MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro 13 inch

[RafaelCastro]

Hello, I just wanted to know which of these two if better for my needs.
I mostly will use it for programming games with Unity 3D, editing videos with AE and premiere pro and playing games (a lot). So, I do not know which of these two will help me more, and I can only afford the 13 inch model, because here in my country, El Salvador, they are both worth $1600.
Your help is really appreciated!

PD: portability is really important for me.

 

[ZBoater]

PD: portability is really important for me.

Then pick the Air. The performance difference aint that much. If you could get a quad code processor, 16GB of RAM, and a discrete video card in the Pro, then were talking. But since you can't, its like a fatter Air.

 

[Falcon80]

Hello, I just wanted to know which of these two if better for my needs.
I mostly will use it for programming games with Unity 3D, editing videos with AE and premiere pro and playing games (a lot). So, I do not know which of these two will help me more, and I can only afford the 13 inch model, because here in my country, El Salvador, they are both worth $1600.
Your help is really appreciated!

PD: portability is really important for me.

You have similar requirements to mine! Anyway I think you should go for the Air since it is lighter and runs on SSD (less likely to be damaged due to movement).

 

[Lukewarmwinner]

The cMBP is a quite outdated piece of machinery.. Air got a better
- screen
- Harddrive (ssd)
- Portability (lighter and thinner)
- future (the cMBP will likely be discontinued next year)

So yeah... Get the Air

 

[tiwizard]

Get the Air, since there's not much of a performance difference between the MBP and MBA 13 inch.

However, the MBA and MBP (13 inch versions) are *not* gaming machines. If you are on a budget, I would consider looking at PCs if you'd like better performance for your money.

 

[BeeJee]

The cMBP is a quite outdated piece of machinery.. Air got a better
- screen
- Harddrive (ssd)
- Portability (lighter and thinner)
- future (the cMBP will likely be discontinued next year)

So yeah... Get the Air

What are you saying? The screen may be higher res but its not better at all. MBA screens tend to be super washed out whereas MBP screens have much better saturation. You can put an SSD in a Pro so nothing much different there. Portability is a plus, however, your statement about the future doesn't hold because you can update the MBP. Can't do the same with an Air (Upgrade RAM, HD) the MBP is more of a future proof machine.

 

[J&JPolangin]

I am waiting for Broadwell to hit the 11" MBA's hopeful that the battery life will get closer to the 7+ hours we now get on the 13" models...I was trying to decide between a 13" 2012 MBA open box @ $1,070 and a 13" 2011 MBP open box @ $806...

With the MBA I get a higher res screen, lighter machine and USB3 but I'm limited to a 128Gb SSD and 4Gb RAM.

With the MBP, its heavier by 1.5 lbs, the screen resolution is the same as my 5,2 9400m Whitebook its replacing (but its a little lighter), the CPU is faster than the MBA or my Whitebook, I can upgrade the RAM to 8Gb (with RAM I have (or 16Gb Max)) and use the MBP RAM in my 2011 iMac so that both machines will have 8Gb RAM in them and lastly, I got a 512Gb M4 Crucial SSD for $349 off Amazon.com = I'll have a more powerful CPU, double the RAM and 4 times the internal storage over the MBA for $85 more than the cost of the open box 2012 MBA with the open box 2011 MBP = this machine will tide me over until Broadwell hopefully meets my mobil computing needs fully.

My Whitebook with SSD is going to a family member and I'll do the same with the 2011 MBP that's upgraded when I decide I like the capabilities on the 11" MBA enough to upgrade to it

 

[Lukewarmwinner]

What are you saying? The screen may be higher res but its not better at all. MBA screens tend to be super washed out whereas MBP screens have much better saturation. You can put an SSD in a Pro so nothing much different there. Portability is a plus, however, your statement about the future doesn't hold because you can update the MBP. Can't do the same with an Air (Upgrade RAM, HD) the MBP is more of a future proof machine.

1. I prefer the screen on MBA and its higher res
2. SSD would be an extra cost, but sure it's possible
3. Portability - yes
4. Sure you can't upgrade the hardware inside, but the chassis and computer itself will be gone. Might not bother OP but some like to stay updated with the look of their computer (I don't care actually).

So yeah.. I'm right - get the MBA

 

[jrasero]

Air but..

I would say Air but....

you mention video editing and etc. which neither the MBA or MBP 13" do well. Maybe go for the i7 MBP?

I would see if you can get a base 15" MBP with quad core and dedicated graphics which would be much better


if you had to pick between MBA or MBP I'd say go with either or but get the computers maxed out as possible

 

[Kafka]

2. SSD would be an extra cost, but sure it's possible

You get twice the SSD storage with a cMBP for the same cost if you upgrade yourself.

As for the cMBP being "gone", it will only be gone from the stores, not from your home... Buying for looks is... up to you.
After much deliberating I bought a MBA, but if the resolution had been the same I wouldn't have thought a second.