So, you're trying to move him into a bigger machine. A 15" no less. I know you might find this hard to believe, but there are actually some of us that want the smallest and lightest computers we can find. Until the 2010 11" MBA, which I own a maxed-out version of, I wouldn't even have considered an Apple laptop. I've been paying a premium for tiny, powerful laptops for almost twenty years. They're worth every penny and I drive them till the wheels come off.
OP, max it out and keep the beach balls to a minimum.
You do bring up an interesting point, but I feel like you may be in the minority camp here. You are arguing that maxing out a computer is the best idea because it will last the longest, potentially stretching out 7-8 years. I bought a baseline 13" MBA for $700 last month, and I upgrade my computer every 3-4 years, so it will be more than powerful enough. It will realistically be powerful enough for the next 5 years. At that price, I could buy two computers over the course of 8 years. If I wanted to sell it, I could get $500 for it in 2016, so I feel like I can justify a baseline machine, especially considering it depreciates less quickly than a custom machine.
In terms of the rMBP vs MBA, you pay a huge premium for portability. I personally have a MBA, but if I needed power, I would be willing to take on the extra 1.5 pounds of the 2012 baseline rMBP for double the performance. Capathy is merely pointing out that you need bleeding edge power, the performance/cost ratio of a rMBP is significantly better. There are some really serious tradeoffs to consider, and many people value power over weight if they actually need the power. Some people are less lenient on this, but in general, power and portability do not come cheap. 4.5 pounds is not that big a tradeoff to me.
I am not saying you shouldn't voice your opinion, as you do bring up some valid arguments. However, telling a college student to spend excessive amounts of money on a machine they may not need, especially if money is short at hand, can be detrimental. Here is something to think about. If a $700 MBA will essentially perform just as well over the course of their college education (4-5 years), why spend extra money? Sure, if this person wanted the computer to last 8+ years, a maxed out MBA would be a better option. In this scenario though, I would be willing to bet that a 4GB/128GB machine would last even beyond college. There is some benefit to maxing out a machine, but often times it is greatly outweighed by the cost.
Matt
Edit: Just by the way, up until a few months ago I had a 2GB/128GB 2010 MBA running Mavericks flawlessly. The only reason I upgraded was because a relative wanted it. I watched movies, browsed the web, wrote papers, and did some light gaming (Portal 2, League of Legends). An i7 processor would not have any appreciable effect in the next 4 years for any consumer task. If the OP does heavy photography work then we can start talking about beach balls, but if not, a baseline MBA will keep beach balls away just as well.
