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Pro 13 or Air 13?

N

nampramos

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 14, 2010
451
32
Guys, I have an old MacBook 5,1 that I will sell soon.

To replace it I'm wondering if I shall go with the new Air 13 or the new Pro 13.

I have an iPad 3 already, so portability isn't a big issue...

Is the Pro 13 much more powerful than the Air 13? What about battery life, big differences? And the screens, I saw that the Air has a bigger resolution.

What would make you guys choose one over another?


Thanks a lot for all the feedback!
 
Since you already have the iPad 3 for portability needs, then get the Pro. Better CPU, more storage, more RAM, and user-upgradable.

Also, while the Air's resolution may be higher, it's quality is not. Inferior color gamut, blown out colors, loss of fine detail, and narrower viewing angles. I keep a 13" MBP just for the display alone. The extra weight isn't really a factor because the laptop never leaves my room as I have an iPad for moving around.
 
Great advice, thanks!

What about the two Pro 13 models? Is there a big difference in performance?
 
nampramos said:
Great advice, thanks!

What about the two Pro 13 models? Is there a big difference in performance?
Click to expand...

If you are willing to pay for MBP 13'' i7 version which is 1499$ you might consider looking at 15'' for 1799$. For portability you got iPad and for 300$ more you would have larger, better resolution screen, quad core cpu and dedicated gpu.
 
For the 15 it is already too much money.

So just comparing the two 13, is it really worth the extra 300?
 
I would like to buy the Pro 15 but it is already too much money...

Then I guess I'll go with the Pro 13 i5.
 
nampramos said:
For the 15 it is already too much money.

So just comparing the two 13, is it really worth the extra 300?
Click to expand...

Get the baseline 13" model and upgrade the RAM to 8 GB by yourself, which will cost you around $30. The high-end model isn't really worth it because if you really need a Core i7 CPU, you'll most likely also need a discrete graphics card, which the 13" doesn't have.
 
but unfortunately even new pro 13inch is still the same lower resolution like old one. seriously, who uses 1280x800 resolution today for 13 inch? even though you have new ipad, just buy new air 13inch. you can compare with each resolution. then you won't want to buy pro 13 inch.
 
But from what I was told the image quality is inferior to the Pro 13...


One other question. What can I do with a Time Capsule besides the obvious backups and being it a router?

Can I stream video to my MacBook and iPad over the air? What else?
 
nampramos said:
But from what I was told the image quality is inferior to the Pro 13...
Click to expand...

Just go to an Apple store, put the Pro and Air side by side with the same images, and you'll see the difference instantly.

It basically comes down to whether you value image quality or image resolution more. Whenever people talk about the Air, they only talk about the resolution and thus deem it to be better than the Pro's. But who talks about quality?

In the end, it's really up to you and what your eyes like. There's no wrong answer.
 
To me it feels like the only 2 MacBook Pro choices are the base 13" and Retina.
Cause the base 13" is great for it's price.. but for the $1,499 version. If you're spending that much, might as well get the 15" and if you get the 15" it's more bang for your buck to just upgrade to Retina than the base 15". Ahhhh!
 
I would say that neither the MBP13 nor the MBA13 are worth buying right now. The former is due to be replaced by something that will be significantly better within a year and the latter has been supplanted by better performing Windows machines. The Zenbook Prime ostensibly has a better quality display than any Mac (lower delta E, better contrast, better gamut), Retina MBP inclusive, and sells for about the same if not lower than the MBA13.
 
Thanks for all the input.

Anyone knows what I asked regarding the Time Capsule?
 
TickleMeElmo said:
I would say that neither the MBP13 nor the MBA13 are worth buying right now. The former is due to be replaced by something that will be significantly better within a year and the latter has been supplanted by better performing Windows machines. The Zenbook Prime ostensibly has a better quality display than any Mac (lower delta E, better contrast, better gamut), Retina MBP inclusive, and sells for about the same if not lower than the MBA13.
Click to expand...

Except the Zenbook Prime doesn't run OSX. That's just like saying I'd rather have a Prius because it gets better gas mileage when you really need a pickup. If you want OSX the best Windows Laptop won't help you.
 
Which review states the quality of the pro screen is better, I believe Air screen has less glare at least
Amasashi said:
Just go to an Apple store, put the Pro and Air side by side with the same images, and you'll see the difference instantly.

It basically comes down to whether you value image quality or image resolution more. Whenever people talk about the Air, they only talk about the resolution and thus deem it to be better than the Pro's. But who talks about quality?

In the end, it's really up to you and what your eyes like. There's no wrong answer.
Click to expand...
 
From someone who owns both, the MBP has the better screen, the resolution does not make that big a difference on the Air.

I've got the base model 13" late 2011. I've upgraded the RAM to 16GB, put a 256GB Crucial M4 SSD in it and this thing absolutely flies now.

It now boots faster than the air in about 10 seconds.

As others have mentioned, you have the iPad for ultra-portability.

----------
TickleMeElmo said:
I would say that neither the MBP13 nor the MBA13 are worth buying right now. The former is due to be replaced by something that will be significantly better within a year and the latter has been supplanted by better performing Windows machines.
Click to expand...

So basically your advice is this.

1. Don't get a MBP because in sometime up to a YEAR from now because a redesign is RUMOURED.

2. Don't get an Air because you can get what you consider to be a better Windows laptop for the same money even though the guy wants OS X??
 
These new MBP can go up to 16GB RAM?

Would it be a really big difference from the stock 4GB to a 16GB upgrade?

I won't be putting a SSD since I need a lot of space and they cost a lot.
 
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