mac book air2011 vs 2014

[m4riamargar3t]

Hi i have a macbook pro 2009 core duo and its very slow. someone is giving me a deal on a macbook air 2011 dual core i5, harddrive 256 ssd, 4 times the speed. I know nothing about computers and I was wondering if anyone knows the difference between the 2011 and new 2014 models

 

[pigoo3]

Does your budget allow you to purchase a 2014 MacBook Air…or only enough to purchase the 2011 used MacBook Air? Only mentioning it…since if the budget does not allow for a 2014 model…no need even thinking about it.

Are we talking 11" or 13" models?

- Nick

 

[m4riamargar3t]

mac book 2011 vs 2014

My budget allows me to buy the cheapest new model of mac book air - $999
this is all 13 in models the 2011 and 2014.
I am a student for 2 more years and I am just wondering if it worth spending that much for the lower end new 2014. Is the difference significant?

 

[pigoo3]

The 2014 MBA's are about 15-20% faster…and have video hardware that is 2 generations newer. That's about it.

So it kind of depends how much price difference there is between the used 2011 MBA and the $999 price of the 2914 MBA.

- Nick

 

[m4riamargar3t]

I am getting it for $700 dollars fully loaded with photoshop, microsoft office software, etc

im not sure if I can get something better for 700 dollars or if it worth getting the newer model if its only 200 dollar difference

 

[m4riamargar3t]

Thanks for the help, I just do not know enough to make a decision. Its alot of money and just wanted to do my research

 

[pigoo3]

I am getting it for $700 dollars fully loaded with photoshop, microsoft office software, etc

FYI…"fully-loaded" with that software means illegal software…unless the previous owner transfers complete ownership to you. And with the way "cloud accounts" work today…I'm not even sure that's possible.

If Adobe detects this software installed on more than one computer (via the internet)…then it will lock down the account/registration for this software…making it non-usable for all users. And forget about updates.

$700 is not a bad price. But for $299 more you get a brand new 2014 MBA. Which will also automatically come with 12 months of Applecare warranty.

Don't let the potentially illegal software convince you to purchase the 2011 MBA.

- Nick

 

[pigoo3]

For what it's worth…here are two refurbished models from the Apple online Store:

$799 for a 2013 model (VERY similar to the 2014 model):

Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Air 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)

$849 for the same exact 2014 model as you were considering. Just refurbished:

Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Air 1.4GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)

Refurbished Apple computers are just like new. And still come with the exact same 12 months of Applecare warranty as a new computer.

- Nick

 

[m4riamargar3t]

Thank you so much! Im going to go with the refurbished. now the only decision is the memory

thank you so much for the help!!

 

[pigoo3]

Thank you so much! Im going to go with the refurbished. now the only decision is the memory

This is the easy part…you can't custom configure computers in the refurbished area. They are what they are.

thank you so much for the help!!

You're welcome!

- Nick

 

[chas_m]

I was going to point out that the later models offer TB2 and USB 3 compared to the older models, but that's kind of moot to many people. The bottom line is that the newer models are better, and will last longer. I think you made a good decision.