Thinking of MacBook Air - flash storage enough?

I currently have a MacBook Pro 15-inch. I've had it for a couple of years and love it. I have all my files and apps on it and do back-up regularly. Howver now, I'm looking at a MacBook Air to replace it. I'm wondering the size of the hard drive or is that MBA only has Flash Storage - 256gb max. I plan on using it for email, word processing, internet, photos, some design work, plus a few other things. I just wondeirng if I get it, it won't give me enough storage for my apps & files.
Any thoughts?

My previous MacBook Pro had over 300 Gb of storage being utilized. But when transitioning to the Air, it was simply a matter of reorganizing some of the less often needed material and archiving to an external portable disk.
For the descriptive uses you mention, I sincerely doubt that you will be even inconvenienced by the 256 Gb drive. The benefits will far outweigh everything else.
Now, if you had said that you had a 150 GB iTunes music library, and a plethora of HD movies that your "have to " have on hand at all times, maybe I would alter my opinion here.

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Can't install os mavericks because don't have macbook air flash storage firmware update 1.1; can't install firmware update because OS is too old (10.7.4)

Hello, I have a Macbook Air, bought May 2012 or so that came with OS 10.7.4 on it. Did not try to upgrade OS until recently. Tried to upgrade to OS Mavericks, however received error message 'Before installing OS X Mavericks this system requires MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1." I then downloaded and attempted to install said Firmware Update 1.1, but received another error message, to wit: "This update requires 10.7.5 or 10.8.5 or later"
Who can help me out the this Catch-22? I thought about first updating to OS 10.8, but apparently that is no longer available?

Hi CursedIn,
If the Firmware update required for Mavericks requires 10.7.5 to install, you may be able to download it directly from the following link:
OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 (Client Combo)
Regards,
- Brenden

Can't install MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1

My macbook air is mid 2012
And I just update the mac on Oct 15
And today I heard about the ssd failure thing.
I head to appstore and find 0 updates there.
Then I download the MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 here http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1690
And it says "This computer does not need this update"
Does this mean my mac is good? Or not?

dknyxh wrote:
And it says "This computer does not need this update"
Does this mean my mac is good? Or not?
Firmware update tests the computer first to make sure that the SSD is not a faulty one.
Then update will not be installed and returns the message
"This computer does not need this update".
Does this mean my mac is good? Or not?
Your Mac is good.
Best.

Where is "MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0" ?

Why MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0 is unavailable for download now?

It's here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1551
... but if Software Update does not find it and install it for you, there's probably a good reason.

Went to install os mavericks and got this message: MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 need. tried that and got: This update requires Mac OS X 10.7.5 or 10.8.5 or later, please advise.

went to install os mavericks and got this message: MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 need. tried that and got: This update requires Mac OS X 10.7.5 or 10.8.5 or later, please advise.mac

OK. Now, you say you got this alert through App Store when trying to download Mavericks or after you downloaded it and were trying to install it? Which is the correct case?
The error you are getting may sometimes occur when the computer has already been updated, but I don't know why you would be getting this message. I can only suggest that you take it in for service to find out why this is happening.

MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1

MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1.
I have a mid 2012 MacBook air. I just upgraded to Maverick. As part of the upgrade the ssd was checked and I got a message that my ssd was successfully upgraded and that it is fine. After two days a lost most of the data that was inside it. Some photos songs and OS were not affected. All my document folder was erased and I lost all my work. Can you tell me if I need to go and replace the ssd or is this a normal issue with the upgrade to Mavrick?

MacBook Air computers sold between June 2012 through June 2013 with 64 or 128 GB SSDs are known to have a high SSD failure rate and Apple is replacing them for free.
http://www.apple.com/support/macbookair-flashdrive/
You should maintain current backups. Given the known failure rate of your SSD that is especially important.
For more about backups
Time Machine Basics: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427
Most commonly used backup methods:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3045
Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031

How can I find MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware update 1.1 to enable me to download and install iOS X Maverick?

To download and install iOS X Maverick my MacBook Air demands that I should first of all install MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 that I cannot find in MacBook Application Store. So what do I do?

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1690

I have a macbook air from mid 2012. After installing the MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 my computer shuts down instead of restarting. Does my macbook need a replacement drive?

Anyone experience the same result after installing MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1? Why did my macbook shut down?

Reset SMC. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Choose the method for:
"Resetting SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own".
If this does not help, contact Apple.
Best.

My Macbook air flash had gone for a month and I saw Apple's Macbook air flash storage drive replacement program. I'm not sure whether that program is still available for the broken device or not. Now, I'm booting from the external hard drive. Thank you.

My Macbook air flash had gone for a month and I saw Apple's Macbook air flash storage drive replacement program. I'm not sure whether that program is still available for the broken device or not. Now, I'm booting from the external hard drive. Warranty has gone in October 2013..
I want to send back my macbook air back to apple store. The problem is that I bought it from US and now, I'm using it in Myanmar. If the program is free of charge for my device, it's worth trying to send back to US. Since mine is broken, I'm afraid Apple will take charges for reparing.
So, if anyone having the same problem as me, I would like to get suggestion....
Thank you!!

I have no idea about how to handle the international aspect of your question.
But here is the Apple writeup about the problem and the remedy. Maybe that will help you.
http://www.apple.com/support/macbookair-flashdrive/

Macbook air flash storage

Hi there,
I just bought a 13' 128gb Macbook Air but now realised that the storage capacity is too small. What is the alternative way to increase the storage capacity?
Thank you

Sell it and buy a new one.
Storafe is not upgradable on the MBA.
Allan

MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0

I have tried to install this firmware update 5 times today. Rather than doing a simple shutdown once it is "ostensibly" installed, I get a restart button - which restarts the machine rather than waiting the "one minute" that the installation instructions suggest is necessary for the firmware update.
I have a mid 2012 macbook air 11 inch, no modifications.

The update requires 10.7.5 be installed. If yours has no modifications then it has 10.7.4 installed, so you will first need to update OS X.
OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 (Client Combo)

What can I do about Adobe Flash Player blocking view of internet sites? Is it related to the MacBook Air Flash Storage Drive replacement program?

What can I do aout Adobe Flash Player blocking view of internet sites?

1. System Preferences > Other/ Flash Player > Advanced > Delete All
     Press the "Delete All" button
     Install Adobe Flash Player.
    http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
    Follow the prompts.
    Quit Safari.
    Restart computer. Relaunch Safari.
2. Allow Plug-ins
    Safari > Preferences > Security
    Internet Plug-ins > "Allow plug-ins"
    Enable it.
    Press " Manage Website Settings" button for more options.

Macbook air flash storage firmware update 1.0 make me crazy

Hi,
I've a mba late 2012, bought just 3 days ago. It has warranty, and it's all ok, except for this F*****G storage firmware update.
AppStore notified of this, so i connect to power source, and install ( FileVault is disabled ).
and here, starts trouble:
1. The notebook reboot after install instead of shut down -> and I can acceptate this, i've read that's very common!
2. I watch SERIAL ATA revision AND IT'S AGREE WITH APPLE -> TPVABBF0
3. So, theorically, it's all ok. But, however the firmware revision it's updated, the appStore still repeats me to install it!!!
Any helps will be apreciated, i'm at pain threshold and i want mavericks.
Thx!

The update requires 10.7.5 be installed. If yours has no modifications then it has 10.7.4 installed, so you will first need to update OS X.
OS X Lion Update 10.7.5 (Client Combo)

Is the 256GB flash storage enough for me? Can I install a bigger SD?

Hi there, I am transferring from a Dell (which I love) to the Macbook Air 256. However, I'm very concerned about the storage. I've had my Dell for 10 years and never gotten near the storage capacity. It has 285Gb and I've used 215GB of it. I figured the 256 would be enough, but I've only transferred 1 year of pictures over to my MAC, and the storage space is already HALF FULL!!!! I barely deleted 50 photos, and you can see the storage space free up by a couple GBs. Does flash storage not hold as much as regular hard drives? I'm a novice at mac computers and am getting really frustrated that this computer might not hold anything. Everything is also on an external drive, but I like it all on my computer for easy access. I also heard that I can put SD cards into my Macbook air to give me more storage. Is this true and if so, where do I get that? Thank you so so much for your help!

firebox is only $30 at walmart, if you dont have a safe deposit box.
theft is more about HIDING IT than vaulting it, buy a fireproof SLEEVE on Ebay for $30 and hide it under etc etc something, very easy to do.
you can buy your own private website, which is what I do, I have several   Cost is roughly $120 per year unlimited storage..
(see godaddy.com or otherwise)
However safety has to be put in place to prevent others from accessing your data, also very easy.
Its all about redundancy #1 and #2 longevity (DVD professional archival) for very important information that cant degrade over short term and rated for at least 60+ years.
All these points are explained in detail in the link I posted you as User Tip.
Online archives
Drawbacks:
1. Subject to server failure or due to non-payment of your hosting account, it can be suspended.
2. Subject, due to lack of security on your part, to being attacked and hacked/erased.
Advantages:
1. In case of house fire, etc. your data is safe.
2. In travels, and propagating files to friends and likewise, a mere link by email is all that is needed and no large media needs to be sent across the net.
3. Online archives are the perfect and best-idealized 3rd platform redundancy for data protection.
4. Supremely useful in data isolation from backups and local archives in being online and offsite for long-distance security in isolation.
5. *Level-1.5 security of your vital data.
As for hard drives, dont make the HUGE mistake others make, only having ONE off computer copy on a HD, thats a tragedy in waiting, 2 copies is 1, and 1 is none, ....and the data on the computer doesnt count in the 2-copy scheme.
Hard Drive Warning (all makes and models)
Ironically but logical, new hard drives are far more fragile than one that has been working for several months or a couple years. So beware in your thinking that a new hard drive translates into “extremely reliable”!
Hard drives suffer from high rates of what has been termed "infant mortality". Essentially this means new drives have their highest likelihood of failing in the first few months of usage. This is because of very minor manufacturing defects or HD platter balancing, or head and armature geometry being less than perfect; and this is not immediately obvious and can quickly manifest itself once the drive is put to work.
Hard drives that survive the first few months of use without failing are likely to remain healthy for a number of years.
Generally HD are highly prone to death or corruption for a few months, then work fine for a few years, then spike in mortality starting at 3-4 years and certainly should be considered end-of-life at 5-7+ years even if still working well. Drives written to once and stored away have the highest risk of data corruption due to not being read/written to on a regular basis. Rotate older working HD into low-risk use.
The implication of this is that you should not trust a new hard drive completely (really never completely!) until it has been working perfectly for several months.
Given the second law of thermodynamics, any and all current mfg. HD will, under perfect storage conditions tend themselves to depolarization and a point will be reached, even if the HD mechanism is perfect, that the ferromagnetic read/write surface of the platter inside the HD will entropy to the point of no viable return for data extraction. HD life varies, but barring mechanical failure, 3-8 years typically.
Hard drive failure and handling
The air cushion of air between the platter surface and the head is microscopic, as small as 3 nanometers, meaning bumps, jarring while in operation can cause head crash, scraping off magnetic particles causing internal havoc to the write surface and throwing particles thru the hard drive.
Hard drives are fragile in general, regardless, ... in specific while running hard drives are extremely fragile.
PDF: Bare hard drive handling generic instructions
hard drive moving parts
Some of the common reasons for hard drives to fail:
Infant mortality (due to mfg. defect / build tolerances)
Bad parking   (head impact)
Sudden impact   (hard drive jarred during operation, heads can bounce)
Electrical surge   (fries the controller board, possibly also causing heads to write the wrong data)
Bearing / Motor failure   (spindle bearings or motors wear during any and all use, eventually leading to HD failure)
Board failure   (controller board failure on bottom of HD)
Bad Sectors   (magnetic areas of the platter may become faulty)
General hard drive failure

Is 256 gb flash storage enough on the retina display Mbp?

I am going to college and can't decide between the baseline 15 inch MacBook pro with 500 gb hard drive and the baseline retina display. While the speed and slender design of the retina display are certainly appealing, I am concerned that the 256 gb of flash storage will not be enough in the long run. I mean, I will not be running the entire adobe suite, but I will definitely be running the entire Microsoft office for Mac suite (word, excel, powerpoint, and outlook),as well as the adobe photoshop cs6 extended program. I will also run iTunes with a library of roughly 800 songs, as well as various apps that may exceed 30 to 40 gbs potentially. I will also store some photos and movies on there, and I am looking into getting an external hard drive to backup my computer to. So for your basic college student that will mainly be using office, surfing the web, and using iTunes, is 256 gb enough? I also am seeing a lot of complaints about defective retina display computers on the discussion boards, and I was wondering if those are making up a large portion of retina displays being sold.

It feels to me like Apple intended the Retina MBP for users who would be using cloud storage a lot more than people have in the past. For example, if your media is purchased from iTunes, it stays in the cloud instead of taking up space on your hard drive, so you don't need as much onboard storage.
I've often wondered if this was wishful thinking on Apple's part, hoping that people would start using iTunes and iCloud more, and it remains to be seen if that will be the case. I really think the Retina MBP was designed for that.
I'm not trying to discourage you from getting one. It's more like, I'm hoping these thoughts (and I may be wrong), will help you make a good decision based on your usage habits. It's an awfully large investment, after all, and one that you'll have to live with for a long time.

Thinking of MacBook Air - flash storage enough?

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