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Quality of the Macbook Air - Worth Buying?

R

RagnarokHGM

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 20, 2008
10
0
Texas - Wisconsin
Currently I've been settling myself on the Macbook Pro. See my request for help on deciding which size to buy https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/548028/ <--


However, I can't help but wonder, if the MacBook Air is really worth buying?

I heard nothing but negativity from it, other than its sexy thin design.

No built in superdrive.
Overpriced.
Slow Processor
Cant handle gaming.
Mono speakers are horrible for listening to music.


So I wonder, is the Macbook Air really worth buying? I mean, I have an iPhone 3G and I'm considering a Macbook Pro - but I'd like to know if it's even necesarry to consider the Air for music, gaming, video, programming etc.
 
The only plus for the macbook air vs. a macbook is that the air is 2 lbs lighter...to me that would not be worth the extra money even if the air was 4.5 lbs lighter than the macbook, but to each their own
 
Please take the time to read the Forum Rules and the Forum FAQ. Among other things, they state the correct process to post a new thread. It begins with SEARCHING the forums to see if your issue has already been discussed, which this one has.

To search the forums with Google, use this link. Bookmark it and use it in good health. It will save you starting repetitive threads and will find answers to your questions much faster.

Here are some results of a simple search of the forums on your question.
 
RagnarokHGM said:
I agree, for its poor specs and over-price I wouldn't consider it worth it either. Good than answers my question. Thank you so much.



GGJ - I'll repeat. No need to be prickish and prey on my posts. I'm here to find my own answers - not to be put down. And as you can see I found an answer that satisfies me. Good day. :)
Click to expand...

See my response to your rudeness in the other thread. No one is "preying on your posts". You're asking common questions that have already been answered. Forum Rules and common sense would tell you to search before repeating these questions in new posts.
 
I think some of the criticism the Air receives is uncalled for.

Firstly, it was not made/designed in mind for people who want to use it for gaming, video work, or programming.

To criticize the Air for reasons such as being under powered, bad speakers and not being able to handle games just shows your ignorance.

I believe the air was designed for ultra-portability for surfing the net, and checking email. For those purposes, it is hardly underpowered
 
RagnarokHGM said:
So I wonder, is the Macbook Air really worth buying? I mean, I have an iPhone 3G and I'm considering a Macbook Pro - but I'd like to know if it's even necesarry to consider the Air for music, gaming, video, programming etc.
Click to expand...

For gaming - not really. I use the Air for programming tho and it runs netbeans/apache/mongrel/MySQL all very well.

the 'slow' cpu isnt really a fair statement either - it is not 'slow' its just not that fast at gaming (and also due to the video hardware).

I feel this machine gets a lot of bad press and nearly all from people who a) dont own one and/or b) wouldnt consider a machine of this type anyways. (bit like the 70% of Vista haters having never used it lol)

I bought mine for its portability and unclustered layout (not brimming with dust catching ports is good for my needs) - I have a desktop for the power work, but saying that the Air isnt slouchy.

I often watch movies on it and if I plug in my earphones its audio is fantastic. I love the styling too - so there is one Positive result for you to balance with the negatives....

At the end of the day your needs will decide what Mac to buy - you want gaming so an Air probably isnt for you (I will say that I do sometimes play Lego Star Wars II on it and have no complaints)
.
Hope this helps a bit...

(and I agree that there are a plethora of 'is the Air any good' threads out there.) - My method when dealing with a purchase question and seemingly too many negative posts is to find a few people who actually have the device I am looking for and PM them for their opinion of it.
 
zer0tails said:
I think some of the criticism the Air receives is uncalled for.

Firstly, it was not made/designed in mind for people who want to use it for gaming, video work, or programming.

To criticize the Air for reasons such as being under powered, bad speakers and not being able to handle games just shows your ignorance.

I believe the air was designed for ultra-portability for surfing the net, and checking email. For those purposes, it is hardly underpowered
Click to expand...

But it costs MORE than Apple's notebooks which have greater power and which are exactly the same dimensions, bar the thickness. Honestly, why anyone would choose to spend £1199 on one of these when they could get better performance and expandability from a computer which is £699 is beyond me. 2lb really is not that much.
 
So I wonder, is the Macbook Air really worth buying? I mean, I have an iPhone 3G and I'm considering a Macbook Pro - but I'd like to know if it's even necesarry to consider the Air for music, gaming, video, programming etc.[/QUOTE]

Unless you have money to spend on the extra for it being extremely light and extremely cool looking but not as efficient as a MBP, go for it.

It does look cool, but I always look at those who have them with the thought, "are they just trying to be cool by spending $500 more than they would for a macbook?" Just my opinion.
 
This revision, especially this late in its cycle, i don't believe it is worth the buy for all of the reasons above. For me, it's mostly power and lack of storage capacity. With the next revision, I think we'll see a much more powerful Air that will merit its price tag and the omitted Superdrive (hopefully a revision with 1 more USB 2.0 port!)
 
zer0tails said:
I think some of the criticism the Air receives is uncalled for.

Firstly, it was not made/designed in mind for people who want to use it for gaming, video work, or programming.

To criticize the Air for reasons such as being under powered, bad speakers and not being able to handle games just shows your ignorance.

I believe the air was designed for ultra-portability for surfing the net, and checking email. For those purposes, it is hardly underpowered
Click to expand...

AGREED! Some people don't realize there are users out there who want it only for that purpose, and for travel. I have an eeePC (I would love an air but I cant justify another computer, I'm already up to 14) and thats all I bought it for. Travel and internet. Its not the worlds most convenient thing to use for a long time as its so small which is where the air would fit in nicely. Plus the air runs mac os.

People buying an air for gaming, or video work, or photo editing are the equivilent of buying a boat to go skydiving.
 
These threads are stupid.


1. If you can live with an MacBook with an external superdrive and 1 USB port then you can live with an MBA. I own a MacBook, and could live with such an MBA.

However, I wouldn't buy an MBA because I think I require higher resolution. This means I need a 15" MBA with the current 15" MBP's screen, or one with 1680 x 1050 pixels. If such a thing existed, I would consider a 15" MBA.


2. It's only when people discuss computers that people start to show frustration whenever someone buys a computer using more than logic and a spec sheet. I hope these people own $10 watches, $5 t-shirts, $20 dress shirts, because lets face it, that's all you really need when you think long and hard about it. For most people, the rest of the money goes towards impressing others.

Some people buy things based on more than specs, and since the MBA is essentially an awesome looking MB with an external optical drive, you have to decide whether you're willing to pay more for something you happen to like more, even if the money isn't going towards a functionally better product. Many people are willing to pay extra for trendier shoes, so it's not outrageous to pay extra for a trendier looking computer.

3. Think people are stupid for paying extra money for a BlackBook? The same people who complain may have paid extra for the metallic paint for their car. Does the paint make the car more reliable, or drive faster?

4. Years ago, people came here frequently to ask if any Mac was worth it. On paper, it wasn't. In terms of productivity, it was (to me). That was before Exposé, Spaces, Dashboard, all of which I use dozens of times each day.
 
RagnarokHGM said:
No built in superdrive.
Click to expand...

That's a feature, not a negative. Most of us rarely use our optical drives except to install software assuming that our laptops are not our primary computer. The glaring exception to that is people who watch DVDs on the road. While I just load a few movies onto the drive, if you don't do that, you must pack the external drive in your bags.

RagnarokHGM said:
Slow Processor
Click to expand...

For the purposes that this laptop is intended to fulfill, the processor is not slow at all.

RagnarokHGM said:
Cant handle gaming.
Click to expand...

It's not a gaming machine.

RagnarokHGM said:
Mono speakers are horrible for listening to music.
Click to expand...

It's not a DTR. A small case isn't going to reproduce good sound.

RagnarokHGM said:
So I wonder, is the Macbook Air really worth buying? I mean, I have an iPhone 3G and I'm considering a Macbook Pro - but I'd like to know if it's even necesarry to consider the Air for music, gaming, video, programming etc.
Click to expand...

The MBA is about portability. It was never intended to be a gaming machine, a portable sound system, or a video editor.

For playing music or watching videos with headphones or external speakers, it's fine.

For writing, surfing, email, etc., it's just about perfect.
 
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