What should I do? Replace Display Assembly or get a new laptop?

Are you sure it's the display and not a loose connection?

If it's the display, I would look into replacing the display with used one from a parts machine on Kijiji or Craigslist. Any display from the 2013 to 2017 13" air will work.

As for resale, not sure you would get much over $400 because used displays on eBay sell for $300 and up.

Blubbs wrote: ↑ when I move the hinge the display goes blue, and now it even freezes the screen completely at times.

good operating condition

Is everyone crazy when they try to sell old Apple stuff?

I would get a 2017 MacBook Air from Apple.
Has a lot more ports than the 2018 one, also doesn't have the new keyboard that some people don't like.
It even still has the SD card slot

Anyway, that's what I did to replace a 2011 MacBook pro which actually still works perfectly except for a couple of intermittent keys which I will get around to replacing eventually.

And as a realtor, can you not write off the MacBook as a business expense?

death_hawk wrote: ↑


Is everyone crazy when they try to sell old Apple stuff?

I'm not at all suggesting my computer is in good operating condition. I'm saying the cost of the repair is equivalent to the value of my laptop if I fixed it then sold it. The more I look the more it would make more sense to buy a used equivalent.

I found a 2015 one in great condition with 8gb but only 128gb ssd for $675 list on Kijiji, I could probably swap my 256gb into it but I heard the PCIe improved/changed for the 2015 so it worries me.

krs wrote: ↑ I would get a 2017 MacBook Air from Apple.
Has a lot more ports than the 2018 one, also doesn't have the new keyboard that some people don't like.
It even still has the SD card slot

Anyway, that's what I did to replace a 2011 MacBook pro which actually still works perfectly except for a couple of intermittent keys which I will get around to replacing eventually.

And as a realtor, can you not write off the MacBook as a business expense?

Yes, I can write things off, but of course I still pay for them, there's just some tax savings. I'll be running this through my corporation.

I found a 2017 Macbook Air 13" 8gb 256gb on Kijiji for $999, If I could get that for $900 do you think it would be a deal? Then sell mine I guess. I dunno.

A parts one would be cheapest but the display replacement is fairly technical compared to other changes. I guess I could pay someone $100 to do it maybe.

By the way, yes I am sure it is the display because the apple tech checked and reseated the cabling, the issue is inside the non-accessible display, classic Mac.

death_hawk wrote: ↑Is everyone crazy when they try to sell old Apple stuff?

Yep. Take a look at CL Vancouver. Dude asking $200 for a 2009, Core 2. And that's one of the better prices.

Meanwhile, $200 can get you a ThinkPad T430s, which is i5 3rd gen.

Hi,
you should go get a quote from a laptop repair service not apple. you may not be aware but apple is notorious for recommending buying new for things that are very serviceable.
it could be as minimal as a loose connection which the repair tech may only charge you time for..
google it,

One thing to consider is that a 2013 MacBook Air is at the end of its life when it comes to software upgrades.
It's the oldest MBa that macOS 10.14 will run on so even if one had it repaired, one may need a newer Mac if the new macOS has some capability one really needs.

I would check what people are willing to pay for the 2013 with a display problem - you might be surprised.

As to the MBa from Kijiji for $999 or $900 - I would be more concerned why it's being sold and if there are any hidden defects or if it's stolen.
On a portable I tend to get a refurb from the Apple store and then get Apple Care for peace of mind, but each to his own.

Blubbs wrote: ↑ I found a 2015 one in great condition with 8gb but only 128gb ssd for $675 list on Kijiji, I could probably swap my 256gb into it but I heard the PCIe improved/changed for the 2015 so it worries me.

SSDs from 2013 to 2017 MacBook Airs and Pros are completely interchangeable. The 256 from your Air will fit in any Air from 2013 to 2017 and pro from 2013 to 2015.

The PCI-e bus did not really improve. It only went from PCI-e 2.0 x 2 to PCI-e 2.0 x 4. You won't notice a speed difference in daily use.

Blubbs wrote: ↑I found a 2017 Macbook Air 13" 8gb 256gb on Kijiji for $999, If I could get that for $900 do you think it would be a deal? Then sell mine I guess. I dunno.

Too much unless it comes with lots of Apple Care or Apple Care Plus.

Blubbs wrote: ↑IA parts one would be cheapest but the display replacement is fairly technical compared to other changes. I guess I could pay someone $100 to do it maybe.

By the way, yes I am sure it is the display because the apple tech checked and reseated the cabling, the issue is inside the non-accessible display, classic Mac.

The display replacement is very simple because you do not have to completely dismantle the machine as long as the person knows what s/he is doing. I have replaced several and takes about 45 minutes.

As for support, I'm not sure that Apple will discontinue support for the 2013 Air in the near future. Discontinuing support for the 2013 would effectively discontinue support for every Air from 2014 to 2017 as every component in the 13" Air from 2013 to 2017 is completely interchangeable. I have put together several 2013 to 2017 Airs over the years using various parts (Magsafe boards, logic boards, SSDs, displays, keyboards, screens, casing, batteries, etc. from different years) with no problem.

1. Don’t pay Apple to fix a machine that old. Either go third party or if you’re able, DIY.

2. Don’t buy a non-Retina Mac in 2019 unless you can get it uber cheap. Old tech and Apple is moving away from non-Retina. In fact, 10.14 Mojave doesn’t even properly support non-Retina screens by default, as they turned off sub-pixel anti-aliasing across the board in Mojave. For Retina screens it doesn’t make a noticeable difference but it can decrease text quality with some fonts on non-Retina screens. There is no user setting in the macOS GUI to turn on sub-pixel anti-aliasing but luckily in Mojave you can turn it back on in the Terminal. Nobody knows about 10.15 or 10.16 though.

3. Machines like the 2017 MacBook Air do not have hardware support for HEVC or HEIF. Considering Apple is building its multimedia ecosystem around these technologies to a certain extent going forward, it seems odd in 2019 to invest in a machine that has to struggle through software decoding of these formats. This is esp. true if you have an iPhone that can record video in 4K. The iPhone can record in 4K HEVC (which saves about 40% space) and while a modern machine can deal with those files in software, it’s much, much easier to deal with them in hardware, and hardware support means better battery life too.

4. It doesn’t matter if an older machine shares innards with newer machines in terms of official support since in large part Apple obsoletes machines based on age. I suspect the 2013 Air will be declared obsolete by Apple in 2020. This does not mean a newer machine with shared innards would be obsoleted as well. It doesn't work that way.

I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

lostintransit wrote: ↑Hi,
you should go get a quote from a laptop repair service not apple. you may not be aware but apple is notorious for recommending buying new for things that are very serviceable.
it could be as minimal as a loose connection which the repair tech may only charge you time for..
google it,

When I troubleshooted it on forums and talked to the apple tech, it seems the only way to potentially fix it would require delaminating the screen casing to access what's inside, then either fixing a loose connection or replacing something. The guy at the store said it could be done but there is often damage to the screen when putting it back together, or it's not perfect etc.

krs wrote: ↑One thing to consider is that a 2013 MacBook Air is at the end of its life when it comes to software upgrades.
It's the oldest MBa that macOS 10.14 will run on so even if one had it repaired, one may need a newer Mac if the new macOS has some capability one really needs.

I would check what people are willing to pay for the 2013 with a display problem - you might be surprised.

As to the MBa from Kijiji for $999 or $900 - I would be more concerned why it's being sold and if there are any hidden defects or if it's stolen.
On a portable I tend to get a refurb from the Apple store and then get Apple Care for peace of mind, but each to his own.

I could check what people are willing to pay but I can't actually consider selling my old computer until I have my new one, as I would need to wipe it and transfer over, etc.

This is a good point about the discontinuation of support down the line. I would be able to get the tiny education discount on a new unit.

audit13 wrote: ↑ SSDs from 2013 to 2017 MacBook Airs and Pros are completely interchangeable. The 256 from your Air will fit in any Air from 2013 to 2017 and pro from 2013 to 2015.

The PCI-e bus did not really improve. It only went from PCI-e 2.0 x 2 to PCI-e 2.0 x 4. You won't notice a speed difference in daily use.


Too much unless it comes with lots of Apple Care or Apple Care Plus.


The display replacement is very simple because you do not have to completely dismantle the machine as long as the person knows what s/he is doing. I have replaced several and takes about 45 minutes.

As for support, I'm not sure that Apple will discontinue support for the 2013 Air in the near future. Discontinuing support for the 2013 would effectively discontinue support for every Air from 2014 to 2017 as every component in the 13" Air from 2013 to 2017 is completely interchangeable. I have put together several 2013 to 2017 Airs over the years using various parts (Magsafe boards, logic boards, SSDs, displays, keyboards, screens, casing, batteries, etc. from different years) with no problem.

This is very useful thanks. So this would be an option. Buy the 2015 Air for about $600 (this is a 2.2ghz i7 and so it would be a bit of an upgrade too). Time machine my computer to be safe. Swap the two hard drives. Then sell the broken unit for $300-$400 with the 128gb in it?

Given all the stuff about long term support for retina vs non-retina, would it be better to look for a macbook pro retina 13" for a bit more and just use Time Machine to transfer? Though it is a bit heavier which sucks in my briefcase. Something like this (oh wait this is a 15)

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/edmonto ... nFlag=true

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/edmonto ... nFlag=true

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/edmonto ... nFlag=true

When I looked at replacing the screen, I looked at the iFixit guide to see if I could do it myself. It seemed like a ton of steps. Are you saying there is an easier way? Either way, I don't know that buying a screen for replacement would be significantly cheaper in the end.

EugW wrote: ↑ 1. Don’t pay Apple to fix a machine that old. Either go third party or if you’re able, DIY.

2. Don’t buy a non-Retina Mac in 2019 unless you can get it uber cheap. Old tech and Apple is moving away from non-Retina. In fact, 10.14 Mojave doesn’t even properly support non-Retina screens by default, as they turned off sub-pixel anti-aliasing across the board in Mojave. For Retina screens it doesn’t make a noticeable difference but it can decrease text quality with some fonts on non-Retina screens. There is no user setting in the macOS GUI to turn on sub-pixel anti-aliasing but luckily in Mojave you can turn it back on in the Terminal. Nobody knows about 10.15 or 10.16 though.

3. Machines like the 2017 MacBook Air do not have hardware support for HEVC or HEIF. Considering Apple is building its multimedia ecosystem around these technologies to a certain extent going forward, it seems odd in 2019 to invest in a machine that has to struggle through software decoding of these formats. This is esp. true if you have an iPhone that can record video in 4K. The iPhone can record in 4K HEVC (which saves about 40% space) and while a modern machine can deal with those files in software, it’s much, much easier to deal with them in hardware, and hardware support means better battery life too.

4. It doesn’t matter if an older machine shares innards with newer machines in terms of official support since in large part Apple obsoletes machines based on age. I suspect the 2013 Air will be declared obsolete by Apple in 2020. This does not mean a newer machine with shared innards would be obsoleted as well. It doesn't work that way.

Thanks for the info, I'll not look at a used Air unless it's on the cheaper end then.

Blubbs wrote: ↑When I troubleshooted it on forums and talked to the apple tech, it seems the only way to potentially fix it would require delaminating the screen casing to access what's inside, then either fixing a loose connection or replacing something. The guy at the store said it could be done but there is often damage to the screen when putting it back together, or it's not perfect etc.

You would purchase the entire LCD as a single unit which will include the video cable, wi-fi cables, outer shell, and iSight camera, frame, and LCD.

Tearing the screen apart is only required if you want to replace a defective component such as the camera or LVDS cable. In your case, it would be best to replace the entire screen assembly.

Blubbs wrote: ↑So this would be an option. Buy the 2015 Air for about $600 (this is a 2.2ghz i7 and so it would be a bit of an upgrade too). Time machine my computer to be safe. Swap the two hard drives. Then sell the broken unit for $300-$400 with the 128gb in it?

Correct.

Blubbs wrote: ↑Given all the stuff about long term support for retina vs non-retina, would it be better to look for a macbook pro retina 13" for a bit more and just use Time Machine to transfer? Though it is a bit heavier which sucks in my briefcase. Something like this (oh wait this is a 15)

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/edmonto ... nFlag=true

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/edmonto ... nFlag=true

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-laptops/edmonto ... nFlag=true

I also have a 13" 2013 retina and it is heavier but the retina screen is nice. It uses the same charger and SSD as your current Air.

Blubbs wrote: ↑When I looked at replacing the screen, I looked at the iFixit guide to see if I could do it myself. It seemed like a ton of steps. Are you saying there is an easier way? Either way, I don't know that buying a screen for replacement would be significantly cheaper in the end.

It looks like a lot of steps but each step is quickly completed. I am familiar with screen removal and can do it without removing all of the components in the iFixit guide. For a newbie, it would be best to follow the guide until you know how to remove the screen without removing other components.

Started looking at the new 2018 Air refurbs and I can get with warranty an 8gb 256gb for $1489. Originally I thought if I went new I would get 16gb / 512gb but that's not really comparing apples to apples. Though with a new one I would have to get used to the keyboard, it would be a lot more future-proof...

Starting to feel like I should either go with the $600 swap thing or maybe get an Apple refurb. Not spend $1000 on a 4 year old pro just because I like the keyboard better.
Though I'd have to buy the $90 port adapter for my desktop setup I guess, laaaaaame. Setup below.

krs wrote: ↑ I would get a 2017 MacBook Air from Apple.
Has a lot more ports than the 2018 one, also doesn't have the new keyboard that some people don't like.
It even still has the SD card slot

Anyway, that's what I did to replace a 2011 MacBook pro which actually still works perfectly except for a couple of intermittent keys which I will get around to replacing eventually.

And as a realtor, can you not write off the MacBook as a business expense?

How much did you pay for a used macbook air 2017? Or did you buy it new?

krs wrote: ↑ One thing to consider is that a 2013 MacBook Air is at the end of its life when it comes to software upgrades.
It's the oldest MBa that macOS 10.14 will run on so even if one had it repaired, one may need a newer Mac if the new macOS has some capability one really needs.

I would check what people are willing to pay for the 2013 with a display problem - you might be surprised.

As to the MBa from Kijiji for $999 or $900 - I would be more concerned why it's being sold and if there are any hidden defects or if it's stolen.
On a portable I tend to get a refurb from the Apple store and then get Apple Care for peace of mind, but each to his own.

And what are the things to check for when buying a second hand unit macbook air? And obviously buying something stolen is bad but is it like an iPhone where it will lock up or get blacklisted after being sold?

honggil wrote: ↑ And what are the things to check for when buying a second hand unit macbook air? And obviously buying something stolen is bad but is it like an iPhone where it will lock up or get blacklisted after being sold?

Macs can't get blacklisted.

Some have password protected firmwares though. Luckily, the vast majority of people don't password protect their firmwares so it's usually not an issue for used Macs.

EugW wrote: ↑ Macs can't get blacklisted.

Some have password protected firmwares though. Luckily, the vast majority of people don't password protect their firmwares so it's usually not an issue for used Macs.

How do you check for this? Is it on boot up?

honggil wrote: ↑ How do you check for this? Is it on boot up?

I've never password protected my Mac firmwares, but it prevents you from booting off a different volume, so I guess you'd have to try booting off a different volume to see it.

Also, there is a feature where you can remotely lock a Mac if it's stolen. But then the Mac wouldn't be accessible at all, so it's easy to check for that.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204756

How is that different from blacklisting? Well, it's done by the owner, not a carrier (since you can't buy a subsized Mac from a carrier anyway).

EugW wrote: ↑ I've never password protected my Mac firmwares, but it prevents you from booting off a different volume, so I guess you'd have to try booting off a different volume to see it.

Also, there is a feature where you can remotely lock a Mac if it's stolen. But then the Mac wouldn't be accessible at all, so it's easy to check for that.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204756

How is that different from blacklisting? Well, it's done by the owner, not a carrier (since you can't buy a subsized Mac from a carrier anyway).

Thanks for the info. Wonder when the 2019 macbook 12 inch refresh will come out... Maybe wait for that.

honggil wrote: ↑ How do you check for this? Is it on boot up?

Make sure the Mac is powered off. Press the power key and then hold down the option key. If there is a firmware password, you will be prompted to enter the password.