MBA vs Mbp (sorry)

[wrinkster22]

Ok I really hate to do another thread on this so if you are gonna give me hate, dont bother reading my thread.
Anyway I have been considering getting an apple laptop for a while. I am seriously considering it now as the edu gift card promo ends on the 20th. I am light user with a 50gb iTunes library my primary usage would be: Pages, Keynote, Google. I want this laptop to last a while. As you can tell my usages are light, but I will be doing them often. I would love a MBA but it is just so expensive. it would end up being 1700$ plus a case, disk drive, apps, etc.
On the other end i could get a refurb MBP For 1300. I have this weird thing that my veins stick out near my wrist. This makes it hurt a little when useing the sharp edges on the MBP
These are my Pros and Cons for the macbook air:
Pros: does not bug my wrist (my wrist is like on the table)
light
fast ssd
unique (everyone has a mbp)
would sync seamlessly with my apple mobiles
I love the look
Cons-256ssd is 1600$
for the few times it is worth it: no disk drive
um, i have heard it being damaged if it is near textbooks (this could be a deal breaker as I am a student.)
again the cost.

Any in sight would be appreciated. I have an older thread on which we figured how to get additional storage to a mba so maybe i would not need the 256ssd, here is the thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1178009/

 

[nebulos]

you can get the current 13 i5 MBP refurbished from Apple for $1019 plus tax. if you're going MBA, go 128GB and learn to live with it. these will show up soon refurbished too, if you can wait. (it would be a better discount than the gift card from Apple.) MBA is great for travel and has better resolution.

my vote is go 13" MBA 128GB. (refurb in a month or so, or student discount now)

forget the 256GB. that's for people that really need it, or can throw around the cash. 128GB is plenty.

you can forget the Air being unique. they're selling like hot cakes.

 

[Jordan9]

I am a student also and got a 11" MacBook Air 2 weeks ago to replace my late '06 MacBook. I also have a 150GB iTunes library including Music, Movies, and TV Shows. But all of that and my iPhoto Libraries are on a 1TB portable external drive. Plugging the external drive in when I need something isn't a hassle for me at all, to some it might be. I went with the Air with only 128GB SSD and put a 30GB partition for Windows 7 on it also and still have 90GB of space for OS X and my Mac Apps, which will be enough for me.
So far this is working out for me, and is a lot faster than my old machine. I also bought the external SuperDrive, which I use quite often to rip my DVDs to my external drive.

 

[wrinkster22]

you can get the current 13 i5 MBP refurbished from Apple for $1019 plus tax. if you're going MBA, go 128GB and learn to live with it. these will show up soon refurbished too, if you can wait. (it would be a better discount than the gift card from Apple.) MBA is great for travel and has better resolution.
if i got a refurb MBP i would get the top of line.
my vote is go 13" MBA 128GB. (refurb in a month or so, or student discount now)
If i got a refurb I would get a 256, does the student discount apply to a refurb if I get a MBP?
forget the 256GB. that's for people that really need it, or can throw around the cash. 128GB is plenty.
see above
you can forget the Air being unique. they're selling like hot cakes.

Welllllll at least where I am most people have a MBP

I am a student also and got a 11" MacBook Air 2 weeks ago to replace my late '06 MacBook. I also have a 150GB iTunes library including Music, Movies, and TV Shows. But all of that and my iPhoto Libraries are on a 1TB portable external drive. Plugging the external drive in when I need something isn't a hassle for me at all, to some it might be. I went with the Air with only 128GB SSD and put a 30GB partition for Windows 7 on it also and still have 90GB of space for OS X and my Mac Apps, which will be enough for me.
I dont really want to use an external ssd so i was planning on using the thing on the thread i provided a link
So far this is working out for me, and is a lot faster than my old machine. I also bought the external SuperDrive, which I use quite often to rip my DVDs to my external drive.

 

[Jordan9]

I also wanted to mention that I originally wanted a refurb MacBook Pro until I saw the new Airs. Then my options were a refurb 15" MBP or get a refurb iMac and new Air. And I decided with the latter combo. I won't always need the power of the pro on the go, and felt there was more value in the combo I chose. I won't be getting the iMac until the spring but feel the Air will be a good full time machine until then.

 

[wrinkster22]

I also wanted to mention that I originally wanted a refurb MacBook Pro until I saw the new Airs. Then my options were a refurb 15" MBP or get a refurb iMac and new Air. And I decided with the latter combo. I won't always need the power of the pro on the go, and felt there was more value in the combo I chose. I won't be getting the iMac until the spring but feel the Air will be a good full time machine until then.

Here is the thing I am worried about, storage.
I have 50gb of music that expands relatively quickly.
i have under 5gb of document
OSX + pages, numbers, keynote=15gb
70gb, safe to say that my everything will double :s i have an issue

 

[DustinT]

I'd be taking a close look at that 50g of music and seeing if I could maybe archive some of it to another hard drive. Or, see what format the music is in? If its lossless than back it up to another drive and make a AAC copy of it which would take up a lot less room. If you have 50g of properly compressed music that should be 4-6,000 songs.

Anyway, the 128 is a great machine. I'd say go for it and learn to live with the limitations.

 

[wrinkster22]

I'd be taking a close look at that 50g of music and seeing if I could maybe archive some of it to another hard drive. Or, see what format the music is in? If its lossless than back it up to another drive and make a AAC copy of it which would take up a lot less room. If you have 50g of properly compressed music that should be 4-6,000 songs.

Anyway, the 128 is a great machine. I'd say go for it and learn to live with the limitations.

it is not music, it is tv episodes. I have under 2gb of music

 

[Jordan9]

Here is the thing I am worried about, storage.
I have 50gb of music that expands relatively quickly.
i have under 5gb of document
OSX + pages, numbers, keynote=15gb
70gb, safe to say that my everything will double :s i have an issue

Thats why I carry that 1TB external hard drive around. My iTunes is 150GB.

 

[nebulos]

think about the computer like a backpack.

you can buy a huge one that will carry all your books everywhere you go, but it will be heavy and you won't use all the books all the time.

you can buy a smaller one that will be lighter, but you will have to choose what you take with you.

Ans: MBA.

----------

Thats why I carry that 1TB external hard drive around. My iTunes is 150GB.

... except in this case, you can carry all your books with you after all. exactly.

 

[erasr]

You can forget the Air being unique. they're selling like hot cakes.

They may be selling like hot cakes but doesn't mean most people have them. Most people have the MBP. It will take another year before you see ordinary people owning an MBA. Plus lets see if it stands the test of time.

I took mine to work yesterday for first time and it was like I pulled an alien device out my bag. No one had seen one in the flesh before.

 

[nebulos]

They may be selling like hot cakes but doesn't mean most people have them. Most people have the MBP. It will take another year before you see ordinary people owning an MBA. Plus lets see if it stands the test of time.

I took mine to work yesterday for first time and it was like I pulled an alien device out my bag. No one had seen one in the flesh before.

either way, Apple has become so ubiquitous in general, its weird to see a college student without a mac nowadays, and either way, who cares how unique it is?

the air will be the new mainstream mac. it wasn't up to the job in the past, and it has an obsolete reputation to destroy, but there's no reason a regular joe walking into an Apple store today would opt for a Pro vs an Air, when the Air is lighter, has a better screen (resolution), and an SSD, for $100 more (comparing the base 13's).

the only thing to stop someone would be storage space, but people will realize they can go easily do without 500GBs of storage.

Apple nailed it with the 2011 MBA.

... now, if the 13 MBP had 1440x900, i might go with the Pro after all.

 

[scarred]

The MBP 13 is the new White Macbook.