[BenjiRoss]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Yes doable, I know people getting this done as DIY also. Just take it to a good electronics repair guy and get it done. Try to get some info on how to go about, so that the process is easy to explain to the person (just in case).

I'm checking with the iRepair store in Chennai to see if they will do this. The charger per se seems OK, so I'd rather keep the original charger and change the cable and charging pin.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

You can use it to charge the device when not in use, i.e shut down as the lower wattage adapter won't be able to provide full power to the laptop. When plugged in, it could cause issues when full power is needed. I too have a 45W adapter for my 13.3 inch Pro, but I use it only under low load conditions or when its shut down. Also the Air chargers all are 45W, do check it again for specs. It will charge the battery, but slowly. Apple doesn't recommend you use lower wattage adapter at all. However you can use a higher rated one with no problems.

Apologies - this will be 45W. I charge it and then unplug and use.

Check out Paytm. I purchased an original 60W one for less than 4k on their cash back offers. Ofcourse I paid the full price of (I think) Rs. 6600 or something but I got 2500 as cash back.

I don't recommend you use cheaper / local ones just to save some bucks. It could cause damages way more than the cost of an original charger.

PayTM presently does not have stock. I'll wait and watch.
The cheaper ones on Amazon have frightening reviews, so very skeptical. There seem to be some good ones on Amazon USA which may be an option

You will need to replace the MagSafe cable and magsafe port on laptop. Refer ifixit guides and ask local Mac repairer for a quote.

Any reason I need to replace the port on the laptop - it seems to be working.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

Any reason I need to replace the port on the laptop - it seems to be working.

I figured you since you mentioned blackened pins, the same one the laptop would be damaged as well right?

If not, then no need to replace the port on laptop, just replacing cable on charger should be enough.

[BenjiRoss]

Here are some pictures. I wiped the pins on the charger and Mac and it works but a bit erratic. The pin also gets hot very quickly. The light sometimes glows green even when charging is not complete.
Is it worth

[Red Liner]

Does it still make sense to buy the previous gen macbook air during the sale at this time?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Does it still make sense to buy the previous gen macbook air during the sale at this time?

Depends on what you need. It's the only macbook under 1L now.

Plus Apple increased prices and the ones on sale are still at older price.

For a small laptop for browsing, email it's a good choice still if you like MacOS.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Depends on what you need. It's the only macbook under 1L now.

Plus Apple increased prices and the ones on sale are still at older price.

For a small laptop for browsing, email it's a good choice still if you like MacOS.

I have been a mac user since 2006 i think. So the mac os is absolutely non negotiable.

I have also been an air user since 2009 i think. My first mac was the original macbook. I am on my second mac air as below

I currently use an early 2014 macbook air with 128gb storage and 4 gb ram. Seems alright, but i think 4 years down it seems to be showing its age.

I was briefly contemplating switching to an ipad pro and the keyboard to replace the air completely but the prices are extremely ridiculous.

I have an ipad air in the family and i just have not been fond of the mobile OS on it.

I have also read a few unbiased articles of real time users who say that the ipad pro is nowhere close to replacing the utility of a mac air.

This 2017 version is probably the last of the low priced macs that will be available to us. Hoping this machine with the Apple extended warranty keeps it going for the next 5 years. By which time i hope apple geniuses come to their senses and port the mac osx to the ipad and truly make it an absolute replacement for both the MacBook and the air at one go.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I have been a mac user since 2006 i think. So the mac os is absolutely non negotiable.

I have also been an air user since 2009 i think. My first mac was the original macbook. I am on my second mac air as below

I currently use an early 2014 macbook air with 128gb storage and 4 gb ram. Seems alright, but i think 4 years down it seems to be showing its age.

This 2017 version is probably the last of the low priced macs that will be available to us. Hoping this machine with the Apple extended warranty keeps it going for the next 5 years. By which time i hope apple geniuses come to their senses and port the mac osx to the ipad and truly make it an absolute replacement for both the MacBook and the air at one go.

Then the old macbook air doesnt make sense for you. The internals are same from 2015 i.e. 5th gen intel i5 CPU and non retina display.

Are you ok to look at the Pro? The MAcbook pro without touch bar gets 7th gen CPU and on current sale price is around 95K.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Then the old macbook air doesnt make sense for you. The internals are same from 2015 i.e. 5th gen intel i5 CPU and non retina display.

Are you ok to look at the Pro? The MAcbook pro without touch bar gets 7th gen CPU and on current sale price is around 95K.

I need portability as i intend to travel with the laptop. I am also on a terrific budget (read: low).

The display is something i don't care about, been happy with what i have so far. I am not a movie watcher, more a docu freak. And these days i usually just watch everything on the phone.

The internals of what i use now is 4gb ram and a 1.6 ghz chip set i think. its from work and not mine. I do have an option of buying it for a low price, but i am not sure how long it will last me from here on. My other problem is once stock of the prev gen air is over, we are all stuck with a 1 lakh entry point for the mac experience. I am hoping the 1.8 ghz and 8 gb ram should see my touch points being faster and smoother from what i have and last me a few years since it will be brand new.

I just wanted something on a budget that will prolong my ability to travel and work for the next few years until the ipads catch up. There is just nothing else in the market. The macbook pros are too much computer for me, i will never end up using what that machine provides (writing, blogging, document management etc). And that pro is still very expensive. Will take me a long long time to pay that back on emi.

I actually liked the macbooks for the size and portability, but at their price points its quite stupid to get one. The new keyboarda have been getting a lot of flak as well.

I really just need a low budget tide over until the ipads and their keyboards catch up.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I need portability as i intend to travel with the laptop. I am also on a terrific budget (read: low).

If you have friends / relatives in US, UK, get the older models in clearance sale. I got a 2015 MacBook Pro 13 last year for 50k. It has much better internals than the Air and the retina display and comes with 512GB ssd.

Wait around the Black Friday deals coming up by the end of this month and see if you can pick something up. For a tight budget, this is the way to go.

Apple themselves is selling Refurbished units for cheap Eg. US Store, check if something you like is there.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

If you have friends / relatives in US, UK, get the older models in clearance sale. I got a 2015 MacBook Pro 13 last year for 50k. It has much better internals than the Air and the retina display and comes with 512GB ssd.

Hah. Yeah, well i dont think i have that window for a while. And i also need to make use of this no cost emi thing in india and bridge the overall cost over 6 months to make things easier for me. Can't do that on an overseas buy, interest rates are just crazy on credit cards, unless the discounts vs interest payouts kind of "taser" each other out.

Man, the prices on that refurbished site is just crazy. I am sorry, i dont look at the specs, i just gravitate to the price and gasp.

Kind of just log jammed so running with what i have best.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Hah. Yeah, well i dont think i have that window for a while. And i also need to make use of this no cost emi thing in india and bridge the overall cost over 6 months to make things easier for me. Can't do that on an overseas buy, interest rates are just crazy on credit cards, unless the discounts vs interest payouts kind of "taser" each other out.

Man, the prices on that refurbished site is just crazy. I am sorry, i dont look at the specs, i just gravitate to the price and gasp.

Kind of just log jammed so running with what i have best.

You can convert the overseas buy into an EMI, the US prices make the no cost emi offers irrelevant. The transport part is a bit tricky,unless you have someone travelling.

[Jaggu]

Sell the old MBA and get the outgoing MBA on EMI, works out cheaper and perfect for your need @Red Liner

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I need portability as i intend to travel with the laptop. I am also on a terrific budget (read: low).

Budget wise nothing other than the old Macbook Air. However portability wise the Macbook pro is smaller than the old Macbook Air by ~20% and same weight 1.35kgs vs 1.37kgs.

I would say try to fit that Macbook pro in budget with longer EMI vs getting the older Macbook air again.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Sell the old MBA and get the outgoing MBA on EMI, works out cheaper and perfect for your need @Red Liner

I am going to stick with this advice, i dont want to spend much more money on tech that will be obsolete in 5 years (i think all laptops will be gone by then). This seems to be the cheapest option to stay in the mac universe until that happens.

[Repsol]

Just went ahead and bought the Macbook Air (8GB RAM/128GB SSD) model from Amazon. I had my 9 year old Dell Inspiron 1545 (Core 2 Duo) exchanged, and got a mere Rs. 2500 for it (was not getting a penny for it from anywhere else - cashify suggested recycling it). So, finally worked out to Rs 53000.

I am not at all a heavy user, just want MacOS, portability, and web surfing. Old Air looked perfect for these needs. So went ahead and locked the deal.

By the way one quick question to all Mac users. I believe Mac won't have MS Office. But seems like there is an alternative for the same from Apple, which is pre-loaded. How good is it? Can I live with it without getting MS Office? And how much would it cost to get MS Office for Mac?