Is a MacBook Air for me?

[Tomorrow]

...Was going more for the "wait until right before you go to see what's out then."

Nice sig, btw 😎

I think your point is a good one, but I've always been an advocate of keeping and using a computer until it no longer does what you want or need it to do. If you start college and have a working computer, why buy one right away?

 

[NikFinn]

I definitely want/need to purchase it by the middle of August. Considering both the MBAs and the MBPs were both updated a few weeks ago, I can't see waiting as being too worthwhile especially as I kind of want it like right this second haha.

Tomorrow,
I don't really want to have to deal with transferring files and such once I actually move into the residence hall. And I really don't like this computer and while I don't hate vista, it's certainly not something I adore, at least not as much as leopard.

 

[jrwmba]

I am a doctor with 3 offices, an iMac at one, a 3 year old MBP at home, and an MBA 2.13 I carry with me constantly that I have had since the Wednesday that it came out. For 3 years I carried around the MBP - great computer - but unless you carry it constantly you do not realize how much difference a pound and a half can make. The thinness also makes for more room in the briefcase (or backpack). Part of my MBA decision was realizing that I really almost never need more than one USB port, rarely need a superdrive, so I do not have to carry them around. I do need the superdrive, I would highly recommend it, but it can stay in the room. Of course I am not an 18 year old so maybe 1.5 lbs is a bigger deal to me, but if you are going to carry a computer around all day you cannot beat the MBA. Regarding power, I do a lot of audio and video processing for lectures (and also movies of the toddler). Sure the MBA is not as fast as either the iMac 2.8 or the MBP 2.4 but the difference is surprisingly small and if I could only have one and had to carry t around the MBA wins easily. If I were you, if this is your only mac, the only issue that would concern me is if you have any need for firewire or the SD slot, or would ever want simultaneous access to hardwire ethernet and USB. If so, you may have to consider MBP. In 3 years of MBP use I never did though if you had asked me 3 years ago I would never have given up the extra ports for "just a pound and a half." Voice of experience - you need less than you think.

 

[NikFinn]

jrwmba,
I find that I never really use more than one usb port either. On my windows laptop, my external hdd is always plugged in but that's only because all of my music is on there due to the paltry hard drive size of my laptop. I also find I use my dvd drive only to burn the occasional dvd/cd. Software these days can always simply be downloaded without one. Regarding the SD slot, it can't be a bad thing as I own a nikon D60 DSLR but I have the same slot on my current computer and find that I almost always simply plug my camera in with a usb cable.

 

[KobaltBlau]

if this is your only mac, the only issue that would concern me is if you have any need for firewire or the SD slot, or would ever want simultaneous access to hardwire ethernet and USB.

You could get simultaneous access to hardwire ethernet and USB with a USB hub, right?

 

[NikFinn]

Kobalt,
I honestly have no idea, but my entire campus is wireless. And I can't say there has ever been a time where I wish I had a hardwire ethernet line because there wasn't wifi the entire time I have had this current (windows) laptop.

 

[jdechko]

Tomorrow, thanks. I really do believe in what I wrote as my sig and I think it's some of the most sound advice on these boards: if you need it now, buy it now and don't look back. Use what you get with no regrets. However, if you can afford to wait then by all meas wait as something new is always right around the corner. And anyway he OP said the battery doesn't last long anymore. If you're always near an outlet that may be fine. But that doesn't always work at every college. So in my mind that's the no. 1 reason for upgrading.

To the original poster, since you are looking at buying around august, I'd say that the MacBook Pro seems like the smarter buy for two main reasons. First off is performance. I know you know the specs butthe two biggest things in my mind are battery life and upgradability. Second is price. I don't know about you but if I'm planning on upgrading in 24-30 months I probably wouldn't want to spend the extra money on the Air.

 

[NikFinn]

jdechko,
One thing I am concerned about is upgradability. If I did purchase a MBP, I would feel a lot more comfortable keeping it for a long period time, even as long as my stay at my college. I feel like with the MBP, in 4 years it would be still considered a decent mac even with no upgrades, while the MBA would seem lacking especially since you can't upgrade anything at all.

 

[KobaltBlau]

Kobalt,
I honestly have no idea, but my entire campus is wireless. And I can't say there has ever been a time where I wish I had a hardwire ethernet line because there wasn't wifi the entire time I have had this current (windows) laptop.

Thanks Nik, I'm not surprised that's not an issue for you, it probably isn't for most people, but I hope you don't mind asking the question in your thread, because I would frequently like to use both a usb wired ethernet adapter and usb keyboard. I think this should be possible, but perhaps there's an issue I'm not aware of.

 

[NikFinn]

Kobalt,
It would certainly make sense that you could use both with a hub, but I have seen stranger things before.

 

[jdechko]

If that's how you feel then I'd probably go with the MacBook Pro. I think it would suit you better for the long term. And if you're able to upgrade sooner then that's great. If not, you've still got a great machine.

Regarding the Ethernet adapter keyboard and a USB hub, I don't see a reason why it wouldn't work. If you're wanting to do the Ethernet, an external hard drive and (in the case of the air) a SuperDrive, then I would have some concerns with saturating the USB bus and killing performance.

Of course, with a MacBook Pro you have more connectivity options as it is. 🙂

 

[caonimadebi]

At the study halls and coffee shops of most large universities, you're gonna see a sea of macbook pros in the 13"/15" flavors. If you want to stand out, MBA is definitely the way to go.
Just realize that you're making quite a sacrifice with the MBA. 7-hour battery on the MBP may just be enough to eliminate having to carry the charger (which eats into the MBA's 1.5lb advantage). 2.5" HDD's so large that you will not have to carry an external. 4GB (or 8) may make a big difference 2-3 years down the road, when you come across a RAM-intensive app.

 

[aleksandra.]

At the study halls and coffee shops of most large universities, you're gonna see a sea of macbook pros in the 13"/15" flavors. If you want to stand out, MBA is definitely the way to go.
Just realize that you're making quite a sacrifice with the MBA. 7-hour battery on the MBP may just be enough to eliminate having to carry the charger (which eats into the MBA's 1.5lb advantage). 2.5" HDD's so large that you will not have to carry an external. 4GB (or 8) may make a big difference 2-3 years down the road, when you come across a RAM-intensive app.

😱 You must be a real pro, to need more than 128GB on the go... And if you use RAM-intensive apps, 4GB already makes a difference. It isn't exactly what Air is for, you know...

 

[iSee]

My gut says get the MBP... unless you are sure you need the extra portability and/or you'll be in a position to upgrade in a couple years if the MBA no longer suits your needs.

Four years is a long time. Just being able to upgrade the RAM and HD in the MBP will almost ensure that it will be comfortable to use for the full duration.

Then again you really can upgrade the MBA: sell the old one, buy a new one. Apple products keep their value really well unless Apple lowers the price on later models. Since Apple just dropped the MBA price, I don't think that's going to happen.

I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

[caonimadebi]

😱 You must be a real pro, to need more than 128GB on the go... And if you use RAM-intensive apps, 4GB already makes a difference. It isn't exactly what Air is for, you know...

the OP will be using it as a PRIMARY computer in college. 128GB takes what, a few hours, to fill up on dorm DC file sharing network? It's good enough to hold a season of scrubs in HD? I just finished college, and can tell you that 250GB is the bare minimum one needs to get by in college.
As for the RAM, running VMWare Fusion with 2GB is already cutting it close, let alone other apps.

 

[aleksandra.]

the OP will be using it as a PRIMARY computer in college. 128GB takes what, a few hours, to fill up on dorm DC file sharing network? It's good enough to hold a season of scrubs in HD? I just finished college, and can tell you that 250GB is the bare minimum one needs to get by in college.
As for the RAM, running VMWare Fusion with 2GB is already cutting it close, let alone other apps.

I am using MacBook Air as a primary computer and I'm a uni student (I don't really know US education system, so I don't know how it corresponds to college). Thank you for agreeing with me about RAM. You did notice I wrote "on the go", in response to "have to carry an external", right?

 

[khalid29]

Go for a MacBook Pro

I would say go for a MacBook Pro for sure. MacBook Air is too delicate. I think it's only good for traveling and going from place to place. No heavy work at all. It can't withstand the load.

Personally If I didn't have the old macbook pro from last year then I would get the new one. It's one amazing machine!

 

[NikFinn]

The idea of the 7 hour battery makes me certainly lean macbook pro as I could use it practically an entire day without charging it 😱. As for the whole music/downloading thing, I have a 500gb external with all my music on it plus countless seasons of TV shows and movies. I do plan on moving my music collection to my laptop but as of now it's only around 40 GB. The external will almost certainly stay in my dorm so I can watch the occasional movie in my dorm, but I doubt I'll have any reason to bring it with me.

 

[nahsor]

I am a college student and I am in the same boat as you and am stuck deciding between the Air and the Pro. However, I am leaning towards the Pro because of the upgradeability because college gets expensive with tuition, housing and other "extracurricular activities" 😀 and honestly the only advantage the Air has over the Pro is the wow factor. It is not worth dishing out the extra 600 bucks. When you are up at 2 AM trying to write a paper in the library, do you really care what others think about your laptop? Or would you rather have the 7 hour battery life? Portability is not going to matter that much. 4.5 over 3 pounds is well made up by the battery and most likely you won't even notice. Plus, as I mentioned before, you can always upgrade the Pro and so it should last you at least 4+ years. Right now, the Air will work for you, but remember SL requires at least 1 GB of RAM. Tiger required 256 MB and Leopard required 512MB. So, in like 2 years when Apple releases a new OS (which follows their usual cycle, i am not pulling this out of the air), the requirement will be more than 1GB of RAM and then the Air would seem sluggish if you tried to do anything intensive. With an upgraded Pro, there would be no problem! Plus in like 4 years, the lines between the Air and the Pro are going to be really blurred and then you can buy a laptop that is also light and future-proof.

I don't know if I have convinced you or not, but I have just convinced myself 😀 to go with the Pro.

If still stuck, you shouldmake a pros and cons list because no matter what everybody says, you will rank features (RAM, weight, etc.) differently than others! Good luck deciding!

 

[aleksandra.]

(...) and honestly the only advantage the Air has over the Pro is the wow factor. It is not worth dishing out the extra 600 bucks. When you are up at 2 AM trying to write a paper in the library, do you really care what others think about your laptop? Or would you rather have the 7 hour battery life? Portability is not going to matter that much. 4.5 over 3 pounds is well made up by the battery and most likely you won't even notice.

You're very, very wrong here. Weight might not matter for you and many other people, but for those who care, it's a huge difference. On the other hand, I could really live without "wow, what do you need this toy for?!" factor.

Of course weight isn't the only factor and if it doesn't matter, MBP is simply better - but if it does, Air's a great notebook to carry with you everywhere.

 

[macjonny1]

2 GB ram max kills it for me.

 

[EMKarelia]

Like I said before. I don't think that the air is the best computer mac as made.

 

[kuaizi8]

I just finished college, and can tell you that 250GB is the bare minimum one needs to get by in college..

That's just not true and certainly doesn't apply to everybody. I have never required more than 50 GB.

 

[esdunbar]

500 gig is not a lot when you're talking about being in a college dorm. My guess is that you'll have a 2TB drive before your freshman year is out. Just wait 'til you meet the guy with 750 movies on an external and is willing to share.

But, I digress. The Pro is the clear choice here IMO. My reasons will obviously depend a little bit on major and school/campus, but for the most part they should apply:

1) battery life: if you have to walk a decent amount from your apartment/dorm to campus, you'll find that you stay on campus in between classes, so it won't need to work for just one hour at a time, you'll be away for the better part of the day (this will help your grades too). Sure you'll have time between classes, but you'll grab a bite to eat, talk to a friend or two, then you'll realize that it's time to head to your next class and you never stopped to charge your Air after your two morning classes...doh! If your major deals with any kind of science, you will eventually have a number of 3 hour labs, the Air won't make it through them and other classes. You'll quickly notice that the prime spots in the library/union/coffee shop/other study areas are the ones right next to the power outlets. During prime hours (not to mention finals time), it can get very hard to find an open outlet and you'll be cursing a 3 hour battery (this is the single biggest reason to get the Pro IMO).

2) durability: I love my Air, but my MBP just "feels" much more stable to me. You'll likely be shoving this laptop into a book bag with a number of heavy books. I don't trust the Air to take that kind of punishment and hold up over 4 years.

3) portability: The main advantage to the Air is portability; however, you're at one of the few places where I would argue that portability doesn't matter. Everywhere you go, you'll be lugging a book bag and a bunch of books anyways. Saving a pound or two is barely two couple chapters in most text books, so I don't think sacrificing battery power and durability is really worth it.

4) theft: Really any nice laptop could be the subject of a potential theft, so it's not like you'd be immune from theft with a MBP, but I'd guess that an Air would be more likely to be stolen. Just something to think about.

Good luck with school!

 

[jdechko]

That's just not true and certainly doesn't apply to everybody. I have never required more than 50 GB.

This is true. It depends on a lot of different factors. If you're wanting to rip your own movies (or come by them through shady methods) then 2TB isn't even enough. The biggest drive I've ever had built in was the 160 on my desktop, and the only reason it's close to being full is that I have about 120GB of movies. My laptop has a 30 in it and there's still about 6GB free (and that's after duplicating my entire iTunes library).