Is the Macbook Air enough for me???

[al82]

Hi, new to this board.

I recently returned a fault MBP and got a refund as i heard a new one was coming out and really love the idea of multi touch track pad, mainly for the simple swipe to go back a page on safari.

I was wondering if i should get a MBP or the Air.

Here is what i mainly do with a laptop:

-Use word, excel
-Iphoto, photo booth, i tunes
-Safari
-Watch divx movies and trailers

I dont edit anything like videos or photos. Will i be wasting money getting a MBP considering i wont use the extra power?

I have read people saying the videos they treid to run on the Air do not run smooth and juddger, i am noot sure what theyre watching but will i have this problem with divx files, say a normal 700mg movie file that i rip form my dvd collection to save space?

I liked the pro, the only thing was it was a tad on the large and heavy side for taking it t university everyday and back.

The air will be used as my only computer. If i plan on editing using word, storing my music and photo collection on it and using it for watching divxs and presentations is this a good laptop for me?

I forgot to mention i have an external hard drive at home but will plan on keeping my photos and music on the air at all times, how much memory is left on the 80gig hdd once osx is on it?

 

[72930]

If 80GB is enough for you, and you're happy with a 13" screen, the Air seems perfect for you.

Word is slow to start on any Mac, so I recommend iWork if you don't desperately need to use Word.

 

[thesdx]

The MacBook Air would be perfect for you. A MBP would almost be overkill for what you would use it for.

 

[chickenninja]

It was a match made in heaven, the macbook Air is perfect for those needs, but lets get real man, i highly doubt you really use your laptop at the U and by the sound of it you could do the stuff you do at the universtiy on their free computers. and if you got the Pro then you could play those videogames that you dont even know you love yet, and the harddrive is too small for bootcamp ing. if you go with the Pro you wont find yourself needing a desktop computer anymore. but honestly it sounds like you already know the answer to your question you just want one of us to reinforce your choice. if you really really carry your computer around allot and want to limit your capabilities to what you already do, buy the Air.
i bought a "macbook" for college thinking i would use it at college, i used it very very little (mostly surfing) now i wish i had gotten the pro because the video performance is leaps and bounds beyond the macbook. youl should consider getting an iphone, because they can do most of your needs and can impress the ladies. then spend the rest of your credit on iTacos

 

[al82]

The main reason im getting a laptop is because my university computers are always taken up and i often spend an hour waiting around to get one. Its just frustrationg.

Man its a tough choice between the air and the pro. If the pro had the same keyboard and multi touch it wouldn't even be close.

 

[al82]

Should also mention i have no intention of playing games on the mac as i dont have time for them, also i have a 360 for that.

 

[dmw007]

al82, the MacBook Air will be a great computer for your stated needs!

 

[catchdry]

Same here

Same here. If the MacBook Pro was recently upgraded I would have bought one. Since it looks like they are not going to be upgraded any soon (been waiting every tuesday since december), I am now considering a MacBook Air.

But my "problem" is that I want to be able jo play with photos (Aperture). And I think the Air would not be good enough for that.

Any opinions?

Wait for new MacBook Pro of buy MacBook Air now?

 

[DoFoT9]

yup yup 3rd (or 4th) that the MBA will be perfect for you

 

[al82]

Thank you for the replies.

So keeping my photos and music on the air should be fine then. How much memory is left on the 80 gig after osx and ilife are on it (out the box)?

 

[jameskohn]

I have the 1.8 SSD and love it... as my SECOND computer. If I needed a laptop as my primary computer, I would definitely get a MBP. I like to know that my primary computer can take anything I throw at it, now or in the future.

A year and a half ago, when I bought my MacPro (Quad Xeon, 3 Ghz) I had no idea I'd be editing HiDef video on it. Now that I do HiDef video editing, I'm sure glad I bought the most powerful machine I could get at the time.

Unless carrying the extra couple of pounds is really an issue, buy the most power you can afford. Also, do you really want to do everything on a 13" screen all the time?

 

[eviltobz]

Thank you for the replies.

So keeping my photos and music on the air should be fine then. How much memory is left on the 80 gig after osx and ilife are on it (out the box)?

it really depends on the size of your music and photo library. the standard os install will leave plenty of that 80 gig free, even more if you can get creative with monolingual, xslimmer etc as i understand. my g4 imac has an 80gig drive and is still working well for a 25gigish itunes & 1gigish iphoto library. you will need to keep on top of downloads and things though and clear stuff out regularly and make sure that the external drive is used for as much as possible, especially if you torrent things etc. i recently ran the imac down to about 175meg free which she really didn't like, but after clearing out xcode and shifting off some films, comic archives, installers etc etc (no, no porn) i got back to about 15gig free which is a lot more comfortable.

 

[geltab]

Macbook?

Why are you leaving out the Macbook from your decision? It is lighter than the MBP. It does everything the MBA does and more. It is a lot cheaper. It meets the needs of everything you need to do. The hard drive is very easy to upgrade in case you did fill up over 70 gb (after formatted and with OSX).

Just thought I would throw this out there since it seems to match what you need.

 

[BongoBanger]

If you have an external hard drive then I don't see the problem with getting an Air. One issue maybe though - how will you install Office on it? I presume you'll use someone else's drive as a remote or are you thinking about the attachable optical drive?

 

[kming05]

i have pretty much the same needs as you do, and the macbook air is just fine. MBP would have been overkill for me as it would probably be the same for you. oh, and i got the superdrive. nifty to have.

 

[jameskohn]

The optional external optical drive is a must have, especially if this is going to be your main computer. It is the approximate size of 2 CD jewel cases, and weighs next to nothing. Carrying it, if you must, is like carrying a couple of cd's and having it handy in your desk is going to make life a lot easier from time to time.

A good strategy with your external hard drive is worth giving some thought. Also, don't rule out the convenience and utility of USB thumb drives or SD cards: new 8GB SDHC cards are out there for only $79., and there are 16GB (from Kingston) coming out as well.

Any potential storage issues can most likely be resolved with just a little creativity, and of course Monolingual, Exslimmer, etc. There will be, however, no getting around the processor power (or lack thereof). You may want to peruse the SpeedMark tests at MacWorld.com to see how the MBA stacks up against the other Mac laptops on particular tasks.

The MBA is a great machine, I love mine. It's just a question of whether or not it's the right machine for a particular person or as a primary computer.

 

[PeckhamBog]

"I forgot to mention i have an external hard drive at home but will plan on keeping my photos and music on the air at all times, how much memory is left on the 80gig hdd once osx is on it?"

I had a look at the MBAs at Regent Street yesterday.

The one I was on had 56 Gig free on the drive. It had three photo booth photos on it. I guess the other 24 Gig was taken up with OSX and other apps [Office, iWork etc].

 

[iMpathetic]

I don't think you mentioned this... but what about getting a MacBook, and if keyboard quality is really, really important, buy an external one?

 

[al82]

You guys are damn right, why not a macbook??? Its cheaper (menaing i can get a touch also )

The only thing i really wish the touch and pro had were the multi touch functions, any chance of those being offered as a download in the future?

 

[jameskohn]

What is your time frame? There is a (likely) Apple event on Feb. 26, and there seems to be a very good chance that the MBP's may see an update at that time if not sooner. If I were you, I would give it until Feb. 26, then buy the most powerful laptop I could afford AND that you could conveniently carry around as needed. It sounds to me like you're choosing between a MB and a MBP rather than between a MBA and a MBP.

 

[daneoni]

You guys are damn right, why not a macbook??? Its cheaper (menaing i can get a touch also )

The only thing i really wish the touch and pro had were the multi touch functions, any chance of those being offered as a download in the future?

You wont miss multi touch that much since the macbook affords you to get an ipod touch. I also agree with the macbook recommendation its cheaper, it looks good and its superior to the MBA in specs and expandable. There might be a time you will need an ethernet connection or a bigger HDD or an optical drive and then what happens....wait till you get home or fiddle around with other computers so you can get remote disc working to leech off their optical drives?

The MBA is prettier, lighter but i dunno....i just think you get a better deal with the MBs

PS you're asking this in a forum specific to the MBA meaning most people on here own one or are huge fans and will therefore give you a biased recommendation. Might wanna keep that in mind.

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Get a MacBook. The Air is IMO a secondary computer.

 

[al82]

I was going to wait till feb 26th, from what i can gather reading various forms, people seem to of been waiting months for these updated mb and mbp.

besides if i buy one now and the update comes out in 13 days it wont be that bad cause i have 14 days to return and say it faulty

 

[steve31]

I would say a Macbook would be a good fit for you. Bigger had drive for storage of your movie files. The Air is a great SECOND notebook in my opinion.

 

[danish1542]

get the macbook air.
i did and i use my computer for basically the same things you do, and i never have any problems at all.
yeah the macbook may have a faster processor and more HD space, but if you dont need it, who cares.
plus, we all know the mba looks a lot better than the macbook, and we'd be lying if we said that didnt matter.
either get the mba or wait for a new mb.