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MacBook Air Setup?

G

GeorgeN111

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 24, 2010
165
0
Hello everyone, i am thinking about getting a MacBook Air when i go on holiday to the USA in a couple of months as its a lot less than here in the UK and i have a question regarding how the MacBook Air fits into your setup and what you use it for.

For starters i have an iMac 27" i5 and also an iPad, i will also be buying the new iPhone as soon as its released. The only thing that is stopping me from going out and buying a MacBook Air is the fact that i don't know how it would fit in with my current setup. At the moment i use the iMac for almost everything and i use the iPad primarily for example when i go to bed and just want to watch some youtube videos and search the web. I use the iPad as a media consumption device not a media creation device. Just to note that i will be starting Sixth Form here in the UK soon and i believe i can take a computer into school there.

My question is to you what computers do you currently have and how do you use your MacBook Air? Do you recommend me buying one for my uses or are you a user than would primarily use the iMac for when at home and iPad for all portable tasks?

Many thanks in advance,

George.
 
I have a 27" i7 iMac, an iPad, an iPhone, and recently picked up a 13" MBA.

I use the iMac for photo and video editing, music and some programming work at home.

I use the iPad for media consumption. This is playing games, web browsing, watching movie, etc. My daughter plays in a traveling soccer league so I have a lot of down time, etc. waiting for games and this device is perfect for that.

The iPhone is my phone and iPod and for checking quick emails or looking things up online when on the go.

The MBA is used when I need to do a lot of writing or programming work when I am not sitting in front of my iMac. The iPad simply does not cut it for me when doing anything that involves a lot of typing and obviously not for programming.
 
I have a 20" C2D iMac that is at my moms house, When i'm away at school i have a iPad2, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The pro takes the place of the iMac (converting videos, storing and burning music, heavy school tasks), The air and the iPad go to class with me for notes, down time entertainment etc. At first I was afraid the Air would be a redundant machine but i have never been happier with it, the size weight and usefulness of it almosts can replace the iPad (but the touch screen is nice for games and other applications)
 
richpjr said:
I have a 27" i7 iMac, an iPad, an iPhone, and recently picked up a 13" MBA.

I use the iMac for photo and video editing, music and some programming work at home.

I use the iPad for media consumption. This is playing games, web browsing, watching movie, etc. My daughter plays in a traveling soccer league so I have a lot of down time, etc. waiting for games and this device is perfect for that.

The iPhone is my phone and iPod and for checking quick emails or looking things up online when on the go.

The MBA is used when I need to do a lot of writing or programming work when I am not sitting in front of my iMac. The iPad simply does not cut it for me when doing anything that involves a lot of typing and obviously not for programming.
Click to expand...

I think this sums it up my sit very well, my ipad does all my portable work for viewing, but when I need to create content, the MBA with a real mouse and keyboard is the only way to go. When I'm on the road, the MBA, 3G iPad and waterfield cargo bag make an unbeatable combination.
 
At home i got a desktop (windows) pc, i made(assembled, didnt construct the fans and cpus etc :p) myself with 2 monitors and so on. Running games and doing homework and so on with it

and then i got my MBA ("ultimate" i think some people call it, guess thats important to mention?) which i'm using for school. I picked it mainly coz of its size and weight - and also coz i never had a mac and this one has only gotten good reviews.

It fits in nicely because my old laptop was a 20 inch.. too big to use as a laptop, and too small compared to my desktop (27 inch dual display etc)

It can run the games i play smoothly, so i AM able to bring it over to a friend and still paly a game or two. But its not the reason i bought it. Mainly for school.

at home its barely used. I'm of course trying things and when i'm on the couch i'm bringing the mba. But its a slowpoke pathetic laptop with a tiny screen compared to this (surprise!) :p still i love it!
 
I use my 11" for college and I take it with me everywhere. But it's also my main machine and it's serving my needs nicely
 
richpjr said:
I have a 27" i7 iMac, an iPad, an iPhone, and recently picked up a 13" MBA.

I use the iMac for photo and video editing, music and some programming work at home.

I use the iPad for media consumption. This is playing games, web browsing, watching movie, etc. My daughter plays in a traveling soccer league so I have a lot of down time, etc. waiting for games and this device is perfect for that.

The iPhone is my phone and iPod and for checking quick emails or looking things up online when on the go.

The MBA is used when I need to do a lot of writing or programming work when I am not sitting in front of my iMac. The iPad simply does not cut it for me when doing anything that involves a lot of typing and obviously not for programming.
Click to expand...

Exactly the equipment and uses that I have.
 
richpjr said:
I have a 27" i7 iMac, an iPad, an iPhone, and recently picked up a 13" MBA.

I use the iMac for photo and video editing, music and some programming work at home.

I use the iPad for media consumption. This is playing games, web browsing, watching movie, etc. My daughter plays in a traveling soccer league so I have a lot of down time, etc. waiting for games and this device is perfect for that.

The iPhone is my phone and iPod and for checking quick emails or looking things up online when on the go.

The MBA is used when I need to do a lot of writing or programming work when I am not sitting in front of my iMac. The iPad simply does not cut it for me when doing anything that involves a lot of typing and obviously not for programming.
Click to expand...

This describes me pretty well also, except that the MBA is becoming my most-used computer between the iMac, MBA, and iPad. There are 2 reasons for this 1) I spend a lot of time writing content and answering emails 2) My 3-year-old frequently snatches the iPad when I am using it, though he largely leaves the MBA alone.
 
Ok, thanks for your help everyone. I appreciate it. I guess the MacBook Air would be helpful especially if i have to do a lot of typing at school. In this situation the iPad would still be able to do the job but not as affectively as the MacBook Air. It would also give me the power i need when i go on holiday so i can keep up with my work etc. I will also sell my HP Laptop and the MacBook Air can replace that. I will be completely Mac then :apple:

Just a couple quick questions though,

How long till the 2011 MacBook Airs are in the US Refurb Store? I ask this question because i would be getting a refurb MacBook Air, I have used Apples Refurb section before and received an as new product every time. Will the 2011 MacBook Airs be in the refurb store before December when i travel to the US?

My last question is based upon the shipping. Will Apple deliver to a rental address. We are travelling to Florida for a few weeks over the Christmas period and i would like to order the Macbook Air at the beginning of the holiday and get it delivered to our rental address. We are staying in a house inside a gated community. Will this be okay, will Apple deliver in this case?

If this all works out, the new 11" Ultimate MacBook Air will cost me under £500. Bargain:cool:

Once again thanks everyone;)
 
Ok thanks for your help, thats awesome. I just went on the Refurb store and they have the May 2011 iMacs on there so the July MacBook Airs should be on there by Christmas.

Just one question for all the Americans reading this, when you order from Apple and specifically the refurb store do you have the option to choose which day the device will be delivered. This would be great because we would know when to have a relaxing day and then we will be at the vacation rental when it is delivered.

Many thanks,

George.
 
Also just another thing i would like to ask. Which 11" model should i go for?

It will be used for;

Web browsing
Creating documents
iPhoto
Email

Its really for pretty basic stuff. As most i will be editing a 10 minute HD video on iMovie.

Should i go for the base model or the one with 4gb of Ram?

Many thanks,

George.
 
I use mine for a lot of the same things, I have learned from experience that you can never have enough ram and since it is not upgradable I would spend the 200 extra. Plus a larger ssd!
 
I understand what you mean Cheffy Dave, i agree. Do i really need three portable devices? iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air, i probably don't. What i have been thinking about is buying the MacBook Air and then when i sell the iPad prior to iPad 3 release next year i can decide then whether to get another iPad or not. In this scenario it would leave me with the iMac, iPhone and MacBook Air which i think is an amazing combination as the iPhone is portable but its not something i would want to type school notes on.

What does everyone think about this option?
 
Well instinct is telling me to buy a MacBook Air, i know i would use it at school but then i think what can it do that my iPad can't.

I think the best option is to keep all current devices, iMac, iPad and soon iPhone and then when i get the MacBook Air i will be able to see how it will fit in with my current setup. I then have the freedom to not upgrade the iPad once the iPad 3 comes out next year if i end up using my MacBook Air more.

The way i hope it works out.

iMac for heavy duty editing. Photo and video.

MacBook Air to take to school and also use around the house.

iPad for media consumption, reading magazines. Watching Youtube videos in bed.

iPhone for when i am out and obviously without any of the above devices.
 
Its a good thread this so will throw my ideas in.
I have had iPad 1 and iPad 2 in past along with my iPhone 4 and 24 inch iMac.

I love the iPads as consumption device but felt i could do most of what i wanted on the iPhone so decided to sell the iPad 2 and buy an 11 inch MBA 4gb RAM and 128gb SSD.

I have a monthly contract with 3 for mobile broadband which gives me 15gb per month, too much probably for my needs but it was with my iPad 2 so 3 let me get their mobile mifi for £30 which would get the MBA online when out and about plus we were away recently and the kids etc could all surf as well as its allows up to 5 connections. speeds are amazing been getting 6-7mb download.

I went for the larger storage on my MBA just to be on safe side but i now have a usb hard drive connected to our airport extreme which i can access through the internet so i can leave many files on there to access at any time/ any place to save room on the air

I am an architect and have been surprised how well i can work in ArchiCAD on the 11 inch but i do tend to do most of my CAD work on the 24 inch iMac.

This leads me to my next plan. I was going to upgrade the iMac and give this to my son and buy a new TB iMac but have decided to go with the new TB display and just hook the MBA up when i want more screen to work with.

A bit longwinded but i think i have now settled on my ideal setup. iPhone 4, MBA 11 with TB 27 display. I do need to stop buying Apple gear but i suppose a few are like this on here
 
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