college freshman

[kitsunesfire]

Hey everyone,

I've had my eye on the Macbook Air ever since they first came out in 08, but the new refresh sealed the deal for me. I'm just having trouble figuring out what I really need. I am a Professional Writing major, so this machine would primarily be for writing on the go. I already have a 21.5 iMac that I love dearly and can use for games and photography.

A couple things I'm having trouble with:

Since this is really going to only be used for internet surfing and writing, do I really need the 4GB of RAM?

I'm leaning towards the 13 inch because of the longer battery life and the bigger screen but I'm curious to hear from current owners of both models. What do you think? What were the deciding factors for you? Are you happy with your choice? What do you feel was your biggest sacrifice?

On a slightly unrelated note, what kind of setup do you guys have for your Air? I really like the look of the BookArc but on Apple's site it specifically says it's only compatible with the first generation Air, which means to me that it isn't compatible with the second generation. Does anyone know of a similar stand? I want somewhere to put my Air on my desk so it isn't just lying around in a college dorm room, if you know what I mean.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[peapody]

Hey everyone,

I've had my eye on the Macbook Air ever since they first came out in 08, but the new refresh sealed the deal for me. I'm just having trouble figuring out what I really need. I am a Professional Writing major, so this machine would primarily be for writing on the go. I already have a 21.5 iMac that I love dearly and can use for games and photography.

A couple things I'm having trouble with:

Since this is really going to only be used for internet surfing and writing, do I really need the 4GB of RAM?

I'm leaning towards the 13 inch because of the longer battery life and the bigger screen but I'm curious to hear from current owners of both models. What do you think? What were the deciding factors for you? Are you happy with your choice? What do you feel was your biggest sacrifice?

On a slightly unrelated note, what kind of setup do you guys have for your Air? I really like the look of the BookArc but on Apple's site it specifically says it's only compatible with the first generation Air, which means to me that it isn't compatible with the second generation. Does anyone know of a similar stand? I want somewhere to put my Air on my desk so it isn't just lying around in a college dorm room, if you know what I mean.

Thanks so much for your help!

Welcome to the forum!

Have you perused the other posts? There are like 10+ with a question just like yours - is 2gb enough for me? Everyone is different but for your needs I think 2gb is enough. The screen size and the battery life depends on your use. Are you going to be writing on the go that much? Can you deal with a smaller screen? You are going to get a lot of mixed answers to your questions simply because everyone is different and people have different priorities.

Finally I am not familiar with the bookarc, but it appears as if the 2010 will fit. I base this assumption on the fact that the the pre2010 and 2010 models are very similar in size ( I have owned both).

 

[Shasta McNasty]

I would definitely search this forum. Just on the first 3 pages alone, you will find tons of answers and opinions on your questions. This will help you in making your final decision!

 

[opera57]

2gb is definitely enough, I have the previous gen and it is perfect for web browsing and creating documents. However you should remember that it can't be upgraded in the future to 4gb so if you think that it ever may be an issue then you should maybe get 4gb, if not, 2gb will suit you just fine!

 

[zulumonk]

Yeah I would definitely go with the 13" and the 2GB should be fine with what you plan on doing. You'll definitely appreciate the extra battery life and screen size on the 13".

 

[Aboo]

Since you already have a 21.5" iMac, I will go out on the wing here and suggest the 11.6" MBA. For one, its definetly cheaper than its 13" brother. Second, its smaller and lighter, and for casual web surfing, email, and writing its perfect and plenty powerful.

Since you are a student, I am assuming that you would want to conserve as much money as possible, so the base 11.6", which available for 849 bucks from the Apple refurbished store, would be a perfect fit for you.

 

[kitsunesfire]

Thanks! I've spent most of today reading through the last 10 pages of the forum and have gotten a lot of great info. I'm going to take a trip to the Apple store tomorrow to see them in person, but it's going to take a lot for me to change my mind. From what I've heard and seen, the 13 inch MBA seems like a perfect fit. Now my only question is about how to best protect it.

I've heard a lot about these bags:

http://www.saddlebackleather.com/ca...e/products/2050-Leather-Satchel-Large-Tobacco

I really like the look of them and like that I'd be able to use it as both a laptop and a camera bag for my dslr, and still have room for a charger and other extras. I also really like that it's pretty light, considering it's leather (only 3lbs!). Obviously, the major drawback is the price. Then again, it looks like a quality product and you know what they say-- you get what you pay for. Any insights? Thoughts? Thanks so much for your help

 

[fswmacguy]

2GB MBA 13-inch owner here.

I'm running Firefox with multiple tabs, Mail, Adium, and a large file open in Sibelius and I've got ~650MB RAM free.

Decide for yourself.

 

[jvmxtra]

Get 4 gig of memory at all cost.

It doesnt matter what you do just get 4 gig.
DONT ask. Just get 4 gig

 

[jsan1]

i'm a college freshman too, so congrats on a first semester being over! i have a 13.3 MBA with 4gb of ram. I'm doing business, however, but being that i'm taking core classes right now all i've been doing is some light excel and a lot of writing/web surfing/ research. i absolutely love this machine. it's great for writing, the keyboard is very spacious and the screen is large enough so that your eyes don't dry up after writing for four to five hours. i like that i can manage multiple office programs plus ten+ tabs on safari at a time without a single lag. and as long as you're not using too much flash/youtube, etc. you shouldn't be having any heating or cooling problems.

the battery life is great too. i can use my air for a whole day of classes (~3 a day, five days a week), a little work in between classes, go home, do homework on it, and still have battery left over. it's great for traveling too, all i need to carry is three pounds instead of 5 or 6. i chose this over the 11 mainly because i felt 11" would be a little too small over a long period of time of writing, crunching numbers, etc. i don't think you can go wrong with either, but as a solid, potential main computer, you definitely can't go wrong with 13. all in all, it's just about how much space you're willing to give up, with the 13 having almost all the perks of a mbp without the weight. hope this helps, and gl with college!