Almost ready to buy a 13" MBP. Last minute thoughts.

S

ste1989

macrumors member
Hi.
I have been looking at the mbp 13" since wwdc, and taking the student discount with free ipod/printer , i think its a great deal.

however, there is another laptop (netbook actually ) that is also looking nice.
This is the Asus EEE T91.
It is a netbook, that has a swivelling touchscreen aswell.

My main use for the laptop will be internet browsing, and some word processing. I dont do any of that fancy video editing/music recording, so I wonder if a mac is for me.

T91 advantages are the portabilty (10" screen, less than 1KG weight)
disadvantages are the worse specs (1.33ghz processor, 1gb ram)


heres a pic of the t91 just so you know what im on about
asus-eee-pc-t91.jpg


MBP advantages are the specs and design (2.26ghz processor, 2gb ram, Unibody)
disadvantages are the weight and size (13" screen vs 10", 2kg vs 0.9kg)


money isnt too much of an issue because Im getting student discount on mac.
But here they are anyway.
£449 for tablet/netbook
£772 for macbook + iPod touch + Printer
 
if you got the netbook, you'll always wish you had got the mac ;)

I've had several netbooks and there not a patch on MB/MBP.

So go on...

duuit.jpg
 
Do you really want to be working off a 10" display? ;)

If you don't want the MB's size and weight but want the design and better GHz , what is wrong with the base MBA?
 
i've got 2 netbooks. First eeepc 701 then upgraded to MSI Wind shortly after. They were good at first but turned out crap.

The keyboard takes time to get use to but the layout is still very bad.

The screen resolution is too small to display the proper width of web pages at times. Very annoying.

The touch pad is too small and the buttons are cheap.

I have lots of other gripes but the one big one is the battery life. I've got the 6-cell for my Wind and it lasts only 2 hrs max now.

The price I'd paid for both netbooks + ram / battery upgrade, could have paid for the new 13" mbp.
 
spillproof said:
Do you really want to be working off a 10" display? ;)

If you don't want the MB's size and weight but want the design and better GHz , what is wrong with the base MBA?
Click to expand...

I just think with a MBA, I am paying £200 more for alot lot less.
Fair do's, I will probably never use the superdrive,
but 1 usb, lesser specs, smaller hdd,

I would love it, but to make it as good as the macbook pro, I would have to spend millions which I dont have.

I am agreeing to price of MBP, but MBA just takes it a bit too far I think
 
Windows vs Mac OS ?

C'mon. Mac OS is one of the main reasons to consider.

The 13" MBP vs the Asus is like.. wtf? The MBP wins on all counts bar the slight weight increase.
 
okay MAC it is. :)

Now for the next question courtesy of spillproof.

Should I get the MBA or the MBP.

Is the lack of ports that big a deal.
Is the better processor in MBP that much of a necessity for a internet user.
Is the MBA upgrade to 2.13ghz and 128gb SSD worth the extra £170.
Will the MBA be futureproof. If I wanted it to last a long time, will it still be able to handle the tasks of the future because its not upgradable easily.


Help please :p :apple:
 
ste1989 said:
okay MAC it is. :)

Now for the next question courtesy of spillproof.

Should I get the MBA or the MBP.

Is the lack of ports that big a deal.
Is the better processor in MBP that much of a necessity for a internet user.
Is the MBA upgrade to 2.13ghz and 128gb SSD worth the extra £170.
Will the MBA be futureproof. If I wanted it to last a long time, will it still be able to handle the tasks of the future because its not upgradable easily.


Help please :p :apple:
Click to expand...




1. if you use it at home, you might need more ports
2. for internet no
3. not the processor but ssd yes..you can actually see and feel the difference with your eyes
4. no bcuz models change so frequently, so it'll be better just not to come to this forum or look at any other mac related websites lol
 
ste1989 said:
Should I get the MBA or the MBP.
Click to expand...

MBA = ultimate lite weight portability. stripped down to bare essentials. Since you only browse porn sites and word process the MBA Rev C is more than capable

MBP = best all in one 13" with good range of I/O + CD/DVD drive, expandable RAM

1. Is the lack of ports that big a deal.
2. Is the better processor in MBP that much of a necessity for a internet user.
3. Is the MBA upgrade to 2.13ghz and 128gb SSD worth the extra £170.
4. Will the MBA be futureproof. If I wanted it to last a long time, will it still be able to handle the tasks of the future because its not upgradable easily.
Click to expand...

1. Depends on how you plan to use your machine. If you dont mind a multiple USB port dock hanging off it than you're good
2. Not really
3. Yes
4. No
 
sparkie7 said:
Since you only browse porn sites
Click to expand...
:rolleyes: ;) :eek: :p

So MBP is ultimately much better machine, MBA is just for looks.
I think mba is probably not worth the extra cash, because with student discount at the moment I am getting :

A 13" MBP, base model + iPod touch + printer + Apple care for under £830

A free iPod, free printer, and apple care added extra and it is still cheaper than the normal base price (£899)
(Thank god for my cousin being in university so I can take his discount)
 
ste1989 said:
okay MAC it is. :)

Now for the next question courtesy of spillproof.

Should I get the MBA or the MBP.

Is the lack of ports that big a deal.
Is the better processor in MBP that much of a necessity for a internet user.
Is the MBA upgrade to 2.13ghz and 128gb SSD worth the extra £170.
Will the MBA be futureproof. If I wanted it to last a long time, will it still be able to handle the tasks of the future because its not upgradable easily.


Help please :p :apple:
Click to expand...

Looking at your needs, a MBP is an overkill, if you just want to surf the net and write some documents you paying alot for a MBP.

From my experience I have a MBA, 13" Macbook and 17" MBP at home. My least favourite is the the 13" MB, the screen is crap (i understand that the new ones have a better screen though). The 17" matte has the best screen, but the MBA screen is also nice, cause it does not have glass over the screen.

Which one do I like the best out of the three. The MBA, easy. Its the only one that I can throw into my backpack, take it anywhere and is awesome for internet surfing and simple tasks, one thing that is great about is it is a full size keyboard. It makes a huge difference compared to using a notebook. My previous portable was a sony 11" tx3xp, it was really small but the small keyboard made it feel ackward. The great thing about the MBA is that its so small and portable, i cannot remember how many times I thought it was stolen out of my bag cause I could not notice that it was there, i had to look indide the backpack to find it. Once you throw the 13" MB in, you suddenly notice that you have a laptop in your bag. 17" your getting a workout. If you can afford it, the MBA is the ultimate in portability if you want an Os x laptop. If you do not mind which os you run, you can save heaps and get a windows based one.
 
MH01 said:
Looking at your needs, a MBP is an overkill, if you just want to surf the net and write some documents you paying alot for a MBP.

From my experience I have a MBA, 13" Macbook and 17" MBP at home. My least favourite is the the 13" MB, the screen is crap (i understand that the new ones have a better screen though). The 17" matte has the best screen, but the MBA screen is also nice, cause it does not have glass over the screen.

Which one do I like the best out of the three. The MBA, easy. Its the only one that I can throw into my backpack, take it anywhere and is awesome for internet surfing and simple tasks, one thing that is great about is it is a full size keyboard. It makes a huge difference compared to using a notebook. My previous portable was a sony 11" tx3xp, it was really small but the small keyboard made it feel ackward. The great thing about the MBA is that its so small and portable, i cannot remember how many times I thought it was stolen out of my bag cause I could not notice that it was there, i had to look indide the backpack to find it. Once you throw the 13" MB in, you suddenly notice that you have a laptop in your bag. 17" your getting a workout. If you can afford it, the MBA is the ultimate in portability if you want an Os x laptop. If you do not mind which os you run, you can save heaps and get a windows based one.
Click to expand...




MH has a great opinion but I have a different perspective.

I think for a student though, regular 13" MBP might be more ideal. No matter how much light it is and everything, MBA still lacks some expansion outputs, and some heavy work tasks to be done in an outside environment. (you never know what you might have to do)

Not to mention the new MBP has a longer battery, as well as a decent power in both the processors and the memory to support any tasks that you would do at home: which can be done outside also.

Better much to say, I'll say MBA is for the ultra portability just to get some work done in a really quick time, and real light usage of work tasks.

So depending on the work that you do outside as a student (we have all different types of students), it might be up to your decision whether MBA or MBP would be suitable for you.
 
MH01 said:
Looking at your needs, a MBP is an overkill, if you just want to surf the net and write some documents you paying alot for a MBP.

From my experience I have a MBA, 13" Macbook and 17" MBP at home. My least favourite is the the 13" MB, the screen is crap (i understand that the new ones have a better screen though). The 17" matte has the best screen, but the MBA screen is also nice, cause it does not have glass over the screen.

Which one do I like the best out of the three. The MBA, easy. Its the only one that I can throw into my backpack, take it anywhere and is awesome for internet surfing and simple tasks, one thing that is great about is it is a full size keyboard. It makes a huge difference compared to using a notebook. My previous portable was a sony 11" tx3xp, it was really small but the small keyboard made it feel ackward. The great thing about the MBA is that its so small and portable, i cannot remember how many times I thought it was stolen out of my bag cause I could not notice that it was there, i had to look indide the backpack to find it. Once you throw the 13" MB in, you suddenly notice that you have a laptop in your bag. 17" your getting a workout. If you can afford it, the MBA is the ultimate in portability if you want an Os x laptop. If you do not mind which os you run, you can save heaps and get a windows based one.
Click to expand...

I dont mind which OS i run, but I do care about the looks, and design of the whole laptop.
Therefore, the apple products are the best for design, and so I will be getting one with OS X obviously.


Let me just clear this up,
Im getting £400 payed for me as present, so here is the deal

MBP 13 base model = £400
MBP 13 base model with 500gb = £540
MBA higher model SSD = £800

As you can see, double the price for MBA

2x price, with no sd card, 1 usb, not upgradable.

I find it hard to justify it, despite the weight difference
 
sparkie7 said:
MBA = ultimate lite weight portability. stripped down to bare essentials. Since you only browse porn sites and word process the MBA Rev C is more than capable

MBP = best all in one 13" with good range of I/O + CD/DVD drive, expandable RAM



1. Depends on how you plan to use your machine. If you dont mind a multiple USB port dock hanging off it than you're good
2. Not really
3. Yes
4. No
Click to expand...

1. That is completely upto you. Do you need two USB plugged in at the same time? I never had to.
2. Make absolutely no difference at all
3. 2.13 will make no difference for you needs. The MBA is CPU is throttled, only when needed will it hit its max speed. For you needs it will almost never hit any where near 2.13. I would recommend the base model with SSD. SSD makes a very big difference.
4. the only thing holding the MBA back is 2GB of Ram. If you only plan to surf the net and do simple tasks such as word processing then the MBA will meet your needs for a long time to come. MBA will run SL with no problems. Remember that when you buy a laptop, well an apple product really, there is not much in the way of future proofing. If you want future proofing get a windows desktop. all the components can be upgraded for a few years to come. Apples range these days, Macbooks and Imacs are just laptops really. Only the Macbook Pros allows some upgradeability beyone HD and Ram upgrades of the macbook and imac range. To be honest, the next jump for apple will be quad core, which will work with SL nicely, so in that regard, the all of the current range is not really future proof (though we are about a year away)
 
Value for money and future proofing the 13 MBP is the way to go

The MBA is premium executive pricing. Only Apple and Leica can get away with is. Pay more but get less LOL :D
 
ste1989 said:
I dont mind which OS i run, but I do care about the looks, and design of the whole laptop.
Therefore, the apple products are the best for design, and so I will be getting one with OS X obviously.


Let me just clear this up,
Im getting £400 payed for me as present, so here is the deal

MBP 13 base model = £400
MBP 13 base model with 500gb = £540
MBA higher model SSD = £800

As you can see, double the price for MBA

2x price, with no sd card, 1 usb, not upgradable.

I find it hard to justify it, despite the weight difference
Click to expand...

If looks and style is important, the MBA is much more sexy the the MBP ;)

I understand where you coming throw. I would only recommend that you get the MBA if you have spare money. Looking at your situation, I would probably recommend the MBP. The MBA is a luxury, you only buy it if you have spare cash.

As I said in the previous post, neither the MBA or MBP are really upgradable, so do not be really concerned about this, within a year quad cores will make the current range look old. It will take about a year for apps to be written to take advantage of 64bit architecture on os x. So thinking about it, go the cheaper option right now, cause there will be a big improvement in the current laptops in about a 1 year / 1.5 .
 
sparkie7 said:
Windows vs Mac OS ?

C'mon. Mac OS is one of the main reasons to consider.

The 13" MBP vs the Asus is like.. wtf? The MBP wins on all counts bar the slight weight increase.
Click to expand...

Bingo! Exactly what I was thinking. Also the MBP has far superior build quality.
 
shaynparker said:
Does the Student discount in the UK include Free iPod Touch and Printer?
Click to expand...

Sure does.

Actually its not a free itouch. Read the conditions, I think the max rebate is 145 pounds. The base printer is not free either, but costs very little
 
MacAndy74 said:
Bingo! Exactly what I was thinking. Also the MBP has far superior build quality.
Click to expand...

Why is the MBP far superior in built quality? Both are unibody, sorry but I strongly disagree. I still believe that the MBA has a far superior screen, and will suffer a lot less glare then the MBP.
 
Im probably getting the MBP.

Im not made of money, and it is not worth double the price for less stuff on the MBA.

My current laptop is 3kg I think, so 2kg will still be lighter, even if still heavy for a 13"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Back
Top