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MacBook Air Q&A
Update Published August 10, 2019
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What are the "pros and cons" of the "Mid-2013," "Early 2014," "Early 2015" and "Mid-2017" MacBook Air models? Is one the right Apple notebook for my needs?
Please note that all MacBook Air models mentioned in this Q&A have been discontinued. However, this Q&A is up-to-date and can be useful for anyone considering one of these notebooks on the used market.
Purchasing any product is a personal decision and only you can decide whether or not a used pre-Retina "Mid-2013," "Early 2014," "Early 2015" or "Mid-2017" MacBook Air model is the best notebook for your needs. Nevertheless, an objective "pros and cons" definitely can help you make an informed choice.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (11-Inch & 13-Inch MacBook Air Models)
EveryMac.com additionally provides a detailed comparison of the final "Early 2015/Mid-2017" pre-Retina MacBook Air models that also may be of interest to you.
For those most interested in the highlights, this "run down" may be helpful to make a decision:
Pros:
- Lightweight, attractive, and thin case designs.
- Respectable performance, particularly due to PCIe-based flash storage and relatively efficient graphics processors. Typically slower than Retina Display MacBook Pro systems, but often can be similar, or even modestly faster than some models, in disk and graphics related tasks.
- Impressive battery life thanks to the energy-efficient Intel "Haswell" ("Mid-2013" and "Early 2014") and "Broadwell" ("Early 2015" and "Mid-2017") architectures.
- LED-backlit widescreen displays that are fairly high-resolution for the physical dimensions.
- Essentially full-size keyboards with backlit keys despite compact system dimensions. A full featured "inertial" multi-touch trackpad, too.
- Fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
- Two USB 3.0 ports and Thunderbolt port (Thunderbolt 2 for the "Early 2015" models).
- SD Card reader (13-Inch models only).
- 720p "FaceTime HD" Webcam.
- Affordable.
Cons:
- RAM cannot be upgraded after purchase (all of these lines can be upgraded to 8 GB of RAM, but only at the initial time of purchase).
- Internal storage is not intended to be upgraded by an end user, although it is possible to do so.
- Battery is relatively difficult to access and replace and is not intended to be replaced by an end user, either.
- The 11-Inch (1366x768) and 13-Inch (1440x900) MacBook Air displays are comparatively low resolution compared to the 12-Inch "Retina" MacBook (3840x2160) and 13-Inch "Retina" MacBook Pro (2560x1600) models.
- No internal Ethernet (a Gigabit Ethernet adapter is available via Thunderbolt) or Firewire.
- No internal optical drive (external option available).
- MagSafe 2 power connector requires adapter (MD504ZM/A) to use with an LED Cinema Display, Thunderbolt Display, or earlier MagSafe power adapter.
- Upgrades (additional RAM and storage) and accessories (optical drive) can make the MacBook Air more expensive than alternatives should a user need these additions.
So, is one right for my needs?
Ultimately, if you want a beautiful, lightweight notebook Mac and future upgrades are not particularly important -- and ignoring subsequent Retina MacBook and Retina MacBook Air models -- the pre-Retina MacBook Air might be the perfect system for you.
Performance is solid for those who do not do demanding tasks while on the go (like high-end video editing and encoding) and with two USB 3.0 ports and a Thunderbolt port (or a Thunderbolt 2 port for the "Early 2015" and "Mid-2017" models), connectivity also is unlikely to be an issue for most.
In general, the 11-Inch display -- although high-resolution for its physical size -- still is rather limiting and most who do more than basic multitasking likely would prefer a 13-Inch model as the difference between the two in size and weight is unlikely to be enough to be critical for most. The 11-Inch model has impressive battery life, but the 13-Inch model has even better battery life as well as the useful SDXC Card slot.
However, for those who only do fairly simple tasks on the go -- word processing, e-mail, web browsing, listening to music, and basic photo editing, for example -- or who are looking for a lightweight "companion" notebook to complement a desktop Mac, the 11-Inch model could be perfect. If price is important, a used 11-Inch model tends to be less expensive, although all of these models can be rather inexpensive on the used market.
If performance, connectivity and expansion are high priorities -- but size and weight are lower priorities -- a MacBook Pro would be a better choice.
Used MacBook Air Purchase Options
There are any number of places to purchase a used pre-Retina MacBook Air. However, purchasing from a quality seller with extensive experience in the Mac market -- and after sales support -- will provide the best experience and save you money and time, too.
In the US, site sponsor Adorama sells new MacBook Air models with free shipping. Other World Computing sells used and refurb MacBook Air models at bargain prices with free shipping, as well. On the other hand, if you need to sell a MacBook Air, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older notebook with an instant quote and prompt payment.
In the UK, site sponsor Hoxton Macs sells used MacBook Air models with a one-year warranty and free next day delivery throughout the UK. Delivery across Europe also is available starting at just £9.99 for two-day delivery to France and Germany.
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