The 4GB memory upgrade is probably worth the extra $100 but the processor upgrade to 1.60Ghz is not worth it. I think most students are going to have to step up to the 128GB storage version to fit all the programs and files you’ll need when in school, so that means you’re looking at a price of around $1,199. In conclusion, I do recommend the MacBook Air 11.6-inch to students that happen to have a little extra money and can warrant paying a premium for the Apple brand, quality and support. The screen on the MacBook Air 11 also stands out against any of the competition.

The aluminum unicast body is extremely solid feeling and the feather light weight just amazing. All that competition though and the MacBook Air still reigns as the most drool worthy and well constructed of all these in the 11-inch laptop category. If you need more power than the MacBook Air in an 11.6” form factor there’s also the Alienware m11x. The Dell Inspiron M101z and HP Pavilion dm1z and Toshiba Satellite T215 are all also attractively priced at around $500 - $650. For instance, you can get the Acer Aspire 1830t with a Core i3 processor and more ports for $699. It’s of course not perfect, and the one thing that prevents it from being a sure fire recommendation is all of the great competition out there for 11.6-inch laptops that are much cheaper. The MacBook Air 11.6-inch laptop is a beautiful laptop and a treat to carry around and use.

2010 macbook 11 inch