cMBP or MBA?

[jahall05]

Hello,

I am a student in college pursuing my Bachelors of Science in Business Administration - Human Resource Management. I had a Dell XPS 14z, which is toast and I want to move to a Mac now that I have a reason to.

Here is what I liked about my Dell XPS 14z:
Long battery life for what it was
Backlit keyboard
Fast
Build quality was nice, but nothing close to what a Mac's is

It had 6GB RAM, a core i5 processor (3rd generation), intel integrated graphics HD 3000 (I believe it was 3000, but may have been 4000). The screen was 1368x768 I believe.

I am interested in the cMBP 13 or the MBA 13.

What I like about each is:

cMBP 13:
Upgradeable (RAM/HDD/SSD/Battery)
CD/DVD drive (don't use it often though)
Nice build quality, feels very sturdy

MBA 13:
Battery life
Most up to date specs when compared to cMBP 13
Light and portable

My main concern is longevity of the system. I want a system that will last at least 4-6 years before needing replaced entirely. I know some people who have had cMBP who have had them since unibody has come out and even some who had old PowerBooks or White MacBooks who still have them and have had no issues with them. I know the newer MBA and rMBPs are not really user serviceable now, however.

Any suggestions on which model to go with?

Thanks a ton guys!

 

[Count Blah]

"I want a system that will last at least 4-6 years before needing replaced entirely."

Seems pretty easy to me, the 13" cMBP. You can go up to 16 Gigs of RAM and you can swap out the HDD with an SSD. Both will get you more years of use than the MBA and it's soldered in RAM and non-user replaceable SSD.

 

[sonicrobby]

I agree, the cMBP is better for longevity. IF something were to happen, where you needed to upgrade/change the drive or RAM, you could easily do that. With the air you would have to send the whole thing off for a while for repairs to happen. Also if you go with the air, you better hope that the specs you picked will still be good 4 years from now, no chance in upgrading any of that.

 

[johnnnw]

Echoing the cMBP because you want it for that long. It's easily upgradable so it seems like an obvious choice

 

[jahall05]

I was thinking the same thing, but wanted input from people who have had experience with MacBooks...I only have experience with iPod touches and iPhones!

Thanks guys!