Black MacBook Or MacAir?

[Dr.Zizooo]

Hi Guys ...

I'm having a hard time deciding buying a laptop ..... I don't know which one should I get a Black MacBook ? or the elegant Mac Air?

I really want something I can use everyday without causing me any problems! I need something I can use for the next 5 years ...I know you may think I should get the new Mac Air, it is extremely beautiful I do love it ... who doesn't? But I'm afraid of that it might have some problems especially it is a new and Apple might produce a better version of Mac Air.

What do you really think .... Which one Should I get ???

Thanks In Advance ...​

 

[Scarlet Fever]

1. please use standard font colours and formatting... having everything centre justified and in a weird colour makes your post harder to read.

2. None of the current macs are going to cause you any problems for everyday use. They are all quick enough to do at least basic stuff (iTunes, Safari, Mail, simple Photoshop work). Obviously if you get a faster computer, it will handle your tasks better.

3. 5 years is a long time. It is fairly rare for 5 year old notebooks to still be peoples primary computers. I have a 7 year old Titanium Powerbook, but it is slow as sin, and the display hinges have broken.

4. I personally don't like the MBA that much. I admire Apple for engineering such a thin and light notebook, but you don't buy the computer to admire it. I would find the lack of ports would very quickly irritate me. The MBA is also a few hundred dollars more than the black MacBook, and you get much less for your dollar.

If I already had a recent Intel Mac, and I needed something really light to take around, the MacBook Air would be great. But for everyday use, I would get the MacBook.

 

[asrmatt]

I'm an old time Mac user, and last month I had your same question in mind.
As you see from my signature I went for the black Macbook, and I'm etremely happy of what i did

I think the MacBook Air is a wonderful machine, but it makes sense to buy it only if your BIG issue is size and weight

Go for the Macbook and you'll be happy. It's great

 

[Dr.Zizooo]

1. please use standard font colours and formatting... having everything centre justified and in a weird colour makes your post harder to read.

2. None of the current macs are going to cause you any problems for everyday use. They are all quick enough to do at least basic stuff (iTunes, Safari, Mail, simple Photoshop work). Obviously if you get a faster computer, it will handle your tasks better.

3. 5 years is a long time. It is fairly rare for 5 year old notebooks to still be peoples primary computers. I have a 7 year old Titanium Powerbook, but it is slow as sin, and the display hinges have broken.

4. I personally don't like the MBA that much. I admire Apple for engineering such a thin and light notebook, but you don't buy the computer to admire it. I would find the lack of ports would very quickly irritate me. The MBA is also a few hundred dollars more than the black MacBook, and you get much less for your dollar.

If I already had a recent Intel Mac, and I needed something really light to take around, the MacBook Air would be great. But for everyday use, I would get the MacBook.

Firstly I apologize for using the weird colors!
Secondly I really appreciate your response ...... Thanks You so Much ...

 

[Dr.Zizooo]

I'm an old time Mac user, and last month I had your same question in mind.
As you see from my signature I went for the black Macbook, and I'm etremely happy of what i did

I think the MacBook Air is a wonderful machine, but it makes sense to buy it only if your BIG issue is size and weight

Go for the Macbook and you'll be happy. It's great

Great .... thanks for your quick response .... I really appreciate it ....

1-0 for the Black MacBooK

Thanks Again Bro. ....

 

[Darsh]

I'd agree with asrmatt... if you need something that is super-mobile and that's your primary objective in getting a laptop, go with the Air. Otherwise you'll be much happier with a MB/MBP

 

[Dr.Zizooo]

I'd agree with asrmatt... if you need something that is super-mobile and that's your primary objective in getting a laptop, go with the Air. Otherwise you'll be much happier with a MB/MBP

Thanks bro ..... 2-0 for the Black MacBook .....

 

[jonswan]

3-0 for the Black Book then - it'll take you 6 months to fill the MBA's hard drive, never mind 5 years. The MB looks like a great deal in comparison. But, I think 5 years is a bit unreasonable + weird - I mean, you don't have the next 5 years planned out financially, right?

 

[numbersyx]

Would not bother with the MBA. I'm not a big fan of first generation models but other than the cool factor what is the big thing about this laptop? Sure it has a SSD but with such a low capacity, you will that thing up very quickly. No optical drive which means purchasing an add on and the price is very unrealistic.

And is the MacBook that much heavier? Go with that, my friend, you will not be unhappy...

 

[bartman-chinese]

3 - 1! I personally have a MacBook Air and I think it works great. The single port doesn't bother me at all. After using the Air, the normal MacBooks feel really heavy.

 

[Abstract]

Thanks bro ..... 2-0 for the Black MacBook .....

Not quite.

The best advice given so far has been to "get what you need." That means, get the MBA if size and weight is a definite issue, and the MacBook is actually too big (I can't imagine that being true, but just play along....)

Do NOT get a MBA if you need 2 USB slots, or wickedly good battery life. The MacBook is quite good. When new, it gave me around 4 hours, which is very practical for me.
Another downside is the lack of upgradeability. I'd personally be a bit bummed about having only 2 GB of RAM (because I'm a multi-tasking monster!), but I only had 2 GB of RAM for all of last year, and I was OK with that. If the MBA had a 3 GB RAM option, then I'd definitely think about getting the faster MBA model.

The MBA's hard-disk is quite small, but if you want it replaced with a bigger one in the future, buy one off the internet, take it to an Apple reseller (or an Apple Store) and have it installed for around......$40 (estimate). I can say the same thing about a new battery. Sure, the MBA's battery is not user replaceable, but if you buy one at the store, ask them to install it for you. They may even do it for free (if you bought the battery from them).



Other than these things, I like the MBA. I thought the idea of an MBA was kind of dumb before, but once I saw one and picked it up, I realized that I just picked up a very sturdy, very solid Mac laptop that's essentially a stronger, sturdier MacBook Pro, and yet has dimensions that are smaller than a MacBook. It was also FAR lighter than I could have imagined. I find that I don't use my USB slots except for my mouse, but a Bluetooth mouse would fix that problem quite quickly. Other than that, I use the USB slot for my flash drive. That's it. With regards to gaming, I don't play games, and my MacBook's GMA 950 integrated graphics is good enough for me. The MBA has an even better integrated graphics chipset, so that's certainly enough for me. It also has a slower CPU, but my 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo is very very fast, so I'd imagine that a slightly slower CPU wouldn't be much slower.


Ask yourself: Is the MBA enough for you?

 

[Lucky8]

I just bought a MB and never looked back. Just like everyone says, MB is worth a lot more for your dollar compare to MBA

 

[msinco]

Get the Black Macbook

I had the same question a few weeks ago, and i decided to get the MBA.

But you said that you were gonna use it for 5 years, so get the macbook Black. It is faster than the MBA and in the future you can upgrade the RAM or upgrade the hard drive.

The MBA is your choice if size is a concern. When it comes to speed, it is just as fast as the 1st gen Macbook. Sometimes, it is even slower.

 

[erummel]

Blackbook, without a doubt.

The MBA is nothing more than an oversized PDA.

 

[weg]

I really want something I can use everyday without causing me any problems! I need something I can use for the next 5 years ...

In that case, it's pretty clear: Get the black (or even the white) MacBook.
The Air has a built-in battery which won't last for 5 years, meaning that you'll have to send it to Apple for replacement, which is a pain..

 

[Dr.Zizooo]

Wow guys .... I'm pretty amazed by these great responses ...

Honestly guys weight isn't my biggest concern ... also I hate it when the computer becomes slow as everybody else ....

Just to let you know guys I said 5 years ... NOT actual work for 5 years .......... I know myself I'll get board after 2 years at most ... But I meant I want something I can count on ....


Thanks for EveryOne who shares their opinions ...... I Really Appreciate Every Single Letter You Typed ...

Thanks Again and Again .....​

 

[ucfgrad93]

I'd only get the Air if weight was a critical issue for you. Otherwise, I think the blackbook will serve you better, faster processor, larger harddrive, more expansion, etc.

 

[bestthereis27]

I would get the blackbook if your really going to use the computer. I would only consider the Air if you travel a lot or you want to show off to your friends.

 

[iHusky]

i'd definitely recommend the macbook. the air is just a more expensive, more portable version, less powerful. Not to say that the macbook isn't portable, but it doesn't quite fit in a manila envelope.

And if you're looking for some more longevity, why not save some money and buy a white macbook, then use that money you saved to upgrade the hard drive or ram a few years down the road? just a thought.

 

[BlackThunder]

"Apple might produce a better version of Mac Air."

Ya think?

This is a no brainer. More power, less money...

I don't see why you would opt for the MacAir. It's not as if the Macbook isn't portable. I really don't see why anybody would get an Air unless they are CONSTANTLY on the go, and even then it just seems like too much money to spend for mediocre performance.

If the MacAir had the specs of a Macbook (minus the optical drive of course).. 4gb ram, 2.4ghz etc... then I would say it's worth it. The current mac air specs are sub par now, so in 5 years.... forget about it.

 

[xtravgnt]

Had the black macbook, had a white macbook air for the g/f. Bought myself a Macbook air and haven't looked back since, when I hold my normal macbook it feels like a brick lol. G/fs macbook got stolen, I picked her up a Macbook air and she loves it.

Everyone likes to complain about the price of the air, if money for performance is an issue really you should be looking at a more cost effective windows machine anyways. That being said the other complaints are lack of an optical drive, honestly I have needed to use an external one time and that was to install XP for parallels, other than that I honestly don't miss it, as I don't have anything on CD I need to get to anyways?? The next big complaint is lack of connections, umm I plug in a flash drive now and again or a camera, each of those only uses one USB board as I don't need them both at the same time, imagine that The other connections I never used anyways. So that leaves HDD space which I can agree with, I wish I could toss my whole music collection and take it with me and not worry about space but hopefully soon larger drives come out or SSD comes down and I'll just get one put in.

The air does everything I need it to do except for gaming and I have a PS3 or 360 for that, my high end Windows Desktop just sits there pretty much it has become a storage box for my air

 

[1rottenapple]

I am actually looking to sell my Macbook (Black) COD2 2.16 ghz with 160hd and 3gig of ram for a Macbook Air. Are you interested in buying it, let me know.

 

[vchalupa]

MB for sure! I don't understand anyone who would waste their money on a MBA. I love that ti's so tiny and looks great but personally, I think it's the biggest waste of money that Apple has to offer. Every one of Apple's products are awesome and so useful but you really don't get much for your money with the MBA. Sure, if you're ALWAYS on the go, maybe it makes sense but still, 5 pounds still qualifies as a portable laptop. The Black book is so much more useful and I feel like it'll last you much longer.

I haven't gotten to use a MBA yet but I feel like it's not durable at all. And if you're like me, hoping to have a laptop last you 5 years, then I'd feel much more comfortable having a slightly more durable computer than the MBA.

 

[hotsauce]

Hi Guys ...

I'm having a hard time deciding buying a laptop ..... I don't know which one should I get a Black MacBook ? or the elegant Mac Air?

I really want something I can use everyday without causing me any problems! I need something I can use for the next 5 years ...I know you may think I should get the new Mac Air, it is extremely beautiful I do love it ... who doesn't? But I'm afraid of that it might have some problems especially it is a new and Apple might produce a better version of Mac Air.

What do you really think .... Which one Should I get ???

Thanks In Advance ...​

That depends on how much you bench press.

Seriously though, what's up with the flamboyant formatting of your text? Are you a middle child by any chance?

 

[xtravgnt]

MB for sure! I don't understand anyone who would waste their money on a MBA. I love that ti's so tiny and looks great but personally, I think it's the biggest waste of money that Apple has to offer. Every one of Apple's products are awesome and so useful but you really don't get much for your money with the MBA. Sure, if you're ALWAYS on the go, maybe it makes sense but still, 5 pounds still qualifies as a portable laptop. The Black book is so much more useful and I feel like it'll last you much longer.

I haven't gotten to use a MBA yet but I feel like it's not durable at all. And if you're like me, hoping to have a laptop last you 5 years, then I'd feel much more comfortable having a slightly more durable computer than the MBA.

I bolded your problem, it's almost like pure windows users talking about Macs that they have never used