When we talk about the old adaptations of MacBook, it’s generally in the light of the fact that their costs have dropped down but they are still worth purchasing. The latest ones are over the top expensive and out of our budget.
Today it’s all about an Apple MacBook Air 11.6 Intel Core i5 64GB Laptop Review. In fact, we will see two models, for better suiting your needs.
Before we dive into the review there’s something we have to clear. You might not be familiar with refurbished models. Let’s make sure you understand what they are.
Table of Contents
- Refurbished models: what are they?
- Apple MacBook Air 11.6 Intel Core i5 64GB Laptop Review
- Wrap-up
Refurbished models: what are they?
A refurbished laptop is a computer that has been used before. Maybe it was returned to the retailer or manufacturer for a refund by a customer or came off a lease.
Many companies have a policy of trading their pieces of equipment from time to time, even if they’re performing without any issues.
If that gets you worried, don’t run off just yet. Read a bit more and you’ll feel a lot safer with these options.
Make sure you understand the difference between used and refurbished. A product sold as used is sold as is, without any repair done or parts replaced. A refurbished product is quite different.
Before being sold as a refurbished model the laptop is thoroughly checked. Components with defects are repaired or replaced. Afterward, the laptop is inspected. If it performs as expected, it’s good to be sold again.
That’s great news. Although it was previously used before, you can rest assured. Before being sold again as a refurbished product it’s examined and tested properly.
On top of that, you have a warranty to back it up.
Yet another great reason to buy one of these products is their price. Refurbished products often cost considerably less than the original price they carried.
There’s also a tradeoff…
If you’re wondering if there are tradeoffs, yes, you’re right. You can’t expect the latest generation processors. The same applies to RAM and hard disk sizes, which might feature smaller sizes than what you would get these days. The same applies to other specifications.
Sometimes a refurbished product won’t feature some technology that wasn’t available when it was released. Take these two products today; none of them feature USB C ports.
Check their specifications well to make sure there isn’t any technology missing. At least from those that you really need. Also, consider that in some cases you can get adapters (that’s the case of USB C ports).
Like in many other cases, there is no right or wrong choice. What matters is that you get the product that fulfills your specific needs. And if one of these does it, why pay a lot more?
Apple MacBook Air 11.6 Intel Core i5 64GB Laptop Review
In this article, we will discuss the two best choices for people who are searching for a MacBook that’s affordable and capable of fulfilling most of their needs!
Beware, though, that these are 2011 models. It’s not reasonable to expect top actual performance from them. But you also have to consider that you’re not paying the same price as for a brand new model.
If you need a machine that provides high levels of performance these are not the right options. But if you’re expectations in the matter are lower, then you can take full advantage of the lower prices of these products.
Click the image to check the price on Amazon now!
Apple MacBook Air MC968LL/A (Refurbished)
Main Highlights:
- Model number: MC968LL/A
- Screen size: 11.6 inches
- Screen resolution: 1440×900
- Processor: 1.6 GHz Core i5-2300
- RAM: 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM
- Hard Drive: 64 GB
- Average Battery life: 7 hours
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000
- Operating System: OS X El Capitan Ver 10.11.6
- Rear Webcam Resolution: 1 MP
Design
The 11.6″ MacBook Air Notebook Computer from Apple is an incredibly compact and amazingly designed laptop.
The architects of this product have utilized the lessons they learned while designing the scaled-down iPad and used them to design this 2.4-pound model.
If we say that this MacBook Air is sophisticated, it would be an underrated statement.
At its widest point the PC is just 0.68″ – it decreases down to 0.11″ at its most slender.
Flash Storage
The laptop is stacked with 64GB of SSD flash storage instead of an outdated hard drive. SSD provides better performance and reliability than an HDD.
The access time of an SSD is groundbreaking faster than an HDD. Programs can run more quickly and is a very big advantage for your OS.
Flash Storage doesn’t simply give you a lighter and slender PC. It additionally increases battery life. Regarding this laptop, expect up to 7 hours long web surfing and 30 days of standby.
Resistance
The MacBook Air is housed in an aluminum unibody enclosure, which is as solid as it is light. Since it is a part of a strong square of aluminum, the lodging is more grounded than those found on PCs fabricated through customary methods.
OS X doesn’t get PC viruses and automatically protects itself from other malicious applications. You don’t even have to worry about changing complex settings to stay safe.
Display
At 11.6″ in size, the 16:9 display includes a resolution of 1440 x 900. It has an LED backlight illumination innovation for upgraded picture quality and vitality.
Netbooks
PCs in the MacBook Air’s weight class are frequently characterized in the “netbook” classification. Netbooks is a small, light-weighted, legacy-free laptop.
This PC includes a standard-sized illuminated chiclet keyboard, equivalent to the bigger PCs in the MacBook line. It likewise has an enormous multi-touch glass trackpad, giving you full power over your PC.
Processor and Graphics
The PC is fueled by a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor and has 2GB of RAM. Graphics are given by coordinated Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU.
Webcam and Connectivity
The PC includes every one of the comforts you expect on a Mac – a FaceTime webcam, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and built-in stereo speakers.
iLife
iLife ’11, a total suite of digital creativity applications, is introduced to the system.
Simple enough for anybody to utilize, iLife will enable you to alter your home films, sort out advanced photographs, and make unique music.
OS X El Capitan Ver 10.11.6
El Capitan has some interesting features:
- It runs on a flat visual
- Doesn’t support Siri
- This device has good synchronization features. El Capitan has Continuity, a feature Apple introduced in Yosemite and iOS 8. El Capitan improved the feature
- When your disk is almost full, El Capitan will ask you to manually delete files. You can also move them somewhere else (like the cloud)
Additionally, you can extend the usefulness of your PC by discovering more profitable applications. Including amusements and other software that is accessible to buy from the App Store.
Since the product in the store is curated by Apple, you can be certain that it is free of malware and safe to use.
Pros:
- Features pre-installed Mac OS X Lion which maximizes screen real estate on the 11-inch Air: applications more easily pop to full-screen, and swiping between full-screen apps eliminates the hunt for tiny buttons
- It has a multi-touch touchpad that has exceptional responsiveness and construction quality
- 2 USB ports are a plus point
- It supports Wi-Fi 802.11n, so it provides fast wireless connections
- It’s backed by a 12-month warranty, with 3 months of tech support.
Cons:
- Not suited for high-performance video gaming
- Lacks an optical drive for reading CDs or DVDs
Click the image to check the price on Amazon now!
Apple MacBook Air MD223LL/A (Refurbished)
Main Highlights:
- Model number: MD223LL/A
- Screen size: 11.6″HD Widescreen
- Screen resolution: 1366 x 768
- Processor: Intel Dual-Core i5-3317U 1.7GHz (Turbo up to 2.6GHz) 3MB Cache
- RAM: 4GB DDR3 (on-board)
- Hard Drive: 64 GB SSD
- Average Battery life: 5 hours
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
- Operating System: Mac OS X v10.12 Sierra
- Webcam Resolution: Built-in Facetime HD camera
Design
The 11.6″ MacBook Air Notebook Computer from Apple is a versatile laptop, having a design that’s slender and lightweight.
At its thickest point the PC is just 0.68″ – it decreases down to 0.11″ at its most slender.
Flash Storage
This MacBook has 64GB of SSD flash storage instead of HDD which is very slow. Flash Storage gives you a good battery life – up to 5.5 of web browsing and 30 days of standby time.
More advantages include its lightweight and no moving parts which caused a disturbance when HDD was used.
Read/Write speed and access time is exceptionally fast when SSD is used. It’s a benefit for heavy files like your Operating System.
Resistance
The MacBook Air is housed in an aluminum unibody enclosure. It is very solid but light weighted.
The lodging is more grounded than those found on PCs fabricated through customary methods.
OS protects you from any kind of viruses and it won’t back you off with steady security cautions and scopes. Apple reacts rapidly to online dangers and naturally conveys security refreshes.
FileVault 2 in OS secures it with ground-breaking encryption.
Display
It has a resolution of 1366 x 768. It includes an LED backlight illumination innovation for better picture quality.
Netbook
PCs in the MacBook Air’s weight class are frequently characterized in the “netbook” classification. Netbooks are small, light-weighted, and low-powered CPUs.
Processor and Graphics
The PC is fueled by a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5 processor and has 4GB of RAM. Graphics are given by coordinated Intel HD Graphics 4000.
Webcam and Connectivity
The PC includes every one of the comforts you expect on a Mac:
- a FaceTime webcam
- dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.0
- built-in stereo speakers
iLife
iLife ’11 is simple enough for anybody to use. iLife will enable you to alter your movies, photographs, and music.
Mac OS X v10.12 Sierra
Sierra comes with several changes, improvements, and features.
You can now use tabs differently, with a wide range of third and first-party apps supported. For example, you can use iWork, Maps, and Mail all use tabs. But the most important change regarding design is the new picture-in-picture mode.
Sierra embraces the voice assistant. In fact, some believe the name Sierra comes as a derivate from Siri. Apple fans can now enjoy their favorite personal assistant on their Mac computers. Siri is still Siri, and many will use her as they use her on iPhone.
But Siri on Mac brings a number of improvements, most notably the option to change settings, search through documents and send messages (Twitter included) via Siri.
It supports Auto Unlock via Apple Watch.
In Sierra, optimized storage works smoothly. The OS recognizes files you haven’t opened in a while and transfers them to the cloud.
There are many additional features and apps that you can explore and download from the App Store. You don’t have to worry about catching any virus or malicious software since your OS is there to take care of it!
Pros:
- Powered by the Mac OS X Sierra which has many useful features
- Has a multi-touch touchpad that has exceptional responsiveness and construction quality
- 2 USB ports are a plus point
- Bluetooth 4.0 technology for connecting with peripherals such as keyboards, mouse, headphones, and others
- 30 days of standby time
- It supports Wi-Fi 802.11n, so it provides fast wireless connections
- It’s backed by a 12-month warranty, with 3 months of tech support
Cons:
- Lacks an optical drive for reading CDs or DVDs
Wrap-up
We’re coming to an end of the Apple MacBook Air 11.6 Intel Core i5 64GB Laptop Review.
Both the MacBooks were introduced in 2011. Up-to-date top performance is out of the question here. But so is the high price tag you would have to pay for a new MacBook.
They’re great for the price, work fast and look brand new. If you look at the pros, cons, and features mentioned above, you can easily decide which one is the best for you given your needs.
I’d be inclined to choose the MacBook Air MD223LL/A for my personal use. It has Mac OS X v10.12 Sierra which supports Siri. Additionally, the built-in HD camera and 4 GB RAM are strong advantages!
In terms of graphics, as you’d expect, none of these laptops feature the latest technology. If gaming or video editing is a priority, opting for the Intel HD 4000 is the better choice among these two options.
All in all, you have to consider that technology is constantly evolving. Being introduced back in 2011 these laptops clearly show their age for more demanding tasks and performance is not on par with current standards.
Take the battery runtime, 5,5, and 7 hours for these laptops. These days you’d expect over 10 hours and with much higher performance.
But let’s be fair, it’s not all bad. By a long shot. If you were looking for the current model you would many times more.
And if these options suit your needs, why pay a lot more for an actual model?
It all really comes down to your needs and if top performance is not your priority, these two laptops are really great deals.
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