MBA. Is it right for me?

[Tclare]

Hey,

In this thread I am looking for some experiences about the MBA, that will hopefully influence my final decision.

I am a student who does a hell of a lot of word processing. I write documents every day and I am always taking notes in lectures. I probably spend 6 hours a day on my laptop and more on the weekends. I currently own a Blackbook (2Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2Gig of Ram, 120 gig HD) and it was my first Mac and so far it has served me well and never let me down. Despite having a very good case for my laptop, the "K" key on my laptop has broken. So I suppose I could be classed as a rough Mac users.

I don't do much heavy duty work. I occasionally use Aperture and GarageBand but apart from that I am a pretty light user. One thing I have noticed about my BlackBook is that iTunes, Word 2008 and iPhoto are pretty sluggish. Especially Word, which is a big problem for me. Will the MBA have the same problems?

I hardly ever switch of my laptop, will this cause problems with the MBA? And will startup be any slower for me?

I also have a question about accessories for my MBA. Obviously getting a MBA will lower my amount of HD capacity. I currently have a 320gig external HD. Is it worth me buying a Time Capsule or just going for a AEBS?

What about .Mac would this benefit me at all? I was one of the first ever Gmail users and I currently feel it works well for me. But would the extra storage but useful for me?

I would say my budget is about £1500.00 (I am in the UK.) and remember I get student discount. I will definitely be changing soon, probably at the next MBA revision, any ideas when this could be? Should I go for a MBA or a MBP?

Thanks

Tclare

 

[DoFoT9]

MBA would definately be great for you, if you are only word processing and the like i dont see any problems at all.

word 2008 is sluggish for all.. crappy programmers i say. its just too resources hungry, like a lot of M$ products, so i wouldnt worry too much about that. if you need something faster there are other programs out there.

not turing off your MBA will do absolutely nothing to it, just like leaving on your MB will not do damage to it, apart from draining the slightest battery to keep RAM powered.

if you already have a 320gb HD and dont need any more space, just go for a AEBS. if you need more space, then maybe think about getting a time capsule. your 320GB external hard drive (if USB) can be plugged directly into either the AEBS or TC and be accessed wirelessly by any computers on the network.

enjoy whatever you decide to buy!
DoFoT9

 

[Tclare]

Thanks for the speedy reply.

In terms of portability I do think the MBA is right for me. The one thing that really concerns me is what I am loosing in terms of power by swapping from my current machine to the MBA.

I am going to a Apple Shop on Thursday, to try one out. But I more interested in everyone else's experiences.

Tclare

 

[DoFoT9]

Thanks for the speedy reply.

In terms of portability I do think the MBA is right for me. The one thing that really concerns me is what I am loosing in terms of power by swapping from my current machine to the MBA.

I am going to a Apple Shop on Thursday, to try one out. But I more interested in everyone else's experiences.

Tclare

hhmm i really dont think you would be loosing all that much in power. 200mhz......eh. not that much of a loss.

i dont really have any 1st hand experience with the air, so maybe wait for some others replys.

 

[Tclare]

Once again thanks for the reply. Like I said before I will definitely be waiting for the next revision of the MBA before I buy. Any ideas spec wise what they will improve?

Tclare

 

[DoFoT9]

well im guessing they would have to keep the processor the same, unless they can get intel to make them something more powerful (remember that its a special processor that is 40% the normal size).

maybe a bigger HD, 160gb if your lucky. not much really.

 

[Tclare]

Any chance of more RAM? And does anyone know when this might happen?

Tclare

 

[DoFoT9]

wouldnt count on an increase in base RAM, would costs too much, 2gb would stay standard.

 

[hotdamn]

You'll be more than fine with an MBA, depends what you do in Garageband though. The air does not have a mic in, only a built in microphone.

other than that, it's well speedy

 

[PDE]

You'll be more than fine with an MBA, depends what you do in Garageband though. The air does not have a mic in, only a built in microphone.

other than that, it's well speedy

But usb mics work well....that usb port will see a lot of action!

 

[fredrickyoon]

If you're looking to do basic stuff, word processing, spreadsheets, email, internet surfing, the Air is perfect because of its portability.

 

[Tclare]

So I shouldn't loose to much functionality by swapping over to the Air from my Macbook?

 

[hotdamn]

So I shouldn't loose to much functionality by swapping over to the Air from my Macbook?

nah, you should be good clare bear
ha

 

[mac jones]

I'm very convinced that this particular notebook is ready made for less demanding tasks and is not particularly well suited for 'workhorse' apps.

It's a mistake to decide on this design if you need real power.

Just my 2 cents.

I like the Air fine but I don't use demanding apps.

And of course for travel it's really nice.

 

[ceehjayem]

I think the MBA would be perfect with you. Try it out. You should be pretty good with it.

 

[BongoBanger]

I am a student who does a hell of a lot of word processing. I write documents every day and I am always taking notes in lectures.

Word processing doesn't take a lot of processing power. An Air is fine if that's your primary usage.

I probably spend 6 hours a day on my laptop and more on the weekends.

The only issue here is battery life. If you have access to a mains power source then fine otherwise the Air's lack of removable battery may be an issue for you.

I currently own a Blackbook (2Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2Gig of Ram, 120 gig HD) and it was my first Mac and so far it has served me well and never let me down. Despite having a very good case for my laptop, the "K" key on my laptop has broken. So I suppose I could be classed as a rough Mac users.

To be honest I would just keep your current Macbook as it'll do pretty much everything the Air does, has better storage and a better processor than the Air. Get the keyboard repaired though.

I don't do much heavy duty work. I occasionally use Aperture and GarageBand but apart from that I am a pretty light user. One thing I have noticed about my BlackBook is that iTunes, Word 2008 and iPhoto are pretty sluggish.

Not sure why they would be with the CPU and RAM it has. Have you got the latest patches and checked to see what processes are running? An Air has a weaker processor so it's not going to be any better here. You may be better dual booting XP and using Windows 2003 or 2007.

Especially Word, which is a big problem for me. Will the MBA have the same problems?

Yes, given that it has a slower CPU.

I hardly ever switch of my laptop, will this cause problems with the MBA? And will startup be any slower for me?

No.

I also have a question about accessories for my MBA. Obviously getting a MBA will lower my amount of HD capacity. I currently have a 320gig external HD. Is it worth me buying a Time Capsule or just going for a AEBS?

To be honest, neither. Just USB it up to your external HD.

What about .Mac would this benefit me at all? I was one of the first ever Gmail users and I currently feel it works well for me. But would the extra storage but useful for me?

Not really.

I would say my budget is about £1500.00 (I am in the UK.) and remember I get student discount. I will definitely be changing soon, probably at the next MBA revision, any ideas when this could be? Should I go for a MBA or a MBP?

If you're going to be changing to a more powerful machine there is absolutely no point in buying an Air. Save the money and put it towards an MBP.