I still don't understand why one would get a MBA over...

[surjavarman]

I am going to get flamed for this. But I still don't understand why one would get a MBA of any kind (especially the 11 inch).

I am trying to think of a situation where one would use a MBA over a MBP15 or even the MBP13. Now I myself made the mistake of getting the MBP13 myself. Though it wasn't really a mistake cause I was expecting a redesign next year but I needed a laptop now so I went for the cheapest offering with the intention of selling it next year for a redesigned fully loaded MBP15.


One reason to get the MBA11/13 is portability. But why wouldn't you just get an ipad AND a MBP15. You wouldn't bring the the MBA13 with you every time anyway unlike the ipad and you can't just flash it in public as easily as an ipad so its function is limited to doing pure computer related stuff. Plus for the occasions that you do bring it with you, how much of a hassle for that rare occasion is it to bring the MBP15 with you. For home situation its really a no brainer too. Moving the MBP15 from your desk to the toilet to the bed is just as easy as moving the MBA11/13.

 

[jsolares]

Why? because i can

The difference in price between the mbp and mba is pretty minimal, granted you get better a bit better expandability with the mbp but you also lose the SSD.

My main desktop is the iMac, and the air when i have to go out, and an iPad is mostly worthless to me for what i do.

Even if its easy i simply don't want to carry around a big laptop.

 

[KPOM]

How well does that 15" MBP fit on a coach airline tray? How easily does it slip into the document pocket of a briefcase?

It's about time ultraportables became mainstream. Bulky 6lb notebooks have a place, but as desktop replacements for pros. Today's Core i5/i7 processors, and those on the horizon provide more than enough power for about 90% of us. The question isn't "Why get a MacBook Air?". It's "Why not get a MacBook Air?".

 

[surjavarman]

Why? because i can

The difference in price between the mbp and mba is pretty minimal, granted you get better a bit better expandability with the mbp but you also lose the SSD.

My main desktop is the iMac, and the air when i have to go out, and an iPad is mostly worthless to me for what i do.

Even if its easy i simply don't want to carry around a big laptop.

You cant use an imac in bed, on the sofa or on the toilet. And its not as personal as a laptop on your lap. Desktops are dead nowadays.

Btw I was talking more about the MBP15 rather than the 13 incher.

 

[DeusInvictus7]

For me, the smaller size is actually a huge difference. I've gone from a 13" Aluminum MacBook to a 15" MacBook Pro to a 13" MacBook Air and now I have this 11" MacBook Air. The size alone makes me WANT to carry the MBA wherever I go. With my old 15", I can't say the same thing.

The biggest thing is the weight. While carrying it by itself none of the above laptops seem heavy, but once you add up text books, binders and notebooks everything adds up and carrying the 15" to school every day was simply just too much for me. I did try doing the 15" MacBook Pro + iPad combo, which is awesome, but I found typing on the iPad to be less comfortable and I realized I would rather have a full OS for my portable computer than iOS.

If I was to have one computer, then the 15" would be my pick, and it was for a little while. But for my uses and my preferences now, a two computer setup works a lot better, and is why I have an iMac + MBA.

 

[KPOM]

You cant use an imac in bed, on the sofa or on the toilet. And its not as personal as a laptop on your lap. Desktops are dead nowadays.

Btw I was talking more about the MBP15 rather than the 13 incher.

You seriously don't know why someone would prefer an 11" MacBook Air to a 15" MacBook Pro? The Pro is more than twice as heavy and a lot less portable. BTW, I don't even have an iPad, since there's really nothing on it that I wouldn't use a MacBook Air for. To me, the only advantage of the iPad is that it can be read on a train, but then again, I can just get a Kindle if I want to read the paper or a book while commuting. It's lighter and less expensive.

 

[surjavarman]

For me, the smaller size is actually a huge difference. I've gone from a 13" Aluminum MacBook to a 15" MacBook Pro to a 13" MacBook Air and now I have this 11" MacBook Air. The size alone makes me WANT to carry the MBA wherever I go. With my old 15", I can't say the same thing.

The biggest thing is the weight. While carrying it by itself none of the above laptops seem heavy, but once you add up text books, binders and notebooks everything adds up and carrying the 15" to school every day was simply just too much for me. I did try doing the 15" MacBook Pro + iPad combo, which is awesome, but I found typing on the iPad to be less comfortable and I realized I would rather have a full OS for my portable computer than iOS.

If I was to have one computer, then the 15" would be my pick, and it was for a little while. But for my uses and my preferences now, a two computer setup works a lot better, and is why I have an iMac + MBA.

So its basically the imac+mba11 vs the mbp15+ipad? That makes more sense. And you basically prefer the former combo over the later one?

You seriously don't know why someone would prefer an 11" MacBook Air to a 15" MacBook Pro? The Pro is more than twice as heavy and a lot less portable. BTW, I don't even have an iPad, since there's really nothing on it that I wouldn't use a MacBook Air for. To me, the only advantage of the iPad is that it can be read on a train, but then again, I can just get a Kindle if I want to read the paper or a book while commuting. It's lighter and less expensive.

You can not play games or web browse on the kindle. And downloaded pdf's are a disaster on any ereader. The e-ink might be superior for reading books and only books. But its the refresh rates that really kills the functionality. I could deal with the black and white but not with refresh rates. So its basically only cheaper than the ipad.

 

[jsolares]

You cant use an imac in bed, on the sofa or on the toilet. And its not as personal as a laptop on your lap. Desktops are dead nowadays.

Btw I was talking more about the MBP15 rather than the 13 incher.

I don't usually use a computer in bed, the sofa or the toilet. i dunno what you mean about personal, will you be marrying your mbp15?

It's just a computer, when i sit down to watch tv i watch tv, when i do want to work in bed i do have the MBA for that as well.

 

[Sodner]

I went with iMac, Air and IPad.

 

[Panch0]

Everyone has different needs and different priorities. My priorities appear to be exactly the opposite of yours. I currently have a 15" MBP, but expect to replace it with an MBA next year. I really don't do anything on my MBP that the MBA wouldn't do just as well. OK, I'd like to have more than 4GB RAM for the rare occasions when I have to fire up a Windows VM, but I don't have to have it. I have no need for the superdrive at all. I connect to an external monitor at my desk. Why carry around a bunch of stuff that I just don't need? Plus, my MBP is a late 2008, so the MBA will have what, almost 3 times the battery life? I place a higher value on portability than you do. Doesn't mean either of us is wrong, we just have have different needs (or maybe just preferences).

 

[Yumunum]

It should be fairly obvious, the benefits of an 11-inch vs. other computers.

But, I'd have to say that getting the 13-inch Air seems a little dumb, if you're getting it for portability... There's really barely a difference between it and the Pro.

I did get one however, because it would cost less for me to get the 13" Air instead of the 13" Pro with an SSD. If I buy in Oregon at the Apple store, I don't pay tax. If I custom order the Pro, I pay tax. So yeah, that's why I didn't get the Pro. But if someone was getting the 13" Air for portability, I do think it'd be kinda dumb. It has the same footprint as the 13" Pro and it's not too much lighter, or atleast not light enough to knock your socks off.

 

[futbalguy]

So its basically the imac+mba11 vs the mbp15+ipad? That makes more sense. And you basically prefer the former combo over the later one?



You can not play games or web browse on the kindle. And downloaded pdf's are a disaster on any ereader. The e-ink might be superior for reading books and only books. But its the refresh rates that really kills the functionality. I could deal with the black and white but not with refresh rates. So its basically only cheaper than the ipad.

A lot of people have no use for a 15 inch laptop and a lot of people dont want a tablet. The MBA 13 is very easy to carry around, you dont have to worry about scratching a hard drive if you bump it, and its faster than a MBP with an HDD. For most people its the perfect laptop. I hate the additional weight of a normal macbook and it does make a difference if you haul it around a lot.

 

[KPOM]

You can not play games or web browse on the kindle. And downloaded pdf's are a disaster on any ereader. The e-ink might be superior for reading books and only books. But its the refresh rates that really kills the functionality. I could deal with the black and white but not with refresh rates. So its basically only cheaper than the ipad.

I'm not doing much web browsing on the subway. The e-Reader is a lot lighter, too.

I'm not saying there is no market for an iPad. However, a MacBook Air is a real notebook, and not a tablet. As an e-Reader, I actually think a notebook is nearly as effective as a tablet since it rests on my lap. Now when the iPad gets down to .75 lbs or less, I'll reconsider.

There is very little that I can do on a 15" MacBook Pro that I can't do on an 11" MacBook Air, and that difference will get smaller and smaller with each new generation. There's a reason we don't lug 14lb "laptops" anymore, even though I'm sure if there were one, it could pack in more power than even the 17" MacBook Pro. It's just that it wouldn't be enough to justify. We are quickly getting to the point where most of us can get everything we need out of a 2.5-3lb notebook.

 

[DeusInvictus7]

So its basically the imac+mba11 vs the mbp15+ipad? That makes more sense. And you basically prefer the former combo over the later one?

For me, the former combo works better. When I had the 15" + iPad I ended up bringing both with me just in case. But now with my 11" MBA, I have just as much power as my old 15" with the portability of the iPad. The current 11" really is the best of both worlds.

The only wish I have is for the battery life to be improved. A 11" MBA with a 10+ hour battery? Yes please!

 

[scarred]

I'm going to flip that question back on you. The big macbook pros are so heavy that they always sit on a desk. Why don't you just get a powerful desktop instead? Cheaper, better, bigger screen. You already have an iPad for portability.

 

[mac jones]

Some people sit at desks. Some, sit with them on their laps.

I like to lie in bed and use them mostly, as I can get more comfortable this way.

So there you have it. My needs will be different than others.

 

[Capt Underpants]

Different strokes for different folks.

Get it now?

 

[3dflyboy1]

It should be fairly obvious, the benefits of an 11-inch vs. other computers.

obviously not obvious enough.

 

[Vantagecb]

I have a PC that I made myself. 2600k with 8gb and a 560ti. The only thing I wanted was something to carry around to class and lay in bed and surf the internet before I fall asleep. The iPad is a waste of money (in my opinion), and I would never type without an actual keyboard, making it clunkier than a MBA.

 

[JHUFrank]

It should be fairly obvious, the benefits of an 11-inch vs. other computers.

But, I'd have to say that getting the 13-inch Air seems a little dumb, if you're getting it for portability... There's really barely a difference between it and the Pro.

Horse puckey. My wife has a 13" Pro, and I have the 13" Air. The difference isn't what you feel in a backpack, but what you feel when you are using a laptop one handed to connect to a Cisco switch while you are up on a 6 foot ladder. The air is just so easy to tote and handle for what I do. I love the MBP, but as far as lightweight usability/portability, its not close.

 

[richpjr]

I am going to get flamed for this. But I still don't understand why one would get a MBA of any kind (especially the 11 inch).

I am trying to think of a situation where one would use a MBA over a MBP15 or even the MBP13. Now I myself made the mistake of getting the MBP13 myself. Though it wasn't really a mistake cause I was expecting a redesign next year but I needed a laptop now so I went for the cheapest offering with the intention of selling it next year for a redesigned fully loaded MBP15.

One reason to get the MBA11/13 is portability. But why wouldn't you just get an ipad AND a MBP15. You wouldn't bring the the MBA13 with you every time anyway unlike the ipad and you can't just flash it in public as easily as an ipad so its function is limited to doing pure computer related stuff. Plus for the occasions that you do bring it with you, how much of a hassle for that rare occasion is it to bring the MBP15 with you. For home situation its really a no brainer too. Moving the MBP15 from your desk to the toilet to the bed is just as easy as moving the MBA11/13.

I can only speak for myself and my i7 13" MBA, but for the way I use my laptop, a 15" MBP is bigger, heavier, costs more and offers nothing over what I need.

 

[omgitscro]

iPad wound up being useless for class, and my 15" MBP was not convenient to lug around. Opted for 11" MBA and secondary monitor instead

 

[JHUFrank]

I am gonna slam myself on my last post too. Its portability too. When I am carrying around a MBP in my sturdy Samsonite laptop bag, I can only fit the laptop in the laptop compartment. Well, maybe a few papers too.
With the MBA, I can shove a half inch sheaf of papers, and 3 or 4 network cables in the compartment too, and still have plenty of space for the Air because of its thinness.

 

[richpjr]

But, I'd have to say that getting the 13-inch Air seems a little dumb, if you're getting it for portability... There's really barely a difference between it and the Pro.

The screen resolution on the 13" MBP is pretty limiting.

 

[Pipper99]

I went with iMac, Air and IPad.

Me, too. I can carry both the iPad and the Air in my Scottevest jacket (not that I have, or would, but I could).