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Question of the Day: Have you ever ordered a product online and received a fake knock-off?
Apple Macbook Air or Macbook Pro
- Thread starter weelzSA
- Start date
Rishalin
Senior Member
I would go with the MacBook Pro - purely for the ability to upgrade ram and hdd. The dual graphics is a plus too..
But the Air is sexy and sleek- I like it too
But the Air is sexy and sleek- I like it too
Apologies for flogging this dead horse... I realize not much more can be said - but I've been agonizing over the past few days about whether to go for the Air or the Pro, and so figured I'd maybe solve my conundrum by splashing out my thoughts here...
From all that I've read - I figure the primary difference between the two comes down to the following points:
Air pro's: Fast as hell, due to the SSD; Light and oh-so-portable; Amazing screen resolution;
Air con's: Cannot be upgraded; 4GB might be a bit on the light side, for heavy Parallel sessions; 128GB SSD is not all that big, which requires external HDD
Pro pro's: Upgradeable; Optic drive [assuming one actually uses it]
Pro con's: Doesn't have a SSD; Screen resolution so last-year;
I'm leaning towards the Pro for the following reason: I don't upgrade often.
And I cannot really justify laying down so much cash every few years - so want to be able to get something that can last me for the next 4-5 years, at least... This probably makes it a no-brainer - since prices will hopefully come down on the SSD in the next few years, which means that after popping another 4GB memory into the Pro, together with a 256/512GB SSD, things should be golden?
What are your thoughts about the above?
I'm not really that phased on the mobility issue - the Air is really light, but I pretty much will only ever carry it between car and office (and it's not as if 2,04kg's is weighty!!!)- and as long as the battery lasts longer than my current laptop's 2 hours [pfft], I'm happy...
So does it make sense that if I'm really looking for something that will be a long-termer, then the MBP rather than the MBA would be the one? Looking at buying it in Canada - so the entry level MBP 13" and the MBA13" are both priced the same - so costs don't come into the equation...
Please help put me out of my misery!!
Fanks.
From all that I've read - I figure the primary difference between the two comes down to the following points:
Air pro's: Fast as hell, due to the SSD; Light and oh-so-portable; Amazing screen resolution;
Air con's: Cannot be upgraded; 4GB might be a bit on the light side, for heavy Parallel sessions; 128GB SSD is not all that big, which requires external HDD
Pro pro's: Upgradeable; Optic drive [assuming one actually uses it]
Pro con's: Doesn't have a SSD; Screen resolution so last-year;
I'm leaning towards the Pro for the following reason: I don't upgrade often.
And I cannot really justify laying down so much cash every few years - so want to be able to get something that can last me for the next 4-5 years, at least... This probably makes it a no-brainer - since prices will hopefully come down on the SSD in the next few years, which means that after popping another 4GB memory into the Pro, together with a 256/512GB SSD, things should be golden?
What are your thoughts about the above?
I'm not really that phased on the mobility issue - the Air is really light, but I pretty much will only ever carry it between car and office (and it's not as if 2,04kg's is weighty!!!)- and as long as the battery lasts longer than my current laptop's 2 hours [pfft], I'm happy...
So does it make sense that if I'm really looking for something that will be a long-termer, then the MBP rather than the MBA would be the one? Looking at buying it in Canada - so the entry level MBP 13" and the MBA13" are both priced the same - so costs don't come into the equation...
Please help put me out of my misery!!
Fanks.
MagicDude4Eva
Banned
I would go with the old (non-retina Pro) (especially late 2011 model). You can pretty much upgrade RAM and HDD - I don't think I will swop out my 17" (now with 16GB RAM and 500GB SSD) for anything in the next 2-3 years.
Thanks for the feedback. Beginning to think Pro should be my choice.
Any idea, ballpark figure, on what a decent 500GB SSD should set me back?
MagicDude4Eva
Banned
I got my uprades from macsales.com (OWC) - speed improvement (especially with SSD) is dramatic. Will probably set you back about 8K though for the SSD alone (got my stuff for free, but would certainly buy it after experiencing the difference).
Are you considering used machines? Have a spotless MD318 with 256GB SSD fitted that I bought locally in December, that I'm considering selling.
Re 2nd hand, I guess that would largely depend on the price...
PM me what you would be looking for, and your location.
Must be honest though - as I first time Mac buyer, would probably prefer the latest/new. Surely there is quite a big difference btw the new Ivy Bridge hardware, and the previous edition??
In all honesty, I have no idea if/how much faster Ivy Bridge would be. Based on my experience with previous hardware generations, probably not noticeable in the real world, unless you use software that has been designed to make use of every bit of performance the hardware has to offer.
I'll PM you with the requested details.
I'll PM you with the requested details.
Holy smokes!
That be pretty steep. Hopefully the prices will drop somewhat by next year?!Thanks for the info. Decisions, decisions. Previous version MBP 13" for 10,999 - new version 12,999 - or run the green line gauntlet and bring it in at +/- 10,000.00.
Not really comfortable doing the latter - but it is really difficult to ignore a possible 3k saving.
People$champ
Well-Known Member
I had the same issue as you with the. MBP and MBA 13"
I chose the MBP for the ability to upgrade as spending so much on a laptop I want to get the max out of my investment.
I recently upgraded to a SSD and 16GB ram it runs really well and the SSD prices will come down so u can go 512 GB route later as I just got a nice external to carry data around.
There a few other questions that you should also think of they are.
How often will you be buying a new laptop every 2 or 3-4
Are you going to need a DVD burner
Would you be needing to make use of the Ethernet Port as I often go to the Internet cafe and they don't allow wi fi only Ethernet else you need the adapter which will cost you a USB slot
Do you make use of FireWire ?
And if you going to replace the laptop every 2 years I will say go for the air going 2nd hand is good too save a bit for some accessories. Believe me you will want them with your new lappy.
Part of why I'm looking at the MBP is precisely because I don't replace my laptop often. The only reason I'm replacing my current Compaq, is because it's on its last legs, and has become painfully tempremental!
So I'm pretty settled on the MBP... Of course, watch me change my mind when I walk in to the Apple store and play on them both
At least with me going overseas next week, I should be able to do this - stock is understandably hard to come by in SA at the moment - and those that have them, are selling them, not putting them on display!Whereas I used the drive on my current laptop every now and then - it was mostly to put my CD music into my iTunes. Now that I think about this, I've purchased plenty of songs through iTunes already - BUT, being a fan if several local bands, it's unlikely that their music ends up on the US store, so I do still occasionally purchase CDs.
I realise I can pick up a portable CD drive for this purpose - but must say that the possibility of creating home movies intrigues me. If I'm not mistaken, the drive in the new MBP can also burn/write DVDs? The Mac editing software looks amazing, so won't discount this as being a hardware feature I might still use...
Cannot say I've ever needed an Ethernet port. Wifi link at home to my ADSL modem has always been sufficient.
Same for FireWire.
Part of why I'm looking at the MBP is precisely because I don't replace my laptop often. The only reason I'm replacing my current Compaq, is because it's on its last legs, and has become painfully tempremental!
So I'm pretty settled on the MBP... Of course, watch me change my mind when I walk in to the Apple store and play on them both
Cannot say I've ever needed an Ethernet port. Wifi link at home to my ADSL modem has always been sufficient.
Same for FireWire.
Would love to know which one you went for? I just got the new 13" mbp and I'm enjoying it.
Will be sure to pop something up here when I've bought it.
Were you thinking of getting the MBA? What made you go for the Pro?
Sensorei
Executive Member
I sold my quad core 15" i7 MBP and got a 13" Air with 256GB SSD. Very happy with my decision. The Air's display is better quality than the standard 15" MBP and although smaller it has the same resolution.
On paper the Air might seem underpowered but it's 'real world' performance is impressive unless you are doing work that requires maximum oomph. I also buy and sell macs so I have compared pretty much every model there is. Haven't had the pleasure of using a retina MBP though. I'm sure that would change my mind.
On paper the Air might seem underpowered but it's 'real world' performance is impressive unless you are doing work that requires maximum oomph. I also buy and sell macs so I have compared pretty much every model there is. Haven't had the pleasure of using a retina MBP though. I'm sure that would change my mind.
Mostly HDD space and Upgradeability. Will be upgrading to 8gb of RAM and SSD a bit later. Also FW and Ethernet is nice to have.
Sensorei
Executive Member
There is a thunderbolt ethernet and firewire adapter for the Macbook Air now.