Well, today is the last day of my 2 week return period on my 11" mba and was debating on returning my MBA and buy a MBP to replace my late 2008 15' mbp. Fortunately (unfortunately?) I was not impressed enough by the new MBP's to replace my 08. Don't take me wrong, the quad core is great and the spec jumps are nice, but at the end I would have to fork over alot of $$ to get the SSD speed of my 11" ultimate-in a size that I find acceptable for a pro. I don't think that after using SSD that I can go back to HD, and will certainly not be comfortable with 128gb in a MBP or spending an extra $500 for a 256. For my purposes the spec jumps in the new pro would not benefit me a great deal. Anyway, I will likely sell my 08 and buy a MBP when there's a complete product refresh. Very happy with my air, but it should be noted that I don't do raw photo editing or video editing, and the only game I play on a computer is SC2 (which runs nicely on my air).
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New MBP or current MBA
- Thread starter Dtp8513
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I think it's more accurate to say that the purpose of the upgrades to the MacBook Pros was so that the Airs no longer hurt them. It was really difficult to justify $1999 for the Core 2 Duo Pro with SSD. At $1849 for a comparable model (but with a much faster processor) it's more palatable.
That said, Apple's CTO prices on SSD are still too high. They make more money on SSD than the manufacturers do, it seems. I'd recommend getting the base 2.3 or 2.7 models and putting in a third party SSD for a lot less. Buy a $10 USB enclosure (or Thunderbolt enclosure once they are available) for your hard drive and you have a backup drive to boot.
I see the new MBP as a total fail. In order to get the overall responsiveness and performance of my new 13" MBA, I would have to fork out 1450.00.
Right now i have a 13" base MBA (128ssd, 1.83ghz C2D) with 4GB ram that I paid 1300.00 for. I'd have to pay 1450.00 to get a baseline (13") MBP with an SSD. The new MBPs have the same battery life as the much smaller MBA. The new MBPs have NO hi res option for the 13". You're stuck with Macbook resolution.
The higher cost of a 13" MBP with 128SSD
The lower resolution of the MBP
The inferior video option for the occasional game
The equal battery life
The heavier weight
All leads me back to the air.
I'm disappointed that Apple didnt take the opportunity with this refresh to remove the optical drive from the 13" (as an option) and replace with battery or boot SSD or whatever else they want in there.
Right now i have a 13" base MBA (128ssd, 1.83ghz C2D) with 4GB ram that I paid 1300.00 for. I'd have to pay 1450.00 to get a baseline (13") MBP with an SSD. The new MBPs have the same battery life as the much smaller MBA. The new MBPs have NO hi res option for the 13". You're stuck with Macbook resolution.
The higher cost of a 13" MBP with 128SSD
The lower resolution of the MBP
The inferior video option for the occasional game
The equal battery life
The heavier weight
All leads me back to the air.
I'm disappointed that Apple didnt take the opportunity with this refresh to remove the optical drive from the 13" (as an option) and replace with battery or boot SSD or whatever else they want in there.
The Pro is aimed at a different buyer. Yes, it costs $1449 to get a Pro with an SSD, but that Pro also has a Core i5 that's more than twice as fast as the Core 2 Duo in your Air, plus it has FireWire and Thunderbolt, and a Superdrive that's a $79 option on the Air. The IGP is a step back, but still acceptable. If bang for the buck takes priority over size, the Pro wins out, though the 1280x800 screen is disappointing.
I agree the SSD upgrades ought to be cheaper on the Pro (they cost more than going to Newegg or OWC and just buying a 2.5" SSD).
I agree the SSD upgrades ought to be cheaper on the Pro (they cost more than going to Newegg or OWC and just buying a 2.5" SSD).
If equipped with a SSD, it' the faster computer, but even if you like the Superdrive (personally I prefer a lighter computer and a external drive), you'd have to deal with a lower screen resolution and a glossy screen. While the MBA isn't anti-glare, it's still less reflective than the glossy on the MPB 13".
If the MBP 13" had a high-res anti-glare option, I'd buy it.
If the MBA 13" had at least a Core i3 CPU (and not a Core2Duo that's slower than my 2007 MBP), I'd buy it.
Oh what a frustrating situation, I can only hope Apple upgrades the MBA before summer.
Exactly the same for me as well. I really would love an Air, but can't (actually, refuse to) justify paying $1800 for a top 13" that still runs on a Core 2 Duo that my 5 year old MBP has.
Yeah - I'm really happy that I bought the 13" Air now. 1280x800, wtf - seriously??
Well to be frank I am disappointed with the updated 13 MBP, I was kind of shocked that they did not update the resolution now I think I did a good thing by taking the 13 MBA.
Also did any one noticed that the new 13 MBP has been rated for 7 hours of battery life, if I am correct the old 13 MBP was rated for 10 hours of battery life!
Also did any one noticed that the new 13 MBP has been rated for 7 hours of battery life, if I am correct the old 13 MBP was rated for 10 hours of battery life!
That's the result of the change in testing method. I'm not sure why Apple didn't re-calibrate all the ratings on their website when they released the MacBook Air with the new test results.
I was going to buy the new 13" MBP yesterday on launch day... until I saw that it still runs the 1280x800 resolution... that's a 2006 screen right there... That totally killed the deal for me and I'm now looking to buy a top of the line MBA 13".
Has anyone tried to get any productive working done on a 1280x800 screen? it's SO frustrating! not enough real state. I just cannot believe Apple has been sticking to the same screen on the 13" for 5 years... I just dont get it!
Has anyone tried to get any productive working done on a 1280x800 screen? it's SO frustrating! not enough real state. I just cannot believe Apple has been sticking to the same screen on the 13" for 5 years... I just dont get it!