Does MBA 2011 13" inch fit my needs

[Maccalicious]

Hi guys,
I want to buy a new computer and since the MBP will be updating soon I don't want to buy the MBP. 2011
Instead, I'm looking for the MBA 13" inch base model.
I want to do the following things on it:
1. Use it for Word, Excel and Powerpoint
2. Video editing for youtube (PS3 content editing)
3. Safari (youtube, ebuddy, casual roaming)
4. Mac app store games
5. iTunes
6. Photography-editing
7. Run Windows
8. Use it with an external 24" 1920x1080 screen and an external hard drive

Does this work or should I wait till april 2012 for the new MBP ?

Thanks in advance

 

[alust2013]

So far there haven't been any concrete rumors about an upcoming update. The only solid lead is Ivy Bridge being released Q1 2012, which is quite a ways away. But, the MBA will do all that if you like.

 

[treestar]

#8 might be a problem. How do you plan on connecting the monitor and external drive? Look into how the new Thunderbolt port on MacBook Airs has a lesser specification than the port on the MacBook Pros. You'll be able to run an external display if it has MDP or Thunderbolt or you use an adapter, but I don't know if you can simultaneously chain an external drive via Thunderbolt. Also, there are only a couple options for Thunderbolt external drives. Of course you can use USB for the external, but if you are a "power" user when it comes to photography and video editing, USB 2.0 might not be fast enough. If you were just kidding about the photography and video editing then everything else seems OK. You'll probably want to set up a file server over WIFI with a MBA, with an Airport or an old computer.

 

[Young Spade]

#8 might be a problem. How do you plan on connecting the monitor and external drive? Look into how the new Thunderbolt port on MacBook Airs has a lesser specification than the port on the MacBook Pros. You'll be able to run an external display if it has MDP or Thunderbolt or you use an adapter, but I don't know if you can simultaneously chain an external drive via Thunderbolt. Also, there are only a couple options for Thunderbolt external drives. Of course you can use USB for the external, but if you are a "power" user when it comes to photography and video editing, USB 2.0 might not be fast enough. If you were just kidding about the photography and video editing then everything else seems OK. You'll probably want to set up a file server over WIFI with a MBA, with an Airport or an old computer.

Why would he need to use a thunderbolt port for the hard drive? Just get a regular one and use firewire?

But if you're doing video editing, look on youtube at videos of people rendering video and you'll get an idea. You could also read around here; the MBP is going to be better at rendering video, however, since it's just for youtube and not really professional, serious, work, the MBA should be fine.

When pushed, the specs are that of the 2010 MBPs.

 

[treestar]

Why would he need to use a thunderbolt port for the hard drive? Just get a regular one and use firewire?

MacBook Airs don't have a Firewire port. There are maybe one or two Thunderbolt to Firewire PCI type adapters available but they seem like more trouble than they are worth. I suggested he could use USB but noted the performance decrease. It depends on the size of files the OP is using and how he plans to access them. He is probably not going to be working off the flash storage.

For what it's worth, MBAs don't have an ethernet port or a Firewire port. The only high speed data port on them is the Thunderbolt port. Maybe USB 2.0 will meet his needs, but in this aspect of performance the MBAs are not quite adequate.

The LaCie LBD Thunderbolt drive will be available soon, but LaCie drives have some awful reviews regarding their reliability.

 

[Maccalicious]

Well I don't know if this is true, but my local apple reseller told me that because the thunderbolt port looks the same as a mini display port, you could use mini display to dvi or something

 

[Young Spade]

Well I don't know if this is true, but my local apple reseller told me that because the thunderbolt port looks the same as a mini display port, you could use mini display to dvi or something

It is a minidisplay port. WITH Thunderbolt inside as well.

And my mistake for the firewire port thing; obviously i know that but at 1226am you tend to miss the Ps and As. Meh. USB 2.0

 

[Maccalicious]

@treestar How do I setup a wifi server ?
I mean, I would like to put my music on there but I want it to be available on my itunes, and not going into the hard drive and selecting it

 

[treestar]

A couple routes:

Get a wireless router if you don't already have one. At this point you can connect a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, which is simply an external drive that mounts directly to your network. There are lots of options out there, but Apple has their own devices that get the job done a little differently. The Time Capsule is a wireless router/HDD combo. The AirPort Extreme is a router with multiple USB ports to connect external USB drives.

If you have an older computer on hand, you can mount drives to it, and share them over your wireless network.

To sync with iTunes, you can set the iTunes media folder to a folder on your network and iTunes will manage everything in that location. It's no different than with a folder on your MBA.

You can also keep your iTunes media folder on your MBA and just add all your network stored files all at once with the Add To Library command. You don't have to copy the files to your MBA. It just keeps record of the locations of the files and lists them normally in iTunes.

If you get an old computer set up, you can install iTunes on it and let it organize a library for you, and then use the Library sharing feature in iTunes. It is probably better to not do Library sharing; it might not work well if you download a lot of media and apps.

If you don't have a router but you have an old WiFi capable computer, you can create a computer-to-computer network. You must be getting online somehow though, so I assume you have a router.

I'm not the expert on this subject, but it is pretty easy and OS X and iTunes provide a lot of options for storing files and media on a network. I do it with an external drive mounted to an old MB that is connected to my wireless router. I set my iTunes directory to the network shared drive.

 

[njsa04playa]

Hi guys,
I want to buy a new computer and since the MBP will be updating soon I don't want to buy the MBP. 2011
Instead, I'm looking for the MBA 13" inch base model.
I want to do the following things on it:
1. Use it for Word, Excel and Powerpoint
2. Video editing for youtube (PS3 content editing)
3. Safari (youtube, ebuddy, casual roaming)
4. Mac app store games
5. iTunes
6. Photography-editing
7. Run Windows
8. Use it with an external 24" 1920x1080 screen and an external hard drive

Does this work or should I wait till april 2012 for the new MBP ?

Thanks in advance

the mbp is better for your needs, cheaper and offers more bang for your buck as well as capability.

The only reason i can think of to get a macbook air over a mbp is if portability is an extreme NEED not WANT.

So what if it is updating soon, it is the best suited for your needs

 

[Maccalicious]

Thanks for all the help, I think I'm going to pick a used mbp to get the feel of a mac and then maybe I'll buy a new one

 

[Young Spade]

the mbp is better for your needs, cheaper and offers more bang for your buck as well as capability.

The only reason i can think of to get a macbook air over a mbp is if portability is an extreme NEED not WANT.

So what if it is updating soon, it is the best suited for your needs

*claps* That's what I'm talking about for rational recommendation.

Thanks for all the help, I think I'm going to pick a used mbp to get the feel of a mac and then maybe I'll buy a new one

Why a used one? To see if you like it and can get the hang of the OS? But if you're looking to save some money, definitely check out the refurb MBP at Apple's site. It's ah... 1019 if I remember correctly and you get all of the things you would get with a new model and their refurbs are always in pristine condition.

 

[Fugue]

Thanks for all the help, I think I'm going to pick a used mbp to get the feel of a mac and then maybe I'll buy a new one

I think the MBP is a better choice, especially since you will be editing video. The Pro is also a bit cheaper, so you get more bang for your buck. Plus, the upgradability to 8GB RAM and a larger storage (be it SSD or HDD) is nice to have.

 

[njsa04playa]

*claps* That's what I'm talking about for rational recommendation.


why thank you mate