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Can the Macbook Air be my "primary" computer?

bp1000 said:
iMac all day long

Even the basic quad core iMac would be a lot faster.

The op said he doesn't need to be mobile, so why get a mbp? You can get an iMac and an Air for the price of a 15" upgraded screen mbp with ssd.

Let the iMac do the donkey work video processing and use the air for on the move, if he needs it.
Click to expand...

That's not true...in my experience. My 2010 13" Air was faster in actual use due to the SSD. You cannot compare machines unless they both have SSDs.

IMHO the Macbook Air would be good for 95% of users. I consider myself somewhat of a "power" user and the 2010 Air handled everything I threw at it. I'm currently waiting to get my 2011 Air (I sold my 2010 for $1500 two months ago).
 
another one

I came across this thread recently, as I have the same question (considering between a 13" Air and a 15" Pro), but from a somewhat different angle.
I'm coming from the Windows side, and looking to to replace a 6 year old 15" laptop. This would be my primary "home and hobby" machine, and would be used for web browsing/banking, Excel spreadsheets, and other general use such as drafting documents, etc. From what I've read about the Mac lines, a Pro would probably be overkill for my computing needs (no professional video edits or stuff like that). So I'm considering an Air, but since I'm accustomed to the slightly larger screen size, should I be concerned going to the smaller screen size when using spreadsheets? I've seen the Air in the store and I'm not so concerned with the browsing experience (the pinch to zoom is awesome), but the display models aren't loaded with Office apps, so I haven't been able to see how that experience is. Can anyone offer any input in this area? My ideal would probably be a 15" Air, but that doesn't exist.
Thanks
 
fab8690 said:
I came across this thread recently, as I have the same question (considering between a 13" Air and a 15" Pro), but from a somewhat different angle.
I'm coming from the Windows side, and looking to to replace a 6 year old 15" laptop. This would be my primary "home and hobby" machine, and would be used for web browsing/banking, Excel spreadsheets, and other general use such as drafting documents, etc. From what I've read about the Mac lines, a Pro would probably be overkill for my computing needs (no professional video edits or stuff like that). So I'm considering an Air, but since I'm accustomed to the slightly larger screen size, should I be concerned going to the smaller screen size when using spreadsheets? I've seen the Air in the store and I'm not so concerned with the browsing experience (the pinch to zoom is awesome), but the display models aren't loaded with Office apps, so I haven't been able to see how that experience is. Can anyone offer any input in this area? My ideal would probably be a 15" Air, but that doesn't exist.
Thanks
Click to expand...

The air is my main work computer and it does everything i need.

However i also have to use spreadsheets and i'm used to large 24" monitors in the office where you can see much more on the screen.

Going to a 13" 1440 res (or whatever it is) has been a bit of a sacrifice in the spreadsheet department. So i am currently looking around for a good external monitor.

Don't assume the mbp will be any better unless you upgrade the screen res.

As for my previous comment about imac all day long, if i was video editing i would certainly get getting the iMac quad core. I tried it on the Air, whilst it was fast i dont think it is a patch on the iMac. Sure the general operation is faster with the SSD which is why i chose it but the Air would eventually frustrate me if i edited a lot of video. It gets hot and noisy too.
 
The MBA is not your best choice because:

1) Heavy video editing is not the MBA's strongest point.
2) You said that you don't travel, so you don't need an ultra mobile solution.

So to answer your question: YES it can certainly be your primary computer (it's mine too), but perhaps it's not your most optimal choice considering your needs.
 
I think a lot of people in here are just talking out of their buttholes.... I have edited 1080i footage from my Sony a55 DSLR on my 13" MacBook Air without any issues at all [using premiere pro as FCP X is pretty weak]. Longer projects may be a problem until a Thunderbolt to USB 3 adapter or a thunderbolt HDD caddy are made available but hopefully they will materialise at some point soon. I think a MacBook Air will do you fine, hopefully you end up with the Samsung SSD in it.
 
mrwonkers said:
I think a lot of people in here are just talking out of their buttholes.... I have edited 1080i footage from my Sony a55 DSLR on my 13" MacBook Air without any issues at all [using premiere pro as FCP X is pretty weak]. Longer projects may be a problem until a Thunderbolt to USB 3 adapter or a thunderbolt HDD caddy are made available but hopefully they will materialise at some point soon. I think a MacBook Air will do you fine, hopefully you end up with the Samsung SSD in it.
Click to expand...

The girl in my local Apple Store said all of the 13" i7s were coming in with the Samsung SSD. With the 14day return if you don't get a Samsung SSD you can just get a new replacement.

I chose to buy mine in store because it meant I was able to power on the MBA, check the model number on the SSD through "About this Mac" and if it had been Toshiba, could've got an immediate replacement until I ended up with a Samsung SSD - the woman said that was fine! :)
 
Besides "video" (as others have said" the MBA can easily do the rest.

Since the GPU performance part is lacking, you will have to rely on CPU. So therefore with i7 option available for the highend MBA, you might be able to do it all depending on how professional of a video editing laptop you need.

MBA should be fine for light/casual short video editing.

As you move to longer length video in HD with multiple scenes, you'll need a better CPU (i7 class) and more RAM, as well as more storage.

The MBA+4GB /w i7 CPU upgrade (get the cheapest SSD option); then upgrade the SSD with an OWC SSD from macsales; and you would have an MBA that should handle most video needs. (as good as the macbook pro 13")

The 13"MBA has a 1.8 ghz i7 upgrade while the 11" as an 1.7ghz i7.

If you need a professional laptop, you'll have to go for the macbook 15" or 17" with quad i7, dedicated CPU, 8GB ram (get it with 4GB then upgrade with macsales), then upgrade the HDD yourself to SSD from OWC; and you'll have something that can only be beaten by a mac pro (if Apple bran only).

Video usually requires lots of storage, and slow storage could be your bottleneck. Firewire 800 should be enough for most people, thunderbolt is available. :D
 
devinci99 said:
The 13"MBA has a 1.8 ghz i7 upgrade while the 11" as an 1.7ghz i7.
Click to expand...

Both the 13" and 11" have 1.8GHz i7 options. What you are probably thinking of is that the base 11" has a 1.6GHz i5 while the base 13" has a 1.7GHz i5. The latter turbo boosts much higher, though, so the speed differential between the two is bigger than it appears.
 
I recommend the MBA

I got my MBA last week (entry-level 13", that is: 1.7 GHz i7, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Intel HD 3000 w/ 384 mb shared RAM), replacing my 2010 27" iMac (2.8 GHz i7, 8GB RAM, 1024 GB 7200rpm hard drive, ATI Radeon 4850 w/ 512mb RAM dedicated).

To a university student like me, the mobility is definitely worth the technical downgrade, and for standard tasks like browsing and Office, I claim that it actually feels FASTER - undoubtedly due to the SSD hard drive.

I saw a Youtube video comparing the Pro and Air, among other things in relation to iMovie performance ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY9elSeTM6g ). If you do video editing as a main task, having a fast processor (like the Pro has) will probably be important to you. Because I edit video quite seldom, I would rather be happy from the reduced size and weight every day, than happy from faster video-editing performance every once in a while.

I had a lot of doubts before choosing my 13" MBA over a 13" MBP. Maybe this summary will make your decision easier:

Air advantages (13" entry-level):
  • Higher-resolution display (the 13" Air display is equal to the 15" Pro display)
  • Faster hard drive (SSD comes as standard)
  • Lighter
  • Thinner

Pro advantages (13" entry-level):
  • Faster processor
  • Better webcam (HD on the Pro)
  • Bigger hard drive
  • Cheaper

Equal in these aspects:
  • Battery life (both are rated at 7 hours)
  • RAM (both include 4GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM per standard)
  • Graphics
  • Backlit keyboard
  • Equal sized trackpad and keyboard

Comparing the 11" and 13" MBA, the price difference just does not make sense. The added cost of the 13" not only gives you a bigger screen, a faster processor, 2 hours of extra battery life, it also doubles the amount of RAM and doubles the hard drive capacity. This really is money well spent if you ask me, and the 13" MBA is still unbelievable light.

In conclusion, if you do video editing or gaming, the faster processor may make the Pro the best choice. To everyone else the reduced size, weight and faster hard drive of the Air makes this a better choice, IMHO.
 
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