Should I get a MacBook Air?

[VP959]

First a plea - can we not turn this into an Apple versus Microsoft debate, please?

Background: I'm a long time Windows user, but my ancient laptop (a Asus Zenbook UX31E, that's ~8 years old) has been running Linux Mint for years. Linux does all I need, as this laptop gets used mainly for surfing the web and email stuff. Having a pretty quiet keyboard has been useful, as I can get away with typing on it, on my lap, whilst my wife's watching TV. I don't need anything particularly fast, but I do like a nice display. My wife's a long-term Apple user, on her third iPad and now also an iMac. We both use iPhones, but I rarely use mine. My main desktop PC gets the most use, and that's still running Windows 7, but that may get replaced by an iMac, if I can make the transition to MacOS.

Given my modest laptop needs, the base model 2020 MacBook Air looks to be a good bet. It seems to have roughly double the processing power of my old i7 Zenbook, and about half the power consumption, with no cooling fan noise (handy). I considered getting an iPad Pro and keyboard (can't get on with touch screen typing), but I don't think it would work well, as we've yet to be able to get any of my wife's iPads to print to our (non-Airprint) network colour laser printer, or file share with our home Linux file server. The iMac is fine with both.

I've watched a few YouTube reviews of the MacBook Air, and it seems pretty good for what I need, but it's really hard to tell (often from someone who's being paid to review something) whether it's really as good as it seems. My main concerns are whether the keyboard is relatively quiet, how hot the thing gets and how comfortable the hand rest area is. Might sound daft, but the Zenbook gets uncomfortably hot after a short time, and when the thing is resting on your legs anything longer than about 30 minutes of use is just too much. Also, the Zenbook has sharp edges where your palms rest, and that also tends to make it uncomfortable to use for any length of time.

If anyone here is a MacBook Air user and can give their honest opinion I'd very much appreciate it.

[Saab Dastard]

Not directly relating to your questions, but a couple of observations:
My main desktop PC gets the most use, and that's still running Windows 7, but that may get replaced by an iMac
If, as you say, you are already running Linux Mint, why not install that on your desktop instead of replacing it with an iMac? Also, a Thunderbolt docking station for a Macbook would kill 2 birds with one stone, so you would replace your Zenbook and your desktop with the Macbook, together with a docking station and screen of your choosing (doesn't have to be Apple). We use a few Macbook Pros at work (6 of those, 950 Windows laptops) connected to Benq monitors, and the combination is better than the iMacs they replaced (I'm told).
SD

[anson harris]

I had a Macbook Air for several years and loved it. Easily the most reliable and best made computer I've ever owned. Replaced it with a MacBook Pro which is not nearly as good. The Air isn't quite up there with the best of the best in terms of power, memory etc but I really loved it's simple, light design and it's very easy to pop in your flight case without really noticing it. I can't say the same for my MacBook Pro which seems significantly more weighty and bulky.

[VP959]

Many thanks, Saab Dastard , those suggestions are one step beyond what I've been thinking of right now, but are certainly interesting. My current desktop PC (which I'm using right now) is a Chinese fanless i7-8550U box, with 16Gb and a 2TB SSD, running Win 7 Ultimate (hacked to allow it to run on an 8th gen processor). I have a decent Cherry keyboard and a 24" 1920x1200 monitor that are only about a year or so old, so not really up for replacement just yet. This PC works pretty well, and I'll probably keep using it for at least a year or so, not least because I use AutoCad a fair bit. I can see a time when it's just going to be easier if we switch entirely to Apple stuff, though, just because this machine is our only remaining Windows machine.

The i7-8550U is roughly twice as capable as the base model MacBook Air, too, and AutoCad is really snappy on it. That's probably the most demanding app I use, although some of the 3D rendering apps I use from time to time may well stress things a bit.

I had thought of switching the desktop to Mint, but AutoCad objects to running in a Windows VM for some reason, yet runs fine natively on Win 7.

Not 100% sure if I'll make the switch to an iMac as a desktop yet, my plan was to dip my toe in the Apple water with a MacBook, and then make a decision as to what to do with the desktop machine at a later date.

Thanks very much for your experience, anson harris , they pretty much align with the views I've had from reading reviews, but it's massively more reassuring to get a trusted opinion.

[5000 metres]

My current MacBook Air is the 2012 version and I’ve had it since 2012, logged lots of hard miles in my backpack, fallen off TSA conveyor more than once, lots of coffee spills, dandruff, girlfriend giving it the evil eye, and still going strong...so I will at least vouch for its ruggedness. And I’m generally not a fan of Apple ruggedness as all the prematurely nonfunctional iPods, AirPods, and power cables gathering dust in my bedroom will attest.

[Webby737]

I bought a MacBook Air back in 2012 and it's still going strong, even the battery life is still good.
It's survived years of abuse being thrown around as hand baggage, been dropped many times and has even been run over by the hangar floor cleaning machine.
It's now slightly banana shaped but keeps working.
The only problem I've had is the changing cable started to fray where it exits from the charger, this has been bodged with a length of heat shrink and hasn't been a problem.
It's now been relegated to the role of office computer (to save me having to drag a computer though airport security) as I've now replaced it with a MacBook Pro. In many respects, especially the keyboard and choice of ports (USB, SD Card etc.) the MacBook Air is a better computer than the Pro.

[Saab Dastard]

the charging cable started to fray where it exits from the charger
A common problem, I believe - it certainly happened to my brother's Macbook. To be fair, it was about 14 years old at the time...

[Union Jack]

Very contented MacBook Pro user for the last three years, namely a 15 inch 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7, which succeeded a chain of Windows based PCs to complement the acquisition of a series of iPhone and iPads. Absolutely faultless throughout, and I could not be more pleased with its performance and, whilst I accept the point Anson Harris makes about ease of portability, that's not a problem unless that's a deal breaker in terms of your personal usage.

Jack

PS I intended to add, for a less personal comparison between the two Apple products, have a look at https://www.macworld.co.uk/review/mac-laptops/macbook-air-vs-pro-3481192/

[carmel]

as this laptop gets used mainly for surfing the web and email stuff.

Don't wish to muddy the water, but why not get a Chomebook like Pixelbook Go? Has a pretty quiet keyboard and can also run Linux.

[L'aviateur]

I'm also using a 2012 MacBook Air that still runs as well as it did on day 1. I have an additional monitor, magic mouse and keyboard that makes it as usable as a desktop computer when home. Clearly Apple over engineered these laptops because most technology today is designed with planned obsolescence. I also recently bought a 2020 iMac for the kids, I can flit interchangeably between them and wouldn't know the difference. I also worry a lot less about viruses and haven't had it crash once yet.
Equally, for the same money I could have probably bought multiple cheap laptops and replaced them every 3 years.

[future_pilot_di]

MacBook Air 2018 user here. Moving from a Mac pro 2012 (which in its fine right it was pretty bulky and heavy). So the move was a good one. Anyway, the laptop itself is a great little thing; very light, easy to carry around, and put into laptop bags. Reliable (so far), although the charger cable is beginning to go, 2 years in.

I generally tend to run different softwares on mine at the same time, and also run windows 10 on my mac Air via parallel. And I've yet noticed mine heating up, or making any noise from the fans, etc.

The only thing I'll fault my mac air is the keyboard. They sometimes can become a bit stiff (feeling as though there may be some dirt trapped beneath them). So some keys may become a bit hard to press. Although mine only does this with either the space key or the 0. Other than this, the keyboard is fine (although it does make a small amount of noise).

Other than that, theyre great little machines - I love mine to the bit. Actually thinking of upgrading the 2020 version (just to stay up to date).

[LanceHudson]

MacBook Air 2018 user here. Moving from a Mac pro 2012 (which in its fine right it was pretty bulky and heavy). So the move was a good one. Anyway, the laptop itself is a great little thing; very light, easy to carry around, and put into laptop bags. Reliable (so far), although the charger cable is beginning to go, 2 years in.

I generally tend to run different softwares on mine at the same time, and also run windows 10 on my mac Air via parallel. And I've yet noticed mine heating up, or making any noise from the fans, etc.

The only thing I'll fault my mac air is the keyboard. They sometimes can become a bit stiff (feeling as though there may be some dirt trapped beneath them). So some keys may become a bit hard to press. Although mine only does this with either the space key or the 0. Other than this, the keyboard is fine (although it does make a small amount of noise).

Other than that, theyre great little machines - I love mine to the bit. Actually thinking of upgrading the 2020 version (just to stay up to date).

Just about your keyboard: assuming it’s a 2018 Air, it is covered by Apples ‘keyboard service program’ for a free replacement if it becomes faulty (or sticky as you say). This is a known fault for these keyboards and I’ve had the issue fixed (twice!), for free, by Apple on my 2017 Pro. So it really is worth taking it in for repair if it bothers you.

OP: the 2019 Air includes a much better keyboard similar to the older MacBooks as you’d be used to.

[future_pilot_di]

Just about your keyboard: assuming it’s a 2018 Air, it is covered by Apples ‘keyboard service program’ for a free replacement if it becomes faulty (or sticky as you say). This is a known fault for these keyboards and I’ve had the issue fixed (twice!), for free, by Apple on my 2017 Pro. So it really is worth taking it in for repair if it bothers you.

OP: the 2019 Air includes a much better keyboard similar to the older MacBooks as you’d be used to.
​​​​​

Really its a come & go thing. Where they stick for like 1-2 days, then become normal again. Alas, I wasn't actually aware that it was covered by their service. Will deffo, look into getting it sorted, once the lockdown ends. Thank-you.

(Sorry for hijacking)

[Blackfriar]

If you want a MacBook look, for half the price why not get a highly specced HP laptop? I decided on an Envy (silly name) 13 inch. Aluminium body, touch screen, i7 processor, 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD drive. Just over £1k but a lot cheaper than Mac and you can connect everything with numerous ports. If you want MacOS, buy a Mac. Otherwise good hardware is available more cheaply

[PEI_3721]

VP, I had the same dilemma, and I made the change, MS to iPad, and do not regret it.

Can't comment on the technicalities, but within the few differences there are work arounds or very helpful Ppruners.

Re keyboard, same concern about change to the screen. No problem, will power and practice, the difference quickly fades into the background, even with aged fumble fingers and poor eyesight.

In addition the screen keyboard alone has advantages when fully mobile, space, orientation, etc; anyway voice interaction comes next - I dislike it, but may have to persevere. Bluetooth to the hearing aid, but as yet no mind-reading to replace the frail voice for input.

[Asturias56]

If you want a MacBook look, for half the price why not get a highly specced HP laptop? I decided on an Envy (silly name) 13 inch. Aluminium body, touch screen, i7 processor, 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD drive. Just over £1k but a lot cheaper than Mac and you can connect everything with numerous ports. If you want MacOS, buy a Mac. Otherwise good hardware is available more cheaply

I've had a couple of these and they are ace. as you say you get all the connectibility at half the price. My problem with Apple products is they're fine until you need to move data around - especially to someone else - then it gets very fiddly

[MadJackMcMad]

Long-term Apple user here too. My only gripe about the current range of MacBooks is I don’t find the keyboards good for long typing sessions (university assignments). I’ve never got on using a Windows keyboard plugged into a Mac even though I know you can swap the keys around. Instead, I’ve got the noisiest 3rd party clunk style Mac keyboard there is. I’m hoping when I finish my Master’s that I’ll find the Apple keyboards to be perfection again.

Back to the original question, I don’t think you can buy a bad laptop from Apple. I’ve no idea how much memory and processor power my Air or Pro have, and I’m from an IT background. If you’re in the UK, then the dark green high street department store seems the best place to buy (especially when a new model has just been released).

[Procrastinus]

Generally spaeking, Apple products are way too expensive and some say under engineered. You are buying into a brand.
IMHO avoid Apple ( Iwas going to say 'at all costs'!) and buy a better machine for less from another manufacturer!

[MadJackMcMad]

Apple may sell over-priced/high-margin and comparatively under-spec'd hardware, but I like that as once they've sold me a laptop I feel they're not really bothered about doing their best to make money from me while I use my laptop. Compare that with a cheap as chips laptop that comes bundled with plenty of unwanted trial software, some of it "security related" that never really seems to go away. Similarly, compare this to buying a lower-priced and comparatively higher priced Android smartphone where it's increasingly common to not be able to remove the Google or Facebook software. I have no proof how the "cheaper" options make their money but I'm happy to avoid them.

Additionally, I can walk into any Apple store in the world with any Apple product and someone can at least try their best to help me.

[EddieHeli]

Re lap getting warm, I've used one of these for years (albeit mine is black and grey)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-Portable-Notebook-Cushdesk-Comfort/dp/B0026RL6P8

Also my 2011 macbook air 11" battery swelled up pushing the keyboard into a hump, but agree the service at apple is excellent, when my original macbook air screen hinges cracked well outside warranty they fixed it FOC.

Eddieheli

[msbbarratt]

It's rumoured that Apple are going to abandon Intel, and switch to something else (quite likely their own CPU design, quite possibly heavily based on ARM). They done this before of course, 68000->PowerPC->Intel. I've no idea when this is going to happen. However, it's something to bear in mind; a Mac anything might be very much "old" in just a couple of year's time. Last time Apple did do a reasonably good job of supporting old PowerPC software on new Intel Macs, and to some extent vice versa. There's also a chance I suppose that the Mac family might be split across Intel and their own thing for a while, further blurring the cross-over line.

What does this mean for a prospective purchaser? It's hard to say. I've no idea when this will actually happen, if it happens at all. Arguably it's worth cracking on and getting a machine ASAP, so that when the big switch over happens and the support clock starts ticking down on your machine, you'll have had that little bit of earlier / extra use out of it. If I were in the market myself, I might perhaps not buy one of the very top end machines (unless I had a very good reason to), so that if the switch happens sooner rather than later I wouldn't feel like I'd blown quite so much cash on something that I'd then be stuck with.

I'd like to reinforce other's comments about keyboards. It's well worth avoiding anything with the butterfly keyboard. If you're buying brand new today, their entire current line-up has now reverted to the much more resilient previous design, much to everyone's relief. If you're buying second hand, you basically have to go back to 2015-ish to avoid the butterfly keyboard. That can be surprisingly successful - I bought a 2015 Macbook Pro 13" off ebay from an outfit that had a good rep in refurbed models, and it's been fantastic value for money. Ironically, they were willing to throw in a longer warranty that Apple give you from new...

[Webby737]

Good news about the butterfly keyboard !
This is what I have on my MacBook Pro and it's nowhere near as good as the keyboard on my old Air.
For the rest, the Pro is a good computer except the USB C ports can be a pain as you need an adapter for everything, the Air was much better in this respect.

[Saab Dastard]

It's rumoured that Apple are going to abandon Intel, and switch to something else
I wonder if this is partly in response to the growing popularity of the Hackintosh movement.

[Asturias56]

I don't think its a rumour - it was announced in the business press a week or so back I think

[Less Hair]

I'd clearly go for the just updated Mac Book Pro 13 instead of the Air.
The overall hardware package is better and the two pricier MBP 13 versions even have Intel's gen 10 processors in case you want some more power. MBP is the better bang for the buck. Just look at the monitor quality and brightness. It's not so much heavier but might be a little less fancy to some.

[Jhieminga]

For what you're expecting to do with it, I expect a MacBook Air to work very well. I use a 2012 MacBook Pro (yes, the old, heavy one) and the keyboard and handrest is quite similar. I have loads of colleagues with MacBook Airs as work laptops and they are all very happy with them. The Air is very light, quiet and just works. The handrest is large enough (based on the 13" model) and I would not expect any issues with it. My Pro has a more significant edge due to the thicker body, on the Air the keyboard sloping down to the thin edge will mean that this is hardly noticable when typing. My employer lets us switch to a newer laptop every four years, but I have seen loads of colleagues hang on to their Mac Airs as leaving a four year old Mac Air for a new one just seems superfluous. You'll get the same body, the same performance (the upgrade in specs is hardly noticable for regular office work) and the old one still runs like new. You can get a lot of mileage out of a Mac Air. I would recommend getting one.

[VP959]

Very many thanks, everyone, I really appreciate all the comments and observations. I've decided to get one, and the input from here has very definitely helped the decision making process. In case it's of any use to anyone else, I went about trying to decide what to buy as a replacement laptop having already thinned the options down to three, a Dell XPS13, that I'd have changed to running Linux (for a host of reasons, not least of which is that I'm just getting fed up with Microsoft), a Macbook Air, or a 12.9" iPad Pro plus a keyboard (probably the Logitech Folio).

The Dell/Linux option was already in third place, really, as, although I know the XPS13 is well supported by Linux, I've also experienced more than a few head scratching moments getting laptop hardware to work consistently and well with Linux over the years. Linux tends to fall over a little bit on some laptop specific stuff, like touchpad functionality and power management, in my experience.

The harder choice was between the iPad Pro and the Macbook Air. My wife's on her third iPad, and I've used hers from time to time over the years, so I'm reasonably familiar with what it is good at and what it's less good at. I've also had an Android tablet for a few years, although I don't use it much. What I have learned over the years is that I very much prefer a proper keyboard (I'm typing this on a big clicky Cherry one) and I find it much harder to type quickly on a touch screen. For this reason (and a few others) I don't much like using my iPhone for anything that needs typing. The biggest plus point for the iPad Pro was definitely the screen, probably the very best screen of this size I've seen. Clear, very bright, high contrast and fast. The sound quality is damned good, too. The biggest downside with the iPad Pro was that with any keyboard attached it doesn't really work well balanced on your knees at all. I spend a fair bit of time using my existing laptop like this. The other negative is that the iPad Pro wouldn't work with our network colour laser printer, and iOS still has some file sharing issues that make is less than easy to work with a home file server.

The key reasons for opting for the Macbook Air were the ergonomics, the keyboard feels good, the hand rest area is nice and generous, the screen is very good (although not as good as the iPad) and the build quality feels very solid (something that seems to be borne out by the experiences above). There were also a few MacOS features that swung things a bit in its favour, like the ability to send texts with it linked to my iPhone (another keyboard typing plus for me) and the seamless way that Apple manage to make a bunch of different devices all seamlessly sync together. My wife loves this feature, and has her iPad, iPhone and iMac all seamlessly connected to each other.

I had wanted to switch everything to Linux, but having tried to get my wife to use Linux (I had a PC set up for her running Mint for about a year) she didn't really get on with it at all, and found the learning curve in getting things to work well with Linux too steep. Mint is very good, but there are still too many things that just aren't anywhere near as polished as even Windows, and these can cause a challenge for someone that doesn't want to delve into the nuts and bolts of the system from time to time. I'll still be running Linux on a few boxes around the house, like the file server, a Pi Hole ad blocker and TeslaMate for gathering data from the car API, but I think that we may end up with most of the day to day stuff being Apple in the end.

Yes, I know that I'm buying into a closed ecosystem, but then the same is pretty true for Microsoft and Google now, except for the hardware, and there don't seem to be many flaws with Apple hardware, barring the relatively high price. It's certainly very much a personal thing, but if I had to rank these three companies in terms of trustworthiness, bottom (by a long way) would be Google, Microsoft would be significantly more trustworthy, but for all their flaws Apple are probably the most trustworthy (which isn't to say they are always to be trusted, it's a relative thing, IMHO).

[cattletruck]

I ummed and urred for 2 years before buying my first Mac in mid 2014 and haven't regretted it. A couple of years ago, after backing it up I took it to the Apple store for a complete software refresh and battery recalibration - done by an expert and for free. Batteries are still OK for being a daily user. It's been a very good run.

[RVDT]

May not be do suitable for an "Air" which may be near the end of its life but....................................with various boots you can make a Mac whatever you want it to be Mac, Windows, Linux.................

Pretty straightforward. These days a reboot to a different OS is pretty rapid and without the inconvenience and overhead of virtual.

[Nige321]

Generally spaeking, Apple products are way too expensive and some say under engineered. You are buying into a brand.
IMHO avoid Apple ( Iwas going to say 'at all costs'!) and buy a better machine for less from another manufacturer!

In my experience Apple's hardware is far better engineered than any other manufacturer.

If you want raw horsepower then yes, you can get a PC which on paper (or screen) might run quicker.
What those numbers won't tell you is that the Mac just works, no crashes, no fiddling with anti-virus stuff or under the hood issues.
It's about productivity - raw speed isn't everything...

I run a year old iMac i9 day to day, with an HP W10 laptop for occasionally running some bespoke stuff for UAV control.
I dread having to get the laptop out, I just hate it...

Out of interest, I run Parallels on the iMac, I have to use WinXP for running a small (old) app for converting files to a laser cutter format.
I also run Solidworks on a W10 virtual machine on top of Parallels.
It works fine, faster than some of my clients who run SW on worksatations - they are generally gobsmacked when they see it...