Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

tawcat

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 3, 2011
209
1
I am trying to get my wife to ditch her HP Windows based laptop. She has a Pavilion DV6, 5.7 lbs.

She has an iPad2, but doesn't use it much due to lack of Flash. She basically uses her laptop for game playing and email.

Not sure if I should get her the 13" Air or 15" Pro. I'm thinking she'd like the weight of the Air.

Input? Thanks.
 

Scepticalscribe

macrumors Ivy Bridge
Jul 29, 2008
63,746
46,175
In a coffee shop.
If she travels, or needs portability, nothing beats the MBA. For blazing speed, a screen that is still very good, and wonderful portability, the MBA is a beautifully designed computer.

If she does a lot of video work, (or perish the thought, is a serious gamer), then, the power of the MBP might be better.

In any case, I have a 13" MBA and without doubt, it is the best computer I have ever owned. I love the ease of use, blazing fast speed of the SSD drive and the sheer portability of the computer.
 

Nimravus

macrumors member
Jan 1, 2013
56
0
Flash is just bad

MBP is overkill for most everyone. MBA is a powerhouse for the average home computer user.

Flash is just all around bad news... I don't even have flash player installed on any of my computers. If there is a website so out of touch that it still uses flash, I just don't use their site.

My wife got a virus one time a few years ago through flash. She used to play all those flash games on FB. Even Adobe admitted that flash is pretty much done and I think everyone will be moving to HTML5 or something better. Since getting the virus we moved to Macs with NO FLASH installed.

For most users, there is no need for the power of a MBP. The MBA i5 has plenty of power for the casual user to edit video and photos. I think the main difference between the MBP and MBA is the form factor (Air is thin and light) and also the MBP has quad-core vs MBA's dual core processors.

I have a MBP with retina and I almost always take my MBA with me due to the slim size. I edit video just fine using my MBA, doesn't even hiccup. I edit 1080 HD 24mbs bitrate video all the time with the MBA. The only difference I really see between the MBA and MBP is time it takes to finalize the video at the end. The MBP does it faster of course due to the i7 quad core processor.

In my opinion, some things to consider:
-Memory - Spend the $100 and get the 8gb Ram vs the 4gb
-For my MBA, I chose the i5 instead of the i7 for battery conservation. i5 just lasts longer on battery than the i7 and on the road I just don't need the power of the i7. I'd rather have longer battery life on the road but that depends on your usage.
-Storage. There are 2 ways you can pretty much manage storage. Get a small SSD like 128gb and just run Apps and OS X, use an external USB 3.0 HDD for storage. Just put whatever you are working on like video files onto the MBA, work on it then move it off. Or you can go with a larger SSD but at a cost. The 256 model MBA starts at $1499 vs $1199 for the 128gb model. Thats a $300 difference! For $300, you can get a 240gb SSD upgrade and use the 128gb SSD OEM in an enclosure for an external USB 3.0 SSD drive.

I think for most people, for the usual casual Flash Gaming, email, web surfing, home video editing and photo editing, word processing, etc, the MBA is still way more than needed.

13-inch : 128GB
1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz
8GB memory
128GB flash storage (Upgrade later and use the stock one as an external SSD)
Intel HD Graphics 4000

$1,299.00
 

tawcat

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 3, 2011
209
1
Thanks so much. Her favorite games are on Pogo.com, she doesn't do any serious gaming.

No graphics or video editing, heck, I don't think she has 100 pics on her PC, and zero music. She no longer does related stuff at home, lucky her. She uses her PC strictly for entertainment. Occasionly she sends something to the printer!

My concern is screen size, she has a 15" screen now and I'm hoping the 13" will be good enough.

I've got an iMac and iPad2, not getting this for me, honest. Matter of fact I'm using the $$ I was saving for a mini, rather have her happy:)
 

yusukeaoki

macrumors 68030
Mar 22, 2011
2,550
6
Tokyo, Japan
MBA is for travelers who carry their machine around a lot.
MBP is for serious workers in video editing, photo editing, etc.

If she is a serious gamer I suggest getting her the Pro.
But if shes really into gaming, Id just go for a gaming PC.
You can build a mid spec one for under 1000.

But if all she does is play small games (unlike BF3, Skyrim) Id go with MBA.
 

BlazednSleepy

macrumors 6502a
Apr 15, 2012
701
254
Is this going to be a surprise present or birthday present?

If not, you might wanna consider taking her to an apple store to play with the computers herself to see if going from a 15in to a 13in will be a concern for her.

For what you described the macbook air will be more than enough. Especially since it's SSD, it will be a big difference to her.
 

coldjeanzzz

macrumors 6502a
Nov 4, 2012
655
17
Sounds like her needs are very small, it sucks that screen size will be a deal breaker though because it sounds like an 11 inch MBA would be just fine and it's by far the cheapest. Getting a 15 inch model would be complete overkill for anything she needs. A 13 inch base MBA sounds plenty though.
 

Nimravus

macrumors member
Jan 1, 2013
56
0
I don't think screen size will be an issue. With the full screen option the 13" is pretty good. Maybe do as suggested and take her to see it? MBP is definitely overkill other than the screen size.
 

KPOM

macrumors P6
Oct 23, 2010
18,004
7,851
The 13" Air has a 1440x900 screen, which is equal to many 15" screens. I think it will be fine.
 

tawcat

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 3, 2011
209
1
Not a special occasion, just figured I'd get it for her and hope for the best.
 

tawcat

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 3, 2011
209
1
Ordered the 13", should arrive in a day or so. I think I am going to be okay with this purchase. Obviously Java has been hacked and Windows systems are having difficulty running anything Java.

Some of the wife's favorite games cannot be played on her PC, so even though the screen is gonna be a bit smaller, I think she'll enjoy not having to deal with all the quirks of Windows.

I'll keep y'all posted. Again thanks for all the input. I think I have the potential of becoming a hero!!!!
 

chris001

macrumors regular
Jan 31, 2008
130
0
Vancouver
MBP is overkill for most everyone. MBA is a powerhouse for the average home computer user.

Flash is just all around bad news... I don't even have flash player installed on any of my computers. If there is a website so out of touch that it still uses flash, I just don't use their site.

Your opinion on flash may be valid, but that doesn't change the fact that a lot of websites still use flash. Simply, not using them is an inconvenience for many.

In any case, you can download a flash player for the mac. So this shouldn't be an issue.

The macbook air is so awesome!!! The weight, size, style is second to none.
Get the AIR!!!
 

tawcat

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 3, 2011
209
1
Quick Update: Gave my wife her early birthday gift, I know I said it wasn't a special occasion, but I figure for what I spent I should get credit somewhere!!!!

Anyway, she's had an hour or so and I've not heard any cussing, so I think other than it's size she likes it. Had to adjust resolution so the display would be a bit larger.

So far so good, and I can say we are a Mac family!!!!

Thanks for all input and feedback.
 

Saturn1217

macrumors 65816
Apr 28, 2008
1,260
830
Quick Update: Gave my wife her early birthday gift, I know I said it wasn't a special occasion, but I figure for what I spent I should get credit somewhere!!!!

Anyway, she's had an hour or so and I've not heard any cussing, so I think other than it's size she likes it. Had to adjust resolution so the display would be a bit larger.

So far so good, and I can say we are a Mac family!!!!

Thanks for all input and feedback.

I hope she said 'thank you'...

I would practically die from happiness if my boyfriend got something like that for me.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.