MacBook Air for University?

[DannyNguyener]

I'm starting college in the fall; I was wondering if my MacBook Air would last at least a class session ( say 2 hours to be safe ) on battery life to take notes and what not. Apple says the battery is 5 hours but lets be realistic now.

This is the sole reason I am feeling the 13" MBP. Anyone had any actual experiences with the 10 hr battery life apple claims it to have? And how is it for classroom? Or is the MacBook Air enough?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[colourfastt]

I'm starting college in the fall; I was wondering if my MacBook Air would last at least a class session ( say 2 hours to be safe ) on battery life to take notes and what not. Apple says the battery is 5 hours but lets be realistic now.

This is the sole reason I am feeling the 13" MBP. Anyone had any actual experiences with the 10 hr battery life apple claims it to have? And how is it for classroom? Or is the MacBook Air enough?

Thanks for the help guys.

I'm finding myself going back to uni this fall and plan to take my Air with me. I've had it for about 18 months now and find that it easily lasts 3.5 to 4 hours on the battery. I, however, have never tried to push it to the 5 hour limit. Also, if you're looking at the Air, get the one with the SSD; it's faster and has less drain on the battery.

 

[DannyNguyener]

Yes I have the 2.13ghz 128 SSD MacBook Air. And I love it. To Death.

But I always have these second thought wonders in my head about how much easier my life would be with a pro if I wasn't running around looking for an outlet to charge.

 

[Scottsdale]

I wish there would have been an MBA back in the days when I was finishing my graduate degree. It is absolute perfection for writing on the go. With BlueTooth off, and the display turned down, mine goes easily for four hours at a time. I wouldn't want a battery to last any longer, because then I would be sacrificing in the weight requirements. The MBA is the perfect blend of lightweight, thinness, and performance all in one super ultraportable Mac that runs OS X or Windows 7 absolutely perfectly.

 

[moral-hazard]

As a college student i'd recommend the 13" mbp. The battery life is simply ridiculous, and for someone like me who is on campus and in meetings all day it makes a huge difference. Classrooms never seem to have outlets when you need them, and the 13" is very small for what it does. it also has a very sturdy case - my old sony with ultra thin screen couldn't go in my backpack without the LCD screen getting damaged, but the MBP is very solid.

 

[colourfastt]

As a college student i'd recommend the 13" mbp. The battery life is simply ridiculous, and for someone like me who is on campus and in meetings all day it makes a huge difference. Classrooms never seem to have outlets when you need them, and the 13" is very small for what it does. it also has a very sturdy case - my old sony with ultra thin screen couldn't go in my backpack without the LCD screen getting damaged, but the MBP is very solid.

Many have had the same opinion as yours, however, at my age the extra 1.5# isn't acceptable to be hauling around all day.

 

[PracticalMac]

test it yourself

 

[broncopde]

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I don't quite get it, OP. You have your MBA so you know how long the battery will last, right? Is there something I'm not getting.

 

[theappleguy]

Your MacBook Air should be fine for uni but it very much depends how easy it is to find a power point to recharge. I managed ok in class because the longest I had in class without power was about three hours and I always managed to charge in between classes - I found that carrying a double adapter was a good idea, that way you can create your own plug.

 

[DannyNguyener]

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I don't quite get it, OP. You have your MBA so you know how long the battery will last, right? Is there something I'm not getting.

Well I'm just starting college and while I do have a MacBook Air, it hasn't been used in a college classroom yet where plugs may be scarce.

So I was wondering if the MacBook Air would last a classroom session before a charge in between classes, because I'm heavily, heavily considering the 13"pro.

 

[Arminator]

just try it, you have one. If it doesnt last long enough for you, just buy the pro

 

[theappleguy]

just try it, you have one. If it doesnt last long enough for you, just buy the pro

I would second this. As you have the luxury of already having a MacBook Air, why not see if it works for you. If the battery life is not sufficient, pick up a MacBook Pro when you've been at uni for a few weeks.

 

[lucifiel]

Well I'm just starting college and while I do have a MacBook Air, it hasn't been used in a college classroom yet where plugs may be scarce.

So I was wondering if the MacBook Air would last a classroom session before a charge in between classes, because I'm heavily, heavily considering the 13"pro.

In short, yes it does.

Unless your class goes for an inordinately long time, and you're playing flash games or running Handbrake or something, you'll be fine.

Note taking + net = about 4 hours of Battery (half brightness)