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Is your MacBook Air your main computer?
- Thread starter AppleTech22
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air has been my main rig for a few months. replaced my dead mbp. currently have it hooked to a monitor, wireless apple keyboard, and a razer naga mouse. a wonderful combination. i also have a dell laptop with win 7, but that's mostly my print station. no wireless on my printer so have to go through the laptop.
It's indeed my main computer and I use it for professional reasons: I'm a web admin/designer using DreamWeaver, PhotoShop, etc.
I just don't see the reason to buy a heavier MBP when you have have a MBA which is almost as powerful and much more portable.
I just don't see the reason to buy a heavier MBP when you have have a MBA which is almost as powerful and much more portable.
Why did you get 13" and not 11"? Have you tried 11" with your work (web stuff - Photoshop, etc)
yep
My maxed-out 2010 13" is my main computer.
I sometimes use it with an external 24" external display, sometimes on a stand with an apple wireless keyboard and trackpad. I also have a SuperDrive, but rarely need it. I have a minidisplayport to VGA adapter to run my Air through LCD projectors, which I do frequently, and a minidisplayport to DVI (apple brand) to use with my external monitor. (I haven't been able to get it to work with HDMI monitors, though, and I've tried two different minidisplayport to HDMI adapters.)
This Air is my first Mac, and I'll never buy another Windows machine. For work, though, I must still keep one foot in the Windows world, so I have a smallish bootcamp partition with Windows 7 and some Windows software.
My computer at work is an older Lenovo laptop running Windows, also with a Core 2 Duo processor, but I often bring my Air to work and use it instead of the Lenovo. Especially when I need rapid bootup - the Lenovo takes 5 minutes to boot, the Air takes 12 seconds (or 2 seconds to wake up from sleep).
I keep my iTunes library on an external drive, and as a result have plenty of space left on my Air's 256gb SSD.
My maxed-out 2010 13" is my main computer.
I sometimes use it with an external 24" external display, sometimes on a stand with an apple wireless keyboard and trackpad. I also have a SuperDrive, but rarely need it. I have a minidisplayport to VGA adapter to run my Air through LCD projectors, which I do frequently, and a minidisplayport to DVI (apple brand) to use with my external monitor. (I haven't been able to get it to work with HDMI monitors, though, and I've tried two different minidisplayport to HDMI adapters.)
This Air is my first Mac, and I'll never buy another Windows machine. For work, though, I must still keep one foot in the Windows world, so I have a smallish bootcamp partition with Windows 7 and some Windows software.
My computer at work is an older Lenovo laptop running Windows, also with a Core 2 Duo processor, but I often bring my Air to work and use it instead of the Lenovo. Especially when I need rapid bootup - the Lenovo takes 5 minutes to boot, the Air takes 12 seconds (or 2 seconds to wake up from sleep).
I keep my iTunes library on an external drive, and as a result have plenty of space left on my Air's 256gb SSD.
My experience with the 11 Air:
I've been using a 11" 64GB 2GM Air for 6+ months now.
I bought it to use along side my 27" iMac but after a month I ended up selling that. I just never ended up using it anymore.
The mobility of the Air really is great. I've even stopped using my iPad as much as it's just as easy to grab the air as it is the iPad.
iPhone 4 with personal hotspot + 11" Air really is a dream come true for me. I can work anywhere I want and it's like I'm working from home.
Sometimes I do wish I had a bigger screen when I'm using Photoshop with tons of layers and files open but I've kind of got used to it. I am considering buying an external cinema display though.
People who say 2GB ram isn't enough for most people are lying. I've never seen the machine use over 1.1GB ram at one time.
64GB hd space is just enough as most of my stuff is saved in dropbox but I would defiantly go 128GB if I had the chance again as iPad and iPhone apps and backups take up a ton of space.
I've been using a 11" 64GB 2GM Air for 6+ months now.
I bought it to use along side my 27" iMac but after a month I ended up selling that. I just never ended up using it anymore.
The mobility of the Air really is great. I've even stopped using my iPad as much as it's just as easy to grab the air as it is the iPad.
iPhone 4 with personal hotspot + 11" Air really is a dream come true for me. I can work anywhere I want and it's like I'm working from home.
Sometimes I do wish I had a bigger screen when I'm using Photoshop with tons of layers and files open but I've kind of got used to it. I am considering buying an external cinema display though.
People who say 2GB ram isn't enough for most people are lying. I've never seen the machine use over 1.1GB ram at one time.
64GB hd space is just enough as most of my stuff is saved in dropbox but I would defiantly go 128GB if I had the chance again as iPad and iPhone apps and backups take up a ton of space.
Interesting experience. I always thought of having a 27" iMac + 11" MBA was the ultimate combo. But you even sold your iMac because you started to use the 11" so much more. So you don't mind the shorter palm rest area and shorter trackpad? Do you find that the shorter palm rest area forces you to curl your fingers in a bit more to type comfortably so that the palm rest edge dig into your wrists/palms? Or that, in comparison to using a bigger trackpad, you have to narrow the gap between your fingers and thumb while moving the mouse/clicking?
How did you think of moving from a 27" screen to only an 11" to work from? Especially with Photoshop? You didn't feel like the 11" was a hindrance and then moved to the 27"? You just kept using the 11" even though it was cramped (I gather you mean this because you said you wish you had a bigger screen)? Why didn't you keep the 27" for these type of tasks?
There's an issue with Lion. A few apps don't run on it and there's no way around it (you can't use Snow L.)
So is it my main computer? No, and won't be for a while (no choice).
Note: I'm still on the fence about Lion. There's seems to be some bloat (useless added features, just for the sake of adding features; there's lots of these: like snazzy graphic effects)
So is it my main computer? No, and won't be for a while (no choice).
Note: I'm still on the fence about Lion. There's seems to be some bloat (useless added features, just for the sake of adding features; there's lots of these: like snazzy graphic effects)
It may well be the ultimate combo. That or 11 Air + 27" Cinema display.
I have RSI is both my hands which I gained from an old job a few years back so I use a wrist rest and small logitech wireless mouse with my Air. My keyboard/palm rest hasn't been a problem for me. I'm 24 and I do have quite small hands though. Looking down at my palm rest as I type this I could imagine that could be a bit of a problem if you had big hands.
I don't know really. My 27" iMac was boxed up as I moved house a week after buying my Air. I ended up using just my Air for 2-3 weeks and then when I unboxed my 27" iMac I just didn't feel like I needed it anymore. A friend offered a good price so I decided to sell it to him.
As for not keeping it for just photoshop: I just didn't see the point of keep a £1000 machine just to use for photoshop purposes. I'm not a designer but I run a small design agency so I only need to do light photoshop work a few times a week.
I like the whole idea of owning one machine as well. I find nothing worst then doing something on one machine and then working somewhere else to find out that file you wanted or that font you want to use or even a site you visited isn't on this machine as you don't it on the other.
I have RSI is both my hands which I gained from an old job a few years back so I use a wrist rest and small logitech wireless mouse with my Air. My keyboard/palm rest hasn't been a problem for me. I'm 24 and I do have quite small hands though. Looking down at my palm rest as I type this I could imagine that could be a bit of a problem if you had big hands.
I don't know really. My 27" iMac was boxed up as I moved house a week after buying my Air. I ended up using just my Air for 2-3 weeks and then when I unboxed my 27" iMac I just didn't feel like I needed it anymore. A friend offered a good price so I decided to sell it to him.
As for not keeping it for just photoshop: I just didn't see the point of keep a £1000 machine just to use for photoshop purposes. I'm not a designer but I run a small design agency so I only need to do light photoshop work a few times a week.
I like the whole idea of owning one machine as well. I find nothing worst then doing something on one machine and then working somewhere else to find out that file you wanted or that font you want to use or even a site you visited isn't on this machine as you don't it on the other.
So you've been using the 11" by itself without an external monitor for some time now including doing Photoshop work. And the reason you have not been so fed up as to the smaller screen for this type of work is because you've pretty much gotten used to it, correct? A bigger screen would help but it's not been such a bad thing?
I hear you on a second machine and keeping it in sync. Maybe i should really consider getting an external display... But I just know that my usage will almost always be on my lap and never at a desk so I'll likely be typing and mousing around on the shorter palm rest and trackpad. That makes me concerned. And as for external display, being away from a desk means this as well. And even if i have it hooked up and have the MBA on my lap, it's a bit awkward, i think, to have this small display and keyboard/trackpad directly under you on your lap with the bigger display above it, straight ahead.
Once again, I'm just not sure which size to get....
You have a 13"? How do you find the screen? I've heard it's not very good, like the contrast differs wildly in even very slightly different viewing angles. And that this is much less pronounced/noticeable on the 11" since it has less vertical space.
Do you ever think of the 11" having a smaller footprint and overall size kind of draws you or is tempting at all? It's the main reason I'd want an 11"
I have the latest 13" MBA and I use it as my main computer. I even downgraded from the MBA ultimate. I figured that I didn't need the extra horsepower and will use the savings toward Apple Care a few months from now.
The only thing that I'm constantly worried about is storage. 256 GB isn't a lot anymore. I've been using portable drives but I constantly try to figure out what I would store on the SSD vs on a portable drive.
The only thing that I'm constantly worried about is storage. 256 GB isn't a lot anymore. I've been using portable drives but I constantly try to figure out what I would store on the SSD vs on a portable drive.
It will be soon.
I plan to get a 11" MacBook Air with the i7, 4GB ram and 128GB SSD in the next month or so. I was originally going to get it along with a refurb 21.5" iMac Quad-Core, but after reading around I may just stick with the Air for a little while and see how it handles my daily tasks.
I currently use a 2.0 MacBook C2D from '07 plugged into a 23"HD Dell monitor. And have an iPad 2 that I take to school, since I don't need to have the MacBook everyday at school.
I only need my machine to do the usual word, powerpoint, safari, and iTunes on a regular basis. I like photography as a hobby and have been using iPhoto lately but want to get a better photo app. I also recently moved all my media (iTunes music, movies and tv shows) to a 1TB portable external HDD. So the SSD storage on the Air isn't a concern since I will carry the portable drive everywhere.
How well do you think the 11" Air can handle photo apps occasionally?
And will probably end up with a portable SuperDrive too.
I plan to get a 11" MacBook Air with the i7, 4GB ram and 128GB SSD in the next month or so. I was originally going to get it along with a refurb 21.5" iMac Quad-Core, but after reading around I may just stick with the Air for a little while and see how it handles my daily tasks.
I currently use a 2.0 MacBook C2D from '07 plugged into a 23"HD Dell monitor. And have an iPad 2 that I take to school, since I don't need to have the MacBook everyday at school.
I only need my machine to do the usual word, powerpoint, safari, and iTunes on a regular basis. I like photography as a hobby and have been using iPhoto lately but want to get a better photo app. I also recently moved all my media (iTunes music, movies and tv shows) to a 1TB portable external HDD. So the SSD storage on the Air isn't a concern since I will carry the portable drive everywhere.
How well do you think the 11" Air can handle photo apps occasionally?
And will probably end up with a portable SuperDrive too.
"Main" computer can be a vague term, especially for someone who has several.
I voted "yes", but with some caveats.
If by "main" computer you mean the primary system I use to access email and the web, that'd be my iPad.
If I add Quicken, FTP, DVD Profiler, and a couple of other "every day" apps that I use, then yes, that is NOW my brand spanking new MBA.
If to that I add hard core gaming, then no, my Dell XPS 720H2C remains my "main" computer running Windows 7 Pro x64 and all my games in all their 2560x1600 glory.
If I had to pick only ONE computer, I'd pick the Air. It can do almost everything I need except hard core gaming, and that is fine by me.
I was going to post a reply, but you pretty much said what I was going to say!
When I switched over to the Mac (a couple of years ago) I first bought an MBP.
Then when I started doing my postgrad studies I decided to buy an iMac (27") - to have a desktop so I can do assignments. (The thought of just getting an external monitor and using the MBP never crossed my mind. Rather stupid of me.)
When the new MBA came out I decided to buy it, mainly because I thought that the MBP was a tad to heavy for lap use (i.e. reading pdf.s etc.) (spoiled I know... I am disgusted with myself)
I have to say that I have finally figured out that for my computing habits/needs both iMac and MBP are very much of an overkill.. and will not be replaced.
In the future when the replacement time comes I will just get an external monitor for an MBA.. and that will be it.
MBA is really powerful for what I need it...
Then when I started doing my postgrad studies I decided to buy an iMac (27") - to have a desktop so I can do assignments. (The thought of just getting an external monitor and using the MBP never crossed my mind. Rather stupid of me.)
When the new MBA came out I decided to buy it, mainly because I thought that the MBP was a tad to heavy for lap use (i.e. reading pdf.s etc.) (spoiled I know... I am disgusted with myself
)I have to say that I have finally figured out that for my computing habits/needs both iMac and MBP are very much of an overkill.. and will not be replaced.
In the future when the replacement time comes I will just get an external monitor for an MBA.. and that will be it.
MBA is really powerful for what I need it...
When I read the title my first thought was "heck no", but when I think about it, I think maybe it is. I own a 27" iMac and an iPad as well, but since I don't spend all that much time at home, I think that the Air is what I use the most. I'm a law student, so I don't really need to do anything that it can't handle, and the portability is great.
I prefer to have 1 machine only even I have a NAS to store all the media.
I am impressed about the power of this 2011 MBA.
I travel with it everyday, my shoulder <3 this MBA~
MPB 15" 2006, MBP 13"-SSD 2009, MBA 11" 2010, MBA 11" 2011.
I am impressed about the power of this 2011 MBA.
I travel with it everyday, my shoulder <3 this MBA~
MPB 15" 2006, MBP 13"-SSD 2009, MBA 11" 2010, MBA 11" 2011.
