Anyone have a good thickness comparison photo between air and 13 inch mbp?

[Scottsdale]

Hey thanks for the info. Im no Apple fanboy but i have a real lust to get an Air While there are more advanced PC alternatives out right now i think this is mainly due to the fact that the Air is well overdue for an update. I think the Air is the best looking of Apples laptops and is powerful enough for me already as i dont have any excessive power needs, just iTunes, web browsing and iPhoto use mainly. The only thing id want is more storage space and more ram.

My point was simply being that if I absolutely had to buy a computer now, I would consider alternatives. I believe it's a terrible time to buy the MBA. Given its 2GB of RAM limitation, with no possibility of upgrading later, I don't believe it will stand the test of time. If one cannot wait for Apple to upgrade the MBA, I certainly believe they should spend their money elsewhere. Or, plan to buy their MBA updating much sooner than they would need to with a competing ultraportable. The RAM limitation is really going to limit the MBA's useful lifecycle. With most computers, including all other Macs, they could have RAM updated later... with the MBA it's stuck a 2GB of RAM FOREVER. I wouldn't plan to use an MBA for "several" or "many" years with 2GB of RAM in it.

I would suggest people find a discounted MBA and NOT pay anywhere near full price of $1799. In fact, when the MBA is updated, I will be shocked if it doesn't get a price cut in addition to a huge component update. So the lifetime value of a current MBA, stuck forever with 2GB of RAM, is surely not going to even come close to the value of the next MBA maybe days or weeks away... the Apple pricing system is the problem! It punishes people the longer they wait after an update to buy a new Mac. At 8.5 months in, when the average update for the MBA is 8 months, the MBA is a HORRIBLE VALUE and terrible when considering long-term relevance given its RAM limitation.

Bottom line, WAIT for an update as the MBA is currently not a good value at full price. Look at what the people were rewarded with for waiting for the last update. A $700 discount on the high-end MBA! Not only that, a CPU bump, slightly better battery, and a network/USB adaptor. That was a heck of a discount over the person that bought a new MBA on June 1, 2009. Days can make gigantic differences in value especially with the MBA!

 

[Max(IT)]

Scottsdale there simply isn't ANY OTHER ultraportable running Mac OSX on the market, so you are stuck with MBA if you, like me, don't want to run Windows anymore.
I suggest to wait for an imminent update of MBA (I'm looking for 4 Gb RAM)

 

[chrono1081]

Scottsdale there simply isn't ANY OTHER ultraportable running Mac OSX on the market, so you are stuck with MBA if you, like me, don't want to run Windows anymore.
I suggest to wait for an imminent update of MBA (I'm looking for 4 Gb RAM)

I'm in the same waiting boat.

Not to start a flame war but Windows is not an option for me anymore. Its just not efficient for what I use a computer for.

I really hope they have a 4GB option next update. If not I'll have to wait some more

 

[AAPLaday]

I'm in the same waiting boat.

Not to start a flame war but Windows is not an option for me anymore. Its just not efficient for what I use a computer for.

I really hope they have a 4GB option next update. If not I'll have to wait some more

It will have 4GB ram as standard. If it doesn't then they might as well discontinue it.

 

[Doju]

I get that you wanted the physical size comparison... but maybe you're leaving out weight and actual usability comparisons???

How about the feel differences...

MacBook Air = Two Magazines

MacBook Pro = Textbook

Even though the MBA is 3 lbs it feels so lightweight and is so thin it can be hidden within a few magazines inside of a tote. When going from a MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro, it's a shock to the system.

Nothing beats the fun of the MacBook Air. The thing about it is if one just tries the MBA, and it meets their general requirements of a computer, they fall in love.

Right now, the differences are port selection, RAM limitation, drive space limitation, and optical drive. If one can live with those limitations, the MBA is probably the most fun computer they'll ever own.

Wow, what a horrid comparison.

MBA = 2 magazines
MBP = 3 magazines

That's mathematically indisputable. Oh no, another magazine.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Wow, what a horrid comparison.

MBA = 2 magazines
MBP = 3 magazines

That's mathematically indisputable. Oh no, another magazine.

That sure is a heavy magazine, weighing one and a half pounds.

 

[aaquib]

That sure is a heavy magazine, weighing one and a half pounds.

By the poster's logic, it makes perfect sense as the ratio would be 3:2 magazines at 1.5lbs each magazine.

However, what I believe Scottsdale meant- and this is something you truly have to own a MBA to understand- is that a MacBook Air just feels much, much lighter. Despite being 2/3 the weight of the MBP, it feels miniscule in comparison. It just feels right holding it in one hand, being able to just pick it up so easily, and just toss it in your backpack without barely feeling it.

Maybe it's the thinness, or just our fanboyism but to me it just feels like holding two magazines vs. holding a textbook.

 

[mrgossett]

I'm going to chime in on this thread, since I own both an Air (2nd gen. 1.86 SSD) and an older black Macbook. The Air weighs about 3 pounds and the Blackbook weighs 4.5-5 pounds. Not a big difference on paper until you actually USE it. Picking up the Blackbook and taking it anywhere now feels like I'm carrying a brick compared to the Air. Maybe it's also the thinness of the Air that adds to the light feeling. All I know is that I'm totally spoiled using the Air and I would have a hard time going back to a heavier laptop of any kind. I can work with the Air in my lap for hours watching TV and not get the least bit tired. That was not true for other laptops that I have owned. I also have a Mac Pro for heavy-duty work, but the Air does everything I need a laptop to do, and gets probably 20X more use than my Pro.

 

[chrono1081]

This thread is making me want a macbook air more and more!

The only reason I have the laptop in my sig right now instead of a mac pro is because I work in a remote location and I can't have a tower here. When I go back home for good I'll have a tower as my primary machine for my heavy duty stuff, but my air will be for the rest of the time I am on the computer. (I'm usually on a computer 14+ hours a day).

All of my data will be on my tower and NAS so if I need something or want my iTunes library I just connect to it over the network and get what I want off of it.

The thinness and power of the air is a huge plus. After reading the thread of what people use on it I'm really impressed. Mine will be for coding so its plenty capable.

Hurry up Apple! Update the air! My credit card is waiting

 

[Scottsdale]

Wow, what a horrid comparison.

MBA = 2 magazines
MBP = 3 magazines

That's mathematically indisputable. Oh no, another magazine.

Are you incapable of measuring the difference in your mind of THICKNESS, SHAPE, FEEL, and weight? Two magazines versus a textbook is the overall difference in the MIND.

I never said take two magazines and you have a MacBook Air.

I really cannot stand how some people come to this site just to criticize others. Why don't you show some class.

EDIT > ADD
Thanks for chiming in aaquib and mrgossett! One has to experience it to understand it... but still, some people are here strictly to criticize and belittle others. Some people find self worth by putting down others rather than raising up themselves. Normally Mac/Apple product users would understand the overall impact of the experience of using, holding, feeling, seeing, and carrying the Apple product is completely different than the SCIENCE of the differences between the Apple products and competitive products. Scientifically, the analogy should be different, but the actual experience is what Apple capitalizes on time and time again. Most Apple users know exactly what I mean. This is why people will pay more for Apple products, and exactly why Apple profits so very well. Apple capitalizes on the experience and that's why some of us can comprehend why I would state the difference FEELS LIKE two magazines versus a textbook.