Anyone switched from latest MB to Air?

[pjny]

Hi

I am considering upgrading my 2015 Macbook 12" (1.3ghz) to the 2018 (or 2019) Macbook or the 2018 Air.

I primarily use it for processing RAW images using Capture One for assignments and the limitations are outweighed by the 2.5 pounds weight difference over my old Macbook 13".

However, the 8gb RAM always made it a tad slower than it could be due to paging and I am ready to upgrade.

Has anyone switched from 2017 macbook with 16gb ram and fastest chip to the Air? Is there a drastic increase in performance?

I want to save as much weight in my backpack and the air is a pound heavier.

 

[EugW]

The Retina Air is faster but not hugely faster than the 2017 MacBook.

A better bet for RAW processing is the MacBook Pro.

The Air has the weight disadvantage of the MacBook Pro, paired with the performance and screen quality disadvantage of the MacBook (with a dimmer screen than even the MacBook). Arguably the Retina Air is the worst of both worlds.

If you want portability and light weight, get a 2017 or 2019 MacBook. If you want performance, get a 2018 or 2019 MacBook Pro.

 

[pjny]

Hi thanks for replying. I think i will wait for 2019 macbook. i move around a lot and love the 12" for weight. the 12" does a decent job of processing 36 megapixel images. the 2015 does slow down a lot when i process raws in the background and i hope the 2019 will make my workflow a lot faster.

 

[sosumi99]

The 2018 MB is a big upgrade from 2015 for certain workflows. For example, I have a macro in Excel that used to take close to two minutes to run that now finishes in ~30 seconds. But this is very dependent on the type of task and isn't universal. My recommendation is to bring your USB-C dongle and a flash drive of sample raw images that you process and go to the Apple store to try it out. If you notice a significant improvement over the 2015, then go for it. Otherwise, wait.