The 2012 Macbook Air may be the best ultraportable laptop, but let's not forget about its older 2011 brother.
What do you lose when you buy last year's Macbook Air? For starters, you get a processor from a generation ago—a Sandy Bridge processor as opposed to an Ivy Bridge processor. In addition, the 2012 Macbook air has a USB 3.0 port that its older brother lacks. And finally, your charger will be the old style charger, instead of the current generation Magsafe that newer Macbooks use.
Aside from those minor details, the 2011 Macbook Air is still the same computer that Gizmodo readers voted the Gadget of the Year in 2011. It's got the same physical footprint as the 2012 model (and the 2010 model!). It gets great battery life. Also, Apple treats it as a new laptop, giving you a one-year warranty and an option to upgrade to AppleCare. And, as a nice bonus, you'll get a free upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion. By all measures, the Macbook Air 2011 is still an excellent laptop.
At Apple's refurbished store today, you can get $180 off on a 13" 2011 Macbook Air with a 128GB SSD. An 11" 64GB Macbook Air is also available for $750. Those are 16% discounts on computers that are 95% as good as this year's models. [Apple]
Top Deal
• 2011 Macbook Air 13" ($919) | Apple via Fatwallet | Originally $1100
Laptops
• 15.6" Asus with Ivy Bridge Core i5-3210M ($479) | Adorama via Dealzon | Originally $616
• Samsung Series 5 Laptop with Core i5 ($700) | Circuit City via Logicbuy | Originally $800
Desktops
• Dell XPS 8500 Core i7-3770 3.4GHz Quad-core Ivy Bridge Desktop w/8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, GeForce GT 640 & 24" U2412M UltraSharp Monitor ($943) | Dell via Logicbuy | Originally $1320 | | Use coupon codes 2F5ZZW0$R171CR and V88TP1W6S1FPW7
Home Entertainment
• LG 1080p 600Hz 50-inch LED Plasma HDTV ($600) | Dell via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $1000
• Dirt Cheap Westinghouse TV ($150) | Walmart via TechBargains | Originally $250
Gaming
• NCAA Football 13 for Xbox 360 ($30) | EA Store via TechDealDigger | Originally $60
• Mass Effect 3 for PS3 and Xbox 360 ($20) | Amazon via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $40
• Dead Space Dual Pack for PC ($8) | Amazon via Gamingaholic | Originally $40
Portables
• HTC Wildfire Cell Phone ($69.98) | Walmart via Fatwallet | Originally $100
• Garmin Nuvi 4.3 Bluetooth GPS ($115) | Amazon via Fatwallet | Originally $140
• Samsung NX100 Mirrorless Camera ($280) | Adorama via Cameraholic | Originally $330
Accessories
• Logitech Wireless Keyboard, Mouse, and Speaker ($20) | TigerDirect via Fatwallet | Originally $40
• Logitech Harmony Link Universal Remote for iPhone and iPad ($69) | Ebay via TechDealDigger | Originally $100
• All-White Casio G-Shock Watch ($85) | Amazon via TechDealDigger | Originally $100
• Logitech Laser Mouse G9X ($50.55) | Amazon via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $100
• Sony Wireless Noise-Cancelling Headphones MDR-RF970 ($40) | TigerDirect via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $150
• Pogoplug Series 4 ($50) | Amazon via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $100
• Apple USB Superdrive DVD Burner ($70) | Amazon via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $80
• 128 GB Centon USB 2.0 Flash Drive ($65) | Woot via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $120
Miscellaneous
• Bodum Cast Iron Grill Pan ($30.26) | Amazon via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $100
• Lego Tie Fighter ($41.81) | Amazon via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $55
• Perplexus Epic Spherical Puzzle ($16) | Amazon via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $30
• 6 Bodum Thermo Tumbler Glasses ($26.73) | Amazon via Brand Name Coupons | Originally $72
• 16 GB SanDisk Flash Drive ($10) | Amazon via Strorageaholic | Originally $"80"
Apps
iOS
• PhotoToaster ($1) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $2
• Hunters 2 ($1) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $5
• Triple Defense ($0) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $2
• iTeleport VNC ($8) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $25
• Calculator Pro ($0) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $3
• Draw a One-Touch ($0) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $2
• Camera 3D Pro ($0) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $3
• Instaword ($0) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $1
• Do It (Tomorrow) HD ($1) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $5
• Airport Scanner ($0) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $1
• Hipstamatic ($1) | iTunes via AppShopper | Originally $2
• Peterson Birds of North America ($1) | iTunes via Appsaholic | Originally $15
Android
• N.O.V.A. 3 ($1) | Amazon Appstore via Appsaholic | Originally $7
• Daily Cardio Workout ($0) | Amazon Appstore via Appsaholic | Originally $1
• Stopwatch and Timer+ ($1) | Google Play via Appsaholic | Originally $2
• Atlantis Sky Patrol HD ($1) | Google Play via Appsaholic | Originally $2
• Spirits ($1) | Google Play via Appsaholic | Originally $3
• Virtua Tennis ($1) | Google Play via Appsaholic | Originally $5
Follow Dealzmodo on Facebook
Dealzmodo is a gift from Gizmodo to you. We search the web for the best savings and deals on computers, TVs, games, etc. and deliver them to you in a daily list. Think of it as a modern day coupon book for technology and gadgets.