MBP or Air for main computer?

[Syvere]

I have been thinking of getting either the 1.8GHz Air with 256GB SSD 13" or the 13" MBP with 2.8GHz CPU, 3rd party ssd or Apple 128gb and upgrading the RAM to 8gb. 15" might also be an option but I fear it's already too big for my tastes.

Most of the time the mac will no doubt sit on a dock but I love to watch movie laying on the bed and I also travel especially during Summer.

[miles01110]

The MBA should be fine for you.

[barredfreak]

Definitely the Air.

[Syvere]

On Air is the 1.8GHz worthy upgrade to 1.8GHz?

[FeaRThiS]

MBP the mac book air just doesnt cut it sure it is ok for browsing the net but anything more than checking emails and surfing and the MBP is much better.

[srxtr]

If you don't need much processing power and all you're doing is light stuff, then MBA

[New Apple]

Originally Posted by FeaRThiS

MBP the mac book air just doesnt cut it sure it is ok for browsing the net but anything more than checking emails and surfing and the MBP is much better.

there is a lot of people that doesnt 'make' anything with computers, a part enjoying (mp3, watch videos(youtube etc), watch their pics, chat, facebook, and read news) before this people was 'forced' to buy bulky desktops, later they will be happy (as my wife too) with a good smartphone for outside and/or a ultrabook for everything else OR a tablet (ipad)

[FeaRThiS]

Originally Posted by New Apple

there is a lot of people that doesnt 'make' anything with computers, a part enjoying (mp3, watch videos(youtube etc), watch their pics, chat, facebook, and read news) before this people was 'forced' to buy bulky desktops, later they will be happy (as my wife too) with a good smartphone for outside and/or a ultrabook for everything else OR a tablet (ipad)

I completely agree but personally if I was in the situation I think an iPad works much better for browsing the net and checking emails and if I really need a decent spec laptop then the mac air isnt goint to cut it after all its just a glorified netnook.

[Puevlo]

Originally Posted by Syvere

On Air is the 1.8GHz worthy upgrade to 1.8GHz?

Definitely.

[arctic]

Originally Posted by FeaRThiS

the mac air isnt goint to cut it after all its just a glorified netnook.

Do you own the Air? Sorry mate but I'm sick and tired of people trying to diss the Air's power. I own a late 2011 15" with SSD and an 11" Max'd i7 Air. The Air may not look it but it can go head to head against a lot of C2D big laptops out there.

Originally Posted by FeaRThiS

anything more than checking emails and surfing

You seriously don't know. Own one and you'll see. I'd like you to get into more specifics if you wanna diss the Air's power. It may not be a CAD machine but glorified netbook for just checking emails and internet surfing is not what it is.

[Herrow]

If the screen suits your needs, the Air sound like the perfect machine for you.

[FeaRThiS]

Originally Posted by arctic

Do you own the Air? Sorry mate but I'm sick and tired of people trying to diss the Air's power. I own a late 2011 15" with SSD and an 11" Max'd i7 Air. The Air may not look it but it can go head to head against a lot of C2D big laptops out there.



You seriously don't know. Own one and you'll see. I'd like you to get into more specifics if you wanna diss the Air's power. It may not be a CAD machine but glorified netbook for just checking emails and internet surfing is not what it is.

Yes I do own an air 11" 2010 model that has been used all of 2 times. My MBP 15" is much better for me when Im sat at a desk and my ipad works better when Im on the go. If I didnt won a MBP then maybe I would find it more useful but as it is I still see it as a glorified netbook. Yes the specs are much better than any netbook I have seen but it still doesnt compare to the MBP and it still isnt as usable on the go as my ipad.

[jj48]

Originally Posted by FeaRThiS

Yes I do own an air 11" 2010 model that has been used all of 2 times. My MBP 15" is much better for me when Im sat at a desk and my ipad works better when Im on the go. If I didnt won a MBP then maybe I would find it more useful but as it is I still see it as a glorified netbook. Yes the specs are much better than any netbook I have seen but it still doesnt compare to the MBP and it still isnt as usable on the go as my ipad.

By your logic then you should have a maxed Mac Pro/iMac for when you're at your desk "because it's better" and an iPad for on-the-go. You have to find the right machine for your own personal needs as I'm sure you know, and where does the OP specify he/she will need an ethernet port or a dedicated graphics card or expandability or a faster chip?

You haven't once specified what you actually use your MBP for (be it PS, Aperture or whatever) so the OP can't actually use your information at all to compare your experiences to his/her needs! For a lot of people the MBA will feel faster because of the SSD - it depends what your usage is.

It sounds to me like the OP is looking for one device not two. Therefore based on the information I would say he/she would be better off getting the MBA as a compromise between portability and power. After all you seem to be suggesting he/she buys a MBP and an iPad as opposed to a MBA - potentially costing twice as much.

I use a 13" 2011 MBA as my main machine and it's great. The SSD makes it really fast for a lot of tasks and hooked up to an external monitor I have more than enough power and screen space to browse the web, watch movies, play games, write code etc. It's great if you want to take it somewhere other than your desk too, much less of a burden to carry around than a MBP in my experience.

[FeaRThiS]

Originally Posted by jj48

By your logic then you should have a maxed Mac Pro/iMac for when you're at your desk "because it's better" and an iPad for on-the-go. You have to find the right machine for your own personal needs as I'm sure you know, and where does the OP specify he/she will need an ethernet port or a dedicated graphics card or expandability or a faster chip?

You haven't once specified what you actually use your MBP for (be it PS, Aperture or whatever) so the OP can't actually use your information at all to compare your experiences to his/her needs! For a lot of people the MBA will feel faster because of the SSD - it depends what your usage is.

It sounds to me like the OP is looking for one device not two. Therefore based on the information I would say he/she would be better off getting the MBA as a compromise between portability and power. After all you seem to be suggesting he/she buys a MBP and an iPad as opposed to a MBA - potentially costing twice as much.

I use a 13" 2011 MBA as my main machine and it's great. The SSD makes it really fast for a lot of tasks and hooked up to an external monitor I have more than enough power and screen space to browse the web, watch movies, play games, write code etc. It's great if you want to take it somewhere other than your desk too, much less of a burden to carry around than a MBP in my experience.

I mainly use my MBP for PS and CAD. I wasn't suggesting the OP buys 2 devices merely stating how I use mine. The MBP is still portable and as you already said without knowing what the OP wants to use it for it would be hard to say. The OP did mention adding a SSD to the MBP so I assumed he was looking for fast machine. If that is the case then a MBP with SSD and 8GB of ram would be faster than the MBA.

[FlatlinerG]

If you just want a great little companion device, one that you can carry around with you at almost all times and barely notice, then the MacBook Air for sure.

I had the same choice to make recently and only opted for the MacBook Pro because I wanted the ability to do some light light gaming (L4D2/CSS/MineCraft).

For all other things I use the MacBook Pro for, though, the Air would have done just fine.

[arctic]

Originally Posted by FeaRThiS

without knowing what the OP wants to use it for it would be hard to say. The OP did mention adding a SSD to the MBP so I assumed he was looking for fast machine. If that is the case then a MBP with SSD and 8GB of ram would be faster than the MBA.

In the future just be very careful with your words in regards to the Air. It's not just a small machine that can't handle anything outside checking emails and surfing as your earliest post tried to imply.

[FeaRThiS]

Originally Posted by arctic

In the future just be very careful with your words in regards to the Air. It's not just a small machine that can't handle anything outside checking emails and surfing as your earliest post tried to imply.

Maybe not but thats about all "I" would every use it for as it is not what I would class as a proper laptop as I said before its a glorified netbook.

[thekev]

Originally Posted by arctic

In the future just be very careful with your words in regards to the Air. It's not just a small machine that can't handle anything outside checking emails and surfing as your earliest post tried to imply.

On a lot of heavier tasks where macs are typically popular, I'd say it chokes on ram and gpu power before it really hits a wall with the cpu. I know it has an ssd, but over the past couple years software builds have been adjusted to rely more on greater amounts of ram than custom page files, but this probably isn't a factor for the OP. Storage and port allocation are other issues for me, but again they may not apply to the OP.

[Abazigal]

Originally Posted by FeaRThiS

I completely agree but personally if I was in the situation I think an iPad works much better for browsing the net and checking emails and if I really need a decent spec laptop then the mac air isnt goint to cut it after all its just a glorified netnook.

That must be some netbook, for it to come with dual core, SSDs and 4gb ram.

[arctic]

Originally Posted by FeaRThiS

Maybe not but thats about all "I" would every use it for as it is not what I would class as a proper laptop as I said before its a glorified netbook.

Just because that's what you're only using it for doesn't qualify for it to be "a glorified netbook just for emails and FB". If I buy a $200 Nike running shoe to walk my dog, doesn't mean I can advice another person that pair of shoes is just good for walking dogs just because I have another $300 pair that feels better.

[jimray]

I bought a MBA at first, to be my main computer, but after about 2 weeks, I had to return it for the full featured MBP. In the end, I just couldn't make it work. I upgraded the ram and put an SSD in my 13", and I love it!

[FeaRThiS]

Originally Posted by arctic

Just because that's what you're only using it for doesn't qualify for it to be "a glorified netbook just for emails and FB". If I buy a $200 Nike running shoe to walk my dog, doesn't mean I can advice another person that pair of shoes is just good for walking dogs just because I have another $300 pair that feels better.

No but this is a forum and we are here to share our "opinions" i was simply sharing mine.and if someone was asking you about your $200 and $300 running shoes you would be entitled to tell them the pros and cons of both which is exactly what I did.

[Bear]

Originally Posted by Syvere

I have been thinking of getting either the 1.8GHz Air with 256GB SSD 13" or the 13" MBP with 2.8GHz CPU, 3rd party ssd or Apple 128gb and upgrading the RAM to 8gb. 15" might also be an option but I fear it's already too big for my tastes.

Most of the time the mac will no doubt sit on a dock but I love to watch movie laying on the bed and I also travel especially during Summer.

Without knowing what you will be running, it's hard to actually recommend Air vs Pro.

Is it just watching movies, web browsing, email, word processing and listening to music? The Air will be fine. Otherwise you might want to get the Pro., but that as I said depends on what you would be doing with the computer.

Do you care about whether or not you have an optical drive? If you do and would want it with you when you travel, the Pro might be a better idea instead of carrying the Air and an external optical drive.

Also, remember that everybody has a different perception of acceptable performance, so take that in to account as well.

[arctic]

Originally Posted by FeaRThiS

No but this is a forum and we are here to share our "opinions" i was simply sharing mine.and if someone was asking you about your $200 and $300 running shoes you would be entitled to tell them the pros and cons of both which is exactly what I did.

That's right. But I can't see you giving specific pros and cons. All you did was imply that the Air is a machine for emails and web surfing because thats how you use it. If you can read earlier, I said try to be specific when you will talk about the Air's power. The 2011 Air can go head to head with a lot of laptops around. It's slightly slower in comparison to it's bigger Pro brothers but it's nevertheless a capable machine.

For your information, your "glorified netbook" even beats the previous year's (2010) 15" i7 Macbook Pro. I bet you didn't know that because you only used your Air twice (your words) for email and surfing (if you actually even owned one).

[Bear]

Originally Posted by arctic

...For your information, your "glorified netbook" even beats the previous year's (2010) 15" i7 Macbook Pro. I bet you didn't know that because you only used your Air twice for email and surfing.

Interesting point, but for some people what would matter is comparing it to current systems. And The current MacBook Pro is definitely faster then the Air (especially with an SSD in the Pro).