2014 - 2015 MacBook Air... Is it still worth buying?

[NeilWhitear]

Hi,

I am looking to purchase a MacBook Air as I need a lighter daily driver than my 6yr old MacBook Pro, however I cannot afford to buy a brand new Air at £949 plus I am also looking at an 11" model.

My question is the 2014 or 2015 models still worth buying?

I'm not looking to use it for anything process heavy, mainly browsing, email, Office apps etc.

Your comments and thoughts are most welcome.

Cheers
Neil

 

[lemony0]

What would the difference in price be? Late 2015 is basically a year old so I'm sure you won't notice any difference in performance between those and the 2017s.

 

[Just_Me_D]

If either model suits your needs and is an improvement over your existing device then the answer is yes, in my opinion.

 

[Grey_arc]

Hi,

I am looking to purchase a MacBook Air as I need a lighter daily driver than my 6yr old MacBook Pro, however I cannot afford to buy a brand new Air at £949 plus I am also looking at an 11" model.

My question is the 2014 or 2015 models still worth buying?

I'm not looking to use it for anything process heavy, mainly browsing, email, Office apps etc.

Your comments and thoughts are most welcome.

Cheers
Neil

I just bought a fully spec'd put 2014 MacBook Pro with i7 16GB Ram and 500SSD refurbished for $900 USD. I can't notice any difference from the new MacBook Pro other than I have more ports

 

[anon(9602380)]

Sure are. I have a 2010 that still works well for me. Mind you I have upgraded the RAM & changed the HHD to an SSD. The 2015 MBP is more than worth it. Even the 2014 is. If they do what you need they are worthy. They will save you some money and last you for several years.

 

[NeilWhitear]

I have bitten the bullet and purchased a refurbished early 2015 MacBook Air from eBay, hopefully it will be delivered tomorrow

 

[Bazza1]

I have a mid-2011 Air 11" and its still fully capable of doing all that you mention - and more. I can't imagine an even later model would disappoint - and all of them are arguably a better choice than the 'new' regular MacBook with it's outrageous price. I really like my 11" - though given recent models and prices, it may be my last Mac.

It's possible you might still find 11" at 'legit' retailers - though maybe stashed away in the back room as old stock (ask) or, failing that, I'd watch Apple's own Refurb Store. Here wrong model, buyer's remorse and the occasional problematic unit are sold after a full restoration - and include the regular warranty (plus able to get AppleCare) and, often, free shopping. Apple really doesn't make a big deal over this store - hiding it away - but noting your Pound Sterling pricing, here's the link to the UK store -

Refurbished Mac - Buy Refurbished Mac Products - Apple (UK)

Hope this helps!

 

[Matty]

Hey Neil, Good question.

(Short Term)
The 11" Inch or 13" inch Macbook Air from 2014 or 2015 is certainly more than capable of doing web browsing, email, Office apps and various things like that. so performance wise i don't think you need to worry

(Long Term)
The only reason(s) i wouldn't recommend the 11" Inch Macbook Air is because it comes with 4GB RAM and the screen size is really small. If you can find the cash. I would recommend getting the 13" inch version with 8GB RAM. I only say this because you kept your previous Mac for 6 years. and in 6 years from now, 4GB RAM is not going to be enough.

Hope this helps a little. If you think about it, its only £158 per year, (£13 per month) if you spent £949

 

[NeilWhitear]

Hi,

You raised some good points, I have gone for the 11" for the sheer portability and size, in essence I need something iPad like size but with the power of a full OS.

I will continue to keep my MBP for home use especially as it has a SSD and 8GB RAM upgraded last year so it's still powerful and good for my needs at home, just too heavy and bulky for daily use.