Mac Air or not to Mac Air

[kingcrowing]

how is there more screen real estate? the macbook and macbook air have the same res, but the airs screen is much nicer (LED).

Sometimes it isnt about the most bang for your buck, if you don't need the extra speed in the macbook and you would enjoy the lighter weight, then the air is a perfectly fine choice if the extra few hundred dollars is something you can afford.

 

[Chappers]

how is there more screen real estate? the macbook and macbook air have the same res, but the airs screen is much nicer (LED).

Sometimes it isnt about the most bang for your buck, if you don't need the extra speed in the macbook and you would enjoy the lighter weight, then the air is a perfectly fine choice if the extra few hundred dollars is something you can afford.

Please try to read previous posts - it's not always easy or possible but this is not the longest thread on the forums.

The OP asked about buying a 1.6 MBA and a 20 inch 250GB iMac - I pointed out for about the same money you could have a 2.4GHz MB and 24 inch iMac - thats where the extra screen real estate comes from. (Both of which are faster too)

The extra 500 dollars on the MBA/iMac choice buys quite a lot.


I have said several times the MBA is cool - however I was offering an alternative - and a pretty good one.

 

[phatjoe]

I've owned a few mac products, including the MBA. I purchased it a few weeks back, and sold it just last week. It was a great looking machine (novelty wears off), it was speedy enough for what I needed, and the screen is fantastic.

I just didn't like the limitations (it's easy to convince yourself that you can live with these limitations, until you experience it). Example, hard drive space, fans at full blast after watching 5 minutes of video, 1 usb port, etc. Others can live with these or find alternatives, but to each his own...

MBA replaced with a 15" MBP. More than pleased with it. Probably the best Apple product I purchased to date.

 

[Chappers]

MBA replaced with a 15" MBP. More than pleased with it. Probably the best Apple product I purchased to date.

Thanks Phatjoe that gives another alternative to the OP of this thread - buy a MBP and an external hard drive with the spare cash.

 

[abzme]

it changes the way you use and see computers. get the air. You'll love it despite its limitations.

To counter the music thing, I keep my music on my time capsule, and another 10gigs on my hd (for on the go). At home I have my whole collection wirelessly streaming to my air, and when I'm away I have my computer or my iphone. There's so many ways to listen to music today that you're never in need of that obscure french tune anyway. You just need internet.

 

[Ankaa]

about the music-needs-so-much-disc-space-statements: I use my iPod when I'm on the way and have it on the HD of my iMac when I'm at home.
Therefore I really can't get it when people say, that too few disc space is a problem, especially when it comes to a mobile computer! I used a laptop with 40GB for 4 years and yes, the disc was cram-full, but it was my ONLY computer and since I have my iMac, I store everything which I definitely don't need at e.g. University like photo-library etc. on it. And office documents don't need that much space...
Remember, the MBA isn't designed as a single-computer-unit, if that's the case, 80GB might be few indeed, but otherwise...and still you could have all that stuff you don't need en-route on an external disc.

---

I've got another question and don't want to open a new thread, so I'm so bold to use this one. What's the experience, might there going to be any price-drops or updates some time soon after the back to school thing ended?

cheers.

 

[Denny Crane]

Ok

After years of waiting I'm finally taking the plunge! I'm converting from PC to Mac this Saturday

But I have a couple of questions that I'm hoping the group can help me answer.

I'm not sure what I should get first: an iMac or MacAir. I definitely going to end up with both just not sure which one comes first.

Let's look at the iMac first. I think that the 2.4ghz with 1GB and 250gm is good enough for storing music, pictures and surfing the web pretty quick, right?

Let's look at the Air. I'M IN LOVE WITH IT! Even though the features are not great, I love it for traveling. I would be happy with the 1.6ghz 80GB but I'm afraid that its going to be tooooo slow??Also I'm not sure if I should wait because its pretty expensive and I've been doing alot of research and the apple tablet rumors are coming back and I would definitely get that instead. So what do everyone think?

Thank you for your time.

I don't have the Air, but you will not regret making the switch to Apple. I did so about a month ago. I purchased the 24" iMac for my home station. I then purchased a Macbook for a portable. My wife liked it so much that I gave it to her as her Dell replacement. Then to make myself feel better about losing my macbook i went out and purchased a MBP. Frankly it probably does more than I need in a portable. Probably should have gone with the Air. Most of my heavy lifting is done with my iMac. Either that or I shouldn't have purchased the iMac and simply used the MBP with an Apple Cinema Display....

 

[gregoryS]

decisions, decisions ... HELP!

Hi, I'm gregoryS, a newbie here with a few questions. I'd love to hear your ideas and opinions -- and any "insider" knowledge that might be floating around out there.

I'm about to buy a MacAir 1.8 with 64GB SSD. I love the idea of the SSD having no moving parts. I'm a writer who has been using MS Word on an IBM Thinkpad, so I'm also trying to decide on Apple's PAGES (in I-Work) vs. installing MS Office for Mac (with Word) on my new MBA. (I write; I do e-mail; also some light web browsing. No music, no serious photo stuff.)

Questions: 1.) If Apple announces an MBA version II on or about September 9, what would be the likely changes / improvements? 2.) Anybody have a handle on when Apple might actually announce version II of the MBA? And, 3.) Do those of you who have used PAGES and also used MS WORD have an informed opinion on which word processing program you prefer, and why?

thanks, all

GregoryS

 

[gregoryS]

Mba Ii

Please try to read previous posts - it's not always easy or possible but this is not the longest thread on the forums.

The OP asked about buying a 1.6 MBA and a 20 inch 250GB iMac - I pointed out for about the same money you could have a 2.4GHz MB and 24 inch iMac - thats where the extra screen real estate comes from. (Both of which are faster too)

The extra 500 dollars on the MBA/iMac choice buys quite a lot.


I have said several times the MBA is cool - however I was offering an alternative - and a pretty good one.

Chappers, do you have an idea when Apple might release version II of the MBA? And what do you think the improvements might be?

gregoryS

 

[kingcrowing]

I was in a similar situation a month or so ago, and I went with the air and haven't looked back. I haven't missed the optical drive at all. I love the size and honestly the speed is perfect. it never gets too too hot (only times when it does is long video chats or converting video files, which my black macbook did too) but I love it, go for it.

 

[glitch44]

Chappers, do you have an idea when Apple might release version II of the MBA? And what do you think the improvements might be?

gregoryS

another thread on this.

 

[SFStateStudent]

Having owned the MB 2.16 120GB; the BlackBook 2.4 250GB, Mac Pro 3.0, and now my MBA, I would say "get the MBA with SuperDrive" and you can manage your video/music collection just like transferring them from your computer to your iPhone; it's about "management" of your content and space. Get a nice 750GB external HD and they run about $129 at Fry's Electronics or BestBuy, and transfer all your stuff back and forth, then buy your iMac.

 

[RussianBitBoy]

Personally I am going to buy Mac Air, but in Lithuania this model is very expensive.

 

[cherry su]

MacBook Air supports multitouch gestures, whereas the Macbook doesn't.

 

[1rottenapple]

I would go with an iMac first since a faulty MBA might spoil the Mac experience for you. I know I have a MBA with CoreShutDown that was "fixed" via the coolbook method. I know I had one great mac after another prior to having this bad MBA experience. I'd hate for the MBA experience to ruin it for you. Don't get me wrong, I love my air, and it fits my needs, but the shutdown experience has left me a little preturbed. Only thing it would alleviate the situation was for apple to do a full recall, but doubt that's going to happen. Even their latest solution cripples to software, and therefore, I would rather stick to the third party solution of coolbook.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

The MBA looks great but is under-powered so unless you really need light weight and the cool factor think about this alternative :-

Buy a Macbook 2.4 and a better mid range iMac - even the 24 inch.

So you get two machines that are faster and for about the same money.

New MB's should come soon and look pretty cool if you've read the rumors. So buy the iMac now and MB later.

As for the Mac tablet - well maybe it will come but........... thats rumors for you - you just never know

Problem solved.

Chapper my man, good solid advice, why didn't I see that?

 

[Cheffy Dave]

The MBA is certainly not slow, but the best thing to do would be to go into an Apple store and try it for yourself.

I spent 45 minutes with one 1 week ago at an Apple store, I too thought it would be doggie slow, I was pleasantly surprised, I didn't run any video with it, but I did do twitter, twit, and a few Podcasts that were flawless

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Don't worry too much about the GHz count mate! According to the best review of the MBA I've read:

"Quite possibly the most surprising results we saw in our tests were those that compared the MacBook Air to the original Core Duo based MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is two years old now and in that time, Apple has managed to offer the same if not better performance as the first MBP in the MacBook Air. Battery life of the first MacBook Pro is also equalled by the Air."

http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=3226&p=20

You might want to wait a month or so though, in case the 'major product transition' that whups the competitions' derrieres turns out to be the MBA Rev II. I merely say that because Apple's not been obviously outclassed in any product apart from the MBA- if I were Apple seeing Lenovo make a similarly thin computer with none of the compromises and dongles, and watch them mock the MBA like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hnOCUkbix0 ... Well, I'd want to out-do them ASAP. Just guessing, like everyone else on this site! If Rev II does reverse the compromises of the MBA, that'll probably be the only computer you'll need.

Amen,I agree, and I am waiting, but I am also looking at refurb as well

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I'd personally max out the iMac - not with memory, get that from Crucial or such like, but with HDD. There is never enough storage space in this day and age. And the iMac will be your workhorse, you won't want to be away from the big screen once you're used to it. Then think carefully about what you need from a laptop. You might do as well with a MacBook and save yourself money. I personally don't see the appeal of the MBA, but maybe that's just me.

I was agog with the stunning screen on the iMac at the AS. ,maybe the, THE,
perfect Apple Computer

 

[Roller]

Chappers, do you have an idea when Apple might release version II of the MBA? And what do you think the improvements might be?

gregoryS

It's highly unlikely that anyone here has inside information on if and when the next MBA will be released. However, the tea leaves (meaning: postings on rumor sites + knowledge of what's going on in the marketplace) suggest an update between Sept. and Jan. My guess is that Apple won't release this with the new iPods early next month, but within a month or so of that. I'd expect an upgraded processor, longer battery life, and a 128GB SSD option, but no major change to the case design.

 

[dissdnt]

i'd wait for a refresh on the air.

 

[adevejian]

ditto

i'd wait for a refresh on the air.

 

[mhnajjar]

ditto

Wait for a refresh on the Air