11" MacBook Air or Mac Mini + Chromebook?

[shenan1982]

Get the 11" Air - in no time you will throw your iPad away

I have an iPad rMini and a MBA 11" and I use them both, maybe the iPad even more... the iPad is a media device, the Air isn't. Try pulling out the air to watch a video on a train or plane, and then do the same with a iPad Mini Retina.... that alone will make you NOT want to ditch the iPad.

 

[Altemose]

I have an iPad rMini and a MBA 11" and I use them both, maybe the iPad even more... the iPad is a media device, the Air isn't. Try pulling out the air to watch a video on a train or plane, and then do the same with a iPad Mini Retina.... that alone will make you NOT want to ditch the iPad.

I agree. Both the iPad and iPad Mini are great media consumption devices.

 

[dmk1974]

After a few weeks, still impressed with my daughter's C720 chromebook. Groupon has these for $117 (refurb) with coupon. It pales in comparison to my 13" retina MacBook Pro, but then again, it's then 1/10 of the cost as well and I used my rMBP over 2/3 of the time at my desk with the lid closed and connected to my monitor/keyboard/mouse.

11" MacBook Air is definitely off the table.

13" MacBook Air I got for my wife last week when they had the sale and combo of student $100 off and 10% rewards (net of ~$730 after taxes and all). She uses it exclusively as a laptop and never will be docked to a monitor, but for her use and eyes, that 13" MBA is absolutely perfect.

As for the iPad, I love my retina Mini iPad because of the form factor and use in bed or on a plane. Crisp display, fist in a jacket pocket, and awesome battery. From an app standpoint, the iOS and OSX are a bit different. For my use, I "need" a tablet as well as a computer.

But this cheap chromebook is nice to have with a keyboard and for browsing/typing is much better than the iPad. Since I use Gmail and Chrome as my browser across my computers, iPad, and iPhone, Chromebook is very easy to set up and use (I have a profile set on my daughter's C720 for my use). Great battery and I'll always have an internet connection when I use it. Screen sucks compared to the rMBP, but it is the same as that 11" MBA I was originally considering.

But with the chromebook, no OSX, no iMessage, no native MS Office apps, and it's a celeron processor instead of i5. Do I need an i5? Probably not. The SSD (even though small) provides more kick than the processor. And whenever I edit photos and videos, I do it on the more powerful Mac anyway.

 

[Meister]

I see no reason to upgrade the ram in a mac mini.

Stick in an ssd first!

 

[dmk1974]

Chromebook = bad.

I see no reason to upgrade the ram in a mac mini.

Stick in an ssd first!

Have you used this C720 Chromebook before? I too am surprised that it's as capable as it is.

I agree with you on the upgrade path. For my Mini that's used as a dedicated file server, I had installed an SSD drive but left the RAM as-is. The only time I use it do do anything with is when I need to edit a photo or video (since that's where all the files reside).

 

[Meister]

Have you used this C720 Chromebook before? I too am surprised that it's as capable as it is.

I agree with you on the upgrade path. For my Mini that's used as a dedicated file server, I had installed an SSD drive but left the RAM as-is. The only time I use it do do anything with is when I need to edit a photo or video (since that's where all the files reside).

i have not used one longer than a few seconds in a store.

I find the whole concept bad. I would just get an ipad instead.

Also I would stay with devices only for syncroization sake.

 

[sracer]

i have not used one longer than a few seconds in a store.

That's not enough time to properly evaluate any piece of technology.

I find the whole concept bad. I would just get an ipad instead.

A chromebook and iPad serve 2 very different purposes. One can be used to perform similar functions as the other, but each has its own specialty.

I too found the whole concept to be suboptimal, but having spent significant time with the HP Chromebook 14, I'm a convert... not necessarily as a replacement for my desktop/notebook, but for those who want a simple get-up-and-go alternative.

 

[Meister]

That's not enough time to properly evaluate any piece of technology.

you are right. My post was hasty and somewhat uninformed. I changed it.

 

[octothorpe8]

By the way, if you want a "desktop" experience, it's not too hard or expensive to get a basic 1080p monitor, a keyboard and mouse and dock your Air at home. I worked that way for a long time and it was pretty easy. If you go Bluetooth for the keyboard and mouse, you're only plugging in two things: the monitor and the power (maybe three things if you throw an external drive into the mix).

 

[APlotdevice]

Don't think I've EVER heard it put that way... but I get what you saying. However, the real difference is that Air uses low-power parts, while the Pro uses standard mobile parts. Standard parts use more power (need a bigger battery, so a bigger computer) and generate more heat; low-power parts don't, but aren't as powerful. Think of it this way; it'd be near-impossible* to jam a large V8 or V10 engine into a Mini Cooper.

The Air isn't as weak as you might think. It has a variable clock speed on its processor, which [for the 2013 base model] runs at 1.3GHz most of the time, but can ramp up to 2.6GHz when necessary.

 

[mwa]

Well, do what I'm doing and for the 11" with an external monitor. An i5 is hefty enough to handle it unless you're into 3D... from what I read.

Also, don't let the tiny size fool you... the Haswell, while perhaps lower Ghz than old chips, is nonetheless speedier. I have a 2.4 in my 2011 MacBook Pro and the i5 in the 2013/14 Air is noticeably faster even though it's technically less power.