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MacBook Pro or MacBook Air

MacBook Pro or MacBook Air?

  • MacBook Air (1.8 Ghz, Superdrive, and 1TB Time Capsule)

    Votes: 15 14.7%

  • MacBook Pro (2.6 Ghz, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, 1TB Time Capsule)

    Votes: 87 85.3%
  • Total voters
    102
H

harrisone23

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 1, 2007
69
0
Im stuck...

I dont know if I should get a MBP or a MBA. I really like the air's size and weight. Also, the air is amazingly thin. It has wireless "Remote Disk" and its also a little weak on power and HD space. I love the pro's speed, power and looks. I really like both but I dont know which to get. Ill mostly be using it for iTunes video watching, a little photo editing, and some iMovie using. I will also be traveling alot. Please help me!

:apple:
 
harrisone23 said:
Im stuck...

I dont know if I should get a MBP or a MBA. I really like the air's size and weight. Also, the air is amazingly thin. It has wireless "Remote Disk" and its also a little weak on power and HD space. I love the pro's speed, power and looks. I really like both but I dont know which to get. Please help me!

:apple:
Click to expand...

it looks like the only advantages you say are the size weight and thinness. If you want a main computer get the pro. If you want an ultra portable and already have a main computer to for the air
 
Compromise

What's wrong with taking the middle road with a standard MacBook? You get the best of both worlds that way.

If I had to choose between the two, I would take the MacBook Pro and give the Air some time to mature as a product. I think it's wonderful and all, but it's designed for a narrow segment of the market, and it still seems wet behind the ears. Give Apple some time to listen to everybody whine and cry about nitpick features and then serve it back to them with a more mature product.
 
harrisone23 said:
Im stuck...

I dont know if I should get a MBP or a MBA. I really like the air's size and weight. Also, the air is amazingly thin. It has wireless "Remote Disk" and its also a little weak on power and HD space. I love the pro's speed, power and looks. I really like both but I dont know which to get. Please help me!

:apple:
Click to expand...

I'd say MacBook Pro, but that's just me. The MacBook Air is too new for me to even think about buying. I do already have a MacBook Pro and it's an amazing machine, but I'm a graphic design student in art school so I used my computer for design, surfing the web, and writing papers. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it all depends on what you need it for.

Think long and hard and I'm sure you'll make the right decision.

Good Luck! ;)
 
I posted these on another thread but the points are valid here as well. If you look at the advantages of each model, I think you'll see the choice is an easy one to make: :)

MacBook Pro
Faster processor
Larger and faster hard disk drive (compared to base MBA)
Larger screen and higher resolution
Matte option
Optical drive
Dedicated graphics card
Stereo speakers (Mono on MBA)
More ports (Also no Firewire on MBA)

MacBook Air
Thinner
Better looking? (Personal preference may prevail)
Multitouch trackpad
Solid state drive option
 
nobody can offer you any useful advice unless you tell us what you'll be using it for, where you'll be using it, and whether or not it's your only computer.
 
I gotta think...

Neutral Gamer said:
I posted these on another thread but the points are valid here as well. If you look at the advantages of each model, I think you'll see the choice is an easy one to make: :)

MacBook Pro
Faster processor
Larger and faster hard disk drive (compared to base MBA)
Larger screen and higher resolution
Matte option
Optical drive
Dedicated graphics card
Stereo speakers (Mono on MBA)
More ports (Also no Firewire on MBA)

MacBook Air
Thinner
Better looking? (Personal preference may prevail)
Multitouch trackpad
Solid state drive option
Click to expand...

I gotta think that if you just want something Small and Pretty to carry around them the MBA is for you... the Lack of Expandability/ NO battery access for long work trips pretty much make me still love my 2.4GHz MBP....
 
You have to ask yourself what your needs are.

I don't see anything in your post that indicate what you will be using this computer for. Do you need the dedicated graphic card found in the MacBook Pro? The screen real-estate? Storage? Or do you need the increased portability the MacBook Air gives you? Is it for professional applications or just general surfing, emailing and documents?

I can't find a reason why I personally would get the MacBook Air over the MacBook Pro though. Well, that is not entirely true. I would consider it had it been cheaper in Denmark and as I already have an 8-core Mac Pro on order. Light on the road and higher battery life and power at home. I go to a fair deal of lectures and the MacBook Air would be plenty for that.
 
[EDIT: My previous post was wrong thread]

I would agree that if this is a primary computer, I would go with the MBP. Especially if you work with a laptop at your desk a lot.

As a travel computer, I'm probably going with the Air and handing my MBP down to someone.
 
It's difficult to understand why you are deciding between the Macbook Air and the Macbook Pro
If you need such things like a larger screen, hard drive, and an optical drive, obviously go with the Macbook Pro. If the opposite is true and the screen size doesn't matter and you are more taking into consideration the 'extreme' portability of the Macbook Air, then go with it. But it seems that the right decision for you would be the Macbook, as it is a balance between the two. Now, for me, I need a Macbook Pro for things like AutoCAD, and 3D Rendering programs, so I will be waiting for the new MBP's as my iBook should suffice until then because I still have access to my university's Mac Lab for running large AutoCAD files, or for heavy rendering.

In conclusion: Macbook.
 
For me, there are just too many limitations with the MBA. I was looking to get a laptop, and waited to see what Macworld had to offer. After seeing the Air, I have decided to go with the MBP.
 
I've got a 17" MacBook Pro, which is total overkill for my usage, but I couldn't resist 1) its looks, 2) the 17" screen, and 3) the backlit keyboard. But damn, the Air is a sweet machine. If I had it to do over, I'd still get the MBP, but if I had even more money than brains, I'd get both. I'm a sucker for a pretty face.
 
BiTurboMunkie said:
you should get a macbook if you are considering MBP or MBA.
Click to expand...

Indeed. The only thing the MBA has in common with the MBP is the lit keys (which themselves are MB in design) and the LED screen. Oh, and it's aluminum. If you have to think for more than a second between choosing the MBP and the MBA, you don't need an MBP.
 
there should never be a question of MBP or MBA really... i mean they are 2 totally different machines...

if you are a pro user, the MBA just will not cut it...
 
myke323 said:
there should never be a question of MBP or MBA really... i mean they are 2 totally different machines...

if you are a pro user, the MBA just will not cut it...
Click to expand...

I can agree with this. It's almost like trying to compare the Mac Mini to the Mac Pro. ;)
 
This is the exact question I was fighting over. I really don't get the hate for the MBA, it seems to do what it does well, the only fault I can pin on it is that its too expensive.

I ultimately decided to go with the MBP because I really did need a computer with enough power, and would have found myself scraping by with the MBA until I could buy another machine to compliment it. I think the MBA is really a secondary machine, unless you really don't need any power, and just need portability.

I fully intend to pick up an MBA sometime in the future, probably towards the end of this year or early next, after my need for a machine with decent power has been satisfied.
 
NEITHER!!!! I want the 12" back!!!!!!

What happened to the 12"? I miss them, I desperately need a new laptop but I hanging onto my old 12" G4 ibook, because all of the new laptops are simly too big!!!!! I don't care how thin they are, I don't care about having a frickin wide screen, I don't even care if they shrink the keyboard! What I want is portability, otherwise what's the point of owning a laptop, you may as well just get a desk top if your going to lug these things around!

As a fashionable female student I wouldn't be caught dead with an actual "laptop" bag, I need to be able to shove my laptop into a large purse and get to class, all of apple's new designs are too cumbersome, ask any other girl and they'll tell you the same thing! Apple is obviously run by men who don't realize that modern women don't carry a briefcase around. That guy who convinced Jobs that 14" is the wave of the future is a total douche!

I may have to resort going back to a PC, if he keeps this up! I want to start a petition to bring back the 12", and send it to Jobs to let him know what his customers actually want. There's a reason that most people bought the 12" G4's over all of the other sizes, so why get rid of it.
 
Lizard Burtlor2 said:
What happened to the 12"? I miss them, I desperately need a new laptop but I hanging onto my old 12" G4 ibook, because all of the new laptops are simly too big!!!!! I don't care how thin they are, I don't care about having a frickin wide screen, I don't even care if they shrink the keyboard! What I want is portability, otherwise what's the point of owning a laptop, you may as well just get a desk top if your going to lug these things around!

As a fashionable female student I wouldn't be caught dead with an actual "laptop" bag, I need to be able to shove my laptop into a large purse and get to class, all of apple's new designs are too cumbersome, ask any other girl and they'll tell you the same thing! Apple is obviously run by men who don't realize that modern women don't carry a briefcase around. That guy who convinced Jobs that 14" is the wave of the future is a total douche!

I may have to resort going back to a PC, if he keeps this up! I want to start a petition to bring back the 12", and send it to Jobs to let him know what his customers actually want. There's a reason that most people bought the 12" G4's over all of the other sizes, so why get rid of it.
Click to expand...

The reality is there's no way a non-widescreen monitor would fly in todays world. As a result the 13" screens are the only reasonable size for a consumer level computer, as anything less is approaching on the portable territory, and not geared toward a general consumer.

With the MacBook Air they could have gone that route, but I'm assuming that they obviously decided to focus on the thinness rather than a smaller width. As a result they were forced to expand the machine out vertically in order to support a slimmer machine. Thats why there's an extra bezel on the MacBook Air.

Personally I agree with Apple, I think the 13" screen size is good for a portable and going thinner was the way to go. I understand people that want something with a smaller monitor, but I think just like with the iPhone, they wanted people to have a bigger display than the competitors.
 
Anybody who even remotely considers the Air over a Pro deserves a smack in the back of the head.

The MacBook Pro is thin and light enough, you don't need the Air.
 
seriously, it is ALWAYS better to have an optical drive. Like, you know just incase, its just much safer and better that way. More convenient.
 
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