I returned my MBA for a Pro (was this a mistake?)

[Patrick946]

About three weeks ago I bought a refurb Macbook Air 13" with the RAM upgraded to 4GB. I was really happy with it, it seems like a great machine and I had no intention of returning it. However, there was a news story on Mac Rumors that the prices of refurbished models dropped, and immediately after that was a story about the MBA refresh. I called customer service to see if they would price match the drop, but they refused since it wasn't in stock and they said that the price match doesn't apply to refurbished models. It sounded fishy to me, but I decided to return it and wait for the refresh and the BTS sale.

So yesterday was June 8th and still no sign of the refreshed Air, no BTS sale, and it turns out that the model that I had chosen did not get a price drop. Also, I have been thinking about my financial situation, and $1200 is a lot of money for me. Late last night I was looking at the 11" MBAs (too little storage and horsepower), and for whatever reason I looked over at the Macbook Pro refurbished page and saw this model.

Macbook Pro 13"
2010 model
2.4ghz C2D
4GB RAM
250GB HDD
320M GPU

$899

I really like my Macbook air, but a nearly $300 difference isn't anything to sneeze at. The negatives are that it has a much slower hard drive, it's way heavier, the screen is lower resolution, and it's hotter/louder. However, the GPU and memory are the same, the processor is a bit quicker, and it has about double the storage space, plus the DVD drive and whatever ports. So I started thinking about whether those tradeoffs were worth $300 to me, and it just suddenly made sense to me and I went ahead and ordered it then and there, and less than 12 hours later it's already shipping.

So here I am, but I have been planning to buy a MBA for the last few months, and haven't even looked at the MBP until now. The weight and screen resolution are things I can live with, but the hard drive is going to drag a bit. At this point I really just need a functional computer, and I'll likely upgrade to an MBA a few years down the road when I'm more settled. I have two weeks to try it out, but are there any particular issues with this model? Am I making a mistake? Let me know what you guys think.

 

[brand]

If $1200 is a lot of money to you I would suggest doing the proper research prior to what you describe as impulse purchases.

 

[Patrick946]

If $1200 is a lot of money to you I would suggest doing the proper research prior to what you describe as impulse purchases.

Why are so many people on this board incredibly rude?

I did a ton of research on the macbook air, and this looks like it has very similar specs - same processor, same GPU, same memory. I bought it on the spot because I know that Apple has a very generous return policy within 2 weeks. Sorry that my thread offends you.

 

[tcassio]

You could always put an SSD in the MBP.

 

[Patrick946]

You could always put an SSD in the MBP.

I actually looked into that a little this morning, but it seems like that would destroy the price advantage, since they go for $200+. Maybe I could do that in a year or two to give it an extra boost.

 

[brand]

Why are so many people on this board incredibly rude?

I don't don't see how me identifying what happened as being rude. Being rude was not my intention plus you seem a little overly sensitive about it.

Because you bought a MacBook Air returned it then bought and MacBook Pro and are now wondering if you made a mistake sounds like a lack of research and an impulse purchase to me and I'm sure to many others.

 

[stockscalper]

You do get what you pay for. The Air costs more because it has the features you listed that are missing in the Pro. It always comes down to a balancing of which features you absolutely need against those you can do without at a given price point.

 

[kevin222]

I don't don't see how me identifying what happened as being rude. Being rude was not my intention plus you seem a little overly sensitive about it.

Because you bought a MacBook Air returned it then bought and MacBook Pro and are now wondering if you made a mistake sounds like a lack of research and impulse purchases to me and I'm sure many others.

I don't think he's being overly sensitive - it was definitely very rude/brazen.

 

[Patrick946]

I don't don't see how me identifying what happened as being rude. Being rude was not my intention plus you seem a little overly sensitive about it.

Because you bought a MacBook Air returned it then bought and MacBook Pro and are now wondering if you made a mistake sounds like a lack of research and impulse purchases to me and I'm sure many others.

I made a thread to ask for advice on whether there are any issues with this model, and you responded that I should do my own research. That is specifically what I thought was rude about your response.

And yes, buying it was an impulse decision (as I outlined in my post), but I think it was a reasonably informed one, and one that I can easily undo if I find that it was a mistake. It looks to me like it will serve my purposes well, but people on this board tend to know a lot more about Apple products than I do and I was hoping that people would be able to tell me if there were any issues with this model vs. an air that I had overlooked or didn't know about.

 

[maclaptop]

Why are so many people on this board incredibly rude?

I share your observations and agree.

The answer is very straightforward. It's the "Apple Way".

Apple has a super narcissistic CEO, who's created a very arrogant Corporate Culture within Apple. They are encouraged to embrace an elitist attitude and to look down at others.

Then in addition, Apple has a huge cult like following of yes men & women ready to attack any post, person, or idea that does not follow their train of thinking. Its just a fact of life.

When this is brought to light, they counter with excuses like "this is the Internet, all forums are like this". Yet those of us who frequent other forums know it's a lie.

Therefore the key is to be ready to be insulted, judged and generally given a hard time, when asking an honest question.

Similarly it's very difficult to establish an intelligent discussion of Apple vs. Another Product, since that too is taken out of context as an affront.

The culture and flow of conversations enjoyed in other forums is generally off limits in an Apple Forum.

This is not unique to MacRumors, it applies to every single Apple forum I visit. It's just how it is. Otherwise pleasant, intelligent people, turn hostile in an Apple Forum, that's been my experience.

 

[Patrick946]

You do get what you pay for. The Air costs more because it has the features you listed that are missing in the Pro. It always comes down to a balancing of which features you absolutely need against those you can do without at a given price point.

Yes, that's how I see it too. The Air is an incredible machine, but the one I just ordered is 3/4 of the price and will be able to do most/all of that the Air can. Right now I'd rather spend that money on other things rather than have a luxury computer. When I'm a little richer I'll drop the extra cash to upgrade to an air.

This is not unique to MacRumors, it applies to every single Apple forum I visit. It's just how it is. Otherwise pleasant, intelligent people, turn hostile in an Apple Forum, that's been my experience.

It's unfortunate, because I love Apple products. I've encountered a lot of nice people here as well, but there is definitely a rude undertone to a lot of the discussion.

 

[Alvesang]

Considering you being okay with weight and screen res and the financial factor the MBP would be a wise choice. Upgrading RAM and going from HDD to SSD will remain options. I'm guessing you'll want an SSD very soon, though. After using my SSD equipped MBP for a while I tried my Mac Mini as a desktop solution and the HDD makes it extremely slower by comparison, even though the other specs aren't that much different.

Nonetheless, the 2010 MBPs are great machines.

 

[pil0tflame]

I share your observations and agree.

The answer is very straightforward. It's the "Apple Way".

I also agree with you maclaptop and Patrick946 regarding the rude/elitist behavior of some Apple fans. Many Apple users are great people, but it seems like a disproportional amount are obnoxious elitists. I'm curious whether companies primarily create this behavior or attract people who already display it.

It's my intention to purchase a 2011 refresh MacBook Air when it comes out, but I will be covering the glowing Apple logo before using it in public. I wish to minimize the attention I may attract from rabid Apple fans (or thieves). I do not feel compelled to advertise my chosen computer brand to strangers.

Not just limited to Apple products, I find it disgusting the personal worth some individuals derive from the consumer products they purchase. A douche is still a douche regardless of what brand they choose.

 

[jlblodgett]

Why are so many people on this board incredibly rude?

I did a ton of research on the macbook air, and this looks like it has very similar specs - same processor, same GPU, same memory. I bought it on the spot because I know that Apple has a very generous return policy within 2 weeks. Sorry that my thread offends you.

I don't understand why people come onto a message board (of all places) and try to get advice on whether one computer is better than another.

Use your eyes, and your ears, and go decide for yourself. It is YOUR MONEY you are spending, not anybody's on here. At the end of the day YOU are the one who has to live with whatever machine you buy at whatever cost you buy it for.

 

[onthecouchagain]

Hey Patrick, nevermind what others are saying. It's best to simply ignore those who you find unhelpful or aren't contributing to your thread, irregardless if they are or aren't being rude. This is an open forum and you're most certainly free to discuss what you want so long as it stays within the forum rules. Not to mention the fact that if people don't like the topic of a certain thread, they are free to not enter the discussion, yet willfully do so, and willfully add comments that don't actually add anything. Like I said, unhelpful.

Anyway, I'm not sure what the policy is on refurbished items, but don't you also get 14 days for a full refund? If so, you have 14 days to find out if what you gave up with the Air is acceptable or not. Only you can decide what is valuable to you when managing your money.

I'm sure the Pro is a perfectly acceptable and viable laptop. It is for many many people; just venture into the Pro forum and have a look 'round. People love their Pros, and for good reasons.

 

[neteng101]

I actually looked into that a little this morning, but it seems like that would destroy the price advantage, since they go for $200+. Maybe I could do that in a year or two to give it an extra boost.

Its a bit of a catch 22 - in a year or two you're probably better off just waiting to upgrade, but you've already found the answer there. One of the big reasons for the MBA is the SSD, which is a huge performance gain from regular HDDs, especially the slow ones that Apple uses in all the MBPs that aren't custom built. 5400rpm HDDs are beachball heaven material (beachball being what your cursor turns to while you wait for stuff to load from the drive).

The 13" MBP you ordered will be just fine for most things, but the lack of the SSD is the huge difference. Since you're in a tight spot with money, just live with it for now and get something better in a few years.

 

[fibrizo]

If financial concerns are an issue for you, you could also consider the 2011 13 inch macbook pro if you live near a microcenter. They sell them for 999$ new out the door. This way you have a sandybridge cpu for less than you would have spent on the refurb mba. If you want a MBA though, you're going to want a MBA. I own both the 11inch ultimate MBA config (ended up costing 1600+ with tax) and the 2011 13 inch mbp (1035$ with tax from microcenter). Both are excellent machines. Just depends on what you want to do with it.

 

[jclardy]

Well there aren't really any issues with the computer, it all depends on if it meets your needs.

If you need a lot of storage for music/movies/other media then the MBP is probably a better choice.

If you will be always carrying it around the lesser weight of the MBA might be better, but I don't really think this is super significant unless you are always taking it with you.

The only thing with the MBP that I don't like is the screen resolution. But I lived with 1280x800 for four years with my old plastic Macbook so it really just depends on what you want to do with the machine.

 

[Patrick946]

Thanks for the responses!

I don't understand why people come onto a message board (of all places) and try to get advice on whether one computer is better than another.

Use your eyes, and your ears, and go decide for yourself. It is YOUR MONEY you are spending, not anybody's on here. At the end of the day YOU are the one who has to live with whatever machine you buy at whatever cost you buy it for.

I'm curious about any known defects or other issues with the 2010 MBP that I might not notice from just tooling around with it. Plus, people here are very enthusiastic about which model is their favorite, so I thought someone might give me a good reason for or against the one I chose (just go into any thread about whether to get a C2D or SB MBA for an example ).

Nonetheless, the 2010 MBPs are great machines.

Well there aren't really any issues with the computer, it all depends on if it meets your needs.

Very cool, thanks.

Considering you being okay with weight and screen res and the financial factor the MBP would be a wise choice. Upgrading RAM and going from HDD to SSD will remain options. I'm guessing you'll want an SSD very soon, though. After using my SSD equipped MBP for a while I tried my Mac Mini as a desktop solution and the HDD makes it extremely slower by comparison, even though the other specs aren't that much different.

If you will be always carrying it around the lesser weight of the MBA might be better, but I don't really think this is super significant unless you are always taking it with you.

The only thing with the MBP that I don't like is the screen resolution. But I lived with 1280x800 for four years with my old plastic Macbook so it really just depends on what you want to do with the machine.

I will be carrying it to the library pretty often, which is one of the reasons that I started looking at a MBA in the first place. I'm in my 20's and in pretty good shape, an extra 2 lbs won't kill me.

Screen Resolution and Hard Drive speed will be a lot more noticeable. I'll definitely keep those in mind during the first week that I have it to see if it's something that I can live with.

 

[meaty]

Why are so many people on this board incredibly rude?

i think owning Apple products gets to their head

 

[brand]

I'm curious about any known defects or other issues with the 2010 MBP that I might not notice from just tooling around with it.

If I was curious about wether or not the 2010 MacBook Pro had any known defects I would look in the MacBook Pro forum since they would be more likely to know rather than in the MacBook Air forum. Take it for what it is but I'm just trying to help you see how to better help yourself. I'm not trying to be rude or sarcastic so if you are overly sensitive deal with it.

 

[Patrick946]

If I was curious about wether or not the 2010 MacBook Pro had any known defects I would look in the MacBook Pro forum since they would be more likely to know rather than in the MacBook Air forum. Take it for what it is but I'm just trying to help you see how to better help yourself. I'm not trying to be rude or sarcastic so if you are overly sensitive deal with it.

That's fair, I'll go take a look over there.

 

[Yumunum]

Why are so many people on this board incredibly rude?

Amen! Seriously, I've found almost nothing but smart alecky responses from most people on this website. I back you up 100% on that statement Patrick.

 

[htpw16]

I don't understand why people come onto a message board (of all places) and try to get advice on whether one computer is better than another.

Use your eyes, and your ears, and go decide for yourself. It is YOUR MONEY you are spending, not anybody's on here. At the end of the day YOU are the one who has to live with whatever machine you buy at whatever cost you buy it for.

Which is why making an informed decision generally involves asking those that are more informed and knowledgeable.

 

[reputationZed]

Which is why making an informed decision generally involves asking those that are more informed and knowledgeable.

True, but the informed answer is situational, there are valid arguments for going with the MBA and equally valid arguments for going with the MB. The OP did not really present us with enough information about his needs or expectations for anyone to offer an informed answer. I can certainly understand the need to have others validate our decisions but asking for an informed decision of a public forum is often just an exercise in pissing in the wind.