have rather picked it up here as it was a few dollars cheaper and triple points on my Amazon Card on purchases here.
My only prior mac experience was a 2012 Mac Mini which I adored and sold it for what I paid for it a 6 months later when I thought new models were coming out. By the time they did, my money plans had changed. Bought another windows machine, that was HP junk. But I'm back on track and mac till the day I die.
I'm not a fanboy. If it sucked, I'd say it sucks. However I am a great lover of every apple product I've ever owned. Countless iPods, a few iPhones, Apple TV, etc... It all words like it should. Well designed, well built, easy and FUN to use.
I have some cheapskate relatives that look at apple as overpriced. However, my opinion is, Apple products are an investment. Use a windows laptop 3 years and if it even runs right (good luck) you can't get $100 for it. Meanwhile every apple product I've ever sold to upgrade brought me 3/4+ of the original purchase price. Most of the apple products I've had cost me 30cents to 1.00 a day the whole time I owned them. Life's short people... You owe it to yourself to enrich your life any way you can.
Last week I wanted to rip 5 new CDs I had bought on my HP "craptop". I swear I spent all freakin afternoon and the frustration was unreal. I know what I'm doing, I've ripped countless thousands of discs over the years and I made up my mind that day it was time to fork out the money.
Even though I had forgotten most of what I knew about my old mac, I plugged in the SuperDrive and did nothing more. Had 3 new CDs to rip and spent 4 minutes average to rip them. Burnt a couple others, equally as fast. I was actually disappointed that it didn't take longer because this thing is FUN to play with. Call me crazy, but I like FUN as opposed to FRUSTRATION.
Full disclosure, I'm a 46 YR old male who probably has below avg computer skills for my age. I have a few buddies who are BIGTIME computer nerds and they like Android and Windows machines because they know how to make them work well (sometimes) and I think they prefer them because they can show off their skill. They don't like Apple stuff because a person of even below avg intelligence could teach their self how to use an Apple product as good as any computer expert could. Personally I'm fine with whatever floats their boat and to each their own. For me, I'll stick with the well built, easy and fun to use toys that have high resale value because I'll always want to own what Apple comes out with next.
I'm trying to think if something negative to say about this spring 2015 MacBook Air or Apple in general but I'm at a loss. Can't really complain about any aspect of it.
My wife used it and it rocked her world and she won't give it back. So I'm gonna mess with it some more and decide if I want the exact same for me, the 13" or wait till April 10 for the new Macbook 12"
I spent about 2 whole days comparing every tiny aspect of the current spring 2015 lineup and here's my thoughts... They are all fantastic but for me, the Pro is overkill in every way. I don't need the extra size or weight and I don't like that it is the last year before that model sees a complete design overhaul which is due 2016.
As far as the Spring 2015 Air 11 & 13 vs the 12" new macbook April 10, 2015 release:
Laptop Options
11" AIR 128/4GB = 899
(I needed larger SSD)
11" AIR 256/4GB = 1099
(What I purchased for my wife)
11" AIR 256/8BG = 1199
(Double RAM $100)
13" AIR 128/4GB = 999
(I needed larger SSD)
13" AIR 256/4GB = 1199
(Larger screen, 10:9 screen ratio, card reader, faster flash memory, but heavier)
13" AIR 256/8GB = 1299
(Larger screen, 10:9, card reader, faster flash memory, double RAM, but heavier)
12" MACBOOK 256/8GB = 1299
(Larger screen, retina display, 10:9, double ram, faster flash, better keyboard, better keyboard lighting, lighter, thinner, usb-C port, newest trackpad, color choice)
Cons for new macbook compared to 11" MacBook Air.
only 1 port
No glow apple
Adapters
Less powerful processor
1st gen possible issues
Downgraded FaceTime cam.
No MagSafe
Only 1 port
$200 more than my config.
Pros over my 11" air
Retina display
Thinner, smaller, lighter
Newest trackpad
New key mechanism
LED behind each key
8GB memory over 4GB
16:10 ratio screen
3 color choices
A few other thoughts... If you google it, you will find people on forums who have had eye problems they believe from using the apple retina displays on the 13" MacBook Pro as well as other Apple products with Retina displays. This worries me because I have an eye disease, eye pain, and already compromised vision (not from retina though). It's quite a few people actually but I'm sure a small percentage of users overall. If I try the new macbook April 10 I will be very conscious of that during the 14 day apple return period (and as of this moment I do not know Apples policy on returning MacBooks but Apple Store and BestBuy is 14 days). Something I just wanted to throw out there if you think the display hurts your eyes. The AIR does not have a retina display and that was a big consideration when I bought it. BUT it is a beautiful display in it's own right. Makes my HP look like a screen door over the display.
Another thought, my above list is incomplete because I didn't need over the base processors. I couldn't afford the 512GB SSD which Id loved to have. Keep in mind everyone has different needs. I have a 2500+ CD collection as I'm a music lover. I didn't want to fool with an external hard drive, the 256GB is the biggest I could afford. I will rip a lot of my CDs in "iTunes plus AAC" because:
- I can get 10 full albums per GB
- the quality is well beyond good enough for casual listening on even above avg equipment.
- I like to keep lots of albums sync'd to my iphone for use in the car, and when Im on the treadmill.
- and lastly because I like to stream albums and playlist to my Yamaha A/V receiver and it can't do apple lossless.
- I will however keep a few hundred CDs of the best sound quality I own on the MacBook Air in Apple Lossless (like 4 albums per GB) so that when I connect my external USB AMP/DAC and HD598 headphones I can have the best possible SQ.
As far as the amount of memory (RAM) to choose in the Air series, you have 4GB standard with $100 upgrade to 8GB which likely you would have to buy through the apple store because Amazon only carries certain configurations. I researched this for HOURS and HOURS. Most people in the know strongly believe 4GB is all you need. And mine does run smooth as butter. If you run several memory intensive programs at one time you could be better with 8GB but honestly at that point you really need the MacBook Pro so upgrading the Air to 4GB is a complete waste of money even if you have a future proofing mentality it's just not needed. But if you need 8GB to sleep at night it's cheap enough at $100. Do no memory is not upgradable as it is soldered in. So get what you need at purchase. I had debated the future proofing aspect but if anything future operating systems are handling memory much better, not worse. If you are gonna do hardcore video editing your better off with the pro. 95% of users will see absolutely no benefit to the 8GB for everyday tasks, and certainly not for casual use of web surfing, email etc..
A lot of people are absolutely fine with the base model of the MacBook Air and will be extremely impressed with how powerful and slick this thing is. If you need more SSD space, use external memory options or pay the premium for Apples upgraded configs. As of 2015 the 13" AIR has 2x faster SSD than the 11" but they are all blazing fast compared to a spinning hard drive.
11" vs 13"
Let me save you a few hours of research. Everytime it has come up on various forums 50% love the 11" 50% love the 13" and quite a few own/owned both and love both. It will not be helpful to search it. They are both small they are both light. 13" is $100 higher in every configuration and has a 16:10 screen as opposed to 16:9 on the 11". The 13 has a SDXC card reader and 2x faster SSD other than that... The 11" has 135ppi (pixels per inch) and the 13" has 128ppi) I have viewed both side by side and if the 11"is better it is slight to the point you will never know. IIRC, the 13" has 12 hour battery as opposed to 9 for the 11". If you would use it on an airplane tray often or value SMALL and light over all else, go with the 11". The 13" is heavier but it's in no way heavy. The difference between the 13" MacBook Air and the new April 10 macbook is 1lb almost exactly and the 11" air is in between but closer to the new macbook in weight. Apple has all the specs on their site, but their comparison chart is lacking even compared to what I listed above. I compiled that from many sources. It's in no way definitive, but it really helped me decide.
I didn't personally want to save $100 by buying last years model, but if money's tight you have that option. New for 2015 is the 2x faster memory for the 13" and both got a 5th gen processor and upgraded to the 6000 graghics vs 5300. In the real world I heard this mean a slight boost in efficiency and shading detail on the graphics (in other words not a big deal from last year for the avg guy).
Excuse the typos, I typed all this on my iphone via diabetic index finger! I really hope this saves someone some hours of research. I hope you are able to buy one and I hope you enjoy it!