My opinion is that the Airs do not have powerful enough graphics for a main computer. The Retina is great, but the non-Retina MacBook Pro offers the same power with upgradeability, and without the added pressure of a 2880x1800 display on a 1GB mobile GPU.
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Jumping ship from the PC World
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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The key statement you made is that this will be your only computer. Considering this, I wouldn't mess around with the Airs. Get the Retina base model. No need to upgrade the processor as the speed bump is tiny (but very costly). The base 8 GB of RAM is fine as well unless you plan on keeping the machine more than 3 years (in which case, buy it with 16 GB when you order it).
Besides, in short order every computer on the market will have a retina display and you'll be kicking yourself for having purchased a laptop with an old-school display.
The key statement you made is that this will be your only computer. Considering this, I wouldn't mess around with the Airs. Get the Retina base model. No need to upgrade the processor as the speed bump is tiny (but very costly). The base 8 GB of RAM is fine as well unless you plan on keeping the machine more than 3 years (in which case, buy it with 16 GB when you order it).
Besides, in short order every computer on the market will have a retina display and you'll be kicking yourself for having purchased a laptop with an old-school display.
After several hours worth of research, I feel no closer to when I started this tread. Upgradeability vs Screen seems to be the main difference between the Pro and Retina. I'd imagine the current Pro model would last me longer than the Retina, and is much cheaper if you want to throw in more RAM and a SSD.
Thanks to those who have posted some links in this thread. It does seem like that once you upgrade the Air's higher end models, it becomes close to the Mac Pro in price (1699). The only real advantage from what I found with the Air is the SSD, as well as the price point. But I imagine that within a year I'll be comfortable enough with Final Cut where I may need an upgrade, but again its really just a big hobby of mine more than anything, which is why I am a bit undecided on what to do just yet.
I've looked on craigslist too for older models, but most of the ads are way overpriced, and many of them lack applecare.
Thanks to those who have posted some links in this thread. It does seem like that once you upgrade the Air's higher end models, it becomes close to the Mac Pro in price (1699). The only real advantage from what I found with the Air is the SSD, as well as the price point. But I imagine that within a year I'll be comfortable enough with Final Cut where I may need an upgrade, but again its really just a big hobby of mine more than anything, which is why I am a bit undecided on what to do just yet.
I've looked on craigslist too for older models, but most of the ads are way overpriced, and many of them lack applecare.
Some of the issues with the rMBP's are starting to scare me, with some forums indicating they want to wait for the next version's processor (Haswell, I think). As long as the HD is SS, the only real difference is the screen from everything that I read, one that most websites aren't even configured too.
The Air configuration I was eying was the
13", i7, 8GB, 256 SSD - $1699
The Mac Pro configuration I really liked
15" base model, where I was going to upgrade myself off crucial (RAM, SSD) and add the high res glossy screen.
I've spent my entire evening reading over information, aside from my hour break to watch Breaking Bad.
The Air configuration I was eying was the
13", i7, 8GB, 256 SSD - $1699
The Mac Pro configuration I really liked
15" base model, where I was going to upgrade myself off crucial (RAM, SSD) and add the high res glossy screen.
I've spent my entire evening reading over information, aside from my hour break to watch Breaking Bad.
I was in the same situation as you a few weeks ago (a new switcher and a hobby video editor trying to learn Final Cut/iMovie), and ended up buying the high-end 13 MacBook Pro (specs in my signature). The best computer I have ever owned. Editing in iMovie is a snap, no slowing down whatsoever. I haven't tried Final Cut Pro yet, but I expect good results 
As this is your first Mac, I suggest you not to go for an expensive Mac like the 15 MacBook Pro or the retina MacBook Pro, because you do not know how much power you exactly need, so buying an expensive Mac could be an overkill. You can upgrade the Hard Drive (or SSD) and the RAM yourself on the 13 MBP (very easy procedure, do a search on YouTube), and those prices are typically much cheaper than what Apple charges for upgrades. As for the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pros, the Pro have more power for tasks like video editing at the same price point, so the Pro wins, unless you really want a super thin/light notebook. Overall, I think the high-end 13 MacBook Pro is the sweet spot.
As this is your first Mac, I suggest you not to go for an expensive Mac like the 15 MacBook Pro or the retina MacBook Pro, because you do not know how much power you exactly need, so buying an expensive Mac could be an overkill. You can upgrade the Hard Drive (or SSD) and the RAM yourself on the 13 MBP (very easy procedure, do a search on YouTube), and those prices are typically much cheaper than what Apple charges for upgrades. As for the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pros, the Pro have more power for tasks like video editing at the same price point, so the Pro wins, unless you really want a super thin/light notebook. Overall, I think the high-end 13 MacBook Pro is the sweet spot.