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Noimus

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 18, 2013
16
0
Hey guys I'm stick in a dilemma. I already have a MBP 2011 13" for school use. I commute quite a bit. I don't mind my MBP but I feel like it's just so damn heavy on top of everything else I have and battery isn't the best on it. I already have a desktop PC at home but it's Windows and I really want an OSX operating system so it syncs with all my other devices.

My question is, which one should I get, a Mac Mini or a MBA? I don't play any games at all and their both going to be for school and home use only. I already have an external monitor as well as the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad.

I want a Mac Mini so that way I don't have to constantly connect my MBP to it and it'll be my main home PC.

I want a MBA because the battery life is just so damn amazing and it's really light so my backpack wouldn't be such a burden for me.

What should I do guys? My budget is about $1000. I'm planning on buying one or the either refurbished in case you guys were wondering!
 

cjgonzales1900

macrumors 6502
Jan 10, 2009
292
45
I have both machines. 2011 MBA 13.3" base model and Mac Mini base model upgraded with 16gb ram and 128gb SSD.
In your situation it all depends on if you want portability or just a machine at home. I would choose the Mac mini since you already have a fairly new MBP
I love both machines but if I had to choose it would be the MBA because you can use it as a desktop with display, mouse and keyboard.
 

Noimus

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 18, 2013
16
0
Yea I really wanted a Mac Mini for a while but it just sucks carrying my MBP with me since it's a bit heaver with my case logic case and having to carry the charger and all that just adds so much bulk.

But then again, if I got the Mac Mini I'd have a pretty powerful mac home computer that would sync everything for me.
 

SpoekGTi

macrumors regular
Jul 2, 2012
132
3
The Netherlands
I would take the Air, since you already have a Pro, which could easily work in clamshell mode as a full fledged desktop.

Leave the Pro connected to your display and keyboard/trackpad/mouse and take the Air to go.

The Pro isn't far off specs wise than the Mini except for Ivy bridge and USB3.0 and the HD3000 against the HD 4000
 

addictive

macrumors 6502
Jul 6, 2008
369
356
Why not both?

You say you have a budget of $1,000.

If you purchased a Mac Mini then it will cost you $599. Remember a newly refreshed Mac Mini is probably going to be released with upgraded internals before the end of the year.

So you have $400 left from you budget. How much do you think you could sell your MBP for? The 13 inch Air is $1,099. There is probably going to be a few hundred dollars shortfall between being able to afford both but set a target and save some money.

If you really want to explore the option of having both I would suggest you first buy the Haswell Air and at the same time sell your MBP. Put the money you make from the MBP in a savings account and start saving some other funds then when/if a new Mac Mini is released you'll be able to buy the new Mini too.
 

cxc273

macrumors regular
Dec 12, 2012
112
5
I think some of the previous posters have some great suggestions as to what to do.

My thought is this: Can you live with just one machine?

Can you sell your MBP and use the additional funds to add more memory and/or storage to a 13" MBA so that you've got one really good machine for school and work?

At home you can dock your MBA with the display and use your wireless keyboard and trackpad. That way you don't have to worry about syncing files and such between two machines (whether you stick with the MBP as your home machine or purchase a Mini as a new one).

I completely understand where you're coming from, though. I've been carting around a 15" MBP (which also serves as my home machine) to and from campus for work, and it weighs a lot. I just bought a 13" Haswell MBA as my personal machine, just so I don't have to do that anymore. I'm really looking forward to having a lighter bag.

One more thing, if you're dead set on getting both an MBA and Mini, you might want to consider buying one or both as refurbs from the Apple Store. Although you won't be able to get a Haswell MBA and there's a strong likelihood of the Minis being refreshed sometime soon, you can get a lot of bang for your buck if you don't need the latest and greatest. The 2012 MBA still has very good battery life, though it doesn't quite compare to the 2013 version.
 
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