Hey everyone. Looking for some additional input here. I have been looking at getting a new mac to replace my aging 2008 MBP. I want something smaller and more portable. I will mainly use it for web browsing, video streaming (youtube hd, netflix, hulu+) and light gaming (old school games, nothing new really).
Here is where I stand and why I cant decide... yes, cost is an issue.
2010 13" MBA Refurb (4GB RAM & 128GB SD) $1,189
-Higher res screen
-Slim profile & lightweight
-Much more portable
2011 13" MBP (4GB RAM & Dual Core i5, 320GB HDD) $1,099
-Backlit Keyboard (I browse a lot at night in bed)
-Easier to upgrade
-Dual Core CPU
-Kind of like the look of the glass bezel, but not the screen res, lol
-Thunderbolt
First, will either really suit my needs in terms of the GPU?
Second... I think the biggest thing holding me back on the MBP is the screen. The screen on the MBA just seems so much crisper. Also, the MBA comes with the SSD. I do have a SSD I can throw in the MBP, but its only 60GB.. however I do have an external hard drive and I suppose I could always use the SD card slot for backup.
While Thunderbolt is kind of new and not really utilized yet, I feel its more future-proofing my purchase in a way. I also have a 27" Dell monitor I might hook the machine up to occasionally.
Any thoughts?
I just bought an maxed out MBA 13" a month and a half ago, and bought my girlfriend a new base 13" MBP few weeks ago, so I've been using both extensively, and I can share my experiences with both machines.
First, neither my girlfriend nor I use our notebooks for anything intensive, -basically the exact same use case as you: Web browsing, online videos, Open Office suite, light photoshop, and music.
I'll address each of your points on each computer:
MBA screen: It is fantastic. I like the MBP screen better though. Yes, I understand that the MBA has a higher resolution, but I find that I ALWAYS am pinching out to increase the font size while web browsing and many other tasks. The MBP resolution is simply closer to the resolution I prefer for my content., thought the MBA is obviously crisper, but it's not an insane difference. Aside from that, I find that the colors just 'pop' on the MBP screen better. I enjoy looking at multimedia content more on her machine. Don't get me wrong, the MBA screen is phenomenal, but when they are side by side, I happen to enjoy staring at the MBP screen a bit more. This surprised me, as I thought going in that it was kind of a no-brainer that I would enjoy the higher res MBA screen more. I guess what I'm getting at is don't sweat the lower res on the MBP at all. I mean you can if you want, but I'm not
MBA weight and profile: This is where the MBA shines, as it should. I am one of those that takes my book everywhere, including my couch, chair, and bed while at my house. I cannot tell you how much the MBP feels like a ton of bricks compared to the MBA. The MBA can be lifted with little to no effort from the corner, unlike the MBP. It's a little thing that is a bigger deal than I would have thought it would be. MBA is just phenomenal for carting around everywhere. It makes me feel lazy typing that.
MBP backlit keyboard: I'm a touch typist, so my MBA is just fine. That being said, I am constantly on my notebook in relatively low light in the living room watching TV, or in bed. I got my girlfriend her MBP and I confess I jelly. It really is just a great feature. For me, it's like heated seats in a car (I live in Michigan). You don't need them, but the first time you get in a car with them in the cold you are instantly very appreciative. If you are not a touch typist and you work in low light a lot you're going to get a lot of value out of this feature.
MBP easier to upgrade: I bought my MBA for a 3 year lifetime and maxed out the RAM and processor, so I know I'm good. Anything longer than that is just icing if it's still performing well with regards to what I need it to do. If you are upgrading 2008 to 2011, you can do the same with a MBA and be fine with your use case based off that historical timeline. But yes, if you are looking at 5 years or longer, or have a favorite graphically intensive game you'll want to be playing a MBP might be the way to go.
MBP dual core CPU: All I can say is my girl and I have similar use cases, and there's no noticeable difference using her machine or mine. Both are snappy, and I've yet to get a spinning beach ball from either. Nuff said. There are many places on this site where people have put both machines through the paces and gathered good metrics if you're interested, but I find that none of that really matters as long as my machine just does what I need it to do. MBA with a SSD = MPB base to my satisfaction. Note that's just my casual perception from using both, -I haven't done side by side comparisons of various apps and processes, etc.
MBP looks of glass bezel + resolution: Personal taste. Personally, I kind of like the black border around the MBP screen. On e-readers, or anything really, I like a dark border surrounding my content. It makes it easier to focus on and view for some reason, -probably the contrast. Also I think the black border and glass bezel looks a touch classier (but once you close the notebooks MBA wins hands down imho
). One thing I've noticed is that the MBA screen is superior when viewing in sunlight and other bright light sources. MBP screen is much more reflective and that has bothered me from time to time. As I stated earlier, I personally find the higher resolution of the MBA to be mostly inconsequential. When I'm on her machine I've never once wished the resolution was higher.
MBP thunderbolt: Um, hmm. The MPB has one. I don't know what else to say. She might use it someday? Honestly, It's something that's cool to have I guess, but could care less if it wasn't there. I'm sure other people have very different opinions but that's just my experience.
Finally a couple random observations from using both:
I have found that the downward slant of the MBA is great for typing on for long periods of time. Your wrists don't turn up as much as with the taller edge of the MBP, and it actually makes a big difference in comfort over long periods of time (typing a paper for example).
I have also found the keypad of the MBP to be a little more 'substantial' with a little more 'bounce-back' from the keys if that makes sense. I like it a little better, but both keypads are great. No complaints.
The SSD if the MBA is awesome. Love how quick the boot time is. MBP boots slower but is still quick.
Finally, I attached a pic (sorry for quality) of both notebooks open side by side to the CNN webpage so you can kind of get an idea of the resolution difference when browsing (as far as amount of content on screen). I know when I was at the Apple store they were anchored so I was running back and forth trying to compare both screens. Hope that helps.
Oh yea, -almost forgot. If neither us had our notebooks and I had to buy one tomorrow, I'd go with the ultimate MBA based on the portability and form factor when typing more than any other factors. But it's damn close. I simply don't think you can make a wrong choice, -you're going to be very happy either way. EDIT: For the record, she would go with her MBP again, so I guess I did a good job there
EDIT #2: The far right advert column is different between the two in my attached pic, but the other columns are the same, so you can still use it to compare. Interesting though, since I hit refresh at the exact same time on both computers.
tl;dr: Non-technical review by average guy using both MBA and MBP.
