New MacBook - I'm gonna go for it

Make sure to de-authorise your computer in iTunes!

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Does anyone know how and if it is possible to directly transfer files from my old MacBook Air to the new one?

I have a bunch of dongles (listed above) that I spent a ton of cash on. Surely when of those can be used to connect the two directly and transfer files that arenā€™t in iCloud.

I have done this both over Wi-fi and Ethernet before and it worked no problem. Itā€™s one of the options when setting up your new machine.

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Okay, so if those are the only two options, I guess it would have to be Wi-Fi. I have an ethernet cable at my house. But I would have to buy a dongle for my old MacBook Air AND a dongle for the new MacBook Air to fit the ethernet cableā€¦ Not spending any more money dongles :flushed:

Like @RosemaryOrchard I too have done the WIFI option and it works great.

Enjoy setting up your new MacBook :slight_smile:

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Iā€™m picking my new laptop up today. Do you know if it is possible to transfer selected files over wifi during the initial setup from another MacBook?

During setup the Transfer Assistant will let you transfer via Wifi.

Set up your new Mac

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Iā€™ve now had my new MacBook Air 2018 for about a week and I just want to share my initial thoughts about it.

It is of course absolutely gorgeous and fantastic compared to the old mid-2013 Air which I loved as well and held on to for 5 years.

I updated the SSD size to 256 and decided on 16 GB RAM instead of 8. Iā€™m not blown away by the speed of this machine. It is of course significantly faster than the old machine, but when Iā€™m switching apps then Iā€™m not completely blown away by how fast it is. So Iā€™m a little worried how it will feel in 3 years time, but to be fair, I run a lot of apps in full-screen mode, but that shouldnā€™t be a problem. Itā€™s more of a problem that I always have a lot of Safari tabs open at the same time. So perhaps the tiny sense of sluggishness is well explained because of that.

It is really expensive. I have had 3 Apple laptops before and this one has been the most expensive one. Iā€™m not sure it is completely worth the high cost. But I didnā€™t really have a choice. I prefer the Air form factor over the MBP so when Apple announced a new machine then there was no choice for me to make. This was the machine for me, because the form factor fits me perfectly.

The screen is amazing compared to the old Air. Iā€™ve never had a retina Mac so that is of course a significant update. Again, Iā€™m not completely blown away by it, but I really do appreciate the better screen.

Battery life is fantastic. I used to charge the old Air twice a day, while this machine can run nearly 2 days without being charged. Itā€™s really good to have better battery.

The big problem for me was always the keyboard. I have complained about these keyboards before and I loved the keyboard on the old Air. But now, after a weeks use, Iā€™m a little embarrassed to say that I actually like typing on it. I donā€™t mind it that much. Itā€™s quite loud, which is annoying to other people but not for me. I also still havenā€™t completely gotten used to the placement of the keys. It seems a little smaller to me than the old Air, so Iā€™m still actively searching for keys at time or hitting the wrong keys. But I actually am surprised that Iā€™m not completely adverse to it by this point, which is a good thing. But to be fair, this post is the longest that Iā€™ve written on it. So it might change, but so far so good.

Touch ID is of course amazing. I could have done without it because I only really use it to open the machine and open 1Password. But that really wasnā€™t a nuisance for me on the old machine. I actually find that Touch ID, while more secure, has slowed me down a little bit. It takes longer to get in to the machine and 1password often asks me for TouchID even though I have changed the settings.

The speakers I find is really huge improvement. This new Air has speakers along the side of the keyboard. It is a tremendous improvement. I use the app Boom2 to improve the speakers and for the first I can really listen to music on a laptop and feel that Iā€™m doing the music a service. They are really good.

The larger trackpad and force touch is also an improvement I find. Again, Iā€™m not completely blown away by it, but it is certainly better than the old machine, but not as good that Iā€™m profoundly roaring about it. I like it, thatā€™s all.

For me it really is the form factor that is the most important. That along with speed. This machine has the perfect form factor. It is just sturdy enough to keep on the lap and it is much lighter compared to the old machine. When itā€™s in my bag, I rarely notice it, as compared to the old Air. I also use this machine much more often on my lap on the couch than I did with the old machine. It is just lighter and generally more portable.

So thatā€™s about it. If youā€™re considering buying this machine, then shoot me some questions or if youā€™re just curious, I would be happy to supply some replies.

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I love this machine a lot. But Iā€™m so envious now of people who have gone iPad Pro-only. I want to do it too. I spent so much cash on this new MacBook Air and itā€™s a fantastic computer. But Iā€™m itching terribly to get an iPad Pro and I can just see how that will mean that I will never pick my new expensive Air againā€¦

Does anyone know what the return policy on a Mac bought from the Apple is?

Itā€™s 2 weeks, except at Christmas - that return period started in mit-November and is much longer.

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I bought my MacBook Air 2018 on November 11 :confused:

Too bad :wink:

3 years on. Here I am again

I need a new MacBook for work. How certain are we that new MacBook Proā€™s are coming in October?

I really like the MacBook Airs and donā€™t see the benefit of getting a MacBook Pro over an Air.

However If a new MacBook Pro is coming I would of course go for that over an older version of the Air

What new macs are people getting?

I think no one knows for sure when a new one will come. I would ask myself if I need it now or can wait for a few weeks/months.

Nevertheless, the new Air is awesome. Easily the best performing computer Iā€™ve used in a laptop form factor. I also could not see the advantage of the current pro, and much prefer the shape of the Air for typing (the pro feels uncomfortable on my wrists). Iā€™ve not found any performance issues, I can edit 4K video just fine which is the most demanding use I have for it.

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Iā€™d say the current Macbook line is somewhat in a state of flux regarding differentiation between the M1 Pro and Airs. AFAIK it all boils down to number of thunderbolt ports (2 vs 4) and slight battery capacity. For most uses cases, the Air is the best bang for your buck today.

The rumors are pretty strong that weā€™ll see new MacBook Pros before the end of the year.

That said, it doesnā€™t necessarily mean you should wait. The current MacBook Air is by all accounted a really good machine. Unless you need something that it doesnā€™t offer that the MBP probably will (more than 16gb of RAM, multiple external displays, built-in HDMI out, SD card reader, or mini-LED screen) there may not be a reason to hold off.

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I would add the possibility of a 14 inch screen. That may or may not matter but I thought I would mention it.

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@Rob_Polding can I ask what your Air specs are?

Iā€™ve been binge watching YouTube videos on Air v Pro, 8 v 16 RAM etc and it seems the base spec is absolutely fine. That said, if Apple stocked 16GB Airs in their Stores, thatā€™s what Iā€™d walk out with. (I think I just answered my own question! :joy:)

Cheers

Edit: I got off the fence and bought base model M1 MacBook Air. Now I have 14 days to work it as hard as I can and see how many beach balls I can create! (Apple staff member did say new ones are coming soon. But if this thing flies even a new one would be pointless for me)

I got the 16GB because I am doing a lot of work with Docker and video editing. I bought an 8GB Mac Mini for my daughter and that runs really well for everyday tasks, with no memory problems.

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The latest Pro and Air both have two ports only. The Intel models have 4 and 2 respectively.

I play BG3 on my base spec M1 Air (much better than my averagely specced 2016 MacBook Pro, but thatā€™s no surprise), so you should have a lot of power under the hood =)

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