Need Your Opinion

[ayeying]

Ok, Right now, I have a MacBook, 2nd Generation one. While nothing's wrong with it, it is a little hard to carry it around everyday around campus, plus 5-6 more books at once. Oh ya, this is dorming too. Next year, I'm not gonna be dorming on campus, so I'd be carrying around these books for pretty much the entire day. Anyways, I went to the apple store yesterday with a friend, and I was amazed at the thin and lightness of the air. I played around with both the 1.6 and 1.8ghz models and I have found little difference in performance. The 1.6ghz.. to me, still opened up programs as fast as the 1.8ghz model with the SSD.

I plan on selling my macbook, then get another laptop. Im looking at the MacBook air most specifically its weight. The model I plan on purchasing is the $1799 base. From what I've used, I don;'t think I need the 200MHz extra speed... and a faster HDD but lower capacity is not something I'd like either.

The HDD space is one that concerns me, however. 80GB internally would get me just enough to store music/2 virtual machines/pix/installed programs/hw.. pretty much everything except my temp files or my movies. But I've thought about this and its pretty easy for me to get a 320GB 2.5" external drive and just carry that everywhere.

Video card.. don't care. Its actually an upgrade from what I have. Optical drive... I've used my optical drive only on the first day to install programs/format... nothing else.

I do notice the amount of posts saying there is bad battery life on this thing... if so, even with 3 hours per charge, im ok, except just incase i need more juice, how big is the power adapter? I have a 85 watt power adapter (apparently it wasn't a 60watt like I thought) and its somewhat bulky, not too bulky to carry around everywhere.

Oh ya, incase ppl are gonna say the Air is not a primary computer, I've got a PC desktop (ya, I know, eww. lol) available.

So you think the Air would be a good fit or am I better off with my MacBook?

 

[BongoBanger]

First of all, college students have too much money these days!

Seriously though, if you're looking for a light ultraportable then the Air would probably suit your needs. The only slight concern I would have is about the extra weight and awkwardness of also carrying a 2.5" external HDD around but if you can live with that then go for it.

Get the 1.6GHz HDD model though - if it's a secondary computer and you're just using it for studies you don't need the extra horsepower.

 

[dahcheet]

I think the Air would definitely suit your needs, especially if you get an external drive for your media files and save room for the things you need ALL the time on your computer (i.e. homework, programs, etc). Even better, why don't you get an iPod instead of an external hard drive? That way when you want to listen to music you can use that instead of using precious battery life from your MBA. You can transfer movies as needed or even watch those from your iPod. It would be about the same size if not smaller but maybe a little higher in price.

My concern for you is how you'll protect your MBA. If you're lugging a bunch of books around (I remember my text books being pretty hefty in college) along with your MBA you have to consider what kind of bag you have. If it's a big one with multiple compartments, then "lugging" around your charger and an iPod/external HD shouldn't be a problem.

 

[ayeying]

First of all, college students have too much money these days!

Work helps these days =]

Seriously though, if you're looking for a light ultraportable then the Air would probably suit your needs. The only slight concern I would have is about the extra weight and awkwardness of also carrying a 2.5" external HDD around but if you can live with that then go for it.

Get the 1.6GHz HDD model though - if it's a secondary computer and you're just using it for studies you don't need the extra horsepower.

Technically, my primary computer wouldn't need insane horsepower, just enough for media/school/music/vm. I survived off a Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 for about 2 years before I switched to a more faster laptop. If anyone have used that, it is SLOW.

I think the Air would definitely suit your needs, especially if you get an external drive for your media files and save room for the things you need ALL the time on your computer (i.e. homework, programs, etc). Even better, why don't you get an iPod instead of an external hard drive? That way when you want to listen to music you can use that instead of using precious battery life from your MBA. You can transfer movies as needed or even watch those from your iPod. It would be about the same size if not smaller but maybe a little higher in price.

My concern for you is how you'll protect your MBA. If you're lugging a bunch of books around (I remember my text books being pretty hefty in college) along with your MBA you have to consider what kind of bag you have. If it's a big one with multiple compartments, then "lugging" around your charger and an iPod/external HD shouldn't be a problem.

I have a laptop bag that fits a laptop upto a 17" model. It wouldn't be a light carry, but it can fit that big. For the iPod, I have a iPhone right now...

 

[BryanLyle]

As much as I would love a MBA, I don't think I can give up my Macbook as being my "portable" machine. Sure, it weighs 2 pounds more and is thicker, but it can also hold more RAM, a bigger HD and has a DVD drive built in.

I would love to have an LED screen and a backlit keyboard, the other sacrifices are too much for me to overlook.

Perhaps in a year or so, when the MBA can support 4GB of ram and a larger SSD, I might look.

 

[dthree36]

I have had mine for a week now and it works out fine. I do still have the mindset that I need the DVD drive with me at all times, but I am slowly finding out that I really don't use it often. I guess you have to ask yourself what you can and can't live without. By nature, I am a user that wants the biggest baddest everything. Give me More Ram, More Storage, more everything, even if I don't need it or will ever use it.

The MBA has changed my perspective a bit and I am slowly getting use to the idea that I can do more with less. That being said, I still have a more powerful backup machine in case I need more horse power. I guess If i were in college, I would go for the Air because of the form factor and it will have more than enough power to handle the day to day needs. Then there is the inevitable price. If you have a backup desktop, why not if you can afford it.

 

[ayeying]

I have had mine for a week now and it works out fine. I do still have the mindset that I need the DVD drive with me at all times, but I am slowly finding out that I really don't use it often. I guess you have to ask yourself what you can and can't live without. By nature, I am a user that wants the biggest baddest everything. Give me More Ram, More Storage, more everything, even if I don't need it or will ever use it.

The MBA has changed my perspective a bit and I am slowly getting use to the idea that I can do more with less. That being said, I still have a more powerful backup machine in case I need more horse power. I guess If i were in college, I would go for the Air because of the form factor and it will have more than enough power to handle the day to day needs. Then there is the inevitable price. If you have a backup desktop, why not if you can afford it.

I have to agree with your assessment. My desktop does have the horsepower for almost anything I throw at it. Specs are 2.33ghz c2d, 4gb ram (going upto 6GB soon), 8600GT vid card). Also, if i were to have the big bad laptop with all the power in the world, Id be more tempted to game then to do any of my hw.

 

[queshy]

I'm right about to sell my macbook pro and buy the air. I have a desktop and so don't need all the power in the laptop - the form factor is more worth it for me. Depending on the price you get for the mb you should do it.