Would you still choose a 13 MBP if AIR had Sandy Bridge already?

[jsmply]

Hi Everyone, we have a need for mac laptops in our business and although we have been holding off and using desktops thus far, we really want to make a decision soon. We were pretty much sold on the MBP 13 after the Sandy Bridge refresh, but are now holding off again with the rumours going around about a June refresh. We are well aware you can't always chase the latest and gratest, but 2 months is not that far off for the enhancements that Sandy Bridge would bring to the air.

The question for you 13" MBP owners is, what else did you like about the 13" MBP that would make you STILL chose it over the AIR if it got a big processor jump with Intel's new ULV Sandy Bridge line?

We don't really use the ports and OD all that often . . . but it does seem like it makes it a slightly more complete computer. For instance, SOMETIMES you end up in a hotel while traveling that delivers internet to the room via an ethernet cable. Sometimes someone hands you a CD/DVD with data on the spot, etc. These are truthfully few and far between occasions though.

It also seems like Apple might be "forgetting" the MBP 13" line since they left the same old 1280x800 resolution screen on for the 2011 refresh when the air has had a higher resolution screen since 2010. This might be especially true if Apple puts a fairly close processor (granted not the same due to ULV) in the AIR soon.

So the question becomes, what will make you or anyone else still buy a 13" MBP after the AIR update?

Thanks!

 

[josh2007]

I gotta have that FW port for audio apps.

 

[Macsavvytech]

Hi Everyone, we have a need for mac laptops in our business and although we have been holding off and using desktops thus far, we really want to make a decision soon. We were pretty much sold on the MBP 13 after the Sandy Bridge refresh, but are now holding off again with the rumours going around about a June refresh. We are well aware you can't always chase the latest and gratest, but 2 months is not that far off for the enhancements that Sandy Bridge would bring to the air.

The question for you 13" MBP owners is, what else did you like about the 13" MBP that would make you STILL chose it over the AIR if it got a big processor jump with Intel's new ULV Sandy Bridge line?

We don't really use the ports and OD all that often . . . but it does seem like it makes it a slightly more complete computer. For instance, SOMETIMES you end up in a hotel while traveling that delivers internet to the room via an ethernet cable. Sometimes someone hands you a CD/DVD with data on the spot, etc. These are truthfully few and far between occasions though.

It also seems like Apple might be "forgetting" the MBP 13" line since they left the same old 1280x800 resolution screen on for the 2011 refresh when the air has had a higher resolution screen since 2010. This might be especially true if Apple puts a fairly close processor (granted not the same due to ULV) in the AIR soon.

So the question becomes, what will make you or anyone else still buy a 13" MBP after the AIR update?

Thanks!

I almost wished that it wouldn't i personally prefer the Core 2 Duo over Sandy Bridge because with Core 2 Duo you can still have a NVIDIA integrated graphics. Times are changing however and i would never have tried to anything major on a Air so Sandy Bridge would be welcome i suppose. When the air drops those stupid USB ports and puts in one or two thunderbolt ports it will be even better but.

 

[TrollToddington]

Since no one knows the specs of a computer that is not released yet you won't receive a definitive answer. I think that the MBP will still provide a better value-for-money ratio. Your choice is basically down to deciding between 700gr lighter machine with a better design but less features and lack of possibility to be upgraded or a good all around computer.

To me, the possibility to upgrade RAM & SDD space is crucial when deciding between computers of a similar shape & price. But who knows - the next MBA might be user upgradeable.

 

[YsoSerious]

I think it really depends on the needs of your company. If your employees are constantly on the go and don't need the processing power that a MBP could offer them, then the choice would be the more mobile mb air. I think the difference really comes down to storage and processing power, if you need both of these get the MBP, if you don't the mb air maybe will a better fit.

 

[RANDY P]

If it wasn't such a big hit to power then I'd own a MB Air- I like the idea of a separate drive- My old Dell D420 Latitude was like that- use only when needed.

Until they make a significant increase in power I'm on my MBP (2011- owned for 4 days now )

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Ask yourself why the company needs Macs in the first place. I can't think of much a Mac can do any better than a Windows or Linux box... in fact I can't think of one.

Personally in a business setting I would go for something that's easily serviceable, reliable, and supported by the manufacturer for longest. The only reason why I think a business would be packed with Macs would be if the company were in video productions and all the staff was most comfortable with FCS or a design firm and the employees chose Macs because they were most comfortable with their Adobe software. Other than that I see Macs as kind of pretentious.

Side note: I was in a little bakery in a fancy part of town. They used a 27 inch iMac as the cash register. What a waste of money.

 

[Macsavvytech]

Ask yourself why the company needs Macs in the first place. I can't think of much a Mac can do any better than a Windows or Linux box... in fact I can't think of one.

Personally in a business setting I would go for something that's easily serviceable, reliable, and supported by the manufacturer for longest. The only reason why I think a business would be packed with Macs would be if the company were in video productions and all the staff was most comfortable with FCS or a design firm and the employees chose Macs because they were most comfortable with their Adobe software. Other than that I see Macs as kind of pretentious.

Side note: I was in a little bakery in a fancy part of town. They used a 27 inch iMac as the cash register. What a waste of money.

Its not a waste of money if they enjoy using it? im not going to argue with you on the first bit i feel we could be here all night, not saying what you have said is wrong but there are other reasons to get a Mac > PC in business.

 

[CHSeifert]

Ask yourself why the company needs Macs in the first place. I can't think of much a Mac can do any better than a Windows or Linux box... in fact I can't think of one.

Personally in a business setting I would go for something that's easily serviceable, reliable, and supported by the manufacturer for longest. The only reason why I think a business would be packed with Macs would be if the company were in video productions and all the staff was most comfortable with FCS or a design firm and the employees chose Macs because they were most comfortable with their Adobe software. Other than that I see Macs as kind of pretentious.

Side note: I was in a little bakery in a fancy part of town. They used a 27 inch iMac as the cash register. What a waste of money.

Style never goes out of business
Hotels, cafes and fancy bakeries might benefit from showing they use a mac instead of a beige PC laptop

 

[Ceebee1980]

These what if posts are so fanboyish/annoying.
Would you buy an AIR if it flew in the air with wings, and made you dinner?
It's just an electronics product!

 

[barkomatic]

I still have a use for my optical drive and many of the ports that come standard on the 13 inch macbook pro. It's also nice to have a large hard drive.

Once Apple starts eliminating optical drives from all its laptops and slimming them down there is going to be less to differentiate the air. I wouldn't be surprised if the 13 pro were discontinued soon and the specs on the air bumped up to "pro" level. If you can wait I think the next update could be interesting.

 

[Rhyalus]

Allow me to turn it around...

Why would you prefer the Air?

The only thing I can think of is weight. If you like the idea of the SSD, then do it on the MBP.

I have been a road warrior for years with laptops weighing much more than four pounds. The MBP 13 is one of the lightest machines I have ever carried.

The ports, optical drive, etc., make it a much more likely "work" computer than the air - and while traveling I absolutely have run into no wireless internet in a hotel (although it was outside of the US).

R

 

[harcosparky]

Ask yourself why the company needs Macs in the first place. I can't think of much a Mac can do any better than a Windows or Linux box... in fact I can't think of one.

Personally in a business setting I would go for something that's easily serviceable, reliable, and supported by the manufacturer for longest. The only reason why I think a business would be packed with Macs would be if the company were in video productions and all the staff was most comfortable with FCS or a design firm and the employees chose Macs because they were most comfortable with their Adobe software. Other than that I see Macs as kind of pretentious.

Side note: I was in a little bakery in a fancy part of town. They used a 27 inch iMac as the cash register. What a waste of money.

I run an Auction Management business, we have 8 employees and everyone of those employees use a Macbook Pro. In the office we use four 27" iMacs.

Everything related to the business from purchasing, research, inventory control, retail sales management, employee time records, payroll and other tasks are done on the Mac.

The Macs have proven to be more reliable than the Windows computers they replaced. As for manufacturer support all I can say is Apple has never let us down on the rare occasions when we had a machine that needed their attention.

I think you are promoting an ancient outdated myth in your post.



This myth .........

The only reason why I think a business would be packed with Macs would be if the company were in video productions and all the staff was most comfortable with FCS or a design firm and the employees chose Macs because they were most comfortable with their Adobe software.

.....needs to die!


,

 

[DustinT]

If the MBA update included Sandy Bridge I would have chosen that over my 13" MBP. The added screen resolution really adds a lot, I think. The points already made here about limited expandability are quite valid. Really, the only easy upgrade to make to an Air is replacing the SSD which can be a pricey thing to do. The ram is factory installed so make sure you are buying the 4g option now since it can not be upgraded in the field later.

Having said all that, if you can live without the ports and OD than ya, buy the MBA. It would be pretty damn cool to have a rep show up using one of those instead of the same Thinkpad thats been around since my Dad was young.

 

[propower]

I loved the MBA but went MBP instead this year because

1) No high speed port on Air..... killer for pro audio and large file transfers
2) No Ethernet (really )...... kills realtime use of Network attached storage (the USB/Ethernet) adapter is 1/10 the speed.......

The performance although not stellar was actually sufficient for me (MBA 2.13/256)...... and the machine was nearly always dead silent.......

Give me a MBA with high speed ports, ethernet and nearly always silent operation and I am there.......

FWIW: I always have a mac pro for the true heavy lifting.......

 

[xchaotic]

If it's for business then go for 13" MBP.
Any other machine such as refreshed MBA is highly hyphotetical and you're not going to see 2.7GHz i7 in it anyway. As long as you connect a big screen to it then it doesn't matter that it's small to begin with and as we know Thunderbolt can deliver a lot of bandwidth for whatever, so I am hoping for a docking station replacement soon enough.
Arguments such as a better nvidia GPU are again highly hypothetical in most business scenarios - if you're one of those few people that actually need the GPU horsepower for business then you're probably getting a stationary PC/Mac

 

[FOX160]

The Mac Book Pro all the way you can add more Ram and also
add an SSD drive if you really need it and also you get the
illuminated keyboard plus the MBP is a more flexible product
with more functions and is overall cheaper too.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

I run an Auction Management business, we have 8 employees and everyone of those employees use a Macbook Pro. In the office we use four 27" iMacs.

Everything related to the business from purchasing, research, inventory control, retail sales management, employee time records, payroll and other tasks are done on the Mac.

The Macs have proven to be more reliable than the Windows computers they replaced. As for manufacturer support all I can say is Apple has never let us down on the rare occasions when we had a machine that needed their attention.

I think you are promoting an ancient outdated myth in your post.



This myth .........

.....needs to die!


,

I think the myth that Apple computers are somehow more reliable than their PC counterparts needs to die. If you were to spend the same ridiculous amount (ridiculous for the things your company uses Macs for) you would find PCs just as reliable.

 

[s.hasan546]

I run an Auction Management business, we have 8 employees and everyone of those employees use a Macbook Pro. In the office we use four 27" iMacs.

Everything related to the business from purchasing, research, inventory control, retail sales management, employee time records, payroll and other tasks are done on the Mac.

The Macs have proven to be more reliable than the Windows computers they replaced. As for manufacturer support all I can say is Apple has never let us down on the rare occasions when we had a machine that needed their attention.

I

Thats you and your company. Majority of companies use PCs. There is a million times more support, applications; etc. Don't tell me i need to run parallels or bootcamp so i can use windows apps. Thats a work around. That being said I use a mac for my personal use.

BUT my business is all dell Pcs. Their business support, pricing; etc, is better than any other company out there from my experience. If you had a problem with reliability with your previous windows computers it may have been b.c of either A. human error or B. Crappy manufacturer. We have never had a problem with Dell business. They fix everything next day for us and even has done out of warranty repairs for free. Not to mention that we spend 1/2 of what we would on a mac pro and get a much more performance oriented desktop.

 

[iMackPro]

I think the myth that Apple computers are somehow more reliable than their PC counterparts needs to die. If you were to spend the same ridiculous amount (ridiculous for the things your company uses Macs for) you would find PCs just as reliable.

i dunno as far as business, but ive had two HP desktops, and one Dell desktop. The HPs were pieces of ***** and were always breaking down. i Will give props to the Dell desktop i had, it only broke down once, and overall it was a pretty good machine. I still like working on my MBP 15" better though just becuase, this is Strictly** my** opinion** i feel like my workflow is just smoother and easier on a mac, i have no statistical data to prove it. but i dont have too i know what its like to work on both and the mac is just easier.

Another big thing is

Apple Support = people i can understand.
Dell Support = people in india i have no idea what the hell they are saying.

 

[Criticalmass]

Your business will have to pay a premium for I.T. staff that are intimately familiar with Macs.


Beyond that, I just like the 13 better, there is such a thing as too small, and too-non-upgradeable. IMO

 

[kobyh15]

If it's for business then go for 13" MBP.
Any other machine such as refreshed MBA is highly hyphotetical and you're not going to see 2.7GHz i7 in it anyway. As long as you connect a big screen to it then it doesn't matter that it's small to begin with and as we know Thunderbolt can deliver a lot of bandwidth for whatever, so I am hoping for a docking station replacement soon enough.
Arguments such as a better nvidia GPU are again highly hypothetical in most business scenarios - if you're one of those few people that actually need the GPU horsepower for business then you're probably getting a stationary PC/Mac

+1. An ULV Sandy Bridge is not going to be a miracle worker and will in no way come close to a 2.7 i7 so if you think the two will be close in processor intensive tasks then I think you will be severely disappointed. Look at how the Samsung 9 series with a ULV Sandy Bridge stacks up with the Air. However, if the screen resolution and light weight dominates the need for raw power, choice to upgrade, and built-in OD then go for it. It heavily depends on what kind of work you're going to be doing with the machine. Just personally, I would figure that the 13" MBP would be the safer choice for business applications.

 

[s.hasan546]

i dunno as far as business, but ive had two HP desktops, and one Dell desktop. The HPs were pieces of ***** and were always breaking down. i Will give props to the Dell desktop i had, it only broke down once, and overall it was a pretty good machine. I still like working on my MBP 15" better though just becuase, this is Strictly** my** opinion** i feel like my workflow is just smoother and easier on a mac, i have no statistical data to prove it. but i dont have too i know what its like to work on both and the mac is just easier.

Another big thing is

Apple Support = people i can understand.
Dell Support = people in india i have no idea what the hell they are saying.

thats for personal use. Business support, hardware, and even build quality is totally different. Dell's business support is still in the US from what i know. Their business customer service has always been amazing for us.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Another big thing is

Apple Support = people i can understand.
Dell Support = people in india i have no idea what the hell they are saying.

Apple has support teams in India that deal with US customers too. Maybe you were just lucky, but I have had to talk to people who pronounce H as "hech" when dealing with Apple support. Basically all tech companies outsource their support people.

 

[FoxyKaye]

I've seriously thought about this over the past few months, especially since I'm thinking of picking up a more "portable" laptop to complement my 17" from last year. I'd do the 13" MPB hands down - it's not just the Sandy Bridge architecture, it's the availability of ports, the optical drive, and the ability to open the thing up and put in additional RAM, a bigger hard drive, or take out the optical drive and add in an Optibay from MCE. Plus, the keys on the Air aren't backlit anymore, which is a non-starter for me.

The only negative is the screen resolution on the 13" MBP isn't as high as that on the MBA, but I've got to ask myself, for a knock-around portable primarily used for writing and lightweight photo editing, just how small do I really need things to be on screen?

If the Air jumps to Sandy Bridge, puts the backlight back on the keys, and I'm able to find better after-market SSDs to replace the one that Apple ships it with, then maybe. But even then I think I'd still go for the 13" MBP.