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tim100

macrumors 65816
Original poster
May 25, 2009
1,368
0
i picked up a 15 i7 mbp. i have been using a mba since launch. it has been hard to go back to a bigger machine. it also runs alot hotter and is loud.

the bigger screen is great and the backlit keyboard.

anyone other mba owners pick up a 2011 mbp?
 

Artofilm

macrumors 6502a
Oct 12, 2005
579
41
I'm currently using my MBA as my primary. Based on space, I can't use my MacPro right now. I use the MBA for Final Cut HD videos and Photoshop. (sometimes at the same time)
 

Artofilm

macrumors 6502a
Oct 12, 2005
579
41
Depends on what you mean by lagging. It's of course not a Mac Pro but editing videos and photoshop files is quick. It takes a little longer to compress HD videos, but I just let the MBA run for a few hours to process the video, no big deal.

It definitely does the job.
 

gwsat

macrumors 68000
Apr 12, 2008
1,920
0
Tulsa
anyone else see the mba as a primary machine?
Yes. Everyday, for everything.
Me too - no issues.
Me three. My 13 inch Ultimate MBA does everything my old 17 inch 2.4GHz Santa Rosa MBP with 6GB of RAM did and does it in a package that is less that half as thick and weighs less than half as much as the MBP. I have had the MBA for four and a half months and love it, it has exceeded my most optimistic expectations.
 

tim100

macrumors 65816
Original poster
May 25, 2009
1,368
0
Me three. My 13 inch Ultimate MBA does everything my old 17 inch 2.4GHz Santa Rosa MBP with 6GB of RAM did and does it in a package that is less that half as thick and weighs less than half as much as the MBP. I have had the MBA for four and a half months and love it, it has exceeded my most optimistic expectations.

do you miss the larger screen?
 

jrichie

macrumors regular
Feb 4, 2003
113
0
Aus
Yes I am......

I do a lot of 3D design work, photoshop, aperture, illustrator and web design, with a lot of multi-tasking.

My 11" air only likes the above software for very minor work. I did some full tests on it, and really cannot see how the 13" would be. able to perform as I would like [after looking at all the benchmarks]

Also the screen size is a very big deal, as the upgraded screen size on the 15" basically replaces the need for an external monitor. With the air I would spend my life plugging and un-plugging it ! Reduces a lot of clutter.

It all depends on what you use the computer for, as the MBA is my all time favourite mac! For most it is perfect, but not me.

In the end, just stick an SSD into the Macbookpro and watch it fly way beyond the air.

However, I will be back to the air probably when the Ivy Bridge chips are in it, and in the mean time will make the most of the power of the MBP.
 

theyanman

macrumors newbie
Mar 12, 2011
21
0
Guys, I am debating whether I should buy a 11" MBA ultimate to replace my day-to-day tasks on my a 2.4 C2D 15" MBP. I spent some quality time today at the apple store. I was quite impressed with the base 11" today. It handled 720p video in safari and imovie at the same time. It was extremely quick and responsive.

Moving to the new MBPs, my initial reaction was wow, this is really heavy. And I know that I don't need to have all that horsepower as I am not a power user.

It will be interesting to see how the next redesigned MBP will look like, since apple likes to leverage technologies from product to product.

The MBA is making believers out of most people out there who don't run pro apps and that hold portability as their main reason for purchase.
 

jrichie

macrumors regular
Feb 4, 2003
113
0
Aus
If you do some basic stuff it will be fine.

The screen can be slightly annoying for scrolling on websites, but overall as a computer to do surfing / email / docs and watching movies I think it is unbeatable.

Order the base with the 4gb ram - this is what I have and love.
 

sbb155

macrumors 6502
Jan 15, 2005
498
5
considering it strongly
The MBA i have is a dog compared to the new MBP, and for the 13", same footprint...
New MBP is better than some pac pros at the higher end of the MBP series
MBA is really a netbook in the scheme of things
 

Jsimon9633

macrumors regular
Jun 26, 2007
209
0
I use it as my main computer and its hooked up to my 23 inch apple cinema display.

I love the mba its the best mac I have ever bought.

I have the MBA 13.3 Ultimate
 

gwsat

macrumors 68000
Apr 12, 2008
1,920
0
Tulsa
do you miss the larger screen?
No. Whenever I use my 17 inch MBP I am reminded that its extra screen size does little for me. The 13 inch MBA's screen size has not hampered me at all.

The MBA is a well rounded laptop solution. It's far from be a netbook.
I suspect that anybody who says an MBA is a netbook has never used a real netbook, or never used an MBA, or never used either.
 

nfl46

macrumors G3
Oct 5, 2008
8,539
9,508
I went from 2010 13" MBA to 2011 13" MBP. The Pro is better for me. The screen on the Pro looks so much better...the colors look pretty amazing! The only trade off is the screen resolution, which I don't really care much about.
 

gwsat

macrumors 68000
Apr 12, 2008
1,920
0
Tulsa
I went from 2010 13" MBA to 2011 13" MBP. The Pro is better for me. The screen on the Pro looks so much better...the colors look pretty amazing! The only trade off is the screen resolution, which I don't really care much about.
Yours is the first claim I have seen that the 13 inch MBP's 1280 X 800 resolution display looks better than the MBA's 1440 X 900 display. In addition to the MBP's inferior resolution, I dislike its highly reflective glass covered screen. Although the MBA's screen is not totally immune to reflections in the way that matte screens are, it is totally non reflective under most lighting conditions. I spent about half an hour checking out the 13 inch MBP's display at the Apple Store on Monday and was underwhelmed.

All of that said, I still think the 13 inch MBP is a better choice for users who don't place a premium on thinness and lightness and can live with its, to me at least, inferior display. The MBP's RAM and storage are both user upgradeable, whereas the MBA's are not. Also, the MBP's firewire 800 and Thunderbolt ports add significant utility to it. Best of all, the entry level 13 inch MBP costs only two-thirds as much as a comparably equipped MBA -- as long as you can live with the MBP's slow mechanical hard drive.
 

nfl46

macrumors G3
Oct 5, 2008
8,539
9,508
Yours is the first claim I have seen that the 13 inch MBP's 1280 X 800 resolution display looks better than the MBA's 1440 X 900 display. In addition to the MBP's inferior resolution, I dislike its highly reflective glass covered screen. Although the MBA's screen is not totally immune to reflections in the way that matte screens are, it is totally non reflective under most lighting conditions. I spent about half an hour checking out the 13 inch MBP's display at the Apple Store on Monday and was underwhelmed.

All of that said, I still think the 13 inch MBP is a better choice for users who don't place a premium on thinness and lightness and can live with its, to me at least, inferior display. The MBP's RAM and storage are both user upgradeable, whereas the MBA's are not. Also, the MBP's firewire 800 and Thunderbolt ports add significant utility to it. Best of all, the entry level 13 inch MBP costs only two-thirds as much as a comparably equipped MBA -- as long as you can live with the MBP's slow mechanical hard drive.

By better, I mean colors. Of course you get more screen res on the MBA, but the MBP screen still hands down look better when it comes to editing pictures.
 

gwsat

macrumors 68000
Apr 12, 2008
1,920
0
Tulsa
By better, I mean colors. Of course you get more screen res on the MBA, but the MBP screen still hands down look better when it comes to editing pictures.
I have seen other fans of the glass covered screens say that. I do virtually no photo editing these days, so the apparent additional snap to colors provided by the glass covered screens doesn't mean much to me but am certainly not dismissing it. Also, I routinely use my computers in a rather brightly lighted room so screen reflections make me crazy.

Both my 17 inch Powerbook G4 and 17 inch MBP have matte screens and, as noted in an earlier post, the MBA's screen is the next best thing to matte. When I have used my grandson's 13 inch MBP it's reflective screen has bothered me. He loves it, though, and says the reflections have not been much of a problem for him.
 

BornAgainMac

macrumors 604
Feb 4, 2004
7,338
5,355
Florida Resident
As much as I would love to have a 2011 MBP, my Ultimate 13 inch MBA does the job. It somehow managed to trick my brain to thinking it is my MBP. I just gave up on gaming and encoding video on it. MPA is fine for business use.

If I wanted to splurge, I probably would have a 15 inch 2011 MBP because it is the flagship Mac portable that can do everything.
 
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