New MPB with Retina or MBA ultimate 8gb

[DM1986]

I would like to get a new mac. I currently have a pc netbook with a 1.5 ghz intel atom dual core processor and 2gb of ram and it makes me want to punch the wall because it's so slow. How different is the i5 dual core from the atom dual core? I want a laptop that will last me a good long time. And money is a small factor but I like the 16 gb option in the new mbp. So it's either the 13"mpa ultimate with i5 and 8gb OR the new retina mbp with 16gb ram.

I use it for mainly school, word internet, music, movies, hulu, making ringtones and some light photo editing. I hate waiting for things to load and I hate the spinning hour glass even more.

I was thinking of getting a iPad as well for school for note taking but I need full computer functionality. Help I'm new to mac.

 

[Epic Xbox Revie]

Either one fills your needs handily.

 

[SiriusFlash]

If money is a small factor and this is your main computer, I would suggest going with the new retina MBP. The MBA would accomodate your needs fine, but if you want to keep it for a while, you may as well go for the one with better specs. Just my input anyway.

 

[Panch0]

The MBA is small, but it is not a Netbook. The Atom is a CPU that was created specifically for the Netbook market, and it's primary advantage is being dirt cheap. OK it's sometimes used in other applications and it is also low power, but mostly it's cheap. The i5 isn't the premium chip family in Intel's lineup (that would be the i7 for laptops) but it is a huge step up from an Atom.

Based on the uses you listed, you don't need 16GB. You don't even really need 8GB, but that is at least within reason. I currently have 8GB in my MBP, but the only reason that I upgraded it from 4GB was because I need to run a Virtual Machine in VMWare Fusion. If you are coming from a Netbook, the base model MBA is going to be a night and day difference, even without upgrades.

Since the retina MBP is already on a 2-3 week delay, you might want to go to a store and get some hands on with an MBA to see if it meets your needs.