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The link you gave to the 2012 mb air in the description does not work. It brings me to Amazon where the cheapest one is two fifty. I also looked in powerON and it was 400 for the one in the video. Please respond.
I somehow read the title as OLED. I clicked on the video thinking wow someone really modded a 10 year old macbook air and put an OLED screen in it ffs 😂
Except 10 years ago the standard option was 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD. This is an upgraded version with double the capacity. So in 10 years, the equivalent would be a device with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, the upgraded device, while the 8GB RAM version would be choking as a 4GB RAM 2012 model would today.
My 2019 MacBook Pro had a fatal accident and I needed a quick and cheap replacement so bought a 2017 MacBook Air for $250 and honestly at that price point I couldn't be happier. It works great for what I need it for(FaceTime camera or meetings, browsing and video playback) its allo good for light gaming. you can find them usually for around $350 but look hard enough and you can get one for $250 like it did
You guys should give the MacBook 12 a second chance, they still look and feel like a premium device, are ultra portable, have a great screen and are perfectly usable for standard applications like browsing, MS word/excel etc. The second hand prices are also crazy low for what you get imo
purchased this from Craigslist recently for $120. I updated the OS to Ventura using the Open Core Legacy Patcher. The port selection is also a bonus. I should have updated the battery. Overall, it's a good backup laptop for what I need. Since I'm not a developer, creative professional or a producer, this is a good travel laptop to leave my M1 MacBook Pro home
The simple fact that we're still only getting 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD IN 2022 proves that Apple is now being run by the accountants. The company is going the way of IBM/HP/Commodore and will be gone in 20-30 years. Most likely some brilliant engineers working for Apple today will leave the company to produce something innovative and end up ultimately killing Apple.
I have a laptop similar to this! Personally I have the 2013 base model (4GB Ram, i5, 128 GB etc) after nearly ten years of ownership and usage it manages to truck along just fine! I mainly use it for note-taking, email writing and occasional video watching. For these light tasks it does well! Though it definitely does show its age, and the small amount of ram + little storage are definite compromises. If anyone here is interested in picking up an old Air, I'd suggest you go for the higher end versions. While they'll cost slightly more, it'll likely perform much better than the base model.
I am watching this video on a 2012 MacBook air just like the one you reviewing. I have had it for 10 years now and it works fine and i use it daily.. I upgraded the ssd several years ago to a 500 GB m.2. I also just changed tohe battery two days ago. I still works great. I have the 13" version and my wife has the 11" one. We both bought the M2 MacBook air and opted for the top version with 1TB ssd. WOW do I love that computer.I know it is pricy but....I taught graphic arts and in 1986 my supervisor bought me four macpluses, a laser printer, and Pagemaker. That changed everything. We could create copy like a professionals. Those 1Mb, 8MHZ Macpluses retailed for $2600 (the school got them for $2000), the laserwriter was $7000. I believe in today's dollars that is close to $14.000 the computers and $49000 for the printer. In my many years of using the Macs (and I own several) I have learned buy the best....you won't regret it. I enjoy you great videos....stay with it.
I just bought an 11” 2012 Air to replace my iPad. Unlike the iPad, I can upgrade this cheaply and easily to 2TB, and I can swap the battery when it dies (although this one has a cycle count of only 86). I think I’ll run Mountain Lion with Front Row installed via a simple hack, and use it like a glorified video iPod. Amphetamine can be used to keep the music playing even when I shut the Air.
I’m very happy with my rare 2012 non-retina MacBook Pro with a 2.9 GHz i7 processor. Most of those Mid-2012 MacBook Pros only have a 2.5GHz i5 processor which is also good enough for everyday tasks. I upgraded to 16GB & 4TB SSD. Try to find me anything new with similar specs for less than $2500, you can’t. Yes, the newest M2 MacBook Pro has three times the single processor performance but I’m not processing crap tons of photos or video so I really don’t care. Does the screen suck? Yes but I’ve got it connected to a 24 inch external monitor. Attaching an external keyboard, mouse and external speakers means it’s a great desktop system. I bought mine in good condition for $300 and the RAM and SSD upgrades that I already had originally cost about $200.
Just dug my old mid-2012 Macbook Air the other day. Took a bit to get it from Mountain Lion to Catalina but it works great for what I want! Was looking around for a small, light EDC laptop and remembered I had this 11" Macbook stuck in a drawer somewhere and it fits the bill perfectly. Battery is in need of replacement but that's relatively cheap and easy enough to do so waiting on that to arrive. Magsafe 2 to USB C adapters are $15 or so on Amazon so powering/charging is not an issue and I can share the USB C power adapter on my modern HP laptop for work. Not sure I'd go out and spend the cash on one but old tech is definitely a good option if you have it sitting around. Just remembered I have an old Mac Mini here somewhere too ... may have to find that and make a new Plex server with all the old firewire and thunderbolt 2 drives I have laying around as well.
The thick bezel tho lol but in all seriousness, I always respect videos like this, I know the tech world is fast and always about the latest but taking a trip down memory lane is always good and informative for those who need it, solid content! 👌🏽
its videos like this that just go to show bikeshedding is a real thing... unless you're a tech professional, how many people out there REALLY need the latest and greatest? 10 years ago a machine like this did the trick and our needs as a society haven't really changed much
I bought the same Macbook Air in 2020 from the Apple store Refurbished section for school. I’ve had it 3 years still have apple care on it and used it for everything lectures, notes assignments, exams and watching shows. I love having all the ports, better keyboard, magsafe and the glowing apple logo.
my wife have the same model since 2011. She is still very happy with it. Browsing the web and Microsoft Office keeps her busy all day. We should replace the battery but other than that, it is a good laptop. :))
I think your wife has the 8GB model, mine is from 2011 as well but with 4 GB Ram with 128 SSD, the fan keeps spinning at 6500 rpm in the summer, it is always very warm. It's not completely bad but it stress me sometimes.
Based on my experience with my 2012 13" MacBook Pro Which is still my daily computer) I got 2 for my kids, brought the RAM to 8GB, new 500GB SSD and then installed Monterey (yes, Monterey, woop woop) Amazing machines
I love my 2012 MacBook Air! Still use it to this day. I've never really needed a computer with a huge hard drive or graphics card, so this works perfectly for me. I haven't even needed to repair it. Although I do think a new battery and thermal paste as you mentioned would be a great idea for boosting its performance. I think this would be a great purchase even at ten years old! It has held up exceptionally well over the years.
I personally belive the 2012 - 2017 MBA's - are of the best of their class of computer, the things that change are us as users - these are the sleek - perform extreemly well and are a pleasure to use, thanks for the M1's - out there, these are even more affordable!!! 🏌🏻♀🏌🏻♀🤗🤗
Yes, you can plug in a usb external hard drive into a MacBook Air. I had a Samsung hard drive and it worked great. The older MacBook Pros have hard drives built into them but I don’t think the newer ones have them.
Hi Max Tech! I see Apple's tight control of its ecosystem means all the components of a Mac system are optimized to work together.That allows every process to run more smoothly, throughout the lifetime of the system. That's why for someone else it's still worthy for present time as well. Such creative videos you’ve on this channel , I thank you so much for this video, I learned so much😃
I bought this MBA brand new in 2018 (i5 1.8 GHz, 8/128) after it was discontinued. It's great for some LIGHT work: documents, browsing, minor productivity stuff. And in 2022 I've upgraded to MBP M1 Pro 14" (10/16 cores, 32 gb of RAM and 1TB of SSD). Obviously, the new machine impresses me in every way and handles all of my tasks with ease. But since I change my working location a lot, even during the day, I find myself struggling to carry around this MBP 14" because it's pretty heavy, and I am scared to accidentally drop it. So when most of my heavy work is done I pick up this iconic MBA to browse the internet, watch some movies etc., because it's so darn portable and light. I can easily hold it in one hand while moving from one room to another while being on the video call. And the conclusion is next: I subconsciously love this old MBA more than my current working machine no matter what.
I have one of these and it’s been really reliable. It slows down mostly on video editing, but it handles it! They’re very nice for traveling, better than an iPad. I hookup the Air to an external set of Klipsch speakers and the audio is great. I may look at the upgrades you recommend. Have a new M1 Studio, but the M2 Air still looks great. This lil i7 Air machine still runs fine!
For a little bit more, around $200, I was able to get a 2015 15" MacBook Pro with dedicated graphics, 16 GB of ram, and 512 GB of SSD storage. Compared to that cheap Chromebook, the used MacBook that I got was a steal.
I have a specced-out 2012 MBA and it has put in a decade of hard work with only a battery replacement. The design is insanely durable. It’s an amazing machine though it’s my back up these days.
I've been using a mid 2012 (i5/4GB/128 ) MacBook Air for the past 10 years, but I replaced the battery a few years ago, or it won't last for this long. Surprisingly, it hasn't had any issues at all, but I only use it for browsing or documents. In the end, it became way too slow, so I upgraded to m2 16gb 512, and I was hoping to use it for at least 5 years.
I just got a 2011 Air for $50 cause of OS issues. The previous owner didn't do the reset properly. I reset it the right way and it works like a charm. I also installed Catalina with a patcher.
my mom has one of these from 2012, and its still her main computer even tho she has a m1 macbook pro, just because it runs windows and she's used to that
I wouldn't call that high end in 2012, more like mid range. Having a 1tb SSD and 16gb of ram would of been high end back in 2012. Entry level is 4gb of ram but the 128gb of storage would of been very low back in 2012 thank to apple choosing to use SSDs which were very expensive back in 2012
I'm watching this a 2017 Macbook air i5 with 8gb Ram and 1tb SSD. It still runs well and I see no reason to upgrade right now. I know this is the last that utilizes multiple ports until the recent MacBooks. I as recent gotten my girlfriend a 2015 MacBook Pro i5 with 8gb Ram and 500 gb SSD, and she loves it. Definitely save more for still premium devices.
OpenCore Legacy Patcher will allow later macOS versions to be installed on that. My laptop is still a mid-2014 13” MacBook Pro and it still suits my general needs for a laptop. I have High Sierra, Mojave, Big Sur, Windows 10 and Fedora 35 (36 soon) on it. I upgraded to a 1TB SSD on it, but might consider the re-pasting thing.
I feel more relieved i spent 75 dollars on mine i`m looking forward to seeing my point of view of this mac book and it will 100% be a major upgrade from my lenovo think pad 11e chrome book i bought for 21 dollars back in june of 2022
Owned one. While the screen is bad, is has a special feeling to use that laptop. Even now, is such a pleasure and is so thin and light. So retro. I love it. But I wouldn't use it for day to day tasks. Just for memories :))
this was soooo cool a comparison review that I was very curious about and then you did it... must have read my mind 🙂 I have had my MBAir mid 2012 since new and it still did Adobe CS6 without any issues until I dropped it for the Affinity triple suite of killer apps (which crap all over Adobe apps and are WAY WAY cheaper and without the subscription!!!)... so all your reviews of the M2 Air have been so indepth and has changed my choice when I upgrade in a month or so from the 8CPU/10GPU upgraded with 16GB/512GB to the cheaper option of the 8CPU/8GPU upgraded with 16GB/512GB... so thanks an absolute million Max Tech guys for such an excellent channel... love it!
I have a 11” mid 2014 MBA with the upgraded i7-4650U@1.7GHz and 8GB RAM instead of the 1.4GHz i5-4260U and 4GB RAM. I triple boots it with Catalina Mavericks and a Windows 10 on it’s upgraded 512GB OEM SSD. Love the enclosure of the 11” and it makes a great portable machine.
Hey I use my mid 2012 MacBook air for my work and it works as well as I can expect. I typically have 10 - 15 programs open with multiple excel doc that are 7k+ rows long
Ever since I got a MacBook Pro 2020 M1 from work, I've been sold on Mac and MacOS. I actually bought myself a new MacBook Air 2020 M1 earlier this month because it was on sale for 900EU. Definitely the best laptop I've ever owned and I don't see myself ever going back to Windows.
I did the same 2 weeks ago on Ebay: 103 euros for a 2012 Macbook Air 13 with 256gb SSD, "only" 4gb ram, Core I5 3427U and battery in good conditions (about 291 cycles). For web browsing, office use, streaming (maybe not in 4K) and same it worth too.
I bought a mid 2012 MacBook Pro at a college auction for $150 and it's seriously my favorite laptop. I added 16gb RAM and an SSD and it is a GREAT little machine. Picked up a mid 2012 iMac for $100 at the same auction and after I upgrade the RAM and add an SSD drive to it, it too will be a nice machine too.
I’m still rocking my 2012 MacBook Air as my daily driver. The replace battery soon indicator is on but it’s still usable, it’s close to 2000 charge cycles. Performance is still good for its age but since storage is almost full I just use it for internet browsing.
i hava a mid 2012 MBP running Linux Mint since catalina has its days numbered, works great, use it as a secondary computer, my imac 24” as my main computer, the 10 yo MBP just keeps on giving.
I just upgraded to a M2 (8/8/16/1tb) from this model (i7/8/512). The old computer held up for so long, though as you said previously, it’s a disaster for photo or video editing. But it got me through grad school and doing productivity work for my first job. The M2 is just so snappy and the screen is amazing. My heart really wanted a 14” MBP but my wallet and actual needs steered me to the Air. Very happy so far.
Very cool video comparison! I have a 2011 MacBook Air and STILL use it today! I use it pretty much for all the reasons you had described, and iMovie app….I’m a new GMA. 😉 Runs & works for me like a CHAMP! Was wondering if you have posted a how to video on the process of “Thermal Paste?” I’ve also heard you can upgrade the memory to 512gb & install High Sierra on these. I plan on keeping this little guy for as long as I can! Thx again for this video! 👍👍👏👏
I used my 2012 MBA periodically up until the hard drive died in 2021. If I replaced the hard drive, it’s still usable. More than adequate for students or anyone doing email, web browsing, and UA-cam. Screen is not very bright though.
My misses early 2015 Macbook air got a revamp. New heat compound, new battery, new NVME with adapter and a dose of Tuxedo OS linux. this laptop flys with a faster hard drive. if I wanted to stay with Mac OS then catalina will not see the NVME but Mac OS Monterey does.
Interesting video. Not that my opinion matters but hey comments for the algorithm right. 1. Windows viruses. Is that still such a big concern? In 2022 I feel like Windows and MacOS are both pretty safe now. 2. Chromebook has a few advantages. While MacOS may or may not be more safe than Windows, ChromeOS is crazy secure and super easy to wipe and reset to avoid any issues. And the Chromebook probably has at least 3-4 more years of OS and security updates which will make it more secure than the old MBA as time goes on. Also that Chromebook definitely gets more than 6 hours of battery life. My $120 Chromebook gets 10-12 hours of general web browsing. 3. There are definitely other options out there that can compete with used Mac vs cheap Chromebook. That is used ThinkPad. Not as nice of a fit and finish but you will get much more performance out of one. Would be interesting to compare this 2012 MBA with something like a $200 T450s. 4. Actually I think the ultimate showdown would be a $350 2015 MBP 13 vs a ThinkPad T480s. The last great MBP13 before butterfly vs the first modern quad core ultrabook for ThinkPad. Both of these I think are still solid budget back to school laptops and better than almost any new $350 device.
I'm still rocking a 2017 Macbook air i7 with 8gb Ram and 128GB SSD. I'm a software engineering looking to upgrade to the M1 Macbook Pro. It will be quite the jump.
Wow this is actually very cool,This seems to be very cool that this can still be decent so many years later-Thanks Max for your great videos-I appreciate your efforts!.-Keep it up!.
Always good content on these videos. All meat no filler. The only negative for me as a former broadcaster? The over enunciation. Drives me crazy. But hey- that’s just my opinion.
I currently have the 2017 MacBook Air just like this. I like it a lot. I have a lot of the same complaints as you, but it has still kept me going this long. I am saving for the new 14 MacBook Pro since my work has gotten a lot more graphically demanding, but I cannot say that this machine has been bad. Thanks for the great video.
İ bought 2014 late mac mini recently with lowest price and upgraded with 256 gb Ssd. İ cant describe how speedy it is. No problem i faced till now using last mac os system. İ highly recommend that if you have any monitor and don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to use mac.
Hello! For general Internet browsing, school work with documents and slide presentations, and may some garageband on the side, is this okay? My friend is offering this same model (Air 2017) with 1870 Cycle Count, Full Charge Capacity 80% and Design Capacity 57% on coconut Battery. Catalina OS. Bought in 2018 All for 180usd. She says she is able to use it and just has to keep it plugged often. Servicw Recommended popped up buy she hasn't gone yet. I appreciate their honesty and we are close so I can decline or take offer easily, but we both don't know if it's worth or importance if those specs What are your thoughts?
@@tutorialoutlook249 it's a local auction company in the midwest. All independent vendors (usually amazon return's they piece out). I can't get the screen to turn on or an external screen. But I get a chime.
Would YOU buy an OLD MacBook Air in 2022?
Buy a 2012 i7 MacBook Air Refurbished ➡ geni.us/A8FF
NEW M2 MacBook Air ➡ geni.us/UlLRm5
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the first link cannot be opened
The link for the refurbished MacBook isn't working
Link doesent work
The link you gave to the 2012 mb air in the description does not work. It brings me to Amazon where the cheapest one is two fifty. I also looked in powerON and it was 400 for the one in the video. Please respond.
I have that same model and need to replace the battery. Any good recommendations? Thanks!!
I somehow read the title as OLED. I clicked on the video thinking wow someone really modded a 10 year old macbook air and put an OLED screen in it ffs 😂
Lol that would be something else 😂
so did I XD
@@raghavgarg6909 hahahah glad I wasn’t alone
Same lol
HA!
Max, great video and great comparison. You nailed it when you said.. "why in the world are we still getting 8Gig RAM / 256Gig SSD in 2022"
Except 10 years ago the standard option was 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD. This is an upgraded version with double the capacity. So in 10 years, the equivalent would be a device with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, the upgraded device, while the 8GB RAM version would be choking as a 4GB RAM 2012 model would today.
My 2019 MacBook Pro had a fatal accident and I needed a quick and cheap replacement so bought a 2017 MacBook Air for $250 and honestly at that price point I couldn't be happier. It works great for what I need it for(FaceTime camera or meetings, browsing and video playback) its allo good for light gaming. you can find them usually for around $350 but look hard enough and you can get one for $250 like it did
You guys should give the MacBook 12 a second chance, they still look and feel like a premium device, are ultra portable, have a great screen and are perfectly usable for standard applications like browsing, MS word/excel etc. The second hand prices are also crazy low for what you get imo
No Apple Silicon = no deal.
the one with the broken keyboard?
no thanks
Lol no with its broken keyboard and poorly cooled anemic Intel M processors. The Retina Air design with M1 is what it should’ve been.
@@jesusbarrera6916 my mom has one and keyboard still works. It’s so slow though and runs hot even just in chrome
Never had a problem the keyboard on mine. Still have it and with they did do an AppleSilicon version.
purchased this from Craigslist recently for $120. I updated the OS to Ventura using the Open Core Legacy Patcher. The port selection is also a bonus. I should have updated the battery. Overall, it's a good backup laptop for what I need. Since I'm not a developer, creative professional or a producer, this is a good travel laptop to leave my M1 MacBook Pro home
I bought a 2010 polycarbonate MacBook for $50 recently. It's still a very usable machine, and I love the rounded design.
Whaaat ☠️☠️☠️☠️
I just bought a mid 2012 MacBook Pro in pristine condition, core i5, 8gb ram, 256gb SSD, and it only cost £100 off eBay! Absolutely cracking machine!
The simple fact that we're still only getting 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD IN 2022 proves that Apple is now being run by the accountants. The company is going the way of IBM/HP/Commodore and will be gone in 20-30 years. Most likely some brilliant engineers working for Apple today will leave the company to produce something innovative and end up ultimately killing Apple.
I have a laptop similar to this! Personally I have the 2013 base model (4GB Ram, i5, 128 GB etc)
after nearly ten years of ownership and usage it manages to truck along just fine! I mainly use it for note-taking, email writing and occasional video watching. For these light tasks it does well! Though it definitely does show its age, and the small amount of ram + little storage are definite compromises. If anyone here is interested in picking up an old Air, I'd suggest you go for the higher end versions. While they'll cost slightly more, it'll likely perform much better than the base model.
I am watching this video on a 2012 MacBook air just like the one you reviewing. I have had it for 10 years now and it works fine and i use it daily.. I upgraded the ssd several years ago to a 500 GB m.2. I also just changed tohe battery two days ago. I still works great. I have the 13" version and my wife has the 11" one. We both bought the M2 MacBook air and opted for the top version with 1TB ssd. WOW do I love that computer.I know it is pricy but....I taught graphic arts and in 1986 my supervisor bought me four macpluses, a laser printer, and Pagemaker. That changed everything. We could create copy like a professionals. Those 1Mb, 8MHZ Macpluses retailed for $2600 (the school got them for $2000), the laserwriter was $7000. I believe in today's dollars that is close to $14.000 the computers and $49000 for the printer. In my many years of using the Macs (and I own several) I have learned buy the best....you won't regret it. I enjoy you great videos....stay with it.
I just bought an 11” 2012 Air to replace my iPad. Unlike the iPad, I can upgrade this cheaply and easily to 2TB, and I can swap the battery when it dies (although this one has a cycle count of only 86). I think I’ll run Mountain Lion with Front Row installed via a simple hack, and use it like a glorified video iPod. Amphetamine can be used to keep the music playing even when I shut the Air.
I’m very happy with my rare 2012 non-retina MacBook Pro with a 2.9 GHz i7 processor. Most of those Mid-2012 MacBook Pros only have a 2.5GHz i5 processor which is also good enough for everyday tasks.
I upgraded to 16GB & 4TB SSD. Try to find me anything new with similar specs for less than $2500, you can’t.
Yes, the newest M2 MacBook Pro has three times the single processor performance but I’m not processing crap tons of photos or video so I really don’t care.
Does the screen suck? Yes but I’ve got it connected to a 24 inch external monitor. Attaching an external keyboard, mouse and external speakers means it’s a great desktop system.
I bought mine in good condition for $300 and the RAM and SSD upgrades that I already had originally cost about $200.
Just dug my old mid-2012 Macbook Air the other day. Took a bit to get it from Mountain Lion to Catalina but it works great for what I want! Was looking around for a small, light EDC laptop and remembered I had this 11" Macbook stuck in a drawer somewhere and it fits the bill perfectly. Battery is in need of replacement but that's relatively cheap and easy enough to do so waiting on that to arrive. Magsafe 2 to USB C adapters are $15 or so on Amazon so powering/charging is not an issue and I can share the USB C power adapter on my modern HP laptop for work.
Not sure I'd go out and spend the cash on one but old tech is definitely a good option if you have it sitting around. Just remembered I have an old Mac Mini here somewhere too ... may have to find that and make a new Plex server with all the old firewire and thunderbolt 2 drives I have laying around as well.
The thick bezel tho lol but in all seriousness, I always respect videos like this, I know the tech world is fast and always about the latest but taking a trip down memory lane is always good and informative for those who need it, solid content! 👌🏽
its videos like this that just go to show bikeshedding is a real thing... unless you're a tech professional, how many people out there REALLY need the latest and greatest? 10 years ago a machine like this did the trick and our needs as a society haven't really changed much
I bought the same Macbook Air in 2020 from the Apple store Refurbished section for school. I’ve had it 3 years still have apple care on it and used it for everything lectures, notes assignments, exams and watching shows. I love having all the ports, better keyboard, magsafe and the glowing apple logo.
do you still recommend it?? i’m thinking of getting one for the same reasons
@@drewfogg13 Yes I would still recommend it. I’m still using it for school It’s a great device.
@@drewfogg13 Yes I still recommend it it’s still a great laptop
my wife have the same model since 2011. She is still very happy with it. Browsing the web and Microsoft Office keeps her busy all day. We should replace the battery but other than that, it is a good laptop. :))
I think your wife has the 8GB model, mine is from 2011 as well but with 4 GB Ram with 128 SSD, the fan keeps spinning at 6500 rpm in the summer, it is always very warm.
It's not completely bad but it stress me sometimes.
@@yenk82 You are right. The model is 4 Gigs RAM and 128 G of SSD. No problem with the fan what so ever. Maybe I'm lucky :))
@@ririlan2137 incredible, mine works but in a mediocre way. Even writing a comment on UA-cam has some delay
@@yenk82Remove the stock thermal paste and put Artic MX-4, you'll see a difference.
Based on my experience with my 2012 13" MacBook Pro Which is still my daily computer) I got 2 for my kids, brought the RAM to 8GB, new 500GB SSD and then installed Monterey (yes, Monterey, woop woop) Amazing machines
I love my 2012 MacBook Air! Still use it to this day. I've never really needed a computer with a huge hard drive or graphics card, so this works perfectly for me. I haven't even needed to repair it. Although I do think a new battery and thermal paste as you mentioned would be a great idea for boosting its performance. I think this would be a great purchase even at ten years old! It has held up exceptionally well over the years.
I personally belive the 2012 - 2017 MBA's - are of the best of their class of computer, the things that change are us as users - these are the sleek - perform extreemly well and are a pleasure to use, thanks for the M1's - out there, these are even more affordable!!! 🏌🏻♀🏌🏻♀🤗🤗
Im new to Macbook...may i ask...can i used my external HDD on MBA?
Yes, you can plug in a usb external hard drive into a MacBook Air. I had a Samsung hard drive and it worked great. The older MacBook Pros have hard drives built into them but I don’t think the newer ones have them.
Hi Max Tech! I see Apple's tight control of its ecosystem means all the components of a Mac system are optimized to work together.That allows every process to run more smoothly, throughout the lifetime of the system. That's why for someone else it's still worthy for present time as well. Such creative videos you’ve on this channel , I thank you so much for this video, I learned so much😃
I bought this MBA brand new in 2018 (i5 1.8 GHz, 8/128) after it was discontinued. It's great for some LIGHT work: documents, browsing, minor productivity stuff. And in 2022 I've upgraded to MBP M1 Pro 14" (10/16 cores, 32 gb of RAM and 1TB of SSD). Obviously, the new machine impresses me in every way and handles all of my tasks with ease. But since I change my working location a lot, even during the day, I find myself struggling to carry around this MBP 14" because it's pretty heavy, and I am scared to accidentally drop it. So when most of my heavy work is done I pick up this iconic MBA to browse the internet, watch some movies etc., because it's so darn portable and light. I can easily hold it in one hand while moving from one room to another while being on the video call. And the conclusion is next: I subconsciously love this old MBA more than my current working machine no matter what.
I know exactly what you mean! Who says you can’t use both? :P
You bought the 2017 Air model, not 2012.
I have one of these and it’s been really reliable. It slows down mostly on video editing, but it handles it! They’re very nice for traveling, better than an iPad. I hookup the Air to an external set of Klipsch speakers and the audio is great. I may look at the upgrades you recommend. Have a new M1 Studio, but the M2 Air still looks great. This lil i7 Air machine still runs fine!
For a little bit more, around $200, I was able to get a 2015 15" MacBook Pro with dedicated graphics, 16 GB of ram, and 512 GB of SSD storage. Compared to that cheap Chromebook, the used MacBook that I got was a steal.
I have a specced-out 2012 MBA and it has put in a decade of hard work with only a battery replacement. The design is insanely durable. It’s an amazing machine though it’s my back up these days.
Congrats Max Tech, You have reached 1 MILLION SUBS!!
I personally prefer the look of those older laptops.
My sister in law has a 2010 MacBook Air. She uses it a lot.
I've been using a mid 2012 (i5/4GB/128 ) MacBook Air for the past 10 years, but I replaced the battery a few years ago, or it won't last for this long. Surprisingly, it hasn't had any issues at all, but I only use it for browsing or documents. In the end, it became way too slow, so I upgraded to m2 16gb 512, and I was hoping to use it for at least 5 years.
You could also install Chrome OS Flex to do a full comparison, this laptop is supported by Google.
I just got a 2011 Air for $50 cause of OS issues. The previous owner didn't do the reset properly. I reset it the right way and it works like a charm. I also installed Catalina with a patcher.
I'm still using an early 2008 15" MBP. Great for light work or watching movies. And has the best keyboard of any laptop.
The early 2008 MBP is known for having GPU issues.
I still have my 2012 MBA as a backup. I brought back in the day with 16 gb and I replaced the battery with apple in 2019. still runs perfectly fine.
my mom has one of these from 2012, and its still her main computer even tho she has a m1 macbook pro, just because it runs windows and she's used to that
Can you test MacBook Pro 2015 13” in 2022 please
The older MacBook air speakers sounded fuller and louder just tinnie.
Difference is 8gb 256gb was on the high end spectrum in 2012, while now it’s base model.. :)
I wouldn't call that high end in 2012, more like mid range. Having a 1tb SSD and 16gb of ram would of been high end back in 2012. Entry level is 4gb of ram but the 128gb of storage would of been very low back in 2012 thank to apple choosing to use SSDs which were very expensive back in 2012
Apple still selling MacBook Airs with the same amount of base level RAM, 12 years later. Crazy.
I'm watching this a 2017 Macbook air i5 with 8gb Ram and 1tb SSD. It still runs well and I see no reason to upgrade right now. I know this is the last that utilizes multiple ports until the recent MacBooks. I as recent gotten my girlfriend a 2015 MacBook Pro i5 with 8gb Ram and 500 gb SSD, and she loves it. Definitely save more for still premium devices.
OpenCore Legacy Patcher will allow later macOS versions to be installed on that. My laptop is still a mid-2014 13” MacBook Pro and it still suits my general needs for a laptop. I have High Sierra, Mojave, Big Sur, Windows 10 and Fedora 35 (36 soon) on it. I upgraded to a 1TB SSD on it, but might consider the re-pasting thing.
I have a 2017 MacBook Air works like a charm.
Amazing value content! I was going to sell an old machine and now I'm not 😅
I feel more relieved i spent 75 dollars on mine i`m looking forward to seeing my point of view of this mac book and it will 100% be a major upgrade from my lenovo think pad 11e chrome book i bought for 21 dollars back in june of 2022
Re the trackpad, you can change it to ‘tap to click’ like more-modern MacBooks.
Owned one. While the screen is bad, is has a special feeling to use that laptop. Even now, is such a pleasure and is so thin and light. So retro. I love it.
But I wouldn't use it for day to day tasks. Just for memories :))
this was soooo cool a comparison review that I was very curious about and then you did it... must have read my mind 🙂
I have had my MBAir mid 2012 since new and it still did Adobe CS6 without any issues until I dropped it for the Affinity triple suite of killer apps (which crap all over Adobe apps and are WAY WAY cheaper and without the subscription!!!)... so all your reviews of the M2 Air have been so indepth and has changed my choice when I upgrade in a month or so from the 8CPU/10GPU upgraded with 16GB/512GB to the cheaper option of the 8CPU/8GPU upgraded with 16GB/512GB...
so thanks an absolute million Max Tech guys for such an excellent channel... love it!
I have a 11” mid 2014 MBA with the upgraded i7-4650U@1.7GHz and 8GB RAM instead of the 1.4GHz i5-4260U and 4GB RAM. I triple boots it with Catalina Mavericks and a Windows 10 on it’s upgraded 512GB OEM SSD. Love the enclosure of the 11” and it makes a great portable machine.
I just purchased a refurbished 2015 MacBook Air and I couldn’t be happier! Actually it’s My first MacBook so it’s all new to me
How is it holding up? I just ordered one.
Hey I use my mid 2012 MacBook air for my work and it works as well as I can expect. I typically have 10 - 15 programs open with multiple excel doc that are 7k+ rows long
How much RAM does it have?
Ever since I got a MacBook Pro 2020 M1 from work, I've been sold on Mac and MacOS. I actually bought myself a new MacBook Air 2020 M1 earlier this month because it was on sale for 900EU. Definitely the best laptop I've ever owned and I don't see myself ever going back to Windows.
I am using my 2011 13 inch MacBook Pro it works better than any windows laptop out there I bought it before the launch of apple silicon
Just bought an 11" MBA 2014 cheap off FB for my daughter and her friends. It really is a nice little machine - does the job fine.
Always like for the video about old macs!
These old Macbooks run really fast on their original operating systems. Even Snow Leopard is still capable and has modern web browsers.
I did the same 2 weeks ago on Ebay: 103 euros for a 2012 Macbook Air 13 with 256gb SSD, "only" 4gb ram, Core I5 3427U and battery in good conditions (about 291 cycles). For web browsing, office use, streaming (maybe not in 4K) and same it worth too.
Something you didn't mention is that is 2012 you could get the 11inch!
I installed Linux Mint on my 2011 model, and I am super happy with it.
so keep the posting on macrumors forum and these beloved videos will come out! Thanks Maxtech.
I never though we will see a Luke Maini video here.
hahah)
I bought a mid 2012 MacBook Pro at a college auction for $150 and it's seriously my favorite laptop. I added 16gb RAM and an SSD and it is a GREAT little machine. Picked up a mid 2012 iMac for $100 at the same auction and after I upgrade the RAM and add an SSD drive to it, it too will be a nice machine too.
Thanks for highlighting my comment. I gained some UA-cam cred with my daughters 🤙🏾🤙🏾🤙🏾
I’m still rocking my 2012 MacBook Air as my daily driver. The replace battery soon indicator is on but it’s still usable, it’s close to 2000 charge cycles. Performance is still good for its age but since storage is almost full I just use it for internet browsing.
I plan to get a 2011/2012 Macbook Air as an introductory to make sure I enjoy apple before I switch. Plus I mostly just browse/ write or watch shows
i hava a mid 2012 MBP running Linux Mint since catalina has its days numbered, works great, use it as a secondary computer, my imac 24” as my main computer, the 10 yo MBP just keeps on giving.
No matter what, you don't disappoints 🙂Keep them coming.
180$ for a 2012??? I just spent 200$ for a 2017 air crazy how the market changes in 1 year
I have 14" Macbook Pro but still keep my 11" Air 2011. It is so tiny and cute. :)
I just upgraded to a M2 (8/8/16/1tb) from this model (i7/8/512). The old computer held up for so long, though as you said previously, it’s a disaster for photo or video editing. But it got me through grad school and doing productivity work for my first job. The M2 is just so snappy and the screen is amazing. My heart really wanted a 14” MBP but my wallet and actual needs steered me to the Air. Very happy so far.
our school's physchology teacher has it
I have a 2012 MacBook Pro 💻. It does not update all my apps now, but it still works!
You can patch your MacBook using using the open-core legacy patcher, I had a 2014 which stopped at Big Sur, yet I was able to update it to Monterey
The only thing to be wary of is the OS because of security updates, so make sure your firewall is well locked down.
how nice to not talk about the lack of Software updates for this model.....
Very cool video comparison! I have a 2011 MacBook Air and STILL use it today! I use it pretty much for all the reasons you had described, and iMovie app….I’m a new GMA. 😉 Runs & works for me like a CHAMP! Was wondering if you have posted a how to video on the process of “Thermal Paste?” I’ve also heard you can upgrade the memory to 512gb & install High Sierra on these. I plan on keeping this little guy for as long as I can! Thx again for this video! 👍👍👏👏
I have a 2015 MacBook Air in 2023! It’s amazing
I used my 2012 MBA periodically up until the hard drive died in 2021. If I replaced the hard drive, it’s still usable. More than adequate for students or anyone doing email, web browsing, and UA-cam. Screen is not very bright though.
Off-topic, but congrats on 1M subs!!! 👏👏👏
its a shame my 2019 come with 8GB/128GB.
I would suggest the early i7(or i5)8gb 2015 model and up for a few more dollars and they are still supported
My misses early 2015 Macbook air got a revamp.
New heat compound, new battery, new NVME with adapter and a dose of Tuxedo OS linux.
this laptop flys with a faster hard drive.
if I wanted to stay with Mac OS then catalina will not see the NVME but Mac OS Monterey does.
I have the 2015 version. it works absolutely fine for me
im loving these videos !
Interesting video. Not that my opinion matters but hey comments for the algorithm right.
1. Windows viruses. Is that still such a big concern? In 2022 I feel like Windows and MacOS are both pretty safe now.
2. Chromebook has a few advantages. While MacOS may or may not be more safe than Windows, ChromeOS is crazy secure and super easy to wipe and reset to avoid any issues. And the Chromebook probably has at least 3-4 more years of OS and security updates which will make it more secure than the old MBA as time goes on. Also that Chromebook definitely gets more than 6 hours of battery life. My $120 Chromebook gets 10-12 hours of general web browsing.
3. There are definitely other options out there that can compete with used Mac vs cheap Chromebook. That is used ThinkPad. Not as nice of a fit and finish but you will get much more performance out of one. Would be interesting to compare this 2012 MBA with something like a $200 T450s.
4. Actually I think the ultimate showdown would be a $350 2015 MBP 13 vs a ThinkPad T480s. The last great MBP13 before butterfly vs the first modern quad core ultrabook for ThinkPad. Both of these I think are still solid budget back to school laptops and better than almost any new $350 device.
I'm still rocking a 2017 Macbook air i7 with 8gb Ram and 128GB SSD. I'm a software engineering looking to upgrade to the M1 Macbook Pro. It will be quite the jump.
If you want newer OS than Catalina, just buy 2015 or 2017 model, they support them all
I still use my 11 inch today no issues
Nice explanation, thank you !
Great point about the thermal paste
Wow this is actually very cool,This seems to be very cool that this can still be decent so many years later-Thanks Max for your great videos-I appreciate your efforts!.-Keep it up!.
Always good content on these videos. All meat no filler.
The only negative for me as a former broadcaster?
The over enunciation. Drives me crazy. But hey- that’s just my opinion.
Congrats on your 1 million sub 🌠❤️
I currently have the 2017 MacBook Air just like this. I like it a lot. I have a lot of the same complaints as you, but it has still kept me going this long. I am saving for the new 14 MacBook Pro since my work has gotten a lot more graphically demanding, but I cannot say that this machine has been bad. Thanks for the great video.
You know, this was the business back then. Cannot really compare it to the M2 Airs.
İ bought 2014 late mac mini recently with lowest price and upgraded with 256 gb Ssd. İ cant describe how speedy it is. No problem i faced till now using last mac os system. İ highly recommend that if you have any monitor and don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to use mac.
Well, this is my writing ✍️ laptop. And web surfing. It’s slower now though.
You can use OpenCore Legacy Patcher to patch macOS Big Sur and Monterey on it.
Hello! For general Internet browsing, school work with documents and slide presentations, and may some garageband on the side, is this okay?
My friend is offering this same model (Air 2017) with 1870 Cycle Count, Full Charge Capacity 80% and Design Capacity 57% on coconut Battery. Catalina OS. Bought in 2018
All for 180usd. She says she is able to use it and just has to keep it plugged often. Servicw Recommended popped up buy she hasn't gone yet. I appreciate their honesty and we are close so I can decline or take offer easily, but we both don't know if it's worth or importance if those specs
What are your thoughts?
I'm repairing a MacBook pro and watched this. to see if it is worth it
I have 2015 model i5 8gb/128gb. It still performs well enough for my needs.
What macbook model (2012-2017) is best for graphic communication/design?
Holy cow I just picked up a MacBook Air 2012 at auction for $17. But the problem is I can’t see the screen turn on but hear the power on chime.
Online auction? and if so what website? 👀
@@tutorialoutlook249 it's a local auction company in the midwest. All independent vendors (usually amazon return's they piece out). I can't get the screen to turn on or an external screen. But I get a chime.