What would make me feel better

[Ricanlegend]

The 11" MacBook Air has a 1.7GHz Ivy Bridge Core i5 standard. That's a LOT more powerful than any iPad. It isn't much slower than the 1.8GHz Ivy Bridge Core i5 in the 13". Also, both the 11" and 13" Airs can be equipped with the same 2.0GHz i7. That processor has similar performance to the 2.5GHz i5 in the base 13" MBP. Turbo Boost is a wonderful technology in that regard.

As for startup times, I notice no difference between the 2011 Air, 2012 Air, and 2012 rMBP. They are all pretty quick, since it's mostly the speed of the SSD that matters there.

Not the same the airs use ulv

 

[KPOM]

Not the same the airs use ulv

I realize that, but ULV does not mean "iPad capability." And by the "same" I meant specifically that the 11" and 13" Airs can be equipped with the same chips as each other. The poster I was replying to implied that the 11" Air had lesser capabilities than the 13" Air. That's true, but only in the base CPU models, and only just barely.

The ULV chips hold their own against the 35W versions. The 2.0GHz i7 can Turbo Boost to 3.2GHz, while the 2.5GHz 35W version can only Turbo Boost to 3.1GHz. Thus for short boosts, the ULV can actually be faster. I agree that the thermals indicate that for sustained CPU-intensive activity the 35W chip would perform better, but beyond something like a complex hour-long digital encoding operation, I'd guess that most users wouldn't notice the difference.

 

[isephmusic]

how do i know for sure that i can run DJ programs and ableton + photoshop with an i7 macbook air. if thats the case id love to switch to something that light