I went back and forth about which Macbook to buy for a while. Black Friday 2019 had rolled around and a Macbook wasn’t even on my mind, much less which one to buy. I honestly had no real must-haves or wants on my list, other than a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. I had my eye on these bowers & Wilkins joints. But after finding out that they’re not super “travel-friendly” I wasn’t really sure anymore. They don’t bend or fold at all. Judging from what happened with my beats solo 2’s that DID bend. I wanted something ultra sleek and foldable. What was even more of a deal-breaker, was they didn’t go on sale for Black Friday. So… *shrugs* that was that. Back to the drawing board.
I wasn’t really in the market for a new laptop because my old trusty 2011 Macbook Pro was still running great and doing what I needed it to. Plus I was traveling with my mom’s MacBook air that she rarely ever used.
Then…. she wanted it back so she could start watching her favorite shows on Netflix when she was traveling instead of on a smaller screen on her iPad. So with no hesitation, I gave hers back and slowly started a search for an air of my own.
I had always invested in the Macbook Pro, only because of their power to handle any and everything. But I also have an iMac (desktop), so I didn’t really need all the power in something I was traveling with where I’d just be editing on the road. I can always do my more hardcore work at home on my desktop. *Thinks to self: what is that Nina, what are you really doing that’s hardcore? smh, lol. Nothing much, really. I just wanted something ultra-light and big enough to edit on. And most importantly, I need it to be DURABLE
Here’s the REAL TEA on these laptops
After doing some serious and extensive research on MacBooks. I found out something REALLY interesting and game-changing for me, as a consumer. I couldn’t for the life of me, figure out why the new ones 2018/2019 Rose Gold gorgeous ones were only going for $899 and the older, 2017 model was going for 2017. And at the same time, Apple discontinued the 2017s and are only carrying the newer ones. You can only find the 2017 models at places like best buy and other authorized Apple retailers.
The newer MacBooks, both airs and pros were all being made from “recycled aluminium”. A thinner more fragile material than the older models. Now, I can recall someone saying before, that they thought the older ones were made from titanium. I did some research and couldn’t find that to be true. But either way, the older ones were made of a thicker and heavier material, making them more able to take dings and falls way better than the cute, thinner, newer MacBooks. My mom’s MacBook air has taken several tumbles from my nephew, a few falls and dings from being in my bag while travelling, turning to quickly with too much stuff in my hand and knocking into a wall or 2. And when opened, the MacBook air never did so much as flinch. My 2011 Pro has been through the MOST and still works amazingly, even in her old age. She’s beaming. I had my pro in the front of my suitcase which fell off the back of a hotel van shuttle once, and when I opened her she worked beautifully. And has since in the years since that tumble, worked just the same.
And after all that, why would I be looking to buy a new laptop if my pro was still working so great? Because I had gotten so used to traveling with my mother’s Macbook Air, when I gave it back to her I felt naked. Instantly I knew I need one to travel with. My 2011 Pro was a whopping 8lbs, which while traveling I swear felt like 10lbs. An extra 10lbs in a bag truly feels like 40lbs. Not cute at all.
Since I would only be doing light editing in lightroom, editing a few youtube videos in final cut. The air was a perfect choice for me. And after doing all that research, I knew the best choice was to get the older one made of the stronger material. My friend has the 2019 air in rose gold and she said she barely knocked it against the side of the door trying to get out of her apt on the way to work one day. When she opened it, she said not only did it put a nice sized dent on the outside, but the screen on the inside had also cracked. I was like…. GIRL. No wayyyy. I would have been pissed. All of that for a better screen resolution and a cute color? No thanks. I like the normal, non-retina display screen just fine.
So with that being said, I just bought this skin decal cover thingie from amazon and called it a day. The exact one I bought is linked in the pic if you’re interested in purchasing one just like it. It took me weeks to find the right one. A MacBook air 2017 marble skin cover apparently was only being made by one seller on amazon and that one didn’t get the best reviews so I waited. A few weeks later, the gorgeous one I got came up and I got it instantly. I couldn’t be happier with it. I’ll go leave a review for them too, 5 stars.
The only thing now though… is to try and find one brand new to buy. At the time I purchased this, a few weeks ago, it was a bit challenging to find. Best buy had it for $799 and Brands Mart, PC Richards and Walmart had it for $699. That price point is a steal honestly for a brand new MacBook. And the portability, durability, and productivity of the machine, is worth way more than that price. At the time of writing this post, the only retailer with it left is here.
So if you are in the market for a new laptop and cant figure out which one to get, I hope this helped you a bit. Get the older 2017 model if you can find it, because of just how durable and amazing it still is even after all these years.