Upgrade to a 2011 MBA fro a 2010 MBA

I have a 2010 MBA 13" 256 GB SSD, 4 GB ram, 2.13 GHz running 10.7.

Looking to get the new 2011 MBA 13" 256 GB SSD, 4 GB ram, i7

Is it really worth upgrading to the new version?

I know backlight keyboard and faster CPU are the main upgrades.

Will I really notice the performance upgrade?

Has anyone else upgraded from a 2010 to 2011....what do you like/ dislike about the upgrade.

Thanks.

 

it should be better in every way... unless you want to play any games or do graphics related things... then the 2010 is better.

The CPU you will only notice if your doing heavy CPU usage. If you do not know if you are or you aren't, then you probably are not.

You have a very nice machine... I don't see the point in upgrading really.

 

I have the 2010 MBA with the same specs as yours. With the SSD I feel that it flies. I've done a lot of heavy task lately with several software running at a time (MS word, excel, ppt, stata, parallels, etc) and a large amount of data, and this machine works great.

So, despite the new 2011 is faster, if I had the opportunity of an exchange for free, I'd check other things. For example, if it gets much hot, or if cooling the i7 needs the fan to be kicking in all the time, etc.

 

I do max out the CPU at times with photo and video editing. Also, video encoding would be greatly improved with the i7.

The heat and fan is a concern since this one is dead quite until you work the CPU.

I don't game on this.... but I have read that the video is a down grade on the 2011 from the 2010.

 

Personally, I would forget about upgrading to the i7 in the MBA simply because it really isn't that much faster than the stock i5. It scores higher in some benchmarks but the speed differences really won't translate to something that you would notice even when video encoding. Additionally, while video encoding is faster on SB Intel processors, the real advantage comes from the HD 3000 in that it has dedicated hardware decoding and encoding meaning that encoding software can off-load everything to the encoding hardware of the HD 3000. That would take a 45 mintue job down to 6 minutes.

The HD 3000 is also pretty much on par with the 320m. It is an overall more powerful IGP in OS X (it is scoring better benchmarks for most tasks/games) but not by much. We are still talking about two very low integrated graphics options that are good enough for HD video playback and outputting video to external monitors but that is about it. The HD 3000 really won't be a downgrade unless you run software that was built to take advantage of Nvidia's platform (such as CUDA).

Having said all of that, you still aren't looking at that much of a noticeable upgrade from the MBA you have with the newer models. Granted, the 13" even with the i5 processor is more powerful than last years 17" MBP with the i7 (at least in terms of overall performance though graphics take a hit as the 17" MBP had a dedicated card) but that won't really translate well to actual noticeable performance. Really, you would be better off waiting until 2012 to upgrade. At least by then, any increases in performance would be noticeable and you would get more for your money. I suggest that you start saving now for a top end MBA in 2012 instead of spending your money now on something that won't really be all that different, regretting it, and then wanting to do the same thing in 2012.

 

Good advice, but the thing is he should be able to get decent money for his top end 2010 13" MBA right now so it should cost him relatively little to upgrade especially if he can stick to the base 13" 128GB model. Comes next year, the new model will cost the same but his 2010 MBA won't be.

The HD3000 in my MBA scores way higher than the 320m in my Mac Mini and my Latitude E6410 Nvidia NVS3100M in Windows benchmarks.

I change my laptops at least once a year, but I'm good with this current MBA for a good while. I don't even need that Latitude any more, but I'll just keep it around as it can take some rough handling.

PS I "downgraded" from a 2011 13" Pro.

 

The thing is that they will have to decide if selling their MBA for the price they want (which can be a big hassle) is worth it for something that they likely won't notice. Time is money and that too will factor into buying a 2011 MBA over the 2010 model as their asking price could be way too high so it sits on the market for a while or it could be too low selling quickly but then costing more in the long run.

Either way, it is just too much of a hassle to even think about it for me. I would love to have a 256GB 2011 13" MBA and, if I could, I would go out and buy one right now. The issue is that I am happy with my MBP (which would outperform the top end Air even with an i7 is every aspect except hard drive speed but that is nothing an SSD purchase couldn't fix) and I really don't want to take the time to try to sell it especially since I know I will never be able to fully get the amount I want (which would essentially be the same price I paid plus $80 for the RAM upgrade).

 

I'd recommend sticking with the 2010 MBA.

It will depreciate less over the course of the next year than the new one will.

 

I think Anandtech is spot on when they say: if you're going for a MBA 11, the i7 is worth it. If you're going for the 13, the i7 isn't.

 

Upgrading year to year isnt cheap. Usually 2-3 years is the way to go.
Is it worth it? -- if you have spare $1500 why not. It probably wont be dramatically faster unless you do something cpu heavy.

 

I agree that most people would not notice a performance difference for most applications in the 2010 vs the 2011. I also agree that selling used computers, even ones so prized as the MBA, is a pain. That said, I disagree with the person who said the 2010 MBA will depreciate less in a year than the 2011. Apple is clearly moving to a more aggressive product upgrade strategy and to a more competitive pricing strategy, which seems to be focused on making huge gains in market share while the rest of the laptop makers scramble to avoid the fate of HP. It's both brilliant and scary, as it's never good for consumers if one company is so dominant that they can dictate what we will and won't have on our devices in the future. But that trains has left the station and it appears to me at least that Apple is going to "own" the ultraportable laptop market soon, just as they do the tablet market now.

Translation: next year's MBA 13 is going to be a quantum leap from this year's, and as similar as the 2010 may appear, and as fast as it may be in reality, selling a CULV C2D laptop when an Ivy Bridge based version of the MBA 13 with 256GB SSD (sata III no less!) will sell for around $1,300, you'd be lucky to find takers for your 2010 MBA, much less for much more than $500. I would think you could sell your 2010 128GB model for over $1,000 now and get a 2011 version for maybe $300 net additional cost. Next year this time, you will own a computer which runs cpu-hogging new software well or, one which you can still sell for around $1,000 and spend about $300 again to upgrade to that $1,300 Ivy Bridge MBA 13 I predicted above.

I think you either have to upgrade every year to avoid taking too much of a depreciation hit, or you do what others have said and be content to keep your tech gear for 3 years, then you don't have to be so concerned about depreciation, because you haven't spent a dime on the computer for 3 years. Am I making sense here?

I know it's off target and risks the age old Mac/windows debate, but curious to know if others share my view that Apple is poised to take a massive bite out of the entire laptop market with MBAs and more MBA-like MBPs coming out soon, priced very aggressively because their cost of production is now the lowest in the industry and this is a perfect time for them to increase their market share in laptops - the only real "computer" market left - while they have such overwhelmingly superior product and the competition is all hurting financially.

 

You're not wrong about everything and you have a lot of points that you are making, so I'm not going to go through it all. In the end, you're wrong about the depreciation. Right now, the base model 13" from 2010 sells for about 900 (used). Buying a new 13" for 1300 and then selling it one year from today, you should realistically expect about 900-950. The 2010 might sell for 700-750. You're looking $150-200 of depreciation on a used 2010 model over the next year. You're looking at $350-400 of depreciation on a new 2011 model over the next year.

Keep in mind, I'm comparing depreciation of the previous gen used model against the newest gen unopened (that includes you opening it). That seemed to be the choice at hand. You could mitigate some of that depreciation by buying the latest model used, but you probably wouldn't save much money *right now* since they just came out and there isn't much of a used market for them. Several months out, that might be an option.

 

i say wait for ivy bridge!!!! but if you got the cash then upgrade

 

I had the 13" 2011 MBA (i5, 256GB) for almost two weeks but I just returned it.

It was the best portable machine I've ever used (never owned any previous MBA) but the screen at the bottom had a darker gradient to it. There are a number of threads on the issue on various sites (here's Macrumors one).

At first it didn't bother me but once you start using full screen apps you really start to see it. What's worse, every machine I saw on display (at my local BB and Apple Store) had the same issue.

Some people may not be bothered by it, but to me it really was quite noticeable. Since I'm in no hurry I've decided to wait for the IB-powered MBA refresh early next year, and hope that Apple can get its screen issues resolved by then.

 

no argument here. all points well taken. never know until u go into the marketplace, including in the future. One thing to consider: if there is not a major difference financially, always nicer to own the latest rather than one or two vintages ago.