To anyone thinking of going for MBP to MBA

[thuchu1]

Recently I had the opportunity to purchase a Macbook Air that I've been saving for a while for, with the intent of using it as a replacement for my 2011 15" Pro. loved the form factor of the air and the benefits the SSD provided, but I will say now that buying it (and returning it two days later) has really just made me love my MacBook Pro.

I really liked the SSD benefits, and to anyone thinking about making the switch, I recommend you check out the Optibay idea ahead of time. I just put a 240GB OWC Mercury 6G in my computer and it's insanely fast now. Although 95% percent of my time is spent doing tasks the air can handle very well (Xcode, light Photoshop, Dreamweaver) the 5% was just painful on the air (running a script to break apart a large PDF into sections, After Effects rendering with particle creation). The 3.1GHz turboboost for poor, single-threaded Acrobat Pro was sorely missed. The limited space also meant that my speed/portability would be hindered by an external hard drive eventually.

The addition of the drive was very simple and brought this already great computer even further. I'm sure all this wil be unimportant as soon as they release the new Pro a month or so from now, but to anyone who was thinking of making the switch, think twice! You've already got a great machine, make it incredible!

 

[MacDawg]

I made the switch to the Macbook Air and I couldn't be happier with my decision
Handles everything I do extremely well, including some video editing with Final Cut Pro X
I even run Win7 through VMware Fusion for some work software, Office and more

 

[applesith]

I could never make the jump from my Pro to an Air. But I do want the 11" Air for my commute. I'd keep the Pro hooked up at home for heavy duty stuff.

 

[derickdub]

I need my MBP for CAD, so a MBA would never replace it. I like them for traveling, but I think I'd just get an iPad since I don't travel all that much.

 

[edk99]

The limited space also meant that my speed/portability would be hindered by an external hard drive eventually.

I'm not sure why you even considered a MBA given this statement. You knew the size limitations going into it.

 

[thuchu1]

I'm not sure why you even considered a MBA given this statement. You knew the size limitations going into it.

The reality of the size didn't really hit until I started transferring my essential stuff to it. The 256GB filled up way quicker than I expected. And this is with all my movies and tv shows up. Now I've got 256GB plus a 750GB HDD

 

[Krazy Bill]

I also question why anyone would basically "downgrade" to a sealed machine with less storage and expect it to be better.

 

[IngerMan]

I have owned the 2010 13 MBA and the 2011 11 inch last. About 6 months usage each. I liked the more solid feel of the 11 inch over the 13. The 13 flexed and creaked while handling but still was a good machine. But the 2.5 hours of battery life on the 11" basic tasks sent it on craigs list and replaced with an iPad.

My MBP is my favorite of the 3.

 

[Spoonz]

I also question why anyone would basically "downgrade" to a sealed machine with less storage and expect it to be better.

'Better' doesn't necessarily mean a more powerful CPU/more RAM/etc, some people value weight and portability way higher than what's inside the casing.

 

[Krazy Bill]

'Better' doesn't necessarily mean a more powerful CPU/more RAM/etc, some people value weight and portability way higher than what's inside the casing.

In the OP's case, evidently not.

 

[Medic278]

Having both a MBA and MBP I have to say I couldn't even consider using my MBA for day to day work. MY MBP is outfitted with 8GB of RAM and a 240GB Intel 520 SSD so it literally blows circles around my MBA.. Don't get me wrong the MBA is still a fine machine for sum but for me and my work it isn't enough and the lack of upgradability is really a deal breaker for me.

 

[EwanMcTeagle]

Don't get me wrong the MBA is still a fine machine for sum but for me and my work it isn't enough and the lack of upgradability is really a deal breaker for me.

Totally agreed. When I first considered buying a Mac I looked at Air - it was very nice and 100% enough for my home usage, but then I thought what if I want to upgrade RAM in a year or so when I have some spare funds? And I definitely need the ODD - I know there's iTunes, but I didn't buy my 200+ CD collection for the sake of it.
So if I had the money to buy both Air and Pro then I probably would, but if it's a question of choice then I'll go MBP anytime. But that's just me.

 

[shinobi-81]

The Air is not for everyone. The need for something stronger yet portable is still there.