Is there anything the MacBook Air can't do?

53x12 · Nov 5, 2012

I am contemplating selling my 15'' MBP to get a MacBook Air. Part of the reason is wanting something smaller and lighter. I'm curious if there is anything that I will notice by moving to the MBA? I don't do crazy photo editing with Adobe, however I use iMovie and iPhoto. So I know there won't be any change with that. I also use Handbrake and SPSS which can be resource heavy. I doubt the MBA would have any issues. Am I correct?

jsw · Nov 5, 2012

You are correct - things could run slower (depending on your current specs and what you buy), but you shouldn't see any real issues. Be sure that the screen resolution is sufficient for your needs; that's the biggest thing I think you'd notice.

53x12 · Nov 5, 2012

Thanks jsw. I figured that would be the case but wanted to make sure there wasn't something I might be overlooking.

The 13'' MBA actually has the same screen resolution as my 15'' MBP. So I won't be losing much there at all if I went 13'' over the 11''.

I am coming from a 3.06 GHz C2D, so the Core i5 shouldn't be any performance at all (especially with the SSD). I think my MBP had a GeekBench of ~4700 before I upgraded it to 8GB RAM. I see some of you guys on here are getting ~7000 with the i7. Not that GeekBench is the end all be all.

jmgregory1 · Nov 5, 2012

53x12 said:
Thanks jsw. I figured that would be the case but wanted to make sure there wasn't something I might be overlooking.

The 13'' MBA actually has the same screen resolution as my 15'' MBP. So I won't be losing much there at all if I went 13'' over the 11''.

I am coming from a 3.06 GHz C2D, so the Core i5 shouldn't be any performance at all (especially with the SSD). I think my MBP had a GeekBench of ~4700 before I upgraded it to 8GB RAM. I see some of you guys on here are getting ~7000 with the i7. Not that GeekBench is the end all be all.

I switched last year from my '07 mbp 15" to my now 13" mba and I doubt you'll be anything but impressed by the speed of the air. Same for the lightness and battery life. I hated traveling with my 15" pro, but now don't think twice about bringing the air with me. For 2-3 day trips where I know I will only need it for emails at the end of the day, I even skip bringing the charger, which helps further.

If you're considering the 11", be sure to spend some time with one at the store - because the smaller screen, poorer resolution, smaller wrist rest, and lesser battery life are all things that should be factored into your decision.

53x12 · Nov 5, 2012

Thanks jmgregory1. I will definitely be going to the store to play around with both before I decide. At the moment I am leaning towards the 13'' due to the battery size and screen dimensions as noted. To be honest, I have also been looking at the 13'' MBP non RD since I will still drop some weight and size compared to my 15'' MBP. However I am still drawn the the 13'' MBA the most.

However the MBA with the i5/i7 and flash memory will still outperform the 13'' MBP i7 with the mechanical HDD from what I have seen. So I wouldn't be having a drop in performance. If anything it is the same or slightly better.

mattnxtc · Nov 5, 2012

I just purchased a MBA yesterday...sucks it will take 2 weeks to get here.

I really don't do much heavy calculating on my personal laptop and mostly use it for some light gaming that would need to be done in windows it I play at all.

Very excited about the travelability of it though.

thaifood · Nov 7, 2012

Been playing with the Airs in the store for a few months now and I'm planning on picking one up for the gf's birthday. I'm running a MBP 15 inch mid 2010 and I am going to make myself super jealous when I see it running day-to-day hehe

wolfpuppies3 · Nov 8, 2012

I use both - MB Pro and MB Air. Nothing at all I can do with the MB Pro that I cannot do with the Air. If anything, the Air is a lot quicker than the Pro because of the SSD. I do a lot of intensive photo editing work with both.

plucky duck · Nov 8, 2012

I have an 3.4Ghz iMac and the 1.8Ghz Air, and use Handbrake, iMovie, iPhoto, and Final Cut on both. Editing videos/photos while on the road with the Air was a pleasure. Sure it was slower than a desktop, but it was still very capable. The difference in time to complete in real life was no big deal, not enough for me to be bothered by it.

The Air is the little engine that could.

MacRuler · Nov 9, 2012

doesn't make my toast

t0rr3s · Nov 9, 2012

I switched from 15" 2011 highres antiglare mbp to a 2012 11" with 1.7 i5 and 8gb 128gb. This thing is a beast. I've had no problems with video editing using FCPX although my macpro is always on standby. Only limitation for me is photo editing as I do a lot of photography and need to produce book covers, exhibition size panels and banners. In that instance, the 30" ACD needed to come into play.

J&JPolangin · Nov 10, 2012

I want an 11" MBA with better battery life = waiting for Broadwell!

In the mean time I snagged a 2011 13" MBP NIB and added 8Gb RAM (I had) and a Crucial M4 512Gb SSD that I snagged on a lightning deal from Amazon so it only cost me $1,154 total.

Being at an FPO address and not being able to ship anything with a lithium battery (not to mention that :apple:

won't ship to Military addresses directly

) I saved the ~$90 cost of using a reshipping service like APO box as well!

I have 4x's the SSD space internally and double the RAM as either MBA I could get for less $$ = the only thing that's a downside is the slightly heavier body and no USB3...otherwise its a great machine that should do well for me until I decide the 11" MBA's have acceptable battery life for my needs

53x12 · Nov 11, 2012

J&JPolangin said:
I want an 11" MBA with better battery life = waiting for Broadwell!

In the mean time I snagged a 2011 13" MBP NIB and added 8Gb RAM (I had) and a Crucial M4 512Gb SSD that I snagged on a lightning deal from Amazon so it only cost me $1,154 total.

Being at an FPO address and not being able to ship anything with a lithium battery (not to mention that won't ship to Military addresses directly ) I saved the ~$90 cost of using a reshipping service like APO box as well!

I have 4x's the SSD space internally and double the RAM as either MBA I could get for less $$ = the only thing that's a downside is the slightly heavier body and no USB3...otherwise its a great machine that should do well for me until I decide the 11" MBA's have acceptable battery life for my needs

I personally would have skipped the MBP and just bought the MBA. Even if you are waiting for Haswell and/or Broadwell, the MBA would have been able to do everything you would have needed your laptop to do. I can't wait to get rid of my MBP and get a MBA.

J&JPolangin · Nov 12, 2012

53x12 said:
I personally would have skipped the MBP and just bought the MBA. Even if you are waiting for Haswell and/or Broadwell, the MBA would have been able to do everything you would have needed your laptop to do. I can't wait to get rid of my MBP and get a MBA.

Thanks for the opinion but, I now have a more powerful machine that's slightly heavier than the 13" MBA but lighter than your 15" MBP (and it cost me less $$)...for me its a win/win as I have my iPad and Logitech keyboard cover if I really need somthing light weight to use on the go.

Jobsian · Nov 12, 2012

Is there anything the MacBook Air can't do?

No

littfam · Nov 12, 2012

Screen real-estate is the only hindrance. It will basically do anything as far as processing power for the average - above average user. I am using mine for SW dev in iOS, and the compiler seems like it is punching the #'s pretty quick. Mine is a 2.0 i7 13". I would not consider anything less than max config personally. I would always go with an air! Trade off (compared to MBP) lies within portability IMO.

53x12 · Nov 13, 2012

J&JPolangin said:
Thanks for the opinion but, I now have a more powerful machine that's slightly heavier than the 13" MBA but lighter than your 15" MBP (and it cost me less $$)...for me its a win/win as I have my iPad and Logitech keyboard cover if I really need somthing light weight to use on the go.

I still would pick MBA over MBP. MBP doesn't provide anything to the equation. MBA is lighter and more portable than your MBP. After all, being portable and light is what a laptop is all about. So I would pick a MBP that could do everything your MBP could do as well as being lighter.

FuNGi · Nov 14, 2012

Depending on your patience, no.

I have a Hi-res 2011 15" MBP with 8GB of RAM and a 512 SSD. It's fast, powerful, and...heavy. I also have a 2010 13" MBA (yes, with a core 2 duo) with 4GB of RAM. I use this machine when I travel, go to coffee shops, and as a backup machine. Although the Air is fine for 90% of what I do I really like the power of the MBP for using Aperture, iMovie, and video burning. The speed of rendering is much faster.

wvdhoogen · Nov 14, 2012

Depending on your needs for good color rendition, you may find the Air to be not as good as the Pro. Just recently calibrated my wife's 13" 2012 MBA, and it didn't even cover the full sRGB range, which my 13" 2011 MBP does. To me that would be a big thing.

Additionally, the Pro is user upgradable (RAM, second HDD/SSD), which the Air is not.

0x000000 · Nov 14, 2012

When in a fight, the MBP is clearly better for blocking punches and kicks. Also it should have a higher base damage due to its weight. The Air however has the sharp edge, which can be devastating when used right. Overall I'd say that the MBP is more versatile in combat, but I guess it depends on your personal taste and skill.

Is there anything the MacBook Air can't do?

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