Hi, I am thinking of getting a new portable mac although am unable to decide on whether to get a macbook pro or macbook air. Normally this would be a straightforward decision and I would go for the 13" pro however I have heard that the pro is receiving a significant update in early 2012 and as size and portability is the main issue with the current model I am not sure whether to wait or go for the 11" macbook air (128GB) which has quite recently been updated and is perfect in terms of portability but my main problem is the lack of processing power and slightly shorter battery life together with no optical drive. I would mainly be using the laptop for college work so documents, presentations etc. and movies , itunes etc. but I would also like to use software such as Logic Pro as well as playing a few games so I am not sure what the best thing to do here and would like some advice.
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Macbook pro or macbook air?
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You said it yourself, you are not sure of the lower processing power of the air and lack of optical drive, so get the Pro. Simple.
You did say you wanted to play games, what games do you have in mind? Because the integrated graphics on the 13" MBP are not the great. Fine for older games, and I am sure more RAM in the system will help you play newer ones, but don't expect to play Crysis 2 on max settings
You did say you wanted to play games, what games do you have in mind? Because the integrated graphics on the 13" MBP are not the great. Fine for older games, and I am sure more RAM in the system will help you play newer ones, but don't expect to play Crysis 2 on max settings
I strongly urge against getting a MacBook Air to run Logic Pro. What interface would you use? How would you connect it?
If you currently have a computer which you can use, do NOT buy anything right now. I usually go for the thing of the moment, even though there is an update right around the corner.
Here are the reasons why I am not purchasing a macbook right now: the macbook airs are awesome machines, super fast and light, but the lack of a separate graphic card is not great. Not being able to update RAM and SSD drive are also very limiting factors. If apple added a SDXC reader, then I'd be looking at this machine very differently. You can pick up a 128GB SDXC card for $180, and you could almost double the storage capacity of your macbook air.
And the macbook pro is being updated. If they remove the optical drive, then you'd probably be looking at a macbook pro with 10 hours of battery. Not to mention the ability to update RAM and hard drive to SSD - even better if you already have an SSD.
These are my reasons. They don't have to be yours. My macbook works phenomenally well right now, so I am waiting for the updated Pro or maybe next year's air. I rather wait then be disappointed.
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that was such a run-on I find it difficult to believe you could not understand the OP just because the doubts are spattered throughout the post The macbook air rocks Understand your pain I do. (I had to, I'm sorry)If you currently have a computer which you can use, do NOT buy anything right now. I usually go for the thing of the moment, even though there is an update right around the corner.
Here are the reasons why I am not purchasing a macbook right now: the macbook airs are awesome machines, super fast and light, but the lack of a separate graphic card is not great. Not being able to update RAM and SSD drive are also very limiting factors. If apple added a SDXC reader, then I'd be looking at this machine very differently. You can pick up a 128GB SDXC card for $180, and you could almost double the storage capacity of your macbook air.
And the macbook pro is being updated. If they remove the optical drive, then you'd probably be looking at a macbook pro with 10 hours of battery. Not to mention the ability to update RAM and hard drive to SSD - even better if you already have an SSD.
These are my reasons. They don't have to be yours. My macbook works phenomenally well right now, so I am waiting for the updated Pro or maybe next year's air. I rather wait then be disappointed.
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i see your logic, but from what im looking at are you basically saying the pro and air will be merged with the next update?
I'd hate to see the Macbook Pro disappear. A macbook pro without removable Ram, a hard drive, and SDXC would not be a Macbook "pro." I think that depending on what a professional needs to do and the advancement of software, then one could accommodate space and amount of ram to increase performance without buying a whole new computer. Maybe they'll be closer in body size, but I don't see the Pro dropping any of these features (except for the optical drive).
i dont think ram increase will update the whole computer.. thats what an ssd can do!
The MBA is clearly heading in one direction: full integration of RAM, storage and main board. No chance for the consumer to upgrade. They would never do this to the MBP. They won't merge the two.