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New MacBook or 11.6 MBA
- Thread starter Wicked1
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Troll much? It's a USB-C 3.1 port. It charges as well as connects to stuff like any other USB port. If you need more ports, get a multi-port adapter or hub.
Right, but i mean that if you're plugged into power you can't plug anything else in. without an $80 + tax adapter!!
You're taking what I wrote out of context. NewtonPippen stated it was only a charging port. I pointed out that it was also a USB port.
There are lots of USB port iterations with different forms/sizes... USB A/B/Mini/Micro, etc. Adapters are nothing new. If the form factor of the USB-C port doesn't work for you, fair enough, the product isn't for you, and you can criticize it for that. But these kind of changes and advances in the technology are inevitable.
The Thread starter asked for an advice. Sentences like
can be misleading.
I quoted the whole sentence above, just to avoid the "out of context" allegation.
I share your view that "changes and advances in the technology" are inevitable, nevertheless we were not talking about my preferences but a simple clarification.
It's one of those "each to their own" discussion points. For me, this was never going to be a 'simple' choice. Fortunately, I could spend some meaningful time with either systems before making a selection. The path I took was a 13" MBA (i7/8/512) > 11" MBA (i5/4/256) > 12" rMB (1.2/8/512) > 11" MBA (i5/8/256).
I'm not a power user, but I like systems that are quick and snappy. I also get annoyed when there's a noticeable performance lag/twitch/'hicccup'. Those one-offs are acceptable, but the rMB had consistent ones. The MBA's did not. From various beachballs during browsing, through slow office (mainly outlook and powerpoint), to jittery app start/shutdown, the rMB was disappointing. It might seem strange, but I don't really have an issue with the MBA's screen. Sure, retina is great, but its not a game-changer (for me). I actually liked the force-touch trackpad and the new keyboard. Battery life was OK, and the port issue did not turn out to be a factor once I got an adapter.
There's this novelty effect that I needed to consider too. At first, the rMB felt great - size, form-factor, etc. all made performance secondary for a while. But when you use this everyday, and it's your main machine, and once the novelty wears out, you're starting to notice performance more and more. It's then when you realise the compromises in terms of performance, and that doesn't feel secondary any more..
I'm still virtually undecided on the merits of the rMB. It's pricey, but so is the BTO MBA. The main aspects - form-factor, trackpad, keyboard, screen, are great. battery life is OK, not great. It's the all-round "sluggish" feel in terms of performance that disappointed me.
The MBA is a very mature platform. I don't think you can go wrong with getting one, and sticking with it for a couple of years. Apple refurbs are a great way to pickup a higher-spec'd system at a good price. The rMB journey is just beginning, and I'm sure it will become the main platform for ultra portables at some point. When it does, I'll be ready.
I'm not a power user, but I like systems that are quick and snappy. I also get annoyed when there's a noticeable performance lag/twitch/'hicccup'. Those one-offs are acceptable, but the rMB had consistent ones. The MBA's did not. From various beachballs during browsing, through slow office (mainly outlook and powerpoint), to jittery app start/shutdown, the rMB was disappointing. It might seem strange, but I don't really have an issue with the MBA's screen. Sure, retina is great, but its not a game-changer (for me). I actually liked the force-touch trackpad and the new keyboard. Battery life was OK, and the port issue did not turn out to be a factor once I got an adapter.
There's this novelty effect that I needed to consider too. At first, the rMB felt great - size, form-factor, etc. all made performance secondary for a while. But when you use this everyday, and it's your main machine, and once the novelty wears out, you're starting to notice performance more and more. It's then when you realise the compromises in terms of performance, and that doesn't feel secondary any more..
I'm still virtually undecided on the merits of the rMB. It's pricey, but so is the BTO MBA. The main aspects - form-factor, trackpad, keyboard, screen, are great. battery life is OK, not great. It's the all-round "sluggish" feel in terms of performance that disappointed me.
The MBA is a very mature platform. I don't think you can go wrong with getting one, and sticking with it for a couple of years. Apple refurbs are a great way to pickup a higher-spec'd system at a good price. The rMB journey is just beginning, and I'm sure it will become the main platform for ultra portables at some point. When it does, I'll be ready.
So does it mean that macbook isn't fluent enough? I have a 2009 mbp and this year I decided to get a new one and I was nearly sure to go with a Rmb. Now, I don't know if it wouldn't be wiser to aim towards Rmbp. Buying new stuff is really a nightmare.
i use the rmb as a second computer to complement my rmbp (2013 15"). i am thrilled with the rmb. the screen is gorgeous, the keyboard is a real pleasure to use, and it feels very light. i used to use mbas, but the screens are so awful i can't seriously contemplate going back to them.
i use a lot of peripherals and external drives, but they are only a tiny fraction of my daily use, so i am barely impacted by the lack of ports. i think if the rmb was my only computer, though, it might aggravate me.
if i were looking for a computer to use as my main device (assuming i didn't have the 15" rmbp already), i'd consider the rmbp 13", which gives you portability, power, ports, and a beautiful display. the rmb performs just fine, i think, but it is definitely slower for certain tasks, and the lack of ports can cause occasional problems (for example, transferring large amounts of data from one external drive to another -- the adapter only has one usb port).
i use a lot of peripherals and external drives, but they are only a tiny fraction of my daily use, so i am barely impacted by the lack of ports. i think if the rmb was my only computer, though, it might aggravate me.
if i were looking for a computer to use as my main device (assuming i didn't have the 15" rmbp already), i'd consider the rmbp 13", which gives you portability, power, ports, and a beautiful display. the rmb performs just fine, i think, but it is definitely slower for certain tasks, and the lack of ports can cause occasional problems (for example, transferring large amounts of data from one external drive to another -- the adapter only has one usb port).
wow not only can yu get advice and info on macs, but also free psychological analysis by the likes of dr. cmichaelp, what a joke..
Retina MacBook performs far better than many would expect or lead you to believe, as long as your usage does not require CPU intensive applications. I am presently running both 13" 2.8 rMBP (2014) & 12" rMB in the field on a heavy engineering project, the Retina MacBook "stands up" very well for my usage/workflow 15 - 20 Spaces, multiple productivity applications.
I will absolutely go for the second generation and potentially drop the 13" rMBP for fieldwork, using the Retina MacBook for both primary & secondary systems, retaining a 15" rMBP for projects that require "heavy lifting" The Skylake MacBook will have a decent computational boost, combined with a significant improvement to the GPU. As I rather suspected Intel`s focus of improvement is with the low power CPU`s
Q-6
I code and compile a lot, and I came from 11'' 2013 air.
I've never regretted it.
I've never regretted it.
I love my mba 11" (maxed out 2014)! It feels like a full and yet extremely portable computer and I value a lot having two usb3 ports and one thunderbolt port.
I don't mind the non retina screen, I like that my computers resources goes to other things and while the screen isn't like the screen of the rMB, it's still totally acceptable and fully ok.
The only thing I don't like is the glossy screen that's IMPOSSIBLE to get clean once it has gotten a bit "dirty"... (it's great difference compared to my antiglare MBP 17"). Glossy screens are so overrated...
I don't mind the non retina screen, I like that my computers resources goes to other things and while the screen isn't like the screen of the rMB, it's still totally acceptable and fully ok.
The only thing I don't like is the glossy screen that's IMPOSSIBLE to get clean once it has gotten a bit "dirty"... (it's great difference compared to my antiglare MBP 17"). Glossy screens are so overrated...
I went from a 2014 11" MBA (previously 2011 11" MBA) to the 12" rMB (1.2).
Simply put it was a great decision!
Comments on all the "issues:"
1. Performance - no real difference between the 2014 and this one.
2. Screen is a huge improvement over 2014 11" MBA.
3. Keyboard on rMB improved over 11" MBA.
4. Force Touch - I really can't tell the difference between the two, accept maybe the rMB is a bit easier to use/touch click.
5. Ports - I did buy the HDMI/USB adapter. But, I also had to buy the HDMI adapter for the 11" MBA. Accept for price it was a wash.
5. I still keep trying to plug ear buds into left side of computer.
6. Battery life is the same or not noticeably different.
7. I typically am running 4 programs at once, Web browser, MSWord, xCode, Photoshop with little changes in performance.
8. Handbrake runs well on it.
Buy it!
Simply put it was a great decision!
Comments on all the "issues:"
1. Performance - no real difference between the 2014 and this one.
2. Screen is a huge improvement over 2014 11" MBA.
3. Keyboard on rMB improved over 11" MBA.
4. Force Touch - I really can't tell the difference between the two, accept maybe the rMB is a bit easier to use/touch click.
5. Ports - I did buy the HDMI/USB adapter. But, I also had to buy the HDMI adapter for the 11" MBA. Accept for price it was a wash.
5. I still keep trying to plug ear buds into left side of computer.
6. Battery life is the same or not noticeably different.
7. I typically am running 4 programs at once, Web browser, MSWord, xCode, Photoshop with little changes in performance.
8. Handbrake runs well on it.
Buy it!
It depends on what's a lot of money for you and what features you really want. Given what you said you do with your computer, both of the options you're looking at are completely up to the task. I'd say the rMB is probably the more exciting and fun choice of the two right now, but the Air remains the more rational choice for some people who have specific work needs - people who'd be regularly irritated by the need for having multiple adaptors for lots of things and who might need better performance for apps that need to do rendering etc. Also AFAIK, the Air (I think 13") is still the undisputed king of battery autonomy for the whole Mac notebook range with like 14 hours or something like that. So there's that.
Basically it comes down to what you want your money to go towards. If you want the most portable offering, the newest (arguably) most attractive design, a retina display and decent all-round performance, then it's the rMB with the caveat that it will cost a bit more. If you need a more traditional processor with better grunt, more i/o options and currently the best battery life of any portable Mac, the Air is the better choice and hey, it will cost you less.
Last thing to keep in mind - sounds like you're looking for your next day-to-day personal companion computer for everyday stuff including watching movies and listening to music. In that case, do not underestimate how much of a huge upgrade the speakers on the rMB are. The retina display is already sweet, but seriously, kicking back to watch something on it and hearing how great the sound is (and how loud it can get too), it's pretty fantastic. End of the day, I didn't need my rMB for running high-powered apps (in my case, only a top of the range MBP would be usable as a work machine), so when it comes to using it as a personal companion laptop, having a great screen and great speakers is worth way more to me than a bit faster processing.
$720 is a useless number in this thread. First, you're comparing open box price on one computer to MSRP on another, and second (possibly more importantly) the OP said thy were considering a "loaded" 11" Air. That's $1100 if you're talking off the shelf, or up to $1650 if you're doing top of the line BTO.
To the OP: At comparable memory and storage specs, there's only about $100 difference between an 11" Air and the new MB. I say go for the MB, it's an amazing and forward-looking computer.