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I think I'm coming back to MBP from MBA

dmk1974

dmk1974

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Sep 16, 2008
2,491
540
Back in July, I sold my 13" MBP MC700LL/A for an ultra portable 11" MBA MC969LL/A. Now, that MBA is a really sweet and portable machine with decent pep. And when at my desk, I connect it to a nice 24" Samsung monitor (just as I had with my MBP). A couple weeks ago, I bought an iPad2 and really since then, my use of the MBA has decreased significantly.

Always keeping an eye out for deals, I found that same model as an open box at Best Buy yesterday. Decent price drop now since the newer version came out a few days ago...I actually wound up getting it for $878 w/tax included. Like-new condition, box and all.

So, long story short, I am thinking of making this MBP my primary laptop again. I still have my 128 GB SSD drive from before (had paid $175 for it) and plan to put it into this MBP. Compared to the MBA now, this MBP has the same 4GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, and Intel HD 3000 graphics. I figure I can sell the MBA for $1050-1100 on CraigsList, so price-wise is about a wash.

As I see it, the main differences now between the two are:

Screen size: 11.6" vs 13.3"
Screen resolution: 1366x768 vs 1280x800
Laptop size
Laptop weight: 2.4lb vs 4.5lb
Speed: 1.6 i5 vs 2.3 i5
Battery: 4hrs vs 6hrs (actual use)
Ports/Drives: MBP has Superdrive and SD slot
Upgradeability: I can add RAM and SSD to MBP...MBA is as-is

Any other key attributes I'm missing? Would you go back to MBP or just stick with the MBA? I kinda think the other reason I'm leaning this way (MBP) is because of my recent iPad2 purchase.
 
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I would go back to the MBP based on the iPad 2 you just received. MBA is good for your ultraportable device, but the iPad 2 is just that for most tasks. Seems a little redundant to have two ultraportable devices. MBP is more bang for your buck anyway (upgradable) and not much bigger (weight, thickness). Still a "very-portable" to me.
 
randomrazr said:
uu blew so much money
Click to expand...

Why do you say that?

Also, I should clarify...in July when I sold my MBP, it was for a 2010 MBA that I then sold for what I paid when my current 2011 11" MBA arrived from Amazon (I got the 2011 11" MBA for just $912 brand new with that 20% off deal they had going).
 
I thought I'm the only one doing that lol

I'm going to sell my MacBook Air 13-inch Late 2010 for a MacBook Pro 13" or 15" still thinking, I think I will go for the 13" because it's much cheaper.

What I don't like about the MBA:

- You can't upgrade the RAM (8GB RAM)
- Storage. This is the main reason I'm going back for the 13" MacBook Pro. I'm sick of plugging my external hard drive all the time when I listen to my music and photos editing (Aperture)
- Colour. The colour on the MBA is so ugly compare with the MBP :( Well it's better than most laptop though.

It's a long story, trust me I used to LOVE my MacBook Air, I even laugh at people why the hell do you buy the MacBook Pro, it's heavy etc...

Now... I hate the MacBook Air, is just me. I know there are a lot of people love it. But it's just not for me. I guess sometime you just have to own one in order to know how good it is. Same as the iPad, people don't believe how magical it is :D UNTIL you have own one yourself.

The only advantage on the MBA is the resolution on the screen. Well I will get over it :)

Good luck. I got the iPad 2 as well, so I think you will be fine without the MBA.
 
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Just sold my ~2 month old 13" Air today and picked up one of the slightly refreshed MacBook Pro's which is what I came from (sold my early-2011 MBP for the Air).

Couldn't live without the high-res AG screen in the end. That isn't to say the Air's screen wasn't nice, it was actually far better than I thought it would be. I just use the SuperDrive every once in a while and hate the external...hate not having firewire...prefer to power 2 external displays...and most of all I hated not having ethernet on the laptop. I ALWAYS use ethernet where possible and messing with a dongle was just a pain.

Also, the 256GB was very tough to work with especially when running a Bootcamp partition. Oh well, perhaps the 15" Air design whenever released will solve a few of these issues, and include a damn real GPU please.
 
I understand why you switched from MBA to MBP. But i dont get how an iPad 2 purchase ended up in you not using your MBA. Unfortunately im probably one of the few that think the iPad is pointless. It's just a big iPhone. Im a college student, so i have my MBP on me at all times. An iPad 2 could never replace my MBP, unless if all i did was listen to music and check email on a bigger screen. I probably would have stuck with the MBA and used the money that was used to purchased the iPad to upgrade the SSD to a 250gb. Which is plenty for portable laptop.
 
The only problem that MBA has compared to MBP 13" is 4 Gig memory limitation. If MBA were to have 8 gig, MBP 13" wouldn't even be here.
 
mohsy90 said:
I understand why you switched from MBA to MBP. But i dont get how an iPad 2 purchase ended up in you not using your MBA. Unfortunately im probably one of the few that think the iPad is pointless. It's just a big iPhone. Im a college student, so i have my MBP on me at all times. An iPad 2 could never replace my MBP, unless if all i did was listen to music and check email on a bigger screen. I probably would have stuck with the MBA and used the money that was used to purchased the iPad to upgrade the SSD to a 250gb. Which is plenty for portable laptop.
Click to expand...

No, I can easily understand where the OP is coming from. Even I found myself using my Air less sometimes due to my iPad. It is NOT an oversized iPhone. It has completely different use cases and many different apps that are designed specifically for a larger screen and form factor.

Now I will use my MBP for more stringent needs. The iPad has kept my regular email checking, news reading, web browsing needs in check which I normally would lug around the Air for. No need.
 
mohsy90 said:
I understand why you switched from MBA to MBP. But i dont get how an iPad 2 purchase ended up in you not using your MBA. Unfortunately im probably one of the few that think the iPad is pointless. It's just a big iPhone. Im a college student, so i have my MBP on me at all times. An iPad 2 could never replace my MBP, unless if all i did was listen to music and check email on a bigger screen. I probably would have stuck with the MBA and used the money that was used to purchased the iPad to upgrade the SSD to a 250gb. Which is plenty for portable laptop.
Click to expand...

This is because iPad and MacBook Air is kinda same. So why not get a better laptop and use the iPad for portable :) This can't apply to everyone though.
 
So I TM restored to the MBP last night and only got to use it for a little while. First thought...man is this thing huge compared to the 11" MBA! Granted, it is a 1.7" bigger screen, but almost double the weight. However, it does seem a little bit faster. Not 2x as fast or anything, but a little bit. I'll have to later on compare with some programs that tax the processor I guess (rendering a video or something). And I like that my battery % isn't dropping as fast on the MBP as it does on the MBA.
 
I think it is a good choice. You now have a more powerful machine that is still portable and you have the Ipad2 for true portability.

I have a 15" MBP and will be picking up an Ipad (2 or wait for 3) for about the same reasons.
 
First night of use of the MBP went well as expected. I do definitely notice the weight difference though when browsing on the couch with it and setting it on the coffee table (not nearly as easy with one hand as the MBA is). Plan would be to use the iPad in that situation, but I want to spend some time with the MBP to make sure all is good as well since it was an open box. I sure do wish the iPad supported flash sites though. Originally, thats why I figured the MBA was a perfect universal portable solution.

It has also crossed my mind...if I'm ok with a 13" size, then why not look for a base 13" MBA now? I obviously have issues just being happy with what I have when it comes to all this Apple stuff :)
 
Well, I sold off my 11" MBA today. I do like the 13" screen size on the MBP. I will admit though that I may look into a 13" MBA though.
 
13" MBA is the sweet spot for a lot of people, me as well. I've had the 13" MBP and the 11" MBA.

By the way I have the ipad2 as well and use it all day, every day alongside my MBA. It's in no way redundant, those who say it is are ignorant to others needs ....
 
Just to see what all the fuss was about, I bought a 13" MBA and used it for 13 days before returning it. I didn't care for it - it feels flimsy and insubstantial compared to the 13" MBP. Almost disposable.

Also:

I did not care for the screen at all--it looks awfully washed out. The keyboard felt like you could punch through it if you wanted to. Not having an optical drive was a nuisance, and all my data, etc., barely fit, even though I had the 256 GB model. And, of course, running Lion on 4 GB with a variety of things open was . . . not ideal.
 
Gurutech said:
The only problem that MBA has compared to MBP 13" is 4 Gig memory limitation. If MBA were to have 8 gig, MBP 13" wouldn't even be here.
Click to expand...

+1 :) Same reason I couldnt buy a 13" MBA and was forced to buy the MBP13+8gb+ssd
 
entatlrg said:
13" MBA is the sweet spot for a lot of people, me as well. I've had the 13" MBP and the 11" MBA.

By the way I have the ipad2 as well and use it all day, every day alongside my MBA. It's in no way redundant, those who say it is are ignorant to others needs ....
Click to expand...

What happened to your 13 MBA? Why pick 13 mbp over 13 MBA?
 
tinkori said:
+1 :) Same reason I couldnt buy a 13" MBA and was forced to buy the MBP13+8gb+ssd
Click to expand...

I like that combo for this...I'm going to likely upgrade to 8gb this week. My MC700LL/A is really great with the 128gb SSD.

While considering a 13" MBA open box today at Best Buy, they also had a MC724LL/A open box for $1092 + tax. I was tempted, but thought...is it really worth ~$260 more to go from the i5 2.3 to i7 2.7?
 
Naimfan said:
For $1092 plus tax, the i7 13" is worth it.
Click to expand...

Is it really? I'm considering it, but just wonder if I'll really notice/need the difference in speed. Per Geekbench, it looks like it's 18% faster than the i5 2.3. But of course would then cost me 31% more.
 
Well, I currently have a 2011 MBA 13" MC965LL/A and the 2011 MBP 13" MC700LL/A (w/SSD) in my possession. I do like both and need to finally get to decision soon.

Here's the comparison that I boiled it down to:

2011 MBA Pros:
  • Integrated SSD standard (mine has the Samsung version)
  • Higher resolution screen
  • 33% lighter by 1.5 lb
  • Thinner
  • Nicer keyboard (the keys are not as flat I've noticed)
  • $50 less (due to SSD upgrade in MBP)

2011 MBP Pros:
  • 8% faster CPU
  • Can upgrade the RAM to 8gb for cheap
  • Can upgrade hard drive again down the road if I need to
  • Has DVD drive (though, really don't use it much)
  • Better color screen/more vibrant
  • Slightly better battery life
 
dmk1974 said:
Is it really? I'm considering it, but just wonder if I'll really notice/need the difference in speed. Per Geekbench, it looks like it's 18% faster than the i5 2.3. But of course would then cost me 31% more.
Click to expand...

Has anyone actually compared the i5 2.3 vs the i7 2.7? Aside from what the benchmarks say, is it actually noticeable?
 
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