"Downgraded" from MBA to Plastic Macbook

[desura]

My Macbook Air Sandy Bridge developed a problem in the logic board, and it was then that I realized that the lousy fact that it did not have removable RAM meant that I had to replace the entire thing. I did fix it, but in the interim I picked up a plastic MBA, the last unibody model.

Overall, it is a better experience.

Compared to the MBA:

- better screen. Colors seem a little more vivid.

- better keyboard. Much more key travel. Keys feel more substantial.

- quieter fan. It isn't crazy thin so the fan can run at lower RPM

- more removable parts to upgrade or replace. I have 1tb storage on this machine, while the MBA was always straining with 128gb ssd.

- better speaker

- Plastic body is more comfortable. Plastic is my favorite material for consumer electronics. Light, does not transmit heat or cold. On a cold winter day the MBA is cold to the touch.

Too bad they don't make the machine anymore, and have gone in the direction of extreme thinness in their machines.

 

[Rakehellion]

So get a MacBook Pro.

 

[desura]

So get a MacBook Pro.

This macbook is pretty much the same internally as a MBP of the same year, but plastic (which I like) and significantly cheaper. Like 1/2 the price.

 

[rugby]

My wife LOVED her Pismo Powerbook G3 as it was nicely contoured and comfortable to use. Plus the battery life was insane as we could put two batteries in it.

I will say that I love my macbook for overall build quality and comfort of use.

 

[TheStu]

Was that the model with the all rubber bottom? Wasn't crazy about that feature, but liked that they finally solved the cracking top case issue that had plagued the MacBook from day 1. My OG Core Duo MacBook was a rock solid tank of a machine, loved that thing.

 

[desura]

Yeah, it has the rubber bottom. It is a quirky machine, it is the last plastic MacBook but it uses unibody construction like the MacBook Pro of the time and it has the big trackpad with the button built in.

It does have hairline cracks at the hinges of the screen on the back, which is a common defect.

 

[Eug]

There is no such thing as a plastic MBA, but I guess you mean plastic MB.

And yeah, it's a better machine aside from the form factor than the MBA. The other problem with the MBA is the font size is simply "wrong" for OS X IMO.

The only way around that in an ultraportable is to get the 12" Retina MacBook. The problem with the Retina MacBook though is that it is a little underpowered, and more importantly, the short travel keyboard and new fangled trackpad are a bit annoying to use.

I will replace my 13.3" MacBook Pro from 2009 likely when the 12" Retina MacBook gets updated in 2017 with Kaby Lake, with full 10/10 HEVC decode in hardware and HDCP 2.2. Or maybe some time after that. The "problem" is that my 2009 MacBook Pro still works fine. All I need is to eventually get a longer lasting battery. Its main issues are that it isn't Retina, and it's heavy. The fan went a couple years back, but I replaced the fan with a $20 eBay part, and it's been working liking a chance ever since.