Resolved MacBook Air 11 in. (2015-2018) with i7?

[haralds]

I have a couple of mid-2011 MacBook Air 11 in. The one with i7 is upgraded with 1TB SSD and newer BLE. I love it as a simple writing machine.
But its lack of metal capability makes it impossible to upgrade past Catalina, and my writing tools want a late-model OS.

I am looking at a used 2015 - 2018, the last years the 11 inch was produced. I only see i5 models. Did Apple make i7 options as they did with the 13 in version? I could not see clear references.

 

[aakshey]

The last year was 2015

i7 was offered as a customisation/upgrade, no stock model had it

Honestly, you would be better off buying a MBA M1 used for only slightly more

 

[FreakinEurekan]

If you are willing to take a chance on a used computer and want super-lightweight, look for a 2017 12" Retina MacBook with i7. The display puts the 11" MBA to shame, and it's almost a full pound lighter than your 2011.

Still, it's stuck at macOS Ventura so I wouldn't spend a "Ton" of money on one.

 

[Boyd01]

Still have my 2013 11" i7 MBA, I got the max spec - 8gb/512gb and it was quite expensive at the time! I loved that machine, in spite of the limitations, there was just something cool about the size and how fast it was (in the day). Still works but the trackpad is glitchy and the whole thing just looks old and beat-up.

Great in its day, would not be happy with it today, even with a spec bump to 2015. But I have no need for a laptop anymore. IIRC, one attraction of the 11" MBA was the keyboard, it is very nice. Didn't the MacBooks have the new keyboard that was so widely criticized (never used one myself)?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Didn't the MacBooks have the new keyboard that was so widely criticized (never used one myself)?

Yes, it has the "Butterfly" keyboard. Personally I never had a problem with it; I had a 2016 Retina MacBook from introduction until literally a week or so ago, daily driver for me for the first 3 years and for my wife after that. 4 to 6 animals in the house all that time (so plenty of hair/dander floating around); never a problem from the keyboard. Charging port started going a little flaky and the battery life was circling the drain, so we got her a M2 MacBook Air to replace it.

 

[haralds]

I have other MacBooks Pro (Intel and Apple Silicon) and desktops. I like the form factor of the 11" for certain use cases.

 

[haralds]

The last year was 2015

i7 was offered as a customisation/upgrade, no stock model had it.

Thanks, I know about the model year. But was the i7 option available for the 11 in. ? I have only found the 13 in model.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Thanks, I know about the model year. But was the i7 option available for the 11 in. ? I have only found the 13 in model.

Yes, i5 and i7 were offered in the 2015 11". The i7 is a 2.2GHz. Specs page

 

[haralds]

Thanks. I also finally found some online!

The question is, do I really need another Mac? I have eight in the house. Only one of them is my wife's...

 

[haralds]

Ended up buying one. I might donate some of the others.

 

[aakshey]

Thanks, I know about the model year. But was the i7 option available for the 11 in. ? I have only found the 13 in model.

From memory, yes, it was offered as an upgrade even with the 11 inch one

 

[RinkDinkus]

Ended up buying one. I might donate some of the others.

If you’re looking to donate, I’ll gladly be a donate-ee! lol

 

[iAppleOrchard]

The M1 MacBook Air is going for very cheap nowadays.
$699 new from Walmart,
and if you get it used, you can find it for $400, a total steal for what this machine is.

 

[oasantos1]

Thanks. I also finally found some online!

The question is, do I really need another Mac? I have eight in the house. Only one of them is my wife's...

You can never have too many Macs... or least that's what I tell myself. 😄

 

[VegetarianNachos]

The M1 MacBook Air is going for very cheap nowadays.
$699 new from Walmart,
and if you get it used, you can find it for $400, a total steal for what this machine is.

That would be a great deal, but I have never seen one for anywhere near that price. eBay has M1 MacBook Airs for a lot more than that with destroyed displays. If they are available on Craigslist, they have never been listed less than $550 in my area. They are still $759 certified refurbished from Apple. The best deal seems to be Walmart at $699 new. I would love to find one for $400 ha ha. Also, I have never seen an M1 Mac mini for less than that $400. IMHO it would be much easier to find an M1 Mac mini for $400 than an M1 MacBook Air for $550.

 

[oasantos1]

That would be a great deal, but I have never seen one for anywhere near that price. eBay has M1 MacBook Airs for a lot more than that with destroyed displays. If they are available on Craigslist, they have never been listed less than $550 in my area. They are still $759 certified refurbished from Apple. The best deal seems to be Walmart at $699 new. I would love to find one for $400 ha ha. Also, I have never seen an M1 Mac mini for less than that $400. IMHO it would be much easier to find an M1 Mac mini for $400 than an M1 MacBook Air for $550.

Where are you located?

M1 Airs are going anywhere from 400 to 500 in my area.

M1 Minis for 300 to 400.

 

[VegetarianNachos]

Where are you located?

M1 Airs are going anywhere from 400 to 500 in my area.

M1 Minis for 300 to 400.

Oregon...here $400 can get you a 2015 MacBook Pro 15", or a 2017 MacBook Pro 13"...also multiple 2017 MacBook airs on craigslist for $450.

 

[VegetarianNachos]

Oregon...here $400 can get you a 2015 MacBook Pro 15", or a 2017 MacBook Pro 13"...also multiple 2017 MacBook airs on craigslist for $450.

The only M1 on Craigslist is listed at $565 for a base model.

 

[oasantos1]

If you're ever in Southern CA, make sure you look. Pretty good deals to be had.

 

[Macdctr]

I have a couple of mid-2011 MacBook Air 11 in. The one with i7 is upgraded with 1TB SSD and newer BLE. I love it as a simple writing machine.
But its lack of metal capability makes it impossible to upgrade past Catalina, and my writing tools want a late-model OS.

I am looking at a used 2015 - 2018, the last years the 11 inch was produced. I only see i5 models. Did Apple make i7 options as they did with the 13 in version? I could not see clear references.

I'm using my Early 2015 11-inch i7/8GB AIR as I type this response and currently have MacOS 14.5 Beta 3 installed and running. I have been using this configuration for about 4 days now and so far have not experienced any issues while doing web surfing, emails, streaming videos and doing some photo editing.

I am using OpenCore Legacy Patcher 1.5.0n to install MacOS 14 Sonoma on my Air and am able to update the OS as if it was natively supported on my Air. No issues with display since upgrading to this OS using OCLP on this laptop. You can pick up the 2015 laptops at a fairly decent price point these days on eBay which is where I got mine.

EDIT: Since this original posting, I have since updated to Sonoma 14.5 beta 4 without issue

 

[Macdctr]

I am looking at a used 2015 - 2018, the last years the 11 inch was produced. I only see i5 models. Did Apple make i7 options as they did with the 13 in version? I could not see clear references.

Apple did make i7 versions of the 11-inch Air.

Here is an Early 2015 11-inch Air 2.2 GHz/8GB for sale

2015 APPLE MACBOOK AIR 11 / i7 Intel Turbo / 256GB 8GB RAM SSD / WARRANTY | eBay

256GB SOLID STATE DRIVE. Apple MacBook Air 11". HIGHLAND PERFORMANCE SYSTEMS understands the difficulties in purchasing a MacBook Pro. MacBook Features Apple MacBook Air 11.6" Upgraded With High Performance Hardware.

www.ebay.com

they are carrying a premium though.

as you can see below this is my Early 2015 Air with Sonoma 14.5 beta 4 installed