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srt4cane

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 25, 2007
62
0
Hello, long time lurker here. I purchased the very first Macbook Air 1.8" HDD. I loved the device, loved the portability, and loved the screen (the best screen i've personally had on a mac device). What I didn't like was the constant overheating when watching any type of video and the lack of storage space. It seems that the new Air has definitely stepped up its game in the performance department and also has a decent amount of storage capacity in the 128 GB SSD (for me).

I currently have a Vaio Z-890, which has been great to me and can handle pretty much anything i do. The problem is, as small as it is, i still dont **want** to take it anywhere. The materials and build just seemed so inferior to any aluminum apple product that I don't trust it to bounce around in my bag all day. When i had the air, it would go with me everywhere and anywhere and I never doubted its durability.

I also have a 32 GB Wifi Ipad. While it's great for laying in bed and watching the occasional movie or other media-related feature, I don't use it nearly as often as I should. The reason being that I'm never just doing ONE thing. My daily workflow includes reading pdfs, background music, text editing, web browsing, etc. As good as the ipad's multi-tasking ability is (I'm using a late developer build of 4.2), it's just not conducive to quickly switching back and forth between applications constantly like I need. I've tried it. Doesn't work out the way I need it to for my purposes. Another HUGE gripe i have with the ipad is how safari handles 'tabs'. They aren't tabs, they are separate windows that I have to zoom out of in order to see which windows I've opened and which ones have finished rendering the page. I know there are other browsers out there but the point is that I don't want to have to download extraneous software to experience the internet just like i would on a regular mac. It was something that seemed small when i first picked up the ipad but has now developed into a constant annoyance that I can't ignore.

Back to my initial concern: I want to sell my Sony Vaio and my iPad to buy a Macbook Air (11" ultimate) and a small, cheap pc that will have enough hard drive space to hold all of my media and files as well as run some essential PC software I need.

What are your thoughts? Suggestions on future iPad updates that would fix the things I don't like?


Cliffs:
Sony Vaio workhorse- being used more as a desktop
Ipad- sparingly used due to lack of "real-world" workflow capabilities(FOR ME)
Want to buy macbook air 11" ultimate and cheap PC to replace current systems
 

neteng101

macrumors 65816
Jan 7, 2009
1,148
163
The iPad will never be as functional as a device with a real keyboard/touchpad for actual computing tasks. Its more of a media consumption/entertainment/portal device.

Get the MBA, but maybe consider if that's going to be your primary machine, the 13" screen has more real estate to work with, and since your old one wasn't a size issue for you, the 13" might be the way to go. I was very tempted to go with the 11" (amazing portability) but finally went for the 13" which has a wider usability envelope IMO.
 

RanEnRui

macrumors newbie
Oct 21, 2010
22
0
You will love the 11" MBA because it's simply amazing. You will more than likely never touch your iPad again other than to play the next hit game like Angry Birds or Trainyard.

However, as good as the MBA is, it may not replace your "desktop" needs. I'm fairly sure it can do nearly everything you do now just fine -- and multitask it as you would on a Mac. Flash / HD video is the major caveat on these, namely the 11".

I am curious how Netflix would run on one though. I'd be more than happy to test but alas I am still waiting for my 13" to arrive, so hopefully another member can chime in on that.

Get the 4GB upgrade on the 11" and I'm sure you will be pleased. You mention being on a late dev build, so I take it you may be an iOS developer? Either way, I can confirm that Xcode + iOS emulator ran just swimmingly on a Rev B MBA (spinning HD), I can only imagine how awesome it'd be on the new MBAs with the SSDs.
 

srt4cane

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 25, 2007
62
0
Hey guys, thanks for the considerations. I really feel like the 11" air would suit me best since it is pretty similar in size to the ipad and has all the productivity features i need. Since i'll be editing pictures and larger projects on the PC, I don't think it's worth getting the 13" purely for screen real estate. That said, I'd like to get the 11" in the 1.4 GHZ/128 GB SSD/ 4 GB RAM configuration but I honestly don't feel like waiting for it to be shipped all the way here, especially when i have 3 apple stores within 10 miles. I went to the store and they either have the 11" "ultimate" or the base model. Does anyone know if the student pricing in-store reflects the apple online student discount store?
 

RanEnRui

macrumors newbie
Oct 21, 2010
22
0
Hey guys, thanks for the considerations. I really feel like the 11" air would suit me best since it is pretty similar in size to the ipad and has all the productivity features i need. Since i'll be editing pictures and larger projects on the PC, I don't think it's worth getting the 13" purely for screen real estate. That said, I'd like to get the 11" in the 1.4 GHZ/128 GB SSD/ 4 GB RAM configuration but I honestly don't feel like waiting for it to be shipped all the way here, especially when i have 3 apple stores within 10 miles. I went to the store and they either have the 11" "ultimate" or the base model. Does anyone know if the student pricing in-store reflects the apple online student discount store?

I don't know if Apple Stores can apply student discounts. I ordered my MBA 13" with the 4GB upgrade, it knocked off $50 from the base price and another $10 off the RAM upgrade. (1249 + 90). I got iWork 09 for $41 as well.

None of the stores near me offered the 13" with the RAM upgrade. :/
 
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