Glassbook vs. Air

[roland.g]

Since January I have been wanting to get a MacBook Air as a 2nd machine. I have an iMac as my primary. I want something light for traveling (which I don't do much of), that is good for browsing, writing, mail, etc. The lack of an optical drive was not a deal killer for me, nor was the lack of ports, but I wouldn't mind being able to load a DVD on a flight. The weight was really the best factor. Now that the new MacBooks have come out, I have been leaning more towards the 2.4 $1600 model rather than the $1800 Air, partly because I didn't feel the 1.5 lbs difference was that substantial. I have held them both.

Is the lower weight and better screen of the Air worth the $200 premium while sacrificing the clickable glass trackpad and better specs (2.4 vs. 1.6 or 1.86 and 4GB RAM limit vs. 2GB) that the MacBook offers?

Does the new Air offer the 4 finger swiping for App switching and Expose?

I know a lot of people dislike the new MacBook because of the screen/viewing angle.

MacBook
Pros:
Better specs - 4GB RAM limit and access, faster CPU, more ports
Glass trackpad with built in click and right click
User Changeable Battery and Hard Drive
Black Bezel - I like the look

Cons:
Heavier
Screen Panel

MacBook Air
Pros:
Lighter
Sleeker
Better Screen Panel

Cons:
Less Upgradeable - RAM, Battery, HDD
Slower Drive
Older Trackpad

 

[munckee]

I went through the same decision process over the last couple of weeks. Planning to pick up a 24" iMac for home (to replace my mac mini) and wanted a portable as a 2nd machine. I opted for a lightly used 1st gen. Air off craigslist. Ended up spending less than I would have for a new macbook, and despite the new machine being lighter than the old plastic models, I still noticed a pretty sizable difference when picking the two up. That said, I'd have trouble justifying the price of a new Air. Just seems expensive for what it is to me...

 

[techound1]

You can pick up a refurb Air for a reasonable price these days. That said, I personally would go with the macbook for upgradability.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Another vote for the aluminum MacBook.

 

[neiltc13]

Get the 2.0GHz model - it's highly unlikely that you'll do anything that needs that extra 400MHz.

 

[six.four]

I had to make the exact same decision and I went with the macbook air.

Besides the fact that it is lighter and sleeker, I was able to get a used MBA for significantly less (~$350) than what I could get an aluminum macbook for.

If they were the same price, I probably would have opted for the aluminum macbook. If the macbook was cheaper than the MBA, I would certainly choose the macbook over the MBA.

 

[roland.g]

Get the 2.0GHz model - it's highly unlikely that you'll do anything that needs that extra 400MHz.

I know that they lower end model is a better buy, but I do like the idea of the backlit keyboard and prefer to get a faster CPU and larger HDD.

 

[dubhe]

Do you need the extra power of the MB? I too am thinking about the Air over the MB because all I really need it for is web browsing, iWork and an occasional dip into XP via VMFusion to run a simple programme for work.

The Air is better looking, much more portable and will hold its value.

 

[jbrenn]

i vote mb for the following reasons
user replaceable battery, ram, hard drive.
faster processor, and cheaper

 

[aleni]

i think you don't need 4 gigz of ram for a second machine which is used primary for web browsing, writing and mail.

when you travel, you bring all the things with you, like digicam, clothes, etc, so the much lighter mba is nice since it's lighter.