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MacBook Air or MacBook Pro for my wife?

iMacBookPro

iMacBookPro

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 8, 2011
58
0
Los Angeles, California
My wife wants a MacBook Air. I was just wondering if the 11" screen would be too small. I was planning on getting the 13" but I just wanted to find out if theres that big of a difference.

13-inch : 256GB
1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4GB memory
256GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 3000

I was going make it better by getting the i7 processor, superdrive, and get applecare for it.

I was also wondering if I should ask her if I should just get the MacBook Pro 15" with a 2.4 GHz, intel i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 750 GB hard drive, and apple care.

Should I just get her the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro. She probably won't mind getting the MacBook Pro but she wants the Air.

She wants it for emails, documents, surfing the web, other things just at home, and for work. :apple:

I think she'll like the bigger screen but the MacBook Pro is not that portable like the MacBook Air. :apple:
 
iMacBookPro said:
My wife wants a MacBook Air. I was just wondering if the 11" screen would be too small. I was planning on getting the 13" but I just wanted to find out if theres that big of a difference.

13-inch : 256GB
1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4GB memory
256GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 3000

I was going make it better by getting the i7 processor, superdrive, and get applecare for it.

I was also wondering if I should ask her if I should just get the MacBook Pro 15" with a 2.4 GHz, intel i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 750 GB hard drive, and apple care.

Should I just get her the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro. She probably won't mind getting the MacBook Pro but she wants the Air.

She wants it for emails, documents, surfing the web, other things just at home, and for work. :apple:

I think she'll like the bigger screen but the MacBook Pro is not that portable like the MacBook Air. :apple:
Click to expand...

I own a 13 MBP - I love the screen size for the tasks you listed above. I find it very portable. Obviously the air is slimmer and lighter.
 
iMacBookPro said:
My wife wants a MacBook Air......
Click to expand...

Haven't you learned yet? Get your wife what she wants. :D

Seriously though, for the things you listed that she'll be using the computer for, the Air should be fine. I have an early 2011 13" MBP with an i7 and 4GB RAM. My wife has a current model Air, 13" with an i5. Doing day to day type stuff like email, browsing, etc. there really isn't a difference between the 2 speed-wise. Obviously the Air is much thiner and lighter. I'd say battery life is about the same. I like the size/weight combo of the 13" Air so much that I'm considering selling my MBP and buying an Air.
 
for the things he listed why would he need any upgrades at all? base 11 is what she wants.
 
11in i5/4GB/128GB gets my vote

There's not much difference in text size between the 11in and 13in, it's just the 13in has more screen real estate. If she needs the space (like if she works with photos or video editing or programming or likes to have lots of windows side-by-side), then yeah, maybe go base 13in. But I think the 11in will be just fine.
 
First, just ask her "Hey do you want the i5 or i7 processor in your MBA?" When she replies "What's an i5 or i7?", say "oh nothing". Then, order the i5. Problem solved :)
 
KylePowers said:
11in i5/4GB/128GB gets my vote
Click to expand...

That's where I ended up. It is replacing our 2008 13" uMB as (mostly) my wife's machine. It is an awesome box. It is FAR more portable than the 2008 MacBook and compares very well with my 2009 15" MBP.

I figure worst case scenario down the line I replace the 128 GB SSD with a third party larger/faster drive but the cost today wasn't worth it. (to me).

B
 
11" Macbook Air. It's an ideal laptop and not too small. I've actually edited photo shoots while on the road with it before. I also have a 13" MBPro from work and it feels mammoth compared to my personal computer.
 
My wife has the 11" MacBook Air i7 4g ram 128 ssd, use it for browsing, emails and as a nurse uses for continuing study,it's perfect, light and portable. I myself have a MacBook Air 13" use it as a training aid PowerPoint presentations via hdmi and a 32" HDTV works great, one thing with Mac everything just works
 
Recommend the 13 inch, i5, if you feel the need to upgrade get her the 256 SSD. I think she will like the 13 better than the 11.

You could take her to an Apple, Best Buy or now Target Store and let her touch and choose the size she wants.
 
Definitely get her a MacBook Air. For someone who only uses the computer for basic tasks, the SSD in the Air is more important than the better processor of the MacBook Pro. Also invest in the 4 GB of Ram.

I think you should really ask her about the screen size, that is the biggest question. She should test the 11" and 13" Air's at an Apple store or Best Buy.
I don't know how old you guys are, but the smaller screen size of the 11" can be a deal breaker for some.
 
If you're going to get a base model I would suggest buying it at Best Buy or somewhere that offers an accidental damage warranty instead of purchasing Apple Care.
 
I'm just about to switch my wife's Macbook Pro to a 2011 MBA.

I got her the corei5 13" basic one since she won't be doing any video encoding/ processor intensive stuff. And the i5 runs cooler and with bit better battery life.
I got the external superdrive if she ever needs it. People think they need a disc drive, but in real usage, they don't really use it as often as 5 years ago since almost everything is downloadable now.

I figured the 11" is cute, but too small for browsing lots of websites and having several application on the desktop. So I went for the 13".

Then the main thing is, I swapped out the basic 128GB SSD for an OWC Aura 480GB SSD so she can store all her photos and doesn't have to worry about storage too much.

Then I put white iCarbons skin on her MBA to prevent scratches on top and bottom of the MBA. I know people like to slide their laptops on the desk and I felt it will hurt the resale value if it's all scratched up. Plus, the white iCarbons textured skin looks very nice on it and gave it a little more grip than the plain aluminum.

I think the bottom line is, I think you should get her what she want...:p
 
hh83917 said:
I'm just about to switch my wife's Macbook Pro to a 2011 MBA.

I got her the corei5 13" basic one since she won't be doing any video encoding/ processor intensive stuff. And the i5 runs cooler and with bit better battery life.
I got the external superdrive if she ever needs it. People think they need a disc drive, but in real usage, they don't really use it as often as 5 years ago since almost everything is downloadable now.

I figured the 11" is cute, but too small for browsing lots of websites and having several application on the desktop. So I went for the 13".

Then the main thing is, I swapped out the basic 128GB SSD for an OWC Aura 480GB SSD so she can store all her photos and doesn't have to worry about storage too much.

Then I put white iCarbons skin on her MBA to prevent scratches on top and bottom of the MBA. I know people like to slide their laptops on the desk and I felt it will hurt the resale value if it's all scratched up. Plus, the white iCarbons textured skin looks very nice on it and gave it a little more grip than the plain aluminum.

I think the bottom line is, I think you should get her what she want...:p
Click to expand...

From a guy's point of view, you are a great husband.
 
Remember, the 11" has the same resolution as many 13" notebooks have now. I think the base 13 (or 256GB if you need the space) or even the 11" i5 model should be sufficient for the tasks you describe. Remember, even the Core 2 Duo model was capable of that.

The 11" model is definitely more portable. With a neoprene sleeve, it will fit inside a large purse better than the 13" would.
 
My husband gave me the 11'' 4GB, 128GB for XMas and I love it more than any laptop I have ever owned. He told me that a rep at BestBuy thought that the 13" air would be better because I already have a iPad but he followed his gut and picked up the most portable MBAir.

This 11" MBAir is so lite and portable that it can easily go any where the iPad can go and do more when it gets there. I'm no longer looking forward to the iPad 3 coming out. Dont get me wrong I still love my iPad - I just find that the size and weight of the 11" MBAir trumps the iPad.

We have a iMac at home and my husband has a MBPro so I have access to larger screens if needed but so far I have not once stoped to think that I should jump over to a larger screen to complete a task - and I use my MBAir at work/home daily.

And I dont know about your wife but most ladies I know prefer small compact items because they seem so cute to us. Put a nice skin on it and she will be tickeled pink every time some chick at work tells her how lucky she is to get such a awsome gift from such a awsome husband.:)
 
mpaquette said:
Haven't you learned yet? Get your wife what she wants. :D

Seriously though, for the things you listed that she'll be using the computer for, the Air should be fine.
Click to expand...

I would say for the thing he listed, the AIR should even be better than the Pro.
 
go low end for the processor

Seriously. The faster ones use more power and run hotter, which is not what you want in a notebook. Your wife isn't going to notice the performance difference (and most of us here wouldn't either), but the downsides will be painfully obvious.

(And it's crazy to call that CPU "low end." Wow. Your wife's MacBook would be faster than what I do development on!)
 
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