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2014 Macbook Air buyer's remorse??

C

cchs2014

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 1, 2014
131
139
Hello,
I am a college freshman and just bought my first ever macbook at the beginning of the semester in August. Just recently, I've began to feel like I should have bought an older model Macbook Pro instead of the newest 2014 Macbook Air, for some reason?? I just have this feeling that the Macbook Pro has more to offer.
I love my macbook air very much but just feel like it would help greatly if you guys gave me advice if I should sell my 2014 macbook air for a 2013 Macbook Pro? Does it have more to provide or am I better off with my MBA?

Btw, I just use my MBA for occasional browsing, doing school work, listening to music, and watching netflix.
Thank you!
 
The 2013 MacBook Pro will have a sharper screen with slightly better colours, but not everyone feels this is a dramatic improvement. HDMI comes standard and you can use two external monitors easily. For your usage you will not see a speed improvement if you switch between the two.

The Pro is a bit heavier and has a shorter battery life. Since you don't seem to need more power, you would lose a bit in the change.

Try to swing by a store with a Mac section and try both.
 
I actually have buyer's remorse also. I've had my macbook air for a few months, but have hardly used it. I can't get used to the 13inch screen. I tend to squint alot. I'm using an older windows laptop now.
 
If you want to go to the rmbp 15", it clearly has more to offer. I went from a 2012 MBA to a 2014 rMBP. Both fabulous machines, one is just a lot more fabulous. Just my opinion.
 
You say you love your MBA and you have not provided any examples of things that it cannot do for you. So just use it and be happy. I'm sure you can find better things to spend your money on.
 
paul43 said:
I actually have buyer's remorse also. I've had my macbook air for a few months, but have hardly used it. I can't get used to the 13inch screen. I tend to squint alot. I'm using an older windows laptop now.
Click to expand...
:eek: What windows laptop do you use and why?
 
Im a net admin in a windows environment. Im running an air and its fine. The only thing I miss would be a real ethernet port. Otherwise, its fast and light and I can do what I need to with the remote desktop app from microsoft. And if I can use it successfully to manage an entire microsoft domain, some college kid should be able to type a few papers and surf porn just fine with it. Dont look back, only forward.
 
BriOS said:
Im a net admin in a windows environment. Im running an air and its fine. The only thing I miss would be a real ethernet port. Otherwise, its fast and light and I can do what I need to with the remote desktop app from microsoft. And if I can use it successfully to manage an entire microsoft domain, some college kid should be able to type a few papers and surf porn just fine with it. Dont look back, only forward.
Click to expand...

lol best response I have ever seen.
 
paul43 said:
I actually have buyer's remorse also. I've had my macbook air for a few months, but have hardly used it. I can't get used to the 13inch screen. I tend to squint alot. I'm using an older windows laptop now.
Click to expand...

Have you tried adjusting the minimum font size in Safari? I have an 11", and the first day or so I tried using it at the default setting (10pt I think), but it was too small. I bumped it up to 12 and haven't looked back.

With Word and Excel, I find that going up to 125% Zoom helps a lot as well. I use full screen mode and spaces a lot, which helps make the smaller screen size more manageable. I really think full screen mode was designed specifically with the 11" Air in mind.
 
jdechko said:
Have you tried adjusting the minimum font size in Safari?

With Word and Excel, I find that going up to 125% Zoom helps a lot as well..
Click to expand...

Same here. I went from a 13" MBA to an 11" and greatly prefer the 11" for the portability. But when I first got it, I also had problems reading small text and made similar preference adjustments. Apple Mail was actually the biggest problem for me, the fonts were OK on my 13" MBA but seemed really tiny on the 11. It was just a matter of changing the default though.

Using full screen mode and the three-finger swipe between apps works very well.
 
paul43 said:
I actually have buyer's remorse also. I've had my macbook air for a few months, but have hardly used it. I can't get used to the 13inch screen. I tend to squint alot. I'm using an older windows laptop now.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about that, you'll end up using the Mac as the main, and giving up windows. Same happened to me when I bought my first mac. Until I got used to it, I continued using a Vaio as my main computer (it had same specs than the mac). It's just a matter of time.

Also a friend bought a 15" rMBP for architecture (3DMax, autocat...) + renderings, and he got remorse the first months "oh I've spent a lot and I don't feel like I really needed it, blah blah blah...". Now he realises he couldn't be happier with it.
 
Boyd01 said:
Same here. I went from a 13" MBA to an 11" and greatly prefer the 11" for the portability. But when I first got it, I also had problems reading small text and made similar preference adjustments. Apple Mail was actually the biggest problem for me, the fonts were OK on my 13" MBA but seemed really tiny on the 11. It was just a matter of changing the default though.

Using full screen mode and the three-finger swipe between apps works very well.
Click to expand...

Interesting because the pixel density on the MBAs is nearly the same. It must be something to do with how far you feel your head should be from the screen.
 
No, text is noticeably smaller. I have used both of them side by side. It may not look like a big difference when comparing the specs - just like the weight difference between the 11 and 13, which is also very significant in daily use. Maybe it's because text on the 13" is right on the cusp of what I find readable?

Whatever though, I am delighted I switched to the 11.
 
Boyd01 said:
No, text is noticeably smaller. I have used both of them side by side. It may not look like a big difference when comparing the specs - just like the weight difference between the 11 and 13, which is also very significant in daily use. Maybe it's because text on the 13" is right on the cusp of what I find readable?

Whatever though, I am delighted I switched to the 11.
Click to expand...

The 11.6" resolution is 135 DPI, the 13.3" resolution is 127 DPI. So it is a few percent different but if you notice a big difference I think it's probably an optical illusion.

I had this problem with a monitor that I bought recently. 27", 108 DPI. The pixels seemed impossibly small and I was squinting at it and finding it hard to read for the first couple of weeks until I got used to it. But I have no problem at all with my laptop screen which is 135 DPI.
 
motrek said:
The 11.6" resolution is 135 DPI, the 13.3" resolution is 127 DPI. So it is a few percent different but if you notice a big difference I think it's probably an optical illusion.

I had this problem with a monitor that I bought recently. 27", 108 DPI. The pixels seemed impossibly small and I was squinting at it and finding it hard to read for the first couple of weeks until I got used to it. But I have no problem at all with my laptop screen which is 135 DPI.
Click to expand...

I think it depends on viewing distance. Your 27", 108 DPI screen is essentially an iMac and there are not too many complaints about it. I use 147 DPI on my MacBook (1920x1200 - more space mode) and it looks great. It does use HiDPI mode so it’s actually a scaled 4K resolution.
 
The only one that can answer your question is you. The MBA has plenty of horsepower to run all of the things that you have mentioned (at the same time).

I'm a developer that runs all that you mention plus a dozen other applications on a 2013 MBA and have absolutely no complaints. I'll buy another MBA and will buy another in a year of so when I'm ready to upgrade to something newer.

The only think that you will gain with a MBP is better resolution, and more performance (that you don't need) anyway. You will also have a less portable laptop, and less battery life with the MBP.

Your best bet is to somehow get the two laptops in your hands at the same time and see how they feel and look before making a decision. You may also just want to wait for the next MBA to be released before making your decision as it will certainly be somewhat improved over the current model.
 
cchs2014 said:
I just have this feeling that the Macbook Pro has more to offer...Does it have more to provide or am I better off with my MBA? Btw, I just use my MBA for occasional browsing, doing school work, listening to music, and watching netflix.
Click to expand...
Unless you're editing/rendering HD video in Final Cut Pro X, recording/mixing music in Logic Pro X (with virtual instruments and digital effects processing) or doing image processing in Aperture or Light Room, you don't need a MacBook Pro.

The MBA is just fine for all college work (eg Office apps like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDFs, email, web browsing etc).

The GPU in the MBP may be better for extended watching of HD video but I'm not sure.
 
I got the Haswell MBA and very happy with it. I have a similar workflow as you do as well.

The definite downside of the rMBA vs MBP is the screen resolution. But MBA's have a better battery, and are lighter and also slightly cheaper.

That dinosaur MBP with spinning hard drive and disc drive is utter trash and I would consider the worst mac in the lineup.

I am confident a retina display in the form factor of a MBA would make me upgrade in a heartbeat.

----------
cinealta said:
The GPU in the MBP may be better for extended watching of HD video but I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

Nope, but HD video will look much better on an rMBP screen.
 
jdechko said:
Have you tried adjusting the minimum font size in Safari? I have an 11", and the first day or so I tried using it at the default setting (10pt I think), but it was too small. I bumped it up to 12 and haven't looked back.

With Word and Excel, I find that going up to 125% Zoom helps a lot as well. I use full screen mode and spaces a lot, which helps make the smaller screen size more manageable. I really think full screen mode was designed specifically with the 11" Air in mind.
Click to expand...

I changed the font size, and I'm liking it a lot more now
 
motrek said:
The 11.6" resolution is 135 DPI, the 13.3" resolution is 127 DPI. So it is a few percent different but if you notice a big difference I think it's probably an optical illusion.

I had this problem with a monitor that I bought recently. 27", 108 DPI. The pixels seemed impossibly small and I was squinting at it and finding it hard to read for the first couple of weeks until I got used to it. But I have no problem at all with my laptop screen which is 135 DPI.
Click to expand...

Everyone's eyesight is different, so be careful when you make generalizations.

Personally, I found that while I could browse the web without changing the font size, the text was condensed too much, and I'd strain my eyes in order to read it. It caused eye fatigue really quickly. Bumping up the size, even just a bit, was enough to allow me to read comfortably. I've never had great eyesight to begin with, though, so every little bit helps.

paul43 said:
I changed the font size, and I'm liking it a lot more now
Click to expand...

Awesome! Glad to help.
 
cchs2014 said:
Hello,
I am a college freshman and just bought my first ever macbook at the beginning of the semester in August. Just recently, I've began to feel like I should have bought an older model Macbook Pro instead of the newest 2014 Macbook Air, for some reason?? I just have this feeling that the Macbook Pro has more to offer.
I love my macbook air very much but just feel like it would help greatly if you guys gave me advice if I should sell my 2014 macbook air for a 2013 Macbook Pro? Does it have more to provide or am I better off with my MBA?

Btw, I just use my MBA for occasional browsing, doing school work, listening to music, and watching netflix.
Thank you!
Click to expand...

The only regret I have with my 2014 MBA is the screen, but I knew that going in. I got it for 700$ new including tax, so any complaints I might have are kind of negligible, considering I could sell it used and get about the same price as I bought it for. I am happy and staying with my computer, but I care about money. If you have the money and are unhappy, then get a different computer. The only real advantage of the rMBP is the screen. Other than that, there are really no differences between the computers.
 
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