Since the GPU is CRAP in a £2000+ MBP i think next time ill get the cheapest 11" air and start investing back in my desktop. im not happy with a crappy 6770 GPU in a 2k notebook.
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How many would consider replacing MBP with MBA
- Thread starter tim100
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Despite I love my MBP my next purchase will be a MBA. I like the idea of having a MBA for the road and light staff while at home I will have an iMAC to handle the tough tasks.
Have early 2010 15-inch MBP and bought 13-inch MBA in Sept., and like others I found:
But I did love the compact form factor and the really cheap 256GB SSD included. Oh well, will have to try that again in 2014.
- Poorer quality washed-out screen
- 4GB RAM limitation
- Lack of ports, especially FireWire 800
- Weak Wi-Fi
- Flimsy keyboard
But I did love the compact form factor and the really cheap 256GB SSD included. Oh well, will have to try that again in 2014.
I remember you!
Ubercool I remember you from the "Alum Unibody thread that lasted for years! Ive heard nothing but great things about the last Airs to be released Im thinking if a 15 air comes out soon I may replace my little 13.
Have early 2010 15-inch MBP and bought 13-inch MBA in Sept., and like others I found:
- Poorer quality washed-out screen
- 4GB RAM limitation
- Lack of ports, especially FireWire 800
- Weak Wi-Fi
- Flimsy keyboard
But I did love the compact form factor and the really cheap 256GB SSD included. Oh well, will have to try that again in 2014.
Ubercool I remember you from the "Alum Unibody thread that lasted for years! Ive heard nothing but great things about the last Airs to be released Im thinking if a 15 air comes out soon I may replace my little 13.
Hm. Depends on my needs. Right now, with a 15" MBP on the way... the only way I'd see myself using a Macbook Air would be to get an 11" version strictly for bringing everywhere. They'd have to increase the battery life on it by a fair bit, though. 5 hours just doesn't seem enough for an ultra-portable like that, which is basically designed to go absolutely everywhere. I've played with them here and there, and for what it is, the size is great, the quality is there, and it's very easy to work on. But... I don't see this happening.
I went with a 15" MBP instead of an iMac so I can do some mixing and the like wherever I am, and basically have a powerful, mobile recording setup. A Macbook Air wouldn't be powerful enough to handle that to my satisfaction. And, I don't really like having more than one computer. I find keeping what I want on each computer quite irritating, and I basically just end up using one of them exclusively. So, if I'm going to have only one computer, it should be powerful enough to do what I want, and it should be a laptop that's as portable as possible. That basically narrows my choice down to exactly one computer... the 15" MBP.
If I didn't need the power of the 15" Pro, I'd happily use a 13" Air as my only computer. I've been using a 13" Macbook for three years now as my primary computer, and I've never found it too small. Slightly higher resolution would be nice, and, well... the 13" Air has that!
I went with a 15" MBP instead of an iMac so I can do some mixing and the like wherever I am, and basically have a powerful, mobile recording setup. A Macbook Air wouldn't be powerful enough to handle that to my satisfaction. And, I don't really like having more than one computer. I find keeping what I want on each computer quite irritating, and I basically just end up using one of them exclusively. So, if I'm going to have only one computer, it should be powerful enough to do what I want, and it should be a laptop that's as portable as possible. That basically narrows my choice down to exactly one computer... the 15" MBP.
If I didn't need the power of the 15" Pro, I'd happily use a 13" Air as my only computer. I've been using a 13" Macbook for three years now as my primary computer, and I've never found it too small. Slightly higher resolution would be nice, and, well... the 13" Air has that!
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I was really interested in the MB Air 11" when it was launched. That was until I actually had a good play with one in the Apple store and just thought damn it lacks power! That was compared to my 2010 MB Pro. It really did feel lacking, plus the screen is too small for your only computer I think.
Still if it had a decent CPU and Intel graphics, it may be a worthy replacement, I mean the Pro's do feel like the weight of a house when carrying them.
Still if it had a decent CPU and Intel graphics, it may be a worthy replacement, I mean the Pro's do feel like the weight of a house when carrying them.
Interesting. What specifically did you do at the Apple Store to make you conclude this?
Browsed the web, opened up and played with all the programmes, also played Quake online in the browser. But coming from my machine it just felt underpowered. That's the difference between the two. I would get the 13" Air if I was thinking of one and get the most powerful CPU.
What are your uses? My gf's 13" air the ULV i5 sb has not given me any problems messing with iMovie and Starcraft 2. Don't feel much difference vs my x220 with full i5-2520 with ssd. The sb ULV are real processors.
i wouldnt. i run win and mac at the same time. mba doesnt have enough ram to support this. sure mba looks cool has a better screen red and much lighter..but 4gb ram is the deal breaker.
No thank you.
MBA is fine for perhaps taking notes in the class and general surfing as far as the construction of the laptop is concerned. However for more long-hours of work such as coding I would never use an air.
Add to that the fact that the Air doesn't have backlit keyboard makes it a big no-no for me. Even bigger no-no is that there is not possibility to upgrade the RAM in the Air.
MBA is fine for perhaps taking notes in the class and general surfing as far as the construction of the laptop is concerned. However for more long-hours of work such as coding I would never use an air.
Add to that the fact that the Air doesn't have backlit keyboard makes it a big no-no for me. Even bigger no-no is that there is not possibility to upgrade the RAM in the Air.
Yeap, got 8GB Crucial ram on it's way to me and it cost me peanuts because I have a 2010 model, also if I get an SSD, this too is cheaper as I only need a Sata 3Gb/s model again because I have a 2010 Mac. And if I do all this my Mac will be a lot more powerful then any MacBook Air and possibly more powerful this years new ones too.
Air's are not designed to be power houses, Pros are. It really comes down to what you do with it and if you need better portability.
But I only have one Mac, it's my sole computer so again I wouldn't get an Air for that purpose.
I looked at both the MBA & the MBP, and decided on the MBP. The deciding factors for me were: More ports on the MBP, More Memory on the MBP, and the overall "feel" of the MBP. The Air just seemed too fragile.
I would love to get a MBA, but until they come with a 512Gb SSD, I can't do it.
Maybe the 15" MBA will have 2x 256SSD raided into one drive?
Maybe the 15" MBA will have 2x 256SSD raided into one drive?
the only way you will justify getting an air to me, is that you like it. it's no more portable than the pro at 1.5 pounds more. go to a gym.
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sold for the low price of totally outrageous.
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sold for the low price of totally outrageous.
I spent about two weeks with a current model 13" macBook Air and my early 2011 15" Macbook Pro. I almost went with the air but just couldn't do it. The high res AG screen and the upgradeable features of the 15" made it the choice for me. I really did love the Air but ended up with the 15" and an iPad. I am happen with my set up. Does anyone here use the 15"hi res with an external monitor? If so which one? Thanks
The Anti-glare screens on the Macbook Pros are awful, whites are not white and the display itself is much dimmer. When I move between my 2011 27" iMac and my Macbook Pro 15", at least there is a decent level of similarly good looking display, the Anti-glare 15" I owned for a day was horrendous.
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The problem with the Airs are the low quality screens, weaker battery life, and weak integrated GPU.
Somehow people seem to see high resolution and immediately assume "BETTER!!", when they should have looked closely at the 13" Pro's color reproduction, gamut, viewing angles, and contrast being far superior.
As an expensive machine, there is no way I'd give up a much better screen and faster machine for portability.
Now 2012 Airs will be interesting to see, we know Ivy Bridge will benefit it tremendously, but what would be even more interesting is to see a 13" Pro that trims the optical drive and becomes an overall better 13" Air with the better screen, battery life and power.
I would need some type of wireless external hd in the house to keep all my files on, in order to justify the air. Or, the ssd storage cost for the airs would have I come down significantly. I cant work with just 128gb of storage, and the cost for a 256gb or ~480gb drive is ridiculous.
I would think the optical drives will die in 2012. What will make the pro different from the air in 2012.