13" air vs 13" mbp

[Cloud9]

I just purchased an imac 27" 3.4 ssd as my main photo editing machine. I currently own an Santa Rosa Macbook pro and a Unibody Core 2 Duo Macbook pro that I am hoping to sell to help fund this purchase.

But I think I need another laptop. I'm having trouble deciding between a 13" air and a 13" macbook pro. Both clock in higher then my current machine so I am confident I could use either for weekend editing when I travel for work for a few days at a time during the week. To be honest I'd rather have the air with the higher res screen and awesome form factor but I am wondering if I will prefer the performance of the macbook pro for when I need to spend a day or two editing away from home. The screen itself is not the biggest issue as I have a 24" led display to connect either laptop too. Price is a concern too. I'd love to hear others thoughts.

Thanks.

 

[eric/]

I just purchased an imac 27" 3.4 ssd as my main photo editing machine. I currently own an Santa Rosa Macbook pro and a Unibody Core 2 Duo Macbook pro that I am hoping to sell to help fund this purchase.

But I think I need another laptop. I'm having trouble deciding between a 13" air and a 13" macbook pro. Both clock in higher then my current machine so I am confident I could use either for weekend editing when I travel for work for a few days at a time during the week. To be honest I'd rather have the air with the higher res screen and awesome form factor but I am wondering if I will prefer the performance of the macbook pro for when I need to spend a day or two editing away from home. The screen itself is not the biggest issue as I have a 24" led display to connect either laptop too. Price is a concern too. I'd love to hear others thoughts.

Thanks.

Well, as long as you aren't confined to a wheelchair or something you will be fine carrying either MBA or MBP. If you can get a MPB with a SSD, I would go with that (assuming money isn't a problem). Otherwise a MPB will suit you fine for your needs IMO, especially if you're traveling to another location to hook it up to a display. The MBA's biggest selling point is the form factor, but that's negligible if you aren't going to be out and about all the time.

 

[Cloud9]

I just feel like I might enjoy the air more as a machine...

 

[eric/]

Then get the MBA, why even post a thread and ask for advice if you're already decided on what you're going to get?

The MBA will probably work for you, but at a higher cost. And if you are just moving the machine from one work place to another you're not playing into the strength of the MBA, which is form factor, standby, battery life, etc.... It's meant for travel, which from your post you appear to not really be "traveling", but relocating.

 

[Cloud9]

I post because I do travel frequently and I frankly hate the weight of my current laptop. The idea of an air to have not just for travel but also the couch is exciting, but its a deal breaker if I'll end up hating it to work on. Since I'ver never owned one I'm mostly looking for current air owners to give me their experiences using it for photo editing.

 

[hafr]

So... You want to get the MBA because of the higher resolution, but it's not a factor because you have an external monitor. Price is a concern and you're going to use it for editing photos, but you're leaning towards the weaker machine that you can't upgrade. You say you'll enjoy the MBA more as a machine when really you mean you'd enjoy the design more.

I don't understand why you're even considering the MBA - let alone why you're leaning towards it.

 

[NutsNGum]

I've got the same set up and I went with the Air.

If you're travelling there's no comparison. The resolution is better, it feels generally more fluid to use and it's a heck of a lot lighter. If I didn't have to use xcode id probably have stuck with the 11, but as it was, I went with the 13". Best computer I've ever owned.

Also, just for the record, during the time I was trying to decide which model to get, I also bought a 13 inch MBP. In my experience, using a 13" Pro after having used the Air is a fairly unpleasant experience. In particular with regards to the screen, the Pro's resolution feels quite blocky and the spinning hard drive in it is as slow as hell, though that can be changed out.

I'd go Air, 100%.

 

[Naimfan]

If price and power are concerns, then there is nothing to talk about--the MBP is faster, cheaper, and expandable. If you're going to be editing for a couple of days, the ability to upgrade the MBP to 8 GB RAM will be priceless--note that the Air CANNOT be upgraded.

Also, to even approach the performance of the MBP, you have to get the most expensive Air, which is, IIRC, $500 or 600 more than the MBP, with an even bigger price differential in favor of the MBP if you live near a Microcenter.

And if people are worried about the difference between 4.5 lbs and 2.9 lbs., then you need a gym membership, not another computer.

 

[RNiemeyer]

MBA or MBP

I've wondered over the same question. Weight is not an issue for me, but I've wondered if I'd miss the optical drive in Pro if I went with the Air. Also, I've noted some comments on this site that the Air does seem to have a few buggy behaviorisms. That said, I also wonder if its the users or the machine. I'm still considering the options and have yet to decide. The idea of being able to add additional ram in the Pro is appealing as I too want the capability to do photo editing while traveling. Fun to read the various opinions while trying to arrive at my own.

 

[Chasesmith]

I'd really suggest going with the Macbook Air. When the Air first came it was used more for portability than performance - although performance was amazing - if you were using something on a daily basis for work then I wouldn't suggest you get the Air. But with their current release of the Air there really isn't much difference in performance either plus it's extremely convenient and portable.

Here's another great review that might help you decide.