Previous Generation 13" Air vs. Current Generation 13" Pro

[LaMerVipere]

I need a laptop to last me through the next 2 months as my main machine. I have a budget of $1200.

Currently it's a choice between a previous generation 13" MacBook Air Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM & 256GB SSD (MacMall has them on sale for $1150 right now) or the low end 13" MacBook Pro.

I do a lot of PhotoShop work and sometimes edit RAW image files, that's the hardest the Mac would be pushed.

Would the benefits of the MacBook Air (higher resolution screen, SSD) outweigh the benefits of the MacBook Pro (better processor, expanding RAM to 8GB)?

Would appreciate anyone's input.

 

[gentlefury]

I need a laptop to last me through the next 2 months as my main machine. I have a budget of $1200.

Currently it's a choice between a previous generation 13" MacBook Air Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM & 256GB SSD (MacMall has them on sale for $1150 right now) or the low end 13" MacBook Pro.

I do a lot of PhotoShop work and sometimes edit RAW image files, that's the hardest the Mac would be pushed.

Would the benefits of the MacBook Air (higher resolution screen, SSD) outweigh the benefits of the MacBook Pro (better processor, expanding RAM to 8GB)?

Would appreciate anyone's input.

Why not current Air?

 

[LaMerVipere]

see: strict $1200 budget

 

[gentlefury]

see: strict $1200 budget

And? The 11" MBA that I have was $1200.

 

[jmoore5196]

I think the current low-end MBP will easily outstrip the C2D MBA. Much as I'd like to recommend the previous-generation Air, the Pro is probably the better choice. If you judge by Geekbench scores, the Pro's performance is nearly double that of the last-gen Air.

 

[jb27]

Did you take a look at the current refurbs? Just picked up a current generation 13" air for 1168 to my door (4GB RAM, 128GB SSD). Thing looks brand new!

 

[mac26]

I need a laptop to last me through the next 2 months as my main machine. I have a budget of $1200.

Currently it's a choice between a previous generation 13" MacBook Air Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM & 256GB SSD (MacMall has them on sale for $1150 right now) or the low end 13" MacBook Pro.

I do a lot of PhotoShop work and sometimes edit RAW image files, that's the hardest the Mac would be pushed.

Would the benefits of the MacBook Air (higher resolution screen, SSD) outweigh the benefits of the MacBook Pro (better processor, expanding RAM to 8GB)?

Would appreciate anyone's input.

Get the Refurb. Current 13" MBA from Apple's website (only $1099), it is under your 1200 budget and it is much faster than older MBA and it is really for photoshop/ aperture as I use my MBA for those purposes and it's a beast!