I'm between the Air and the MBP Retina both 13' ....
I'm drawn by that screen but love the thinness of the Air .....
Thoughts?
I'm drawn by that screen but love the thinness of the Air .....
Thoughts?
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Anyone regret their Air purchase?
- Thread starter DogBreath99
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I am extremely happy with my 13-inch MacBook Air. Super thin, light, fast, handles everything I do very well.
I noticed a lot of scrolling lag and choppy animation gestures on the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, turned me off.
I noticed a lot of scrolling lag and choppy animation gestures on the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, turned me off.
Two Thumbs Up Here
It's not the newest model, but I'm very happy with my 2012 11" MBA (1.7 i5, 4GB). If there's one complaint, it is having too small of a SSD (128GB)! Screen is good and bright. I only turn it up near full brightness when around a lot of sunlight. I use as my primary computer and treat it like a desktop, running media servers for my TVs and iDevices. Even run Logic Pro/GarageBand and do recording/guitar amplification with it. It's my little powerhouse pc.
It's not the newest model, but I'm very happy with my 2012 11" MBA (1.7 i5, 4GB). If there's one complaint, it is having too small of a SSD (128GB)! Screen is good and bright. I only turn it up near full brightness when around a lot of sunlight. I use as my primary computer and treat it like a desktop, running media servers for my TVs and iDevices. Even run Logic Pro/GarageBand and do recording/guitar amplification with it. It's my little powerhouse pc.
I have an early-2011 MBP. While I know that this in no way compares to the RMBP you are considering, my input would be this... the MBP is an amazing machine, BUT, if you carry your laptop with you a lot I would recommend the MBA. I carry my MBP to school and it is just too heavy.
If you are solely looking for a desktop replacement, get the MBP.
If you carry your laptop with you with any regularity, get the MBA.
I, personally, am trying to hold off on getting a new laptop until the RMBA comes out, which I am hoping will be within the next 9 months or so.
I have the MacBook Air 13". While I love the thinness of it (it's really a joy just looking at it and picking it up), I have to say I'm thoroughly disappointed with the small storage space (128 GB). If I had to do it over I would've gotten the regular non-retina MacBook Pro, an extra $100 will bump the hard drive from 500GB to 1 TB. I honestly regret having bought such an unjustifiably expensive product. I won't be buying anything sexy and pretty from Apple again until the cost of storage comes down.
Don't regret, but have found limitations
I have an 8GB/i7 MBA 13, and in general it's been the best laptop I've ever owned.
I carry this to work every day, and the difference in weight over my office-supplied Lenovo brick has been great.
It's a really responsive little machine that is perfect for most "productivity" type activities - Office docs, mail, browsing, music, photo management & light editing of audio, video, images.
I also use it for software development, and it's here where the limitations start to show.
It tends to struggle a bit when put under load by running heavy-weight Java servers, databases and the like. It is OK for running virtual machines provided they stay within the physical memory limits of the machine, but any VM with over 4GB RAM starts to kill performance. It's fairly easy to bring the machine to a grinding halt with some of the stuff I run.
It's also a little bit short on ports for my uses. I use the TB port for an external display, and then there's only 2 USB 3.0 ports left. If I want to connect via Ethernet (a must for decent network connectivity to remote servers or storage) I have to have a USB adapter - the apple one is only 100Mbit, but I found a 1Gbit adapter combined with a USB 3 hub that I like. That leaves you a single USB left - OK with the hub, but not a lot if travelling light.
When I bought the MBA, the rMBP was quite a lot more expensive. However, a baseline 8GB 2.6GHz rMBP 13 with 256GB SSD is only $50 more than a the i7 MBA with the same storage. I think that is a better deal for my kind of use.
If you aren't planning on hammering the machine with CPU/RAM intensive software, then the MBA is a delightful laptop to use, with the possible exception of its rather ordinary (but adequate) screen.
John
I have an 8GB/i7 MBA 13, and in general it's been the best laptop I've ever owned.
I carry this to work every day, and the difference in weight over my office-supplied Lenovo brick has been great.
It's a really responsive little machine that is perfect for most "productivity" type activities - Office docs, mail, browsing, music, photo management & light editing of audio, video, images.
I also use it for software development, and it's here where the limitations start to show.
It tends to struggle a bit when put under load by running heavy-weight Java servers, databases and the like. It is OK for running virtual machines provided they stay within the physical memory limits of the machine, but any VM with over 4GB RAM starts to kill performance. It's fairly easy to bring the machine to a grinding halt with some of the stuff I run.
It's also a little bit short on ports for my uses. I use the TB port for an external display, and then there's only 2 USB 3.0 ports left. If I want to connect via Ethernet (a must for decent network connectivity to remote servers or storage) I have to have a USB adapter - the apple one is only 100Mbit, but I found a 1Gbit adapter combined with a USB 3 hub that I like. That leaves you a single USB left - OK with the hub, but not a lot if travelling light.
When I bought the MBA, the rMBP was quite a lot more expensive. However, a baseline 8GB 2.6GHz rMBP 13 with 256GB SSD is only $50 more than a the i7 MBA with the same storage. I think that is a better deal for my kind of use.
If you aren't planning on hammering the machine with CPU/RAM intensive software, then the MBA is a delightful laptop to use, with the possible exception of its rather ordinary (but adequate) screen.
John
The rMBP is honestly not much bigger and the price difference isn't as drastic anymore. You'll get better specs with it too. It's a better buy now imo
If you want the rMBP as your only machine, maybe its the better choice (for your needs) but my 11.6" MBA isn't my only machine = it was the best choice for me when I bought it ~8 months ago...
Buy what suits your needs and uses.
If you use your laptop:
use it often, use it on desk more than lap, use away from outlet for several hours at one time:
then rMBP
If you use your laptop:
use on lap more than desk, use away from outlet for entire day:
then MBA
For most people a rMBP is better for their uses. If you use your laptop display often, a retina display is excellent. Also, it is more durable, made of higher quality materials, has glass over the screen to protect it, has higher quality keyboard, and a higher quality and easier-to-click-and-use trackpad. If your laptop will experience high use, definitely spend the small percentage more of money to get a rMBP.
If you use your laptop:
use it often, use it on desk more than lap, use away from outlet for several hours at one time:
then rMBP
If you use your laptop:
use on lap more than desk, use away from outlet for entire day:
then MBA
For most people a rMBP is better for their uses. If you use your laptop display often, a retina display is excellent. Also, it is more durable, made of higher quality materials, has glass over the screen to protect it, has higher quality keyboard, and a higher quality and easier-to-click-and-use trackpad. If your laptop will experience high use, definitely spend the small percentage more of money to get a rMBP.
Just when I was all set to lay down some cash for one of these this morning, I go and read this thread. 
Is 128gb really that bad a storage amount?
Is 128gb really that bad a storage amount?
I've had my MacBook Air since 2011, and I usually replace computers every 18 months or so. I still have no desire to get rid of this one and buy another Mac. It's a perfect little machine.
Good Buy
I have a MBA 11 early 2014 and it is the best laptop that I have used or owned; the only problem I'm having is with Yosemite stopping me connecting with the rest of my kit. Apple support don't have the answer so I must hope someone is able to sort that problem before too long. Other than that it's a great machine.
I have a MBA 11 early 2014 and it is the best laptop that I have used or owned; the only problem I'm having is with Yosemite stopping me connecting with the rest of my kit. Apple support don't have the answer so I must hope someone is able to sort that problem before too long. Other than that it's a great machine.
Just when I was all set to lay down some cash for one of these this morning, I go and read this thread.
Is 128gb really that bad a storage amount?
If you don't know how to copy infrequently-used files to an external drive, then yes, it's bad.
But if you have $65 and know how to copy files then it's fine.
(Unless you're dual booting or editing a feature length film or something, in which case you're already going to know your storage requirements.)
I bounced between wanting a 13" MBP and 13" MBA for a couple of months, unable to decide between them. I looked at all the reviews, the speed tests, and the detailed differences between the screens......until I'd made myself paranoid about choosing the wrong one. Then I needed to make a decision on the day my old laptop finally went bang, and bought the basic 13" MBA (4gb/128gb).
The argument about HD size is becoming irrelevant. There is the cloud, external hard drives, 128gb flash drives, 128gb Jet drives and if you really need then in the future it's likely there will be upgrade options from various third parties that could be cheaper than opting for more space from the start. At home you can use wireless hard drives, which are much cheaper than SSD upgrades and offer huge space.
My set up will be:
13" Air
802.11ac router.
4TB wireless HD
128GB Jetdrive
With that I'll have power, storage, light weight, excellent battery life and the satisfaction of not having to think any more about the MBP or MBA!
I have no regrets at all with buying the 13" Air.
The argument about HD size is becoming irrelevant. There is the cloud, external hard drives, 128gb flash drives, 128gb Jet drives and if you really need then in the future it's likely there will be upgrade options from various third parties that could be cheaper than opting for more space from the start. At home you can use wireless hard drives, which are much cheaper than SSD upgrades and offer huge space.
My set up will be:
13" Air
802.11ac router.
4TB wireless HD
128GB Jetdrive
With that I'll have power, storage, light weight, excellent battery life and the satisfaction of not having to think any more about the MBP or MBA!
I have no regrets at all with buying the 13" Air.
I kinda regret ... I bought my MBA 13 like 1,3 months ago. Yosemite made me regret upgrading, and announcing retina for the summer made me regret more. But my old Macbook had it's screen basically falling of (I really liked my 2007 white MB) so I had to buy something quick.
And I'll probably sell this one in August to get the retina model
And I'll probably sell this one in August to get the retina model
I kinda regret ... I bought my MBA 13 like 1,3 months ago. Yosemite made me regret upgrading, and announcing retina for the summer made me regret more. But my old Macbook had it's screen basically falling of (I really liked my 2007 white MB) so I had to buy something quick.
And I'll probably sell this one in August to get the retina model
I'm sure there's some way to downgrade to Mavericks if you don't like Yosemite and the retina MacBook Air hasn't been announced.
I regret my MBA purchase (though regret is a strong word).
I have an 11" mid 2012 Ivy Bridge MBA with 4GB RAM and a 128GB SSD. While I love it's portability, it's just not strong enough. It's smooth for most thing but once you start multitasking hard you'll notice performance decreases.
If I could go back in time I would've gone with the 13" MBA with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD (which was probably not worth the price at the time so I'm actually glad I went with my 11". All the MBA's are a lot cheaper now).
However, my next purchase will be a next generation (intel skylake) retina MBP with at least 16GB of RAM and a 256 SSD.
I have an 11" mid 2012 Ivy Bridge MBA with 4GB RAM and a 128GB SSD. While I love it's portability, it's just not strong enough. It's smooth for most thing but once you start multitasking hard you'll notice performance decreases.
If I could go back in time I would've gone with the 13" MBA with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD (which was probably not worth the price at the time so I'm actually glad I went with my 11". All the MBA's are a lot cheaper now).
However, my next purchase will be a next generation (intel skylake) retina MBP with at least 16GB of RAM and a 256 SSD.
I like you was torn between both and opted for the 13 Air a couple days ago.
For me retina was not worth the extra money nor extra 4GB ram for my intended use as a secondary.
I've had my refurbished Mid 2012 11" Air for nearly a month now and I absolutely love it. Earlier this year I had a 13" rMBP and it was a beautiful machine but I can't say I enjoyed using it more than the Air. My Air is my main machine and the size is perfect because I can lay in bed and use it without it feeling too heavy. Battery life isn't amazing (the '13 and '14 models are much better) but it's usually plugged in so that isn't a big deal.
If anything, I wish I had more space (64GB SSD) but luckily I can upgrade to a larger SSD in the future. 128 would be perfect for me but it was a cheap computer so I can't complain too much.
If anything, I wish I had more space (64GB SSD) but luckily I can upgrade to a larger SSD in the future. 128 would be perfect for me but it was a cheap computer so I can't complain too much.
I've had both and gave up the 13 retina in favor of the 13 Air. For me it is just a better machine. Thinner, better battery life, more portable due to thinness and weight (although larger footprint) and most important of all, it runs as cool as a cucumber while the 13 retina stays warm even on basic tasks. I prefer the Air by far.
I only had my 13" Retina for a month. Really the only reason I sold it was because I felt silly for buying a $1k+ machine to browse the internet and do some light picture editing on. When I saw this machine on Apple's refurb page for $599, I snatched it right up. I was a little hesitant to switch to such a small screen size, but it's absolutely perfect for me.
Just went to an Apple Store and tested each of the MacBooks out, I noticed choppy animations on all of the retina MacBook Pros (especially if you increase the resolution)
The MacBook Pro has much more accurate colors and better off-axis viewing angles than the MacBook Air.