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MacBook Pro or MacBook Air?

iMacBookPro

iMacBookPro

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 8, 2011
58
0
Los Angeles, California
I was just wondering if I should buy my wife a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air? She likes the Air because it is very thin. I don't like it because it does not have a hard drive. I have the Pro but I don't think she likes the thickness. I tell her its not that much bigger. I would get the MacBook Pro 15" or the MacBook Air 13". I want to make the best choice for her! Thanks for the help. :apple:
 
iMacBookPro said:
I was just wondering if I should buy my wife a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air? She likes the Air because it is very thin. I don't like it because it does not have a hard drive. I have the Pro but I don't think she likes the thickness. I tell her its not that much bigger. I would get the MacBook Pro 15" or the MacBook Air 13". I want to make the best choice for her! Thanks for the help. :apple:
Click to expand...
What type of things is she going to use the Mac for?

IMO, the solid-state drive the Air comes with is SIGNIFICANTLY faster than the traditional hard drives the Pros come with. The disadvantage is that the capacities (GB) are lower (for now). Solid state drives also don't have platters inside of them spinning at 7200 RPM, so they may be more reliable in the long run.

Also IMO, there is a very noticeable difference between the size and weight of a 13" Air vs a 15" MPB. I say that as someone who has owned 15" Mac notebooks since they were called PowerBooks and switched to Airs a little over a year ago.

Unless she's doing something that requires a discreet video card, or 500GB+ of disk storage, why pay the extra $500 for a Pro that it doesn't sound like she'd like using as much as an Air?
 
iMacBookPro said:
She likes the Air because it is very thin. I don't like it because it does not have a hard drive.
Click to expand...
Color me silly but if it's going to be hers and she wants an Air then why don't you let her have it?

Your marriage works entirely different than mine. :)
 
iMacBookPro said:
I was just wondering if I should buy my wife a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air? She likes the Air because it is very thin. I don't like it because it does not have a hard drive. I have the Pro but I don't think she likes the thickness. I tell her its not that much bigger. I would get the MacBook Pro 15" or the MacBook Air 13". I want to make the best choice for her! Thanks for the help. :apple:
Click to expand...

It does have a solid state hard drive... a vastly superior storage technology compared to the conventional hard disc drives. The 13'' MBA comes with either 128GB or 256GB versions. If you think that is not sufficient for your wife, then you should explain this to her. For me, I would never go back to a laptop without SSD... it's just so much faster.

The weight difference is significant, and the air uses a lot less space in a small bag. My wife has a 13'' white Macbook, and she just told me how much she would prefer to have a lighter and smaller machine. Her 320GB hard disc is probably 70% empty.
 
iMacBookPro said:
I want to make the best choice for her!
Click to expand...
If that's the case then you should include information about her in your OP. And why would it matter that you don't like it because it doesn't have a hard drive? Shouldn't you be buying based on her preferences?
 
I think she will be extremely happy with a MBA, and it certainly more than capable of meeting her needs. If the MBA is what she wants, she will be disappointed with your choice of the MBP. Why spend the money on your choice of a MBP, only to have her always wishing it was an Air instead?
 
iMacBookPro said:
Just for home use like: email, searching, and iPhoto. :apple:
Click to expand...

Air, base 13" or 128GB 11", let her try both and decide. But honestly, she might be able to just use an iPad, AppleTV and a bluetooth keyboard with those requirements. I bought Photoforge, snapseed and a couple other apps for photo editing and my wife prefers that to iPhoto and Pixelmator on her MBA.
 
The question is exactly what everybody else is saying, what are you planning to use it for, and is this going to be your main computer?

For me, I was also torn, but this is my main rig, which I am very happy with my purchase. I need ports such as Firewire 800, and Thunderbolt. I went for the 13" MacBook Pro, and the size is perfect to travel with, and also using at my desk.

15" would have been too big as I travel, and 17" definitely would have been humongous. If I were chained to my desk more, with travel only occasionally, I would definitely go for 17" or 15". But if you need to travel, but you also need to use it as your main computer, (such as when you ARE at your desk), go for the 13" Pro.

If you don't plan on having this be your main computer, and you have another Mac already, go for the Air.
 
ipad? the mba and mbp are overpowered for those tasks. the mbp and mba have their strengths and weaknesses, but given her use, i don't see the point of an mbp. you don't need multiple cores to check email :)
 
For her uses, MBA. Hands down.

I have a MBA and love it for email, web, etc. However, I'm selling it now and getting a 15" MBP simply because I want to do more with it and feel limited. I don't think she'll feel limited by the MBA for her uses, though.
 
MBA all the way, the only advantage a hard drive has over SSD, is storage. If you have apps/files/data that can exceed the storage capacity of the supplied MBA SSD.

From the thread that is not the case, so MBA all the way.

Besides, for happy marriage, if your wife is happy then you'll be happy. Get the MBA ;)
 
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