The Macbook Air - the gold standard for all laptops

[Newtons Apple]

Win8 handles Retina displays much better, but still not as nicely as OS X. I ran it in Bootcamp on the mid 2012 15" rMBP for a while and it did ok.

I was using my non-Retina mid 2010 27" iMac for a while as my main Mac before the 27" Retina came out and hated the display. It has a similar display quality to the horribly outdated panels still used on the Airs.

I just bought a new iMac 27 for the house and I made sure it did NOT have retina. I do a good bit of PhotoShop but the retina is just not that big of a deal and I have seen and looked at them. I run Windows on all of my Apple computers as AutoCad is not going to work otherwise.

It is good we all have a choice. I do understand that Win8 does do better with Windows fonts but am going to wait till Win10!

 

[Melrose]

I have thought Retina to be a necessity since my very first Mac, a mid 2012 rMBP. Once you go Retina, you don't go back

That what some people say, but I just haven't been that way at all. I've used Retina machines and it's just not a priority for me. If I did Photography, sure. I do web design on a good day... it's not a major issue. Retina doesn't make my PHP look any better.

 

[redheeler]

That what some people say, but I just haven't been that way at all. I've used Retina machines and it's just not a priority for me. If I did Photography, sure. I do web design... it's not a major issue.

It helps with web design, especially when optimizing websites for Retina, which should be a consideration on any modern website.

Retina doesn't make my PHP look any better.

Actually, it does

 

[Newtons Apple]

Retina is Apple brand name for what. My 6+ has a Retina screen but I bet the 7 will not be "called" retina. Retina is getting a little long toothed

 

[Melrose]

It helps with web design, especially when optimizing websites for Retina, which should be a consideration on any modern website.

I know how to work with that already, though... I've been building large-scale sites for over 10 years.

Actually, it does

...we have different priorities is all.

 

[redheeler]

Retina is Apple brand name for what.

HiDPI, with at least 4x the amount of pixels as a standard pixel density (1 non-Retina pixel=4 or more Retina pixels).

My 6+ has a Retina screen but I bet the 7 will not be "called" retina. Retina is getting a little long toothed

Perhaps, since unlike when the iPhone 4 was first released with one, Retina displays are now the standard on high-end smartphones.

 

[Melrose]

Retina is Apple brand name for what. My 6+ has a Retina screen but I bet the 7 will not be "called" retina. Retina is getting a little long toothed

High quality and beauty never go out of style. Retina has almost become a ubiquitous word for a lot of people. I've heard a lot of Android and Windows users say "Retina" when all they mean is high-res...

Were Apple to toss out the word Retina it would be a foolish mistake. They've spent too much money building the word up to throw it away.

One thing I don't understand though, unless money is a huge factor or you just want an 11.6" screen, why would you get the 13" MBA over the 13" MacBook Pro? It's only a 0.5 pound heavier with a smaller footprint and a better screen plus a faster processor. I suppose batter life could be one factor.

The Retina may have a better processor, but it doesn't benefit from all the extra power; it needs better graphic and power just to power the display, and even then some say there's stutter or lag in some rendering or editing environments that the Air doesn't get.

 

[torana355]

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One thing I don't understand though, unless money is a huge factor or you just want an 11.6" screen, why would you get the 13" MBA over the 13" MacBook Pro? It's only a 0.5 pound heavier with a smaller footprint and a better screen plus a faster processor. I suppose batter life could be one factor.

The MBA has better battery life, is cheaper and is lighter. The MBA nails price, portability, power and battery life in the one package. No other Apple laptop does that.

 

[throAU]

My ex had an MBA, they're a good laptop but the TN screen viewing angle and colour consistency is just garbage compared to a proper IPS screen, and in 2015 the resolution is just crap. Virtually every other machine on the market in that price range has a way higher resolution display. It was bad in 2011 compared to my MBP 15, now it's comparatively worse.

I was deciding between the MBA 13" and MBPr 13" to replace my MBP 15" for a while and eventually decided on the Retina 13". Why? Because once you spec an MBA with 512 GB of Flash and 8 GB of RAM (4 GB is just not enough, and neither is 128 GB of SSD) its about the same price anyway, with less ports, and a really sub-par screen. Battery life is comparable, the MBP is "light enough". The speakers in the Pro are way better. More ports, etc.


Unless your only criteria is weight (in which case the MBA loses out to the Macbook anyway) or absolute minimum cost for a portable OS X machine, I just don't know why you'd buy an MBA in 2015. The specs just aren't good enough any more for what you pay. If the base model had 8 GB of RAM in it expandable to 16 GB it might be a contender, but putting 4 GB in a machine in 2015 is just nuts.

As to comments about people not being able to tell the difference between the screens... are you serious? The Retina IPS display is much crisper. Granted, that may not be so noticeable if you have poor eyesight, but the fact that the colours remain consistent across a wider viewing angle is very noticeable (try tilting your MBA's lid and see how the colours change), even if you can't make out the sharpness of it - personally i find text much easier to read on it because of the clarity.

If you can't tell the difference, i suspect you haven't spent much time at all with the retina Macs... (or any reasonable IPS LCD display for that matter).

If you don't care about the screen, more power to you. But for me, given the spec I wanted (8 GB RAM or more, 512 GB of SSD, 8+ hrs real world battery - all other specs pretty irrelevant), vs. an MBA build, the screen was almost free.

 

[newellj]

The MBA has better battery life, is cheaper and is lighter. The MBA nails price, portability, power and battery life in the one package. No other Apple laptop does that.

As the post you quoted pointed out, the MBA 13" is virtually indistinguishable from the rMBP 13" (I've owned both) on portability. The rMBP has more power and the battery life of the current models is so good that most people will never notice the difference. All you get from the MBA is price, at the cost of a display that hasn't been state of the art since 2006.

 

[torana355]

As the post you quoted pointed out, the MBA 13" is virtually indistinguishable from the rMBP 13" (I've owned both) on portability. The rMBP has more power and the battery life of the current models is so good that most people will never notice the difference. All you get from the MBA is price, at the cost of a display that hasn't been state of the art since 2006.

Well i do notice the difference in battery life and also the weight along with many people, those points plus the better price makes the MBA the better all round laptop imo. Too many people on these forums feel the need to defend their purchases.

 

[torana355]

As to comments about people not being able to tell the difference between the screens... are you serious? The Retina IPS display is much crisper.

What does much crisper even mean lol?

 

[throAU]

What does much crisper even mean lol?

From the thesaurus in OS X

6 his new suit gave him a very crisp appearance: smart, elegant, chic, spruce, dapper, neat, trim, clean-cut, well groomed; informal snappy, natty, sharp; N. Amer. informal spiffy; archaic trig. ANTONYMS scruffy.

 

[Melrose]

Boy anyone posting on this thread for buying an MBA better come prepared for some pretty condescending replies.

 

[AFEPPL]

I'd take the Pro every-time and i'd certainly take the rMB over the MBA too.

 

[throAU]

Boy anyone posting on this thread for buying an MBA better come prepared for some pretty condescending replies.

Why do you say that? If you have specific criteria that the MBA is better at, go for it.

But for most people, unless you're going for the base model (which is a questionable choice in 2015 due to the 4 GB and only 128 GB flash being quite limiting), the value just isn't there any more. Once you bump the spec in any way, the cost difference to a pro is very small, and the weght/battery life differences aren't huge. The screen, however IS a massive improvement.

As I said, if the base model had 8 GB of RAM at the same cost, i'd be a lot less down on it. But it doesn't...


edit:
The 11" machine is a different story. That has a bit more of a purpose and fills a niche. The 13" Air though...

 

[Shanghaichica]

Why do you say that? If you have specific criteria that the MBA is better at, go for it.

But for most people, unless you're going for the base model (which is a questionable choice in 2015 due to the 4 GB and only 128 GB flash being quite limiting), the value just isn't there any more. Once you bump the spec in any way, the cost difference to a pro is very small, and the weght/battery life differences aren't huge. The screen, however IS a massive improvement.

As I said, if the base model had 8 GB of RAM at the same cost, i'd be a lot less down on it. But it doesn't...

Not everyone needs 8GB of ram. I don't need 8GB of ram to use safari, watch YouTube and Netflix, type documents, rip DVDs and manage my iTunes library. There are also ways of expanding your storage space. I don't spend huge amounts of time staring at my screen, I don't do video editing or photo editing. My computing needs are very limited. I only got the MBA because I was too scared to fully embrace the post PC era. Over the past 2-3 years most of my computing activities have been done on a tablet or mobile phone. My old windows laptop was collecting dust and I could go for months without using it. When it packed up I contemplated not buying a computer at all. I probably use my MBA more because it's lighter, boots up a lot faster, wakes from sleep faster and is generally fast and fluid. It also integrates well with my other Apple devices so there is more incentive for me to use it. So for someone like me a pro is a waste and the rMB is too expensive for what it can do.

 

[torana355]

From the thesaurus in OS X

6 his new suit gave him a very crisp appearance: smart, elegant, chic, spruce, dapper, neat, trim, clean-cut, well groomed; informal snappy, natty, sharp; N. Amer. informal spiffy; archaic trig. ANTONYMS scruffy.

And how does that relate to how a Display looks?

 

[throAU]

And how does that relate to how a Display looks?

You know what words like "smart", "elegant", "neat", "trim", "clean cut" and "sharp" mean, yes?

 

[torana355]

Why do you say that? If you have specific criteria that the MBA is better at, go for it.

But for most people, unless you're going for the base model (which is a questionable choice in 2015 due to the 4 GB and only 128 GB flash being quite limiting), the value just isn't there any more. Once you bump the spec in any way, the cost difference to a pro is very small, and the weght/battery life differences aren't huge. The screen, however IS a massive improvement.

As I said, if the base model had 8 GB of RAM at the same cost, i'd be a lot less down on it. But it doesn't...


edit:
The 11" machine is a different story. That has a bit more of a purpose and fills a niche. The 13" Air though...

The screen improvement is massive FOR YOU. The battery life and Weight are huge for ME. People put the MBA screen down but 90% of people would not tell the difference between a IPS and TN display in a blind test. Not to mention the terrible light bleed issues IPS screens have. Anyway my point is the MBA is much closer to the rMBP then most people give it credit for.

 

[throAU]

The screen improvement is massive FOR YOU. The battery life and Weight are HUGE for ME.

If you don't care about the screen, more power to you. But for me, given the spec I wanted (8 GB RAM or more, 512 GB of SSD, 8+ hrs real world battery - all other specs pretty irrelevant), vs. an MBA build, the screen was almost free.

Is there an echo in here?

 

[torana355]

You know what words like "smart", "elegant", "neat", "trim", "clean cut" and "sharp" mean, yes?

You know besides sharp none of those technically describe the characteristics of a display right?

 

[throAU]

You know besides sharp none of those technically describe the characteristics of a display right?

It describes quite aptly how text looks on the display, and the adjective crisp is used widely by the media to describe high resolution displays.

But hey, if you want to argue semantics, i have very little to do this evening.

 

[torana355]

It describes quite aptly how text looks on the display, and the adjective crisp is used widely by the media to describe high resolution displays.

But hey, if you want to argue semantics, i have very little to do this evening.

Yeah because the media know exactly what they are talking about

 

[Melrose]

I'd take the Pro every-time and i'd certainly take the rMB over the MBA too.

There a few reasons I didn't get the rMB: I needed the beefier processor on the Air, I've used those new keyboards and detest them, and the price is outrageous for a machine with low power, less than optimal battery for the size, and one stupid port that requires $$$ to patch into my current setup? I love the portability of it, but there's so many irksome qualities about it I'd never buy one. I love the portability, but $1500 for a laptop with several detractions and not much to recommend it (for my use) is just nuts... to me.

...plus that non-glowing Apple logo really irks me. It's just a little light that glows and I never see it, but it irritates me they don't glow anymore. I really hope Apple doesn't plan on making them all like that.

Why do you say that? If you have specific criteria that the MBA is better at, go for it.

But for most people, unless you're going for the base model (which is a questionable choice in 2015 due to the 4 GB and only 128 GB flash being quite limiting), the value just isn't there any more. Once you bump the spec in any way, the cost difference to a pro is very small, and the weght/battery life differences aren't huge. The screen, however IS a massive improvement.

As I said, if the base model had 8 GB of RAM at the same cost, i'd be a lot less down on it. But it doesn't...


edit:
The 11" machine is a different story. That has a bit more of a purpose and fills a niche. The 13" Air though...

The price difference is actually greater than you seem to have led yourself to believe...

Once you negate the huge performance boost due to the display, and once you negate the display anyway because OMG WOW CAN'T BELIEVE IT not everyone needs or wants Retina, you have a laptop that costs at least $200 more, has at least two hours less battery life, and doesn't offer a huge boost in speed.

You're trying to be pedantic, but because you haven't done your research, it just looks argumentative.