I am considering a laptop for college. I probably won't be buying until September at the earliest (when I finally get my hands on a university student ID card and be able to take advantage of the $100 student discount), but I am considering either a MBA 1.86GHz/HDD or the 13-inch MBP.
My needs:
1. I am a casual digital photographer, and I make use of Adobe's Photoshop Lightroom quite heavily. Being as casual as I am, my photo catalogues rarely ever exceed 100 pictures, nor do I shoot in RAW format (as my camera is incapable of it). Will there be a noticeable difference in performance between these two machines when editing photographs and such?
2. Portability is also big factor for me, and as the price of the Air has gone down so much over the past year, it increasingly has become a very attractive option. Especially when performance has picked up pace in the meanwhile, too!
3. I also plan to do web browsing, word processing, etc, but I guess either machine will do for these activities.
4. Lack of an optical drive isn't a deal breaker for me - I will probably only use it only to reinstall the OS or something along those lines.
Questions:
1. While Apple claims that the new MBPs have a much longer battery life, I've read statements here on these forums that contradict the 7-hour battery life claim. So, disregarding Apple's estimates, how much better is battery life on the new MBP in comparison with the MBA, especially in real-world usage?
2. How much slower is the MBA be in general usage in comparison with the 13-inch MBP?
3. I also hear that the Rev. B MBAs have lines on their screens. How prevalent is this manufacturing defect?
4. How do the speakers compare between these two machines? I plan to listen to a lot of music through the onboard speakers (not a fan of headphones).
5. And finally, are there any plans for Apple to update either machine anytime this fall? (Even though they have been recently updated, I wouldn't mind waiting a few months in order to stay ahead of the curve.)
Thank you, and hopefully I will be another happy Mac owner this fall. (Though I still love Windows. I am typing this from my Windows 7 rig right now.)
My needs:
1. I am a casual digital photographer, and I make use of Adobe's Photoshop Lightroom quite heavily. Being as casual as I am, my photo catalogues rarely ever exceed 100 pictures, nor do I shoot in RAW format (as my camera is incapable of it). Will there be a noticeable difference in performance between these two machines when editing photographs and such?
2. Portability is also big factor for me, and as the price of the Air has gone down so much over the past year, it increasingly has become a very attractive option. Especially when performance has picked up pace in the meanwhile, too!
3. I also plan to do web browsing, word processing, etc, but I guess either machine will do for these activities.
4. Lack of an optical drive isn't a deal breaker for me - I will probably only use it only to reinstall the OS or something along those lines.
Questions:
1. While Apple claims that the new MBPs have a much longer battery life, I've read statements here on these forums that contradict the 7-hour battery life claim. So, disregarding Apple's estimates, how much better is battery life on the new MBP in comparison with the MBA, especially in real-world usage?
2. How much slower is the MBA be in general usage in comparison with the 13-inch MBP?
3. I also hear that the Rev. B MBAs have lines on their screens. How prevalent is this manufacturing defect?
4. How do the speakers compare between these two machines? I plan to listen to a lot of music through the onboard speakers (not a fan of headphones).
5. And finally, are there any plans for Apple to update either machine anytime this fall? (Even though they have been recently updated, I wouldn't mind waiting a few months in order to stay ahead of the curve.)
Thank you, and hopefully I will be another happy Mac owner this fall. (Though I still love Windows. I am typing this from my Windows 7 rig right now.)
