Of course. But the point is FeaRThiS telling the OP that the Air is a glorified netbook for emails and internet surfing. Of course the current Pro is faster than the current Air. But the Air is no slouch in bed.
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MBP or Air for main computer?
- Thread starter Syvere
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Of course. But the point is FeaRThiS telling the OP that the Air is a glorified netbook for emails and internet surfing. Of course the current Pro is faster than the current Air. But the Air is no slouch in bed.
FearPoSTs by FeaRThiS
, not accurate and not good advice, imo.Go for the 13" MacBook Air max'd out. You'll really like the size and weight for travel, even watching movies in bed.
I have a Mac Pro with dual ACD's, a MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air. I use and enjoy my Air the most. It's a surprisingly capable little machine. Myself, my Engineers and a lot of my staff have switched to the Air and there isnt anyone here who's not extremely happy with them.
We design and manufacture next gen consumer products and parts, a lot of CAD work, PS, AI etc.
A Netbook it is NOT.
Individual needs and tastes vary, you have a 14 day exchange, I'd suggest start with the Air and if you're finding its not enough then exchange it for the MacBook Pro. I've seen people do this in my office, BUT after exchanging their Air for a Pro one person again exchanged back to the Air and the other wishes he had of switched back to the Air ...
I too am gonna have to TOTALLY agree with this assessment.
It all comes down to what you use a computer for and if your interaction with a computer is not to produce stuff and your life with a computer is more of a way to stay connected and enjoy the benefits of technology to watch movies in bed, music, create word documents, use excel in a basic spread sheet creation and viewing, perhaps resize a photo here or there, then YES, the Air is perfect for your use and the occasional easy potability enjoyment.
That's right. But I can't see you giving specific pros and cons. All you did was imply that the Air is a machine for emails and web surfing because thats how you use it. If you can read earlier, I said try to be specific when you will talk about the Air's power. The 2011 Air can go head to head with a lot of laptops around. It's slightly slower in comparison to it's bigger Pro brothers but it's nevertheless a capable machine.
For your information, your "glorified netbook" even beats the previous year's (2010) 15" i7 Macbook Pro. I bet you didn't know that because you only used your Air twice (your words) for email and surfing (if you actually even owned one).
That might be right but the OP was talking about having an ssd and this would not be the case if the MBP in your test had a ssd?
I just like giving advice on products I dont own
Im not saying for some people the air doesnt work well but for me it just doesnt.
As an example I also own a iphone 4s and an ipad 2 I dont take my ipad everywhere so will use my iphone while I'm out but if I am at home and want to check something online I always pick up my ipad over my iphone.
This is the reason why my air has had so little use as given the choice I would always use my mbp instead of the air. Granted my mbp has a larger screen and that may be part of the reason but it is also a quicker machine to use although it has a ssd and I have upgraded the ram so its not really a fair comparison.
And I just like giving advice on products that I neither or use
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The image you showed actually puts the 2010 15" i7 Macbook Pro just below the Air and lower is actually better
LOL. Are you sure you have the brains for PS and CAD?
We all have our off moments and this has now been going on for so long I had a laps in concentration. If you would like to geekbench your air and see if it is faster than my mbp feel free I would be very surprised.
It's shows.
Certainly is unfortunate for those who come here looking for solid advice or sugggestions.
How old are you, kid?
You are the one putting benchmarks up trying to prove a air is faster than a mbp but if you look at the very first post the op already stated both would have a ssd which renders your benchmarks irrelevant as for age again irrelevant.
At least I am trying to stay on topic all you seem to be doing to trying to enforce your views as gospel. I am merely stating my views as I have both an air and a mbp both with ssd drives and find that in the real world my mbp is better for "me".
If you dont like hearing other peoples opinions maybe forums are not for you.
The macbook pro will always be better in terms of performance, it has more to offer and isn't as limited as the air is.
You can at any time buy RAM or Hard drive upgrades, you can remove your optical drive and place a second SSD or HDD all of these mean that it is a better machine than the minimal design of a macbook air.
You can get 16gb of MBP RAM for $110, that is insanely cheap, buying a macbook air with 4gb in 2012 is a joke. Keep in mind the comparisons you see are not real world comparisons 4gb RAM and and 128 or even 256 GB hard drive will max out very quickly if you try to do anything remotely stressful.
Which one is better?
That is up to you, in terms of value for money the Macbook pro will still be a better option. As you have stated that the this will be a main machine the macbook pro offers you the option to burn cd's, has optical audio outputs, an ethernet port, expandable RAM and hard drives and future upgradability options that the air doesn't.
If you plan to change your computer next year or will possibly get another computer that isn't a laptop then the air is ideal. If your not a heavy user that wont be downloading everyday or using RAM intensive applications like Photoshop's then the air should be enough for you.
Side note, just cause you can run something like photoshop on the air means nothing, you can run a photoshop on iphones and ipads. For those who have worked on these applications will know that it is really limiting with 4gb ram and 128 / 256 gb HDD space. Your productivity will not be as good as it will on 8 or 16 GB or ram and with more hard drive space.
Lastly, It's an awkward time to buy due to the new processors which have just been released, this means there will be at least performance upgrades on all machines in the very near future.
You can at any time buy RAM or Hard drive upgrades, you can remove your optical drive and place a second SSD or HDD all of these mean that it is a better machine than the minimal design of a macbook air.
You can get 16gb of MBP RAM for $110, that is insanely cheap, buying a macbook air with 4gb in 2012 is a joke. Keep in mind the comparisons you see are not real world comparisons 4gb RAM and and 128 or even 256 GB hard drive will max out very quickly if you try to do anything remotely stressful.
Which one is better?
That is up to you, in terms of value for money the Macbook pro will still be a better option. As you have stated that the this will be a main machine the macbook pro offers you the option to burn cd's, has optical audio outputs, an ethernet port, expandable RAM and hard drives and future upgradability options that the air doesn't.
If you plan to change your computer next year or will possibly get another computer that isn't a laptop then the air is ideal. If your not a heavy user that wont be downloading everyday or using RAM intensive applications like Photoshop's then the air should be enough for you.
Side note, just cause you can run something like photoshop on the air means nothing, you can run a photoshop on iphones and ipads. For those who have worked on these applications will know that it is really limiting with 4gb ram and 128 / 256 gb HDD space. Your productivity will not be as good as it will on 8 or 16 GB or ram and with more hard drive space.
Lastly, It's an awkward time to buy due to the new processors which have just been released, this means there will be at least performance upgrades on all machines in the very near future.
I have both a 2011 MBP 13" dual core i7 and a 2011 11" MBA ultimate and they are both awesome machines and I use them both. That being said I use my MBP more because it handles certain programs better in my opinion. I do a lot of amateur work with photoshop, aperture and final cut and my MBP just handles the tasks better. That being said the MBA is NOT a netbook by any stretch of the imagination. I still use aperture on my MBA if I am traveling and want to edit photos on the fly. If you get a MBA you will be happy and well served by it. That being said if you want upgradability go with the MBP, I have put 8GB of RAM and a 240GB Intel 520 SSD in my MBP and am now perfectly happy for it. However we can't really give you any real good advice until we know what you want to use the machine for as they both have their pros and cons.
The MBA is a really capable little beast of a computer that I personally love, but I find that if it's your only computer and you want it to last a long time, go with the Macbook Pro because it is more "future proof" or so to speak. it will least longer because of not only the upgradability, the but far superior processor and in the 15" and 17" models, graphics cards. You may not notice it now and both computers with an SSD may seem similar, but when programs get more advanced and need more resources, you'll be happy you went with the Macbook Pro. Just my $.02 Now if you only want the computer for a short while and don't need to do any intense stuff even in the future, you'll love the MBA. It's a great machine, just not what is needed by many for their work. Anyway, best of luck with your purchase!
100x yes.
unless you're doing very basic stuff with, the pro gives you so many more options.
You've got 2 drive bays that can take regular SATA style drives. You can upgrade ram to 16gb.
Your CPU is faster.
The air is limited in all of those respects. Sure the MBP is a little thicker, but it is by no means unportable.
Easy decision.
Stock MBP. Upgrade ram to 8gb (you will not use 16gb for love nor money unless you are very good at multitasking) and upgrade the HDD to SSD and you can do that for less than the maxed out air.
Remember this is going to be your main computer so everything counts towards having flexibility.
The air was built for pure portability and it's beautifully engineered, I would love one.
MBP is the automatic choice unless you find reasons not to have it.
Stock MBP. Upgrade ram to 8gb (you will not use 16gb for love nor money unless you are very good at multitasking) and upgrade the HDD to SSD and you can do that for less than the maxed out air.
Remember this is going to be your main computer so everything counts towards having flexibility.
The air was built for pure portability and it's beautifully engineered, I would love one.
MBP is the automatic choice unless you find reasons not to have it.
Base model 13" MBP combined with a good quality CCFL backlit external display is what I have done. I'm waiting for the rumored summer refresh before getting another 13" MBP and display. Depending on how the new MBP stacks up I will get the new model or a previous generation MBP at a good discount.
Some people have eyestrain issues with the MBA LED backlit display as well as other Mac LED displays. High-resolution displays are also problematic for some people. The 11" MBA gave me a bad headache within 15 minutes and eyestrain that lasted 8+ hours. FAIL.
Lots of other people have the same issue (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1677617?start=0&tstart=0). Be sure to purchase the Mac from a retailer with a decent return policy and give it a good workout so you can return it if you are one of the unlucky ones...
Some people have eyestrain issues with the MBA LED backlit display as well as other Mac LED displays. High-resolution displays are also problematic for some people. The 11" MBA gave me a bad headache within 15 minutes and eyestrain that lasted 8+ hours. FAIL.
Lots of other people have the same issue (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1677617?start=0&tstart=0). Be sure to purchase the Mac from a retailer with a decent return policy and give it a good workout so you can return it if you are one of the unlucky ones...
Wow so many replies. Well the computer would be my main and only computer.
I have dell u2711 display which I'm planning on using when docked. I'm a software engineer and when I'm at home I usually use my computer just for listening to music, surfing the web and watching movies and anime. That's about it pretty much now that I don't play games anymore. I also have a habit of doing this on the bed or on a couch occasionally and during summers me and my wife often go to a cottage.
I already bought Apple wireless keyboard, magic mouse and trackpad, apples rechargeable batteries and external superdrive. I bought a dock for the air but I can always return that. Next I'll get a miniDP to DP cable and powered USB hub.
I plan on ordering the Mac from Apple web store so I have 14 days to return it if I'm dissatisfied or the new refresh comes out. I don't believe the update will bring anything worthwhile especially if I'm getting the 1.8GHz Air. But its nice to have that 14 days nonetheless. I'm also getting a case for the Mac from Apple.
Since I'm bit of an audiophile how's the audio quality (with headphones) between Air and MBP? I might end up getting USB dac but still that is something important for my use.
I have dell u2711 display which I'm planning on using when docked. I'm a software engineer and when I'm at home I usually use my computer just for listening to music, surfing the web and watching movies and anime. That's about it pretty much now that I don't play games anymore. I also have a habit of doing this on the bed or on a couch occasionally and during summers me and my wife often go to a cottage.
I already bought Apple wireless keyboard, magic mouse and trackpad, apples rechargeable batteries and external superdrive. I bought a dock for the air but I can always return that. Next I'll get a miniDP to DP cable and powered USB hub.
I plan on ordering the Mac from Apple web store so I have 14 days to return it if I'm dissatisfied or the new refresh comes out. I don't believe the update will bring anything worthwhile especially if I'm getting the 1.8GHz Air. But its nice to have that 14 days nonetheless. I'm also getting a case for the Mac from Apple.
Since I'm bit of an audiophile how's the audio quality (with headphones) between Air and MBP? I might end up getting USB dac but still that is something important for my use.
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It will bring huge gains in graphics, perhaps slight gains in battery life and other aspects.
An Air should be enough as your main computer. But remember that you're paying a higher price for lower specs and no upgradeability.
If you can hold off on the DAC give AstoundSound a try when the new version is released this year. It significantly improves the sound quality for less money and without adding a device. If you are mainly concerned with improving the sound through headphones and speakers connected to the Mac it does a really nice job.
http://www.astoundsound.net/
http://mp3.about.com/od/audiotools/fr/Astound2_Review.htm
For watching movies and to keep as a travel companion, an Air is absolutely good enough - likewise for word processing, spreadsheets, web-surfing and even programming. If you can afford an Air, and your main use is limited to such tasks, I would even recommend the Air because of portability.
However, there are some tasks for which I prefer to use other computers instead. If I'm going to batch convert a lot of video files (such as an entire season of Breaking Bad), it will take significantly longer time with my Air than with a 2 years older MacBook, even.
A 15" MBP with Anti-glare or High resolution screen would be best. For watching movies you want the best quality screens and the screens of the MBP are better.