Had the same maxed out i7 11” air. I replaced it with a 2018 13” (the second model of the following generation) which was only faster when it wasn’t thermal throttling… which was its general disposition. Those 2010-2015 era Airs were great laptops for their time.
>Those 2010-2015 era Airs were great laptops for their time.
Can concur. Back then Apple didn't go for thinness for the sake of thinness like the post 2015 machines did. And it's not like the 2010's generations of machines were think and bulky.
I have that same laptop (2012 air). It still works fine and my son uses it daily. It's a great little machine apart from the battery life, which is pretty awful by modern standards (~5 hours of light use, give or take) even after replacing the battery.
A lot of that generation of Airs have failing batts - my MBP from that era was part of the recall for catching fire, and mine caught fire, but apple refused to replace it due to, after having the machine for two MONTHS to investigate - they determined that one of the moisture sensors was set off, and thus they wouldnt honor the recall for the battery literally catching fire.
iFixit.com has a great guide to replacing the battery on those units, and will sell you a new one for $70. Could be a great project for you and your son, too!
Recently bought a decently spec'd one from 2015 for my nephew/godson to start programming. He just turned 11.
They really are great computers.