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Is a Macbook Air even good enough for me?

C

CyrusKafaiWu

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 20, 2011
89
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I am about to choose my first Mac. I do lots of bits and dabs in web programming/developing and etc. I want to start working with the iPhone SDK and start making some apps. I am also a student so some note taking is needed. Also, maybe some watching HD videos on the side. The Macbook Air seems quite attractive due to its portability, SSD and pricing.


Would the Macbook Air do the job or would I need a Macbook Pro?


EDIT: I was interested in the 13 inch macbook air base.
 
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What MBA are you talking about?
Anyway, any MBA will do what you want, the 11" will be just a tad slower. But know there is an update imminent.
 
CyrusKafaiWu said:
I am about to choose my first Mac. I do lots of bits and dabs in web programming/developing and etc. I want to start working with the iPhone SDK and start making some apps. I am also a student so some note taking is needed. Also, maybe some watching HD videos on the side. The Macbook Air seems quite attractive due to its portability, SSD and pricing.


Would the Macbook Air do the job or would I need a Macbook Pro?
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The current version does all that. The newer version will do all that a bit faster, but if you do any 3d gaming it may fail on the new integrated intel graphics.
 
without the knowledge of specifics, the c2d models can hold up well because of the ssd in terms of performance. you can wait for the i5/i7 processors if you have cpu intensive needs, in which case you should be very much satisfied in terms of whether or not it's good enough.
 
Such quick responses. Thank you. Would it last me abit (around 5 years or more)? My current laptop is already having issues 2 years in.
 
youtube

Go to youtube and search for

macbook air 11 vs

and you'll see lots of comparisons to other machines running many different software packages... side by side...

That's what convinced me to buy my mba 11 (minimum spec) machine.
It's really all that to me... and While it does take me 3 or 4 more minutes to produce a 10 minute video in imovie (than my Macbook Pro) it's so sweet in every other way, that I don't mind. Heck - I never sat and watched my Macbook Pro export the movies either - I'd walk away and do something...

Virtually everything else is wonderfully fine with the little mba.

I also think it will LAST VERY VERY LONG since there's nothing moving inside (except the fan and technically the mouse "click"...
 
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mickier said:
Go to youtube and search for

macbook air 11 vs

and you'll see lots of comparisons to other machines running many different software packages... side by side...

That's what convinced me to buy my mba 11 (minimum spec) machine.
It's really all that to me... and While it does take me 3 or 4 more minutes to produce a 10 minute video in imovie (than my Macbook Pro) it's so sweet in every other way, that I don't mind. Heck - I never sat and watched my Macbook Pro export the movies either - I'd walk away and do something...

Virtually everything else is wonderfully fine with the little mba.

I also think it will LAST VERY VERY LONG since there's nothing moving inside (except the fan and technically the mouse "click"...
Click to expand...

Thank you for this comment about iMovie, I've looked all over and not seen much detail on how long exporting from it takes on the MBAs. If the difference between the Pros and Airs is so little for this then that's the only thing that I was concerned about and it's now been commented upon.

As you say, I don't watch the export either, but I didn't want to freeze my machine whilst it happens, are you able to browse for example whilst exporting?
 
CyrusKafaiWu said:
Would the Macbook Air do the job or would I need a Macbook Pro?
Click to expand...
Remember some of the answers you're getting are based on speculation about what will be in the 2011 Air expected to be released next month.

Another question is what size Pro would you be looking at? 13" or 15" If you're thinking about possibly the 15", go in to the Apple store and use the 13" Air and Pro and also the 15" Pro. See how you feel about the different screen sizes and resolutions. Also see how you feel about the keyboards.

How much disk space do you think you'll need? Can you get enough in the Air?

CyrusKafaiWu said:
Such quick responses. Thank you. Would it last me abit (around 5 years or more)? My current laptop is already having issues 2 years in.
Click to expand...
If you're talking about the 2011 Airs (based on expected configurations) I would say probably. Not so sure about the 2010. One thing to think about is RAM, 2GB won't cut it for 4 years. 4GB is the minimum I would recommend for longevity of the system.
 
People who need more than the Air can provide know what they need, and know the Air doesn't provide it.
 
Eclipse278 said:
If you have to ask, then yes...the macbook air will do what you need it to.
Click to expand...

Bear said:
That is a fallacy. While the Air might do what he needs, it's no guarantee just because he asked.
Click to expand...

I think he's assuming (and correct me if I'm wrong) that if he doesn't already know what he'll require, he'll fall under the general consumer category in which any baseline macbook will be enough.

Of course this isn't always the case, as you stated, but generally this is the case.
 
satkin2 said:
As you say, I don't watch the export either, but I didn't want to freeze my machine whilst it happens, are you able to browse for example whilst exporting?
Click to expand...

No worse than my (2009) mbp -- which means yes it's slow browsing during export -- but my 2.53Ghz c2d 4GB mbp is at least as bad, I have nothing else to compare it with...
 
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