Wow, I had no idea that this topic would be so controversial. Thanks again to everyone who commented.
He's not being rude, he's being honest. Right after reading your post I thought the same thing. If you're returning laptops to save $300 then you should have really weighed and waited on your options. There's no reason you couldn't have waited until this week to see if there would be a refresh. Seem like you were too impatient.
I had originally planned to get an 11" MBA, but slowly came around to paying more for a 13" with upgraded RAM, just because the tradeoffs seemed worth it. It's $300 for more RAM, a faster processor, double the storage space, a bigger screen, more battery life, etc. it was a little more than I had wanted to spend originally, but it seemed like it would be worth it. or, more accurately, it became more and more difficult to justify buying the cheaper MBA when the tradeoffs were so steep.
However, when I compared the 13" MBA to the 2010 13" MBP, the specs that were really important to me looked about the same. I was originally willing to compromise with a smaller screen, but in this case I'd have to compromise with added weight, lower resolution, etc. It's still a compromise, but it seems like one I'd have a much easier time living with. The only thing that could effect performance is the HDD vs. SSD, and to be able to tell if it's something I can deal with, I really need to try it out for myself for a few days. Fortunately, Apple has an extremely generous exchange program, so I can do just that.
You mean we should just lie to the OP then? Sugar coating and making something that was a bad idea sound better than it really is, well, I guess if we all wanted to just heard what we wanted to hear, then it might be good.
I don't know how much good it is to mislead though. Either way, its done now, and its something the OP will have to live with... its not the end of the world, but probably not the best of ideas either.
Sometimes advice means tough love. It sucks, but learn from life's mistakes, and move on.
I want opinions on the difference between models, you can be completely honest about that.
I don't think it's necessary to criticize me for making an impulse decision or trying to save money. All that you know about my life comes from a few paragraphs that I've written, how could you possibly know enough to tell me that I am doing the right or wrong thing?
You realize you saying you made an impulse decision and saying it was informed totally oppose one another correct? Also, in my opinion it sounds like you answer your own question by saying in your original post you've been planning to buy a MBA for months.
You say that the things you don't like about the MBP is the decreased screen res, the weight, slower hdd, the heat and noise of it. That sounds like a lot of negatives. Most times our original choice is the best. It's why they say to never change your original answer on a test.
That being said, in my opinion you should send back the MBP wait unless you desperately need a new machine. The MBA is very, very close to a refresh and I don't agree with many people's prediction that the refresh won't happen until October. I think it will happen this summer. So, hold off if you can wait, and if not, then I personally think you should go for the MBA that you sound like you really want.
I am informed about the basic components of the machine, and I was able to tell a lot just by comparing the MBA and the MBP, so it was somewhat informed. I had been planning to buy an MBA for months, but I never considered a MBP, and now it seems like it has almost everything that I want for a lower price.
If I find the SSD way too slow for me, I'll probably send it back and wait for the refreshed MBAs. There's no way that I can try out a 2010 MBP in an Apple store, so the only possible way for me to find out how this computer runs is to buy one and try it out. Apple specifically made their policy so that people could try out machines.
Since having used an 11" and 13" MBA, I too feel the MBP is outdated and bulky. HOWEVER, the MBP is still a good laptop, and suits my needs. But if I had the same option now, as then, I'd actually go for the 11", and hook up an external monitor when at my desk. The small form factor, and weight of the 11" MBA is incredible. It's like being able to take a notebook from meeting - meeting, etc. To be out and about, and just take it out of the sleeve, almost instant on with the SSD, it's a win/win IMHO...
The 11" looks really nice, but I don't think I'd be happy with the slow processor (1.4ghz vs. 2.4ghz!) and 64GB of storage. I should be getting it tomorrow though, so I'll put it through the paces. I'm upgrading from a 2006 Macbook, so pretty much any of these machines is going to be a huge upgrade.
