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Macbook Pro vs Macbook Air

Having had both I have a new MBP arriving in a few minutes, THe air is a beautiful machine BUT it leaves you wanting more, I bought the Air for it looks but , it really not a great machine at all, I had all 3 Revs.

I have to say wait I am getting the MBP today and will get the tablet if ever released that will complete what I need in my life.
 
so im about 6 or so hours from making my order, the higher spec MacbookAir is where i am at the moment, anyone have any final comment??

Cheers

Mikey
 
I can give you my advice, having just purchased a refurb 2.13Ghz Macbook Air with SSD a week ago. My other Mac is an Oct 2008 unibody 15.4 inch Macbook Pro, and honestly, I love the Air already far more than I ever did the Pro. Yes, "spec-wise" the Pro has the Air beat in almost all areas, but the true beauty of this machine comes through when you actually have one and use it for a while. I haven't touched the Pro since opening the Air, and don't think I will, honestly. As long as you have a more feature filled (optical drive, more storage, etc) main computer (my work computer and main home computer are Windows desktops), the Air seems to be all MOST people need for on the go computing. It's night and day better than all the netbook "toys" I've tried out so far in attempting to find the ideal truly mobile solution. It's fast (super fast with the SSD), light, and slips so easily into any bag I'd already be carrying anyway. Not to mention the AC adapter is minuscule as well. The whole thing is amazingly portable, but even more importantly, USABLE...something I found all netbooks not being. Same keyboard as the 13 inch MBP, same size screen, but the thinness makes it disappear in any bag I'd already be carrying for work. And I was like most people that haven't used the Air, I said "overpriced for what it does/for its specs", etc. But I decided I'd try it anyway, if not, I could at least sell it, but I can already tell that there's NO WAY I'd get rid of this machine, except for maybe a future generation Air. I never felt that way about the Macbook Pro, and honestly considered getting rid of it for a "more powerful" Windows laptop. But I'm hooked on the Air. I think the biggest thing is that it doesn't function as a main computer as well as a MBP would, but if you have the funds, and want what I feel is the best solution for a highly mobile SECONDARY computer, the Air is the best product right now.
 
chris975d said:
I can give you my advice, having just purchased a refurb 2.13Ghz Macbook Air with SSD a week ago. My other Mac is an Oct 2008 unibody 15.4 inch Macbook Pro, and honestly, I love the Air already far more than I ever did the Pro. Yes, "spec-wise" the Pro has the Air beat in almost all areas, but the true beauty of this machine comes through when you actually have one and use it for a while. I haven't touched the Pro since opening the Air, and don't think I will, honestly. As long as you have a more feature filled (optical drive, more storage, etc) main computer (my work computer and main home computer are Windows desktops), the Air seems to be all MOST people need for on the go computing. It's night and day better than all the netbook "toys" I've tried out so far in attempting to find the ideal truly mobile solution. It's fast (super fast with the SSD), light, and slips so easily into any bag I'd already be carrying anyway. Not to mention the AC adapter is minuscule as well. The whole thing is amazingly portable, but even more importantly, USABLE...something I found all netbooks not being. Same keyboard as the 13 inch MBP, same size screen, but the thinness makes it disappear in any bag I'd already be carrying for work. And I was like most people that haven't used the Air, I said "overpriced for what it does/for its specs", etc. But I decided I'd try it anyway, if not, I could at least sell it, but I can already tell that there's NO WAY I'd get rid of this machine, except for maybe a future generation Air. I never felt that way about the Macbook Pro, and honestly considered getting rid of it for a "more powerful" Windows laptop. But I'm hooked on the Air. I think the biggest thing is that it doesn't function as a main computer as well as a MBP would, but if you have the funds, and want what I feel is the best solution for a highly mobile SECONDARY computer, the Air is the best product right now.
Click to expand...

well ive got an imac as well so this is purely my "on the go" machine and you gave it high praise. any issues you've encountered with performance or overheating?
 
mikemakin50 said:
well ive got an imac as well so this is purely my "on the go" machine and you gave it high praise. any issues you've encountered with performance or overheating?
Click to expand...

I haven't encountered any problems so far. I know I've read about issues with the screens on MBAs having lines, and honestly, that was the main reason I went with the refurb on my Air. The money saved wasn't that big of an issue (although nice!) as was the fact that Apple's refurb process is top notch, and any one with noticeable lines has probably already been returned, and in the refurb process, corrected/replaced. So I felt there's a lot less chance at a bad screen going refurb, as these are gone over individually by Apple, where as the new assembly line ones are not. And I actually like this screen a lot more than the screen on my 15 inch MBP just because, although glossy, it has far less glare than the GLASS screen on the MBP.
As far as heat is concerned, yes, it can get a bit warm under constant use, but not really that much more noticeable than my MBP does. I've been on it literally all day now, and the temp hasn't risen above 49 degrees C, which isn't out of line with my MBP. And heat dissipation is an area that I think the all aluminum chassis of the MB/MBP/MBA really shines in. Almost like the entire computer is a giant heat sink. And again, I'm hoping that by being a refurb, any serious problems that could occur on an Air have already happened to mine, and were fixed during refurbishing. If not, I still have a full year warranty for them to occur in.
Another thing I didn't mention in my earlier post is how solid the whole Air feels, despite its thinness. It just seems so well crafted compared to everything non-Mac out there, just like the rest of the Macbook line does. It truly is an amazing machine for those who buy it for its intended purpose....an ultralight companion to a main machine(s). Far better than any other competitor I looked at in the ultralight category before deciding on this Air.
 
Well i ordered the 128Gb SSD Macbook Air. Really think i made the right choice. I would have known for sure earlier but UPS had other plans. My brand new MBA is sat in a UPS depot about 5 miles away from my house. However, due the good old bank holiday here in England, they are not gonna deliver it til tuesday! I asked if i could come and collect it, but they said no, they have to try and deliver it first. Ive never had to deal with UPS before (there not that big here in the UK), but i dislike them already :mad:.
 
If the MBA had the same battery life as the 13" MBP, then I'd recommend it. I think the MBA has its place. I never bash it, but I also don't think I'd ever buy an MBA. I'll always own one machine, and that machine has to be able to handle anything.


However, to my eyes, the MBA is special. Its design is, and will be, a classic in the Apple world when it is gone. It's sort of like the Cube, which has a huge fanbase now. Some people *cough* even hollow them out, seal the edges, and make aquariums out of them. ;) People who see photos of Cubequariums love them. They also love the computer in general, despite its poor specs.

If the MBA gets 4 GB of RAM as standard, SSD drive as standard, and 7 hour battery life in the next update, I'd highly recommend it to someone like you even though the MacBook has better specs and almost the same size and weight. You pay a bit more for a unique machine that required a lot of special engineering at the time Apple designed it.

People always complain about the price when compared to the MacBook, but price and features never increase linearly. You always end up paying 50% more to gain the extra 5%, if you know what I'm saying. In this case, you're not paying for specs, and you're not actually paying more in order to own something different from everyone else. Perhaps some people do, but some people like myself would buy it because they appreciate its design, which I'd never get tired of.
 
I mean no disrespect to anyone on here cause yall know your stuff, but the way i see it, we all pay a premium to buy an Apple computer. For me, the MBA is just a natural progression from that.
 
mikemakin50 said:
Well i ordered the 128Gb SSD Macbook Air. Really think i made the right choice.
Click to expand...
congrats on the purchase! i didn't get a chance to chime in before you ordered, but i would say the best thing the Air has going for it is style. it bleeds beauty in form and functionality. as a student with a bag of books and a 4.6 pound 12" PowerBook - i can say that anything to shave a couple of pounds and add space would change my traveling dynamic completely.

now you have the difficult task in finding what to sync between your Air and iMac. (consider cloud computing)

Abstract said:
If the MBA had the same battery life as the 13" MBP, then I'd recommend it.
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i wonder how heavy the MBA would weigh if you replaced the battery with that of a MBP?
 
So my MBA is coming on Tuesday and for the first time I'm a little worried. I've read that the sound quality on the speakers is really bad!

Is this true? :(
 
OP, i think you are worrying too much. I really think you'll love the air.

And I'll second the point about the MBA screen having less glare than the current MBP. People will make a big deal that the MBP is so much more powerful, the ports, etc, but you gotta decide if you will ever use the ports that the MBP has vs. the MBA.

I vote MBA. And I'm gonna get one soon too.
 
mikemakin50 said:
So my MBA is coming on Tuesday and for the first time I'm a little worried. I've read that the sound quality on the speakers is really bad!

Is this true? :(
Click to expand...

It's a mono speaker and it's on the right side of the computer under the keyboard… and if you look there is no speaker hole.
 
mikemakin50 said:
So my MBA is coming on Tuesday and for the first time I'm a little worried. I've read that the sound quality on the speakers is really bad!

Is this true? :(
Click to expand...

As I do not have a MBA I do not know the quality of sound, but I will say that Apple will not make a bad product. You must not worry about things like this! I believe you are going to love your MBA. Congrats!! :apple:
 
why did i ever doubt it???

what a beautiful machine, i mean really. never really payed attention to the MBA in the retail store, never thought i could afford one.

from the moment i took it out of the box i have been in love with this machine, its solid, light and very fast. its taken everything i throw it with a breeze!

none of the issues so far that other people have had, but i've only had her a few days!!

A very happy customer
 
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