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Is the Air the best apple laptop right now?

TurboJobo

TurboJobo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 24, 2009
524
296
San Diego/Tijuana
First of all I don't care for retina display on a macbook, most webpages or other things don't even use all those pixels and by not having a retina display is the air faster than the pro and new macbook?
because it Doesn't have that many pixels?
At the moment I have a 2010 macbook pro 2.4 core 2 duo with 6gb ram and 256 samsung SDD but i hate the graphics cards would the macbook air be better and by better i mean, faster? less heat?
i hate that my fan goes crazy on skype,youtube, and other things would the air do the same?
Also is there any difference between the 2012 to 2015 air laptops?besides the gpu and the newly added faster sdd?
thanks in advance and sorry for any miss spelling :D:apple:
 
i think the best performance/price Apple notebook is the rMBP 13 inch

QUOTE=XxpikachuxX;20826649]First of all I don't care for retina display on a macbook, most webpages or other things don't even use all those pixels and by not having a retina display is the air faster than the pro and new macbook?
because it Doesn't have that many pixels?
At the moment I have a 2010 macbook pro 2.4 core 2 duo with 6gb ram and 256 samsung SDD but i hate the graphics cards would the macbook air be better and by better i mean, faster? less heat?
i hate that my fan goes crazy on skype,youtube, and other things would the air do the same?
Also is there any difference between the 2012 to 2015 air laptops?besides the gpu and the newly added faster sdd?
thanks in advance and sorry for any miss spelling :D:apple:[/QUOTE]
 
It is for me. My fully loaded 2014 MBAir 13 is still god for me.

I use it for Windows Pro 7 via bootcamp and it is very fast. Do not want retina as Windows via bootcamp makes everything way to small with retina.

I also want the ports! I think it is stupid to remove the ports just so you can make a device thinner. Enough already with the thinner Apple!

I would have rathered leave the MB the same thickness and give us even more battery and ports. I will stick with my MBA and take a good close look at the Surface 4 when it arrives later this year.
 
I replaced my 2008 15" 2.4ghz c2d MBP with a 2011 MBA. The CPU was about twice as fast. Now I have a 2013 i7 MBA that is about 30% faster. The fans only kick in when I do CPU intensive things, like ripping a DVD in Handbrake. BTW, that is where I see the biggest performance boost. Took about 75 minutes to rip a DVD on the 2.4ghz c2d machine. My MBA can rip it in 15 minutes.

I believe that the fast 802.11ac wifi didn't get added to the MBA until 2013. So if you are looking at used machines, try to get a 2013 and not 2012.
 
I think for overall experience the 13" MBP is the best because overall means
Price
Ports and possibilities to connect at office or traveling or etc
Performance of the CPU and that HD6100 is nice
The resell value will be better because if you buy a Macbook Air now, after 4 years when everything will be retina ...nobody will want to buy expect for a low low price

So the best laptop for buck overall is the 13" rMBP
 
Boyd01 said:
I replaced my 2008 15" 2.4ghz c2d MBP with a 2011 MBA. The CPU was about twice as fast. Now I have a 2013 i7 MBA that is about 30% faster. The fans only kick in when I do CPU intensive things, like ripping a DVD in Handbrake. BTW, that is where I see the biggest performance boost. Took about 75 minutes to rip a DVD on the 2.4ghz c2d machine. My MBA can rip it in 15 minutes.

I believe that the fast 802.11ac wifi didn't get added to the MBA until 2013. So if you are looking at used machines, try to get a 2013 and not 2012.
Click to expand...

I believe you are correct on the ac. This is what my 2012 MBA supports --> 802.11 a/b/g/n .
 
XxpikachuxX said:
First of all I don't care for retina display on a macbook, most webpages or other things don't even use all those pixels and by not having a retina display is the air faster than the pro and new macbook?
because it Doesn't have that many pixels?
At the moment I have a 2010 macbook pro 2.4 core 2 duo with 6gb ram and 256 samsung SDD but i hate the graphics cards would the macbook air be better and by better i mean, faster? less heat?
i hate that my fan goes crazy on skype,youtube, and other things would the air do the same?
Also is there any difference between the 2012 to 2015 air laptops?besides the gpu and the newly added faster sdd?
thanks in advance and sorry for any miss spelling :D:apple:
Click to expand...

I can't speak for a rMBP because I've never owned one, but for my usage, the Air works perfectly fine for me. It has all the ports I might ever need, the battery life is fantastic since I'm often on the go all day, and its light form factor is also a bonus for traveling. I almost never notice any sort of lag unless I'm pushing it with several apps and Safari tabs open (I upgraded to 8 GB of RAM). I really went back and forth with trying to decide over a rMBP or a MBA but what swayed me was the portability and battery life of the Air. I don't really do anything graphics heavy so I don't really need the power of the Pro, but I do prefer to have a laptop that will last a long time, so the Air worked for my needs. It really all depends on what you want to use the laptop for.
 
The Air can't be the best laptop because the screens are woefully outdated. And the screen is the one thing you spend 100% of your time using on a laptop.
 
I would agree that the 13" rMBP is the best "all around" laptop Apple offers right now. You get a good selection of ports, a retina screen, a good CPU/GPU, a pretty thin/light design, a middle of the road screen size, and a decent starting price.

Of course the current Air isn't a bad laptop by any means, but I feel like the fact the screen resolution isn't at least 1080p puts it behind the 13" rMBP. If Apple did place a 1080p screen in the current MBA then I would say that's the best laptop due to the price point giving it a huge advantage despite not being retina.
 
Macbook Air are wonderfully mature machines now. Some will complain about this or that, but they are light, powerful, made on a proven basis, and very well priced in Apple's lineup. I am extremely happy with my 2011 11", and will be turning it into a backup computer for my research group, while getting the 2015 version, so that I get the much improved battery life.

This is not my only computer (iMac at the office, and 15" retina MBP for longer trips). If it was, I would get the 13" instead.
 
If you know what you need and work with computers a lot, the air is an excellent option.
Light, fast, powerful, connectivity and battery life.
 
I'd go with the retina 13" MBP, myself (and in fact, I have). It's not much heavier than the Air, still has 9-10 hours battery life, and is so much more powerful (and thus, future-proof). And frankly, not that much more expensive for the same RAM/HDD options.

I'd only recommend the Air if you really, really need to shed the extra 0.6lb. or get a couple of extra hours of battery life.
 
Yes im looking for a used one :)
But ive heard because of the retina display some macs had ghost issues or were over heating withy anything even using safari. i would rather have a normal HD screen with nice cpu and gpu which wouldn't have any problems and breeze through every task
 
To me, the 13" rMBP is the best overall, but the 13" air is close. I don't see the new macbook as a particularly attractive alternative to the other two.

The pro is more expensive by $200, when all are configured with the same SSD and RAM, and it's thicker and heavier. But it's still just 3.5 lbs and pretty darn thin, in my estimation. (I have the 2013 version.) I just don't know anyone who complains that the 13" rMBP is too thick or heavy.

It's also the only model with both a retina screen and decent power (both of which are important to me).

The air is a great value and certainly the best option for anyone who doesn't care about having a retina screen.
 
My 11" MBA is by far the best computer I've ever owned, and I go all the way back to the Apple ][ in 1978 and "Fat Mac" in 1985. :D

Could it be better? Sure. But it's quite capable of being my only computer. I Have the 2013 i7/8gb/512gb which has enough power to run Logic Pro, Final Cut Pro and other demanding software. It works well with my external monitor and peripherals at home. On the road it's fantastic - perfect size for a tray table. I had the 13" MBA previously, but switched to the 11" and like it much more.

The 2015 models are even nicer than my 2013. It isn't the best solution for everyone, but I'm coming up on my 2nd anniversary for the 11" MBA (4th anniversary for the MBA line) and have no plans to replace it anytime soon.
 
I can only second Boyd's accolades. My 11" MBA is the best laptop I've ever owned.

I've had a fully-spec'd 13" rMBP ... the 2014 model. I've posted in other threads about the unacceptable display lag when working with demanding applications. In my view, the dual-core CPU just doesn't have enough "umph" to kick out a signal to all those pixels.

I'm perfectly happy to trade off the less-than-stellar MBA display for processor power and battery life. My 11" MBA is my travel machine, but it could easily stand in (and sometimes does) for my 15" quad-core rMBP. It does solo duty without a hiccup.

For my purposes, that makes the MBA the best Apple laptop in the current lineup.
 
XxpikachuxX said:
First of all I don't care for retina display on a macbook, most webpages or other things don't even use all those pixels and by not having a retina display is the air faster than the pro and new macbook?
because it Doesn't have that many pixels?
At the moment I have a 2010 macbook pro 2.4 core 2 duo with 6gb ram and 256 samsung SDD but i hate the graphics cards would the macbook air be better and by better i mean, faster? less heat?
i hate that my fan goes crazy on skype,youtube, and other things would the air do the same?
Also is there any difference between the 2012 to 2015 air laptops?besides the gpu and the newly added faster sdd?
thanks in advance and sorry for any miss spelling :D:apple:
Click to expand...


Well the MBA is definitely faster than rMBP 13" since they share almost the same CPU/GPU yet the retina has much more pixels to process.

As for the Airs in 2012 to 2015 production... In 2013 there was quite significant boost in battery life, then nothing at all worth mentioning till now, 2015, and we have broadwell-u chips. In comparison to 2013, broadwell i5-5250U is ~12% faster than i5-4250, however the new HD6000 GPU seems to be quite significant boost to the older 5000 series. Increased SSD bandwidth? Nothing you are gonna notice outside of the benchmarks. All in all, if graphics isn't THAT important, I would say go for the 2013 model, otherwise - 2015.
 
Last edited:
XxpikachuxX said:
Yes im looking for a used one :)
But ive heard because of the retina display some macs had ghost issues or were over heating withy anything even using safari. i would rather have a normal HD screen with nice cpu and gpu which wouldn't have any problems and breeze through every task
Click to expand...

I have used both the 13 inch rMBP and the 13 Air (my current daily driver) and there is no question that the rMBP does have some display lag when performing certain tasks. For some it's a bigger deal than others.

To answer your original question. 2013 presented a significant jump in battery life for the Air. Even considering the new 2015 model, I believe the sweet spot on price and performance would be a used or refurbished 2013 13 inch Air. It will still give you the great battery life and save you some coin over the newer one's which only offer minor spec bumps.
 
One more vote for the Air, for a reason not mentioned yet:
User replaceable battery. Not as easy as in the 'classic' MBP but still quite doable. When I look at the work required to change it in the Retina's ... no no, not my cup of tea.
 
If you don't care for the screen then yes the MBA is the best value for your money. Having used both the Air and now the rMBP, I can only kick myself about a thousand times per minute for not upgrading to retina sooner. The screen is so crisp when browsing the web or working on documents... Or doing just about anything. It's a joy to be on.
 
capathy21 said:
I have used both the 13 inch rMBP and the 13 Air (my current daily driver) and there is no question that the rMBP does have some display lag when performing certain tasks. For some it's a bigger deal than others.
Click to expand...
It did have lag. Yosemite fixed that.
 
For me it is. I only have light computing needs, web browsing, streaming videos, minimal typing etc so for me the MBA is perfect.
 
No. It has a TN-panel display, low resolution and huge bezels. My Dell from 2005 had those things.

Get the 13-inch rMBP.
 
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