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MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which Apple Notebook to Choose
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I bought a 15" cMBP hi-res antiglare from the Refurb Apple Store yesterday.
I need my computer to have "legs"; to be upgradeable.
If high capacity SSDs were readily available (and not so bloody expensive still), and the RAM was not soldered in, then a Retina 15 would've been nice.
Otherwise, they(Retinas, that is) are not cost-effective machines and a terrible value, unless you rely on the cloud or value portability over everything else (and the Airs are better suited for that).
There's nothing "pro" about an appliance, and that's what Apple's turned the MBP into. A consumer laptop with "pro" in it's name.
I just don't "see" it.
I need my computer to have "legs"; to be upgradeable.
If high capacity SSDs were readily available (and not so bloody expensive still), and the RAM was not soldered in, then a Retina 15 would've been nice.
Otherwise, they(Retinas, that is) are not cost-effective machines and a terrible value, unless you rely on the cloud or value portability over everything else (and the Airs are better suited for that).
There's nothing "pro" about an appliance, and that's what Apple's turned the MBP into. A consumer laptop with "pro" in it's name.
I just don't "see" it.
I really like both the Air and Pro laptops, but I'm currently using a 2014 15" rMBP (with the 750M GPU). The main reasons for me is that I'm using it as my main computer for work/home and that I wanted a retina display. I would much prefer it if I could get a smaller more Air like device with these specs, of course. But for now the Pro is suiting me just fine.
Before this machine, I had a 2010 11" Air and a 2012 Mini (quad i7) that I switched between. The new machine cost about as much as the other two did combined, but the convenience of having a single machine to keep up to date, along with a better GPU and much better mobile performance made it worthwhile to me.
Before this machine, I had a 2010 11" Air and a 2012 Mini (quad i7) that I switched between. The new machine cost about as much as the other two did combined, but the convenience of having a single machine to keep up to date, along with a better GPU and much better mobile performance made it worthwhile to me.
I can see your point about upgradability in general, but the current 15" rMBP is shipped with the maximum RAM the chipset can support (16GB). Having soldered down RAM doesn't make this machine any less upgradable than it would if it was socketed.
Soldered RAM is effectively non-upgradeable, so your statement makes zero sense.
In addition, Apple is known for supporting more memory than they advertise:
http://eshop.macsales.com/memory/maxram
That said, this is just one component of the total equation:
1. Currently, there are no third-party drives for the Retina machine.
2. If you want/need more storage than what you initially bought, you're SOL and forced to go external.
3. SSD costs per Gigabyte is still way, way above traditional drives. If a drive fails, you're paying big. This must be factored into potential recurring costs and overall value.
4. If you bought less than max RAM, you're SOL.
5. The older MBP model came with an optical drive. What this meant in the real world is that you could use it if you wanted to, but it provided something that (admittedly most users wouldn't care about) the Retinas cannot provide: the sheer flexibility of having internal RAID setups for either performance, redundancy, sheer storage capacity, multiple OSes (I don't want Windows polluting my Mac HD), or a combination of each.
6. With the older MBP you need way, way less adapters. It allows you to integrate into still existing environments more effectively, based on need.
Given the above, I just don't see what's "Pro" about the Retina MBP.
It's nice, but Pro it ain't. Not anymore. And it is no longer a good value either.
It's pretty much an iPad with a keyboard and a bigger screen. Good enough for most, but not for me.
Looking at getting my first MacBook. I'll be holding off until the summer, but trying to figure out how much money I should save. I can really only afford the Airs, but if I get lucky I might be able to afford the cheapest Pro, although I'm not sure I can justify to myself spending $1300 on a laptop.
I do mostly non-taxing tasks like web browsing, music, watching videos, etc. but I do some light Photoshop and InDesign work. Do I really need to scrape up some more cash to get a Pro or will the higher-end Air be sufficient (I am assuming the next one that comes out will be more powerful)? And which would be more beneficial to spend cash on to upgrade, the CPU or the RAM? Realistically I could afford one of those upgrades but if I do both I might as well just get a MacBook Pro and that's pushing it.
I do mostly non-taxing tasks like web browsing, music, watching videos, etc. but I do some light Photoshop and InDesign work. Do I really need to scrape up some more cash to get a Pro or will the higher-end Air be sufficient (I am assuming the next one that comes out will be more powerful)? And which would be more beneficial to spend cash on to upgrade, the CPU or the RAM? Realistically I could afford one of those upgrades but if I do both I might as well just get a MacBook Pro and that's pushing it.
For the tasks you have mentioned, I don't think you need a MBP. The MBA will cope perfectly. To answer your another question: I would give priority to RAM.
You really ought to get out in the real world more. Try doing any construction work on government installations. All the close out documents have to be provided not only in hard copy but also on disc.
I don't know about you but those types of jobs pay pretty good. I'd hate to tell all the contractors around here that we aren't going to bid jobs because some people say DVDs are dead.
Thanks. That's kinda what I figured since the cheapest version of the 13" Air tested out better on the Geek Bench score than my Winnows laptop despite having 8 GB of RAM. ANd that machine handles intensive stuff pretty well like video editing and I didn't spend any extra cash to get a decent video card.
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I wasn't trying to offend any particular group of workers, I was just stating that DVDs are a dead-end technologically speaking.
USB flash drives are more flexible, more reliable, smaller, faster, more reusable, more compatible, and cost less than $1/GB
Many computers do not even come with optical drives anymore, and even in video (an area where DVDs previously had high market share), distribution has been superseded Bluray and more and more this is moving to online digital media formats.
Ahem . . .
No Air yet exists that is faster, let alone "much faster" than even the base 2011 MBP. The Air may FEEL faster due to flash storage, but it is NOT processing faster than your 2011 15" MBP. If you had put a competent SSD in the MBP, you'd never notice the difference.
Isn't the 13 inch mbp just as portable as the 13 inch mba? What about the 15 inch Mbp? Which is the best of you want a portable entertainment laptop for playing HD movies and music plus ocassional light modelling or CAD on the go. Something you can easily get out on a plane or train or coffee shop.
"An iPad with a keyboard and bigger screen" is a laughable putdown on the machines. We get it, you prize upgrade options for the end user; that's at best only part of what makes something "pro".
And complaining about adapters? In 2015? Technology marches on, and if you were making computers with I/O to complement what's already out there, it would never get better. At some point you have to cut the legacy cruft out. I don't miss floppies, ADB, or FW400.
Don't get me wrong, I like upgrading RAM after the fact, and I think Apple's stripping of those features off at least their desktop line is penny-wise and pound-foolish, customer sat-wise. But saying that they aren't "pro" because they don't meet your exact needs ignores the fact that what a "pro" does is incredibly varied, and at the end of the day if you do something for a living, it could be on an old Mac running Photoshop 3.
I'm sorry but I do not see enough differentiation between the Air and "Pro" lines to make the Pro, well, pro. And you didn't explain why "an iPad with a keyboard" is a "laughable putdown".
We can get into a semantics argument about what a "pro" is, but that is besides the point. As you imply, I could probably perform most functions I need to earn a living with an iPad (I work for an International TelCo as a UNIX operations system engineer). I just need Internet access, a VPN, and an SSH client. Hell, I can and do most tasks from my (Android) phone.
But when you consider the machines themselves (configurables aside), the only difference between the Air and the Pro is the screen res, their thickness, and their weight. None of which are (arguably) "pro" level features.
I believe this artificial separation that removes Pro features from the "Pro" machine, thus rendering it into yet another consumer model, is bogus.
To be able to plug into secure networks (hell, just Cat6 man) without needing an adapter is a "pro" no brainer. To be able to swap HDDs when necessary (capacity planning, etc.) is another one. To be able to perform basic maintenance on a machine... I mean, that is why Apple not only had it built in there in the first place, but they went out of their way to make it easy for users to perform these tasks.
I can repair/upgrade/modify my 17" MBP or my 15"cMBP in the field (the most "pro" of features), instead of having to drive/sail/chopper-ride to the nearest Apple Store.
But now, in the "Post-PC era", Apple figures that all most need is an appliance, like the iPad. And they're making money hand over fist doing it (good for them).
So they remove, and remove, and remove things (some say, innovate), even ones Apple themselves touted as features, until we're left with...an appliance: iPad with a keyboard.
Hell, I'd pay a premium for a BTO "Pro" Mac, portable or otherwise, instead of the appliances they're producing exclusively these days.
Using Steve Jobs's Post-PC analogy I'd say this: I'm fine with Apple making cars their priority, but it annoys me that Apple no longer offers an option for getting a truck.
Except the Pros have Thunderbolt, Quad-Core CPUs with more powerful integrated and discrete graphics. perform more capably under thermal loads, et al. It's patently false to say the only difference between the iPad and the MBA and MBP is just screens, keyboard, and form factor.
Agreed, I failed to mention a few things.
However, I believe these features are there to merely differentiate the machines and justify the higher price. The 13's especially, are very close, since the 13 Air is a fast machine as it is. I really cannot think of many (field) settings (aside from video pro) where an Air cannot replace an MBP.
But I concede, more powerful cpus and graphics could be argued in the "pros" favor (Thunderbolt is on both, though). Which is how Apple markets them (brilliant as they are at marketing).
However, this still leaves an MBP no less than an un-repairable, un-upgradeable appliance. To me, that is not "pro" at all. Apple made the decision to leave the "pro" market officially when they killed the XServe, and continued the trend to their other products.
It is like the new Mac Pro. It is a "pro" machine if again you're primarily a video pro, whereas the previous model did not need justification. Easy for novices, and feature-rich for those who know what they are doing and need flexibility/adaptability/configurability.
Macs used to bridge that gap perfectly, between PC's infinite customization and granularity and say, gaming-console ease of use. No longer. Which is why I just bought a 3-year-old 2012 15" with a high-res antiglare screen from the refurb store over a Retina or Air. I can do things with it that I simply can't with the new ones, and should last me far longer, making it a way, way better investment.
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I agree whole heartedly. Just the removal of an ethernet port on a "pro" machine is amazing. Which wouldnt be all that bad if their thunderbolt and usb ethernet adapters actually worked well. I cant think of any environment I've worked in recently where ethernet wasnt a vital requirement.
I can understand them moving away from the 2.5" sata hdd form factor, but if only they went M.2 (for sata and/or pcie). There is no reason for them not too, except perhaps wanting to hold our testicles in a vice knowing we can only choose their ridiculously priced BTO upgrade path.
I know its not typical of a mac user, but the number of times I've removed the SSD out of my 2011 15" MBP, or reconfigured the optical bay to use a second SSD, its been a great option. Very handy to do a quick OS repair, or clone etc.
I'm waiting for skylake before upgrading, not cause I expect a built in ethernet port, or M.2 or similar standard ssd connector or anything like that. We all know Apple well enough to know they dont care about consumers that much. But only because the step up in performance over haswell/broadwell should be substantial enough to wait, particularly on the iGPU front. I wouldnt even be looking at upgrading if not for the dGPU on my 2011 15" machine needing 3 reflows to keep it working. The old upgradable machines are really going to be missed by me.
When they first revealed the motherboard in the MacBook, I almost thought they did go ARM. It looks amazingly tiny to be an x86 laptop motherboard.
I am relatively new to anything Mac and hopefully some of you very smart people can help me out. I know the main differences between the Air/Pro, but I am not sure which I should go with. The screen size of the Air is very small in my opinion, but I like just about everything else about it. The 15" Pro is a better size and like the Air I like just about everything about it. I would be using it mainly for surfing, listening to music, watching movies/videos, and some school work. My main problem is I feel like the size of the Air will bother me, but I also feel like the Pro might be a waste of extra money for what my needs are. Has anyone else here had the same issue at one time?
Which should I choose?
For me in choosing laptops, it must fit the personality of the buyer. Look for something that you could use when it comes to work, travel or leisure. I am planning to buy a Macbook Air soon, because i love how sleek the design is.
For me in choosing laptops, it must fit the personality of the buyer. Look for something that you could use when it comes to work, travel or leisure. I am planning to buy a Macbook Air soon, because i love how sleek the design is.
I would take a 13" retina pro over a 13" air any day (and in fact, I did).
The costs of the MBP over the MBA are: a couple hundred more dollars, 1/2 pound heavier, and about 20% less battery life.
But the raw capability of the two devices are worlds apart.
I'd only consider the Air if your usage is for generally lightweight applications and you really need that lower weight and longer battery life.
The costs of the MBP over the MBA are: a couple hundred more dollars, 1/2 pound heavier, and about 20% less battery life.
But the raw capability of the two devices are worlds apart.
I'd only consider the Air if your usage is for generally lightweight applications and you really need that lower weight and longer battery life.