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Air or Pro 13

D

Dr. House

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 18, 2015
12
0
Hello! I am a medical student from India. My use for buying notebook is web surfing, ebooks, documents, MS office, photo editing for my DSLR images and short-film editing (sometimes).

I can't decide which macbook I should buy in 13". One one hand I am getting an offer for latest 5th gen core-i5 128GB 13" macbook air for $850 (53,500 INR), on other macbook pro 13" 128GB model with 8GB RAM, brilliant IPS panel retina display, better processor and new touchpad for $1185 (74,600 INR).

The price difference is too much $335 (21,000 INR). Does it worth it as per my needs mentioned above? I think only 4GB of RAM looks very low in air. I can't decide which one I should go with. Please help me out there
 
Both will be fast enough for your needs, so I think the differences you will notice are the thinner, lighter, tapered design of the Air or the Retina screen on the Pro. I tried out the new trackpad and since my computer is set up as tap to click I really didn't notice much of a difference. I think 4GB is too low for a machine you want to do some graphics on. If you change from the default resolution on the retina screen, you will need less image scrolling and zooming because the palettes will be smaller; more of your image is visible.
 
I would go for the MacBook Pro. Yes it will cost more, but the better screen will be worth it for your dSLR photo editing and video editing tasks.

I should probably also note that I used to have a 2013 MacBook Air (13" 8GB RAM 512GB SSD and Core i7) but sold it and bought a 2015 13" rMBP. I liked my MBA a lot, but this is far better.
 
I currently have both. My 2010 air has been running slow so I bought a 2014 mbp. At first I had second thoughts, and didn't really see any perceptible difference besides speed.

Then I went back to use the air, and suddenly the screen looked terrible. Even just 1 day of retina use was enough to get me to close the book on the air.

For me the only true reason to consider the air at this moment is the battery life. It is probably the longest lasting laptop on the market. I have been getting a respectable 5-6 hours out of my pro, but you can easily get a air to last for 2-3 more hours then that. Might come in handy for your studies.
 
Battery life no problem for me. I remain indoor most of the time. The main question is if I spend $330 more on MBP over MBA. Does that worth it in day to day performance?
 
In that case yes. The screen is worth it, and you will be happy you got 8gb of ram. When you set the resolution high on the mbp it frees up a lot of space. I did a few spreadsheets on mine for the first time, and I probably had about 30% more fields visible then I would have with my air.

Over all the pro is a way better computer, and in 2015 nothing should be low resolution.. The only thing the air has going for it is battery life, price, and a bit more portability.

Pros of the pro are much faster processor, New for 2015 force touch keyboard, great screen, and 8gb ram standard.

I would look at it as $150 for screen upgrade and $150 for ram upgrade. Definitely worth it.
 
If you are comparing the 2015 Macbook Pro 13" vs. 2015 Macbook Air 13", go with the Pro.

You're really already paying a price premium to run the Mac OS, the unibody, the touchpad, the keyboard, the warranty & service, the overall package, etc. A Windows-based laptop will get you more for your dollar if you just want a good screen and fast processor & graphics solution. The Pro is a small price premium for a lot more over the Air.

+ Pro has a ~20% more powerful graphics solution (Intel 6100 vs. 6000)
+ Pro has a slightly faster processor as well, within similar margins as mentioned above
+ Pro has ~4x the pixel density (4096000 pixels vs. 1049088 pixels ; 2560 x 1600 vs. 1366 x 768)
+ Pro has a much more colour-accurate display which is essential for editing photography (granted, the display on the Air is still good for editing on, but the difference between the two displays is extremely evident)
+ Pro is 1.8cm thin, Air is 1.7cm thin (at thickest portion)
+ Pro has double the ports (2 usb & 2 thunderbolt vs. 1 & 1)
- Pro is rated at 10 hours battery life, Air is rated at 12 hours (this rating is based on non-intensive work, doing intensive work will likely bring the two to identical ratings or thereabouts)
- Pro is 1.1 pounds heavier (3.48 vs. 2.38)
 
For what you do I would definitely go with the pro. The retina screen alone is worth it for your photo and video editing. The faster processor and added ram is a bonus, as well. Since you mentioned that you will be indoors the advantages of the air's battery life and thinner body shouldn't be a factor.
 
Air or Pro 13

Go with Air. You got mobility, extra $$$ to save and longer battery life. Why looking for better if your needs / priority have been fulfilled? Anyway, Air is not bad at all though.
 
Isamilis said:
Go with Air. You got mobility, extra $$$ to save and longer battery life. Why looking for better if your needs / priority have been fulfilled? Anyway, Air is not bad at all though.
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Yeah! I can get a good 1080p IPS panel monitor like Dell S2415H ($200 USD or 12,500 INR) for my room for movies and editing purpose.
I am just worried that my previous laptop was high performance multimedia hp laptop with 8GB RAM, 2GB DDR5 and 2nd gen quad core i7 that I used for last 4 years. Would it be downward successor in day to day performance. I bought that for just $900 (57k INR).
 
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Not in day to day

Dr. House said:
Yeah! I can get a good 1080p IPS panel monitor like Dell S2415H ($200 USD or 12,500 INR) for my room for movies and editing purpose.
I am just worried that my previous laptop was high performance multimedia hp laptop with 8GB RAM, 2GB DDR5 and 2nd gen quad core i7 that I used for last 4 years. Would it be downward successor in day to day performance. I bought that for just $900 (57k INR).
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However the video encoding etc will be lot faster on that quad core than the dual core in the 13 inch pro. To be honest if you don't need the portability a 21.5 inch imac with a fusion drive would be a much better buy.
 
If you're carrying it around all day and battery life while doing the lower end work (web, docs, etc) is important, I may be inclined to go with the Air.
 
wct097 said:
If you're carrying it around all day and battery life while doing the lower end work (web, docs, etc) is important, I may be inclined to go with the Air.
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70% I use for web surfing and so it be smooth in that
5% Office and documents for projects
20% in movies and music
5% in editing photos like once in a month or so
 
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As you are still undecided.

If portability isn't important then get the MacBook Pro. If money is tight buy a used or refurbished late 2013 Pro, which for your needs is still more than powerful enough.
 
darngooddesign said:
As you are still undecided.

If portability isn't important then get the MacBook Pro. If money is tight buy a used or refurbished late 2013 Pro, which for your needs is still more than powerful enough.
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I am never been confused so much in my life. :eek:
I will buy only new macbook not refurbished. The point is here in India latest rMBP 13" 128GB costs $1500 USD (INR 94,900) and MBA 13" 128GB for $1190 (INR 74,900) in apple stores and this awesome online deal is selling for 22% less (mentioned above) that makes it so appealing. In stores the maximum discount I can get is 12% with my medical college ID.
 
There is nothing wrong with an Apple certified computer. They look brand new, have a new battery, and carry the full warranty.

Your needs sound pretty modest so you could get by with 4GB RAM, although I would always try for 8GB as it will just make the machine last longer.

Since you keep mentioning the price, go for the less expensive computer (I still recommend refurbished).

What is Apple's return policy over there, could you buy the Air and try it for a week?
 
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darngooddesign said:
There is nothing wrong with an Apple certified computer. They look brand new, have a new battery, and carry the full warranty.

Your needs sound pretty modest so you could get by with 4GB RAM, although I would always try for 8GB as it will just make the machine last longer.

Since you keep mentioning the price, go for the less expensive computer (I still recommend refurbished).
Click to expand...

In my country India there is no official refurbished store. Only 1% people use OS X macs.
 
darngooddesign said:
Gotcha. What is the regular store's return policy?
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I don't think there is any return policy here. Only rich or professional users buy apple computers. I want for smooth experience in affordable discounted price because I am a med student.
 
If you can afford it go for the pro. You can easily get by with a air, but doing a lot of reading, and editing is easier with the retina screen. When the text is sharper it is easier on your eyes.
 
It sounds like your main concern about the Air is the 4gb ram. Can you pay a little more to get 8gb in the Air? Other than the ram, the 13" Air should be powerful enough for your needs. And honestly, 4gb ram should be sufficient most of the time.

I had a 13" Air and an 11" Air and I loved both of them. Now I have a 13" Retina Macbook Pro and I no longer think the Air's display is good enough.

The Macbook Pro weighs only 1/2 pound (230 grams) more than the 13" Macbook Air, and has a slightly smaller footprint than the 13" Macbook Air.

On the other hand, if you will be plugging your laptop into a 1080P or better external IPS display most of the time, then the Pro's retina display is less important.

Good luck! Let us know what you decide.
 
Dr. House said:
70% I use for web surfing and so it be smooth in that
5% Office and documents for projects
20% in movies and music
5% in editing photos like once in a month or so
Click to expand...

I think either will be fine for you. For me it would come down to a decision on if you will be carrying it around a lot. If so, the Air would be my choice. Hard to beat the ultraportable form factor. There isn't a huge difference in portability, so if that's not super important to you go with the Pro. I don't think you'll be disappointed in either.
 
wct097 said:
I think either will be fine for you. For me it would come down to a decision on if you will be carrying it around a lot. If so, the Air would be my choice. Hard to beat the ultraportable form factor. There isn't a huge difference in portability, so if that's not super important to you go with the Pro. I don't think you'll be disappointed in either.
Click to expand...

I agree with the post above. For the reason you want it, either would work. I do not think the MacBook Pro will be worth it for your reasons. The Air will be able to do everything you want it to.:)
 
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