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MacBook Pro or MacBook Air For College?

Which One?

  • MacBook Air

    Votes: 13 17.8%

  • MacBook Pro

    Votes: 60 82.2%
  • Total voters
    73
R

rekhyt

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 20, 2008
1,127
78
Part of the old MR guard.
I'm going to college in 3 years. I might get a MacBook Pro/Macbook Air now. Which one should I use for college?

MacBook Pro sounds a bit too "big/heavy". What do you guys think?

Remember that I'm getting the lowest config of MacBook Pro but with the hard drive upgraded to 250 GB. MacBook Air will be lowest config too.

Should I wait, or buy it now?

Will it be too worn 3 years later for college? (I have a MacBook right now)

-Rekhyt
 
I would not recommend the MacBook Air as your only computer. Lack of ports and internal optical drive makes it a good laptop for those who have another computer to use when they are not on the road. I would say go for the MacBook Pro.
 
I personally would buy a MBP. However, if you have access to a second mac then a MacBook Air is not a bad purchase for school. A few of my college classmates have Airs and they're pretty pleased but they all have another mac at home acting as the workhorse.

ETA: I see you currently have a MacBook, why not enjoy that? If you're already thinking of an upgrade one year into your purchase, there's no way you're going to keep this next purchase for college which is 3 years away (not that I would expect anyone else to, even if they didn't already have a MacBook). I would buy something else unless you're one of those who chase the latest and greatest, which if true, I'd have to say keep on chasing.
 
You're going to want to get a new computer when you start college. Three years is a long time -- and in seven years your computer will feel like it's crawling. If you need a new computer now, get the computer that's best for you now, and then update when you start college.
 
I would wait until you're actually in college. Three years is a big commitment for a machine.
 
DO NOT buy a Mac for college three years before...

I bought a Mac just prior to my senior year of high school and had to buy a new one halfway through my junior year of college to keep up.
 
You don't really need a Pro at this stage; you probably just need the power of the Air right now; however seeing you are going to college in 3 years, I would get a Macbook now instead and decide what you need later (in 3 years).
 
KingYaba said:
Since when is five pounds heavy?
Click to expand...

That's what I was wondering. That's how much a bag of sugar weighs. Considering the 80-pound books you'll have to buy, a friggin laptop is the least of weight worries.

I would NOT recommend a MBA for college use. The processor will get outdated much faster than the MBP. 1.6/1.8Ghz vs., what, 2.6Ghz? You also can't upgrade the RAM on a MBA (or anything else for that matter), and contrary to Apple's belief, people still use optical media once in a while.

You pay a premium on the MBA for the weight and thinness. It's really a horrible deal comparing stuff straight-up. You'll start kicking yourself if you spend $1800 on a primary computer that doesn't have an optical drive, multiple USB ports, firewire, etc.

MacBooks and MacBook Pros are pretty popular, and there's good reason for it. Pick one of them and you shouldn't need another for 4 years. Get yourself a free iPod Touch while you're at it!
 
rekhyt said:
Hmm... It's not like I'm going to play Crysis or use Final Cut Pro in College...

Do I need a MacBook Pro in College?
Click to expand...

its gonna be ur only computer that does ot matter i would say at lest a MacBook preferably a Pro because the air is slow just surfing the net so iTunes is just bad.
 
For God's sake....DO NOT BUY A COMPUTER FOR COLLEGE THREE YEARS IN ADVANCE!!!!

Sorry for the yell typing but thats one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard...

But i suppose if you must get one go for the MBP.
 
another one of these posts? oh lord! :)

i voted AIR. for college, its perfect. most people dont need more than 1 usb at a time, and if they do they can operate a usb hub. most people dont need a cd drive ALL THE TIME, and when they do, the external superdrive is great.


If i had to do it again, id be all over the air, and a Home brew pc.
 
Keep your current Macbook for the moment. There's too many things happening, and by the time you get to college anything you buy now will feel outdated (even though it will still be usable). Some of these are;

Nehalem processors (and further generations that will be even faster)
USB 3
SSD becoming affordable
Blu-Ray support
Even longer battery life (hopefully as a result of using SSD's lower power screens, lower processor consumption)
A 12-13" MBP (I can dream, can't I?)
 
Use your MacBook from now through the end of your senior year. Hold onto your money (and save a little on the side). If you set aside, like... $50 a month between now and then you could save up around a couple thousand in addition to whatever you've tucked away already. That way, if you still want a MacBook Air, you can buy a desktop to complement it. If you buy a MacBook Pro, you can invest in some great software.
 
Don't buy anything because what you have will last you 3 years. Hit the gym in the meantime so you can pick up a macbook pro in a couple years.
 
Fonzijr1964 said:
its gonna be ur only computer that does ot matter i would say at lest a MacBook preferably a Pro because the air is slow just surfing the net so iTunes is just bad.
Click to expand...

Hmm, why is it slow for iTunes? I suppose in college I only need it for accessing basic files, surfing, listening to music, word processing, power pointing, spread sheet making, ..

FF_productions said:
Get a MacBook for now, then we'll see what happens in 3 years. Dude that's a long time from now.
Click to expand...

I already have a MacBook now. I need... I want to experiment with Final Cut and Logix studios.

j26 said:
Keep your current Macbook for the moment. There's too many things happening, and by the time you get to college anything you buy now will feel outdated (even though it will still be usable). Some of these are;

Nehalem processors (and further generations that will be even faster)
USB 3
SSD becoming affordable
Blu-Ray support
Even longer battery life (hopefully as a result of using SSD's lower power screens, lower processor consumption)
A 12-13" MBP (I can dream, can't I?)
Click to expand...

Hmm, when do you think will come?

thehellobob said:
Use your MacBook from now through the end of your senior year. Hold onto your money (and save a little on the side). If you set aside, like... $50 a month between now and then you could save up around a couple thousand in addition to whatever you've tucked away already. That way, if you still want a MacBook Air, you can buy a desktop to complement it. If you buy a MacBook Pro, you can invest in some great software.
Click to expand...

Good advice, but I can't afford a MacBook Air and a desktop right now...

If I leave my MacBook Pro at home and get a Macbook/Air to school, will I be able to use the space on the MacBook Pro using the Back-To-My-Mac function (If it's off?)

Thanks,
Rekhyt.
 
logic and final cut will work fine on your macbook.

They will work considerably better on your macbook than a macbook air.




Here's a quick rule of thumb. If you aren't sure if you need a macbook pro or a macbook air, then you clearly have no idea what you want or need.
 
rekhyt said:
I already have a MacBook now. I need... I want to experiment with Final Cut and Logix studios.
Click to expand...

If you want to experiment now, try it on your macbook. It's certainly faster than the current macbook air...

Hmm, when do you think will come?
Click to expand...

No idea. No one really knows. But I think it's pretty safe to say that there will be at least a few revisions between now and the time you go to college. It's good to plan ahead. But, IMHO, you should probably be worrying about grades and application essays and community participation to get INTO college before worrying about what computer you want to take there in three years.

Good advice, but I can't afford a MacBook Air and a desktop right now...
Click to expand...

If you want a new toy, get a new toy. But don't worry about how it will hold up when you go to college. Besides, if you can't afford two new computers right now (who the hell can, as a high school freshman?) and you have the itch, get one. I'm sure you can save up enough money working the next three years for any computer you want by the time you get to college.
 
Put...

... the $$ your are going to use on a new :apple: into an interest CD or other savings instrument and DO NOT TOUCH IT for the next three years. Use your current macbook to get you through High School. Then buy the most current model right before you actually go to college.:)
 
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