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Want a MBA but how do you guys switch so easy

T

Tech198

Cancelled
Original poster
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,152
Hi all..

Thinking of buying (or rather downgrading) from m 15' Macbook Pro to a 13' MBA...

While SSD is good for performance benefits. since i only user 70 Gig of my 750 gig HD currently. SSD would be perfect..

One question is downsize of the screen... I'm find that a big deal going from a large screen i've always gotten used to, to a smaller one..

also the SSD, needing to connect external usb much more often than i would currently if i did choose to store more data in the future etc...

How do you guys manage this coming from a convinient MBP with a spinning hard drive, where all your stuff is locally accessed and not having to connect usb just because "this data is no longer there, but if you still had a local hd it would be" type question ? I have tries ssd on Macbook pro in the past, and switched back to HD within a few days, because i couldn't take the storage.

If i can overcome these few hurdles, then i'd be sold on a MBA no problem
 
Tech198 said:
Hi all..

Thinking of buying (or rather downgrading) from m 15' Macbook Pro to a 13' MBA...

While SSD is good for performance benefits. since i only user 70 Gig of my 750 gig HD currently. SSD would be perfect..

One question is downsize of the screen... I'm find that a big deal going from a large screen i've always gotten used to, to a smaller one..

also the SSD, needing to connect external usb much more often than i would currently if i did choose to store more data in the future etc...

How do you guys manage this coming from a convinient MBP with a spinning hard drive, where all your stuff is locally accessed and not having to connect usb just because "this data is no longer there, but if you still had a local hd it would be" type question ? I have tries ssd on Macbook pro in the past, and switched back to HD within a few days, because i couldn't take the storage.

If i can overcome these few hurdles, then i'd be sold on a MBA no problem
Click to expand...

You get a 256 GB SSD. That is the short answer.
 
I've toyed with the idea of getting an Air, but every time I look at one I can't stand the display - it almost looks black and white compared to a MBP (yes, even a non-retina).

And storage is an issue - it makes no sense to me to get a lighter laptop that you then need to weigh down with externals.
 
Well I'm coming from a MacBook Pro and decided to purchase a MacBook Air recently. The things that helped me make the decision to make the switch were the mobility of the device and the battery life. To me, it was less annoying to have to connect the external hard drive than to worry about running out of battery. It really all depends on how you use your computer as to whether the benefits of the Air will outweigh the lesser storage space.
 
Don't overthink!

Still rocking a 4GB RAM/60GB HDD black macbook from 2008.

Mostly for the nostalgia factor and the feeling that I've got the only black macbook in school. Cheaper for me to bring this laptop out from storage instead of buying a new laptop.

Needed a lighter laptop for school as my other 15'' Asus weighs almost 3kg...

Having limited space actually made me more efficient since I have less distractions, no itunes (use online streaming apps), only programs that I absolutely need for my CS class (VMware for Visio and Access, Dreamweaver, XAMPP, IntelliJ).

I'm planning on getting a MBA soon, just waiting for WWDC. Looking to get the i7/256gb/8gb along with a 128gb micro sd card.
 
The JetDrive is not compatible with the 2013 or 2014 MBA (look at the chart at that link). OWC does not make a SSD replacement either. You should buy the largest SSD you can afford in the first place, I have the 512 in mine.

The 802.11ac wifi is really very fast in the new MBA, so you can use a network drive when you're home unless you need very high performance. I get about 28 to 30MB/s data transfer on wifi with my 2013 MBA. By contrast, I have several inexpensive USB 2.0 external drives (like the MyPassport). They clock at around 33 to 35MB/s which is almost the same.

One inexpensive way to do this is to buy an AirPort Time Capsule. I paid $278 for mine and it gives you 802.11ac wifi plus a 2TB hard drive that you mount like a fileserver. I have moved my iTunes library to the Time Capsule and it works fine, for example.
 
I went from a 17" MBP to a 15". While I miss the larger screen, I appreciate the smaller and lighter form factor. I upgraded it from the 750gb HDD to a 512gb SSD. Not a problem as I was only using about 300gb.

The loss of screen real estate was solved some when I picked up a 23" Cinema Display cheap.

The only external drive I travel with is a backup drive.
 
My MBP has a 512 gig M4 SSD and 16 gig of ram. The MBA has 8 gig of ram and a 512 gig ssd. Being that I don't have to do self-contained demos any longer I can easily get by with less ram, and opted to max out internal storage.

I've got a handful of external drives. A couple of 1tb firewire 800 units, a couple of 1tb usb3 units, a couple of 500 gig usb2 units and an Oyen Digital usb3 enclosure which sometimes houses an 840 evo ssd.

While the MBP wasn't that much concern while traveling, the MBA is a joy to lug around with me.
 
friedkimchi said:
I'm planning on getting a MBA soon, just waiting for WWDC. Looking to get the i7/256gb/8gb along with a 128gb micro sd card.
Click to expand...

If your waiting for an update at WWDC, don't bother. Remember Apple upgraded the processor (the i5 that is) just a few weeks ago, and with the Broadwell release date being pushed back to Q4 of '14, I wouldn't expect much until the end of the year. Plus, Skylake is due out in Q2 of '15 so if you really want to wait, wait until Skylake.
 
What do you think about the importance of an MBA for those with an undergraduate degree in business?

Is an MBA sufficient for those interested in getting into consulting without any experience in that field? It seems that a lot of people who go into consulting after doing an MBA were already in consulting before doing an MBA.

What do you think about other graduate degrees that may be useful for business majors? Would the MS in Finance help with HF/I-Banking jobs?


Digdev Direct
 
I found that the storage my original MBA (which I bought in 2010) which, while adequate at the time, eventually showed its age. However, I love the form factor of the MBA, and love its portability, (which is superb), its extremely good screen (not retina, but still very good) and blazing fast speed. Portability and speed matter more to me than screen real estate, hence I expect that I shall always have some version of whatever approximates to the MBA.

Thus, last year, when I upgraded, I bought a CTO 13" MBA, with 8 GB RAM, 512 SSD and a Core i7. It is a beautiful machine and the wonderful battery life of the 2013 models make it even better. So, the answer is buy a larger SSD drive; the price has come down in recent times; they used to be extraordinarily expensive.
 
I wouldn't underestimate the usability of the screen size of the 11" for most tasks. Having made use of one for extended periods recently I personally found it a lot better than I was expecting. :)
 
Weaselboy said:
I'm guessing you diid not click the link? The flash storage devices at that Transcend link are made specifically for the rMBP and the MBA.
Click to expand...

I checked the link and they only support the MBA through 2012. Nobody makes a replacement SSD for the 2013 or 2014 MBA. Not so familiar with the rMBP, but I think the newest version also uses the same incompatible SSD.
 
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