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PLEASE Help Me Get Over "Future Proofing"
- Thread starter theturtle
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Maybe if you ride a bike everywhere with it, or something like that where mobility is the key need, I "might" see what you are saying.
I travel for my job - worldwide - and I have done so for years with PC laptops ranging from 5-10 lbs.
The difference between my 8lb i7 PC laptop and the 4.5lb MBP is pretty huge. I have carried the MBA and the MBP and to me, the difference is near zero.
Why do you feel that few ounces so much?
R
That Macbook Air you have is perfect for everything that you do. Don't ever replace it with a Macbook Pro because they're heavy and it would be a waste of money.
Did it work?
Did it work?
great response
+1
excellent response. And while I wouldn't mind becoming Spielberg all of sudden, it won't happen here either.
To the OP, it is realistically what computer is best for you and only you can answer that. I'm slowly kicking my future proof OCD to the curb. In testing the Pro and the Air over the last 6 weeks, the Air was the best machine for my needs, but in the end I couldn't justify the expense with the perfectly fine (way over powered base model 2010 iMac I have).
Once I ditch the iMac, I'll wait because I usually rush head first into computer purchases. Very sound advice in this thread. Thanks
I've never really understood these particular threads (no offense, OP) because I don't know how we can get inside your head if you can't get inside your own.
All I can tell you is that I had a 2006 Macbook and was looking to replace it, and I THOUGHT what I wanted was a 15-inch Macbook Pro. But then when I really considered what I use a computer for, I realized 13 inches was better. And then when I t thought about how much I've bitched about the weight of my briefcase, the Air seemed the obvious choice.
I bought one and I haven't looked back. It's the right choice for the real me, not for some hypothetical "me" who has some hypothetical need for a super high-powered machine. I haven't noticed any difficulty with the Air handling the extremely light Photoshop Elements work that I do on rare occasions. I doubt that it's going to be a problem for me to stitch together a Youtube video or whatever I want to do with movies in the future -- but in my many years of Mac ownership, if I haven't started making movies yet, I doubt I'm going to turn into Steven Spielberg all of a sudden.
It's a lot of money, so I would suggest that if you have deep misgivings, don't buy anything. Just wait until the answer becomes clear to you.
+1
excellent response. And while I wouldn't mind becoming Spielberg all of sudden, it won't happen here either.
To the OP, it is realistically what computer is best for you and only you can answer that. I'm slowly kicking my future proof OCD to the curb. In testing the Pro and the Air over the last 6 weeks, the Air was the best machine for my needs, but in the end I couldn't justify the expense with the perfectly fine (way over powered base model 2010 iMac I have).
Once I ditch the iMac, I'll wait because I usually rush head first into computer purchases. Very sound advice in this thread. Thanks
thanks for the wonderful replies
so what EXACTLY would the i5 processor excel at? I keep reading batch processing but im not sure on what that means. What programs would i see this amazing processor come alive in? When comparing launch speeds, the air has it beat 9/10.
so what EXACTLY would the i5 processor excel at? I keep reading batch processing but im not sure on what that means. What programs would i see this amazing processor come alive in? When comparing launch speeds, the air has it beat 9/10.
thanks for the wonderful replies
so what EXACTLY would the i5 processor excel at? I keep reading batch processing but im not sure on what that means. What programs would i see this amazing processor come alive in? When comparing launch speeds, the air has it beat 9/10.
Final Cut, Handbrake, some processor intensive games, I'm sure there are more things out there that benefit from the better processor I just can't think of any because I don't use any
.
Final Cut, Handbrake, some processor intensive games, I'm sure there are more things out there that benefit from the better processor I just can't think of any because I don't use any
hmm it sounds like things a normal to light user wouldnt notice
Final Cut, Handbrake, some processor intensive games, I'm sure there are more things out there that benefit from the better processor I just can't think of any because I don't use any
Handbrake works fine even on MacBook Air. It just takes a bit longer to complete.
Whats the difference between a 1.8L Ford Focus and a BMW M3?? Both are cars that get you from A to B in equal comfort, both will exceed the national speed with ease (70mph here in the UK), both get stuck in the same traffic jams. Does any one really need a 4.2L V8 with 400BHP+ on public roads?? But I know which I rather have....
Every time you feel the need to future-proof a Mac, just think: "I can always get a new one later".
That's a really good point. Not that you want to just throw money around willy-nilly, but they will make more; it's not like they'll take your credit cards away after you buy. And Macs, thankfully, hold on to their value pretty well when/if it comes time to sell.
I remember when I thought I would never get a laptop, because desktops were so much more powerful and "futureproof." That seems so ridiculous to me now, but I remember having a very serious internal debate over what type of computer I would get to replace my G3/400 purple iMac. I went with a Macbook (this was in 2006) and now that I've had a laptop for a few years, I can't imagine going back to a desktop-only setup. (I have the MBA and an Apple Cinema Display, which is truly the best of both worlds for me.)
(And speaking of future proofing -- I had that Macbook for five years, and it was only in the last year or so that it started to feel "old" to me. My needs are quite basic.)
Anyway, assess your needs and get what will make you feel happiest now, not what will make a future you happy. Because who knows where you'll be in the future. Good luck!
Hahaha, pretty amusing. The upside is that you, the original poster, realize that when it comes to the bigger numbers game, you're being duped.
Buy the Air. It's what you actually want. Not what you "might not want in the future", but what you want for sure now. It's the sure bet because it's what you actually need.
I use a 2008 Macbook Pro 15". Yes, with the "ancient" C2D. I had the option a year ago to get a whole new laptop at work, and turned it down in favor of an SSD because getting another 500Mhz of clock wasn't going to do anything useful for me. Plus the SSD was cheapers. Plus the SSD was faster. In fact, the SSD made it so that doing code builds was a minute short of my much-faster-on-paper 8-core desktop.
So what if the CPU is slow? You're not feeding it enough data anyways. Even if it's twice as fast, the difference to you will be for the most part negligble.
"What if you use photoshop?" Consider it that it's highly unlikely you're a photoshop prodigy, you won't be able to keep up with your computer. Monster photoshop rigs are for editors who know photoshop like the back of their hand. For everybody else and their piddly digicams, any 6 year old machine will do because as it sits there cranking, you're be busy thinking about what to do next. And the old machine will still probably finish before you do.
"What if I make movies?" Yes, it'll take a while for your machine to process the movie. Big deal. It's a batch process at the end of your editing. It's one long wait after you're done giving your input. Go to sleep. Go get lunch. Go for a walk. Go watch an episode of your favorite TV show. Go take out the garbage. Go do laundry. Go wash your car. Go water the plants. Go call and check up on your mom. Go do something else.
(It probably helps to know: I code. I do movie editing. I periodically do use photoshop although not as much as I used to. I play starcraft 2 a little. And yet, I not only use an old Core2Duo Macbook Pro, but I turned down a Corei5 MBP that I wouldn't have needed to pay a cent for.)
Besides, telling me that you don't want to use an older chip is silly. After all, the Pentium 4 was once the newest, but certainly not better than what came before it.
Buy the Air. It's what you actually want. Not what you "might not want in the future", but what you want for sure now. It's the sure bet because it's what you actually need.
I use a 2008 Macbook Pro 15". Yes, with the "ancient" C2D. I had the option a year ago to get a whole new laptop at work, and turned it down in favor of an SSD because getting another 500Mhz of clock wasn't going to do anything useful for me. Plus the SSD was cheapers. Plus the SSD was faster. In fact, the SSD made it so that doing code builds was a minute short of my much-faster-on-paper 8-core desktop.
So what if the CPU is slow? You're not feeding it enough data anyways. Even if it's twice as fast, the difference to you will be for the most part negligble.
"What if you use photoshop?" Consider it that it's highly unlikely you're a photoshop prodigy, you won't be able to keep up with your computer. Monster photoshop rigs are for editors who know photoshop like the back of their hand. For everybody else and their piddly digicams, any 6 year old machine will do because as it sits there cranking, you're be busy thinking about what to do next. And the old machine will still probably finish before you do.
"What if I make movies?" Yes, it'll take a while for your machine to process the movie. Big deal. It's a batch process at the end of your editing. It's one long wait after you're done giving your input. Go to sleep. Go get lunch. Go for a walk. Go watch an episode of your favorite TV show. Go take out the garbage. Go do laundry. Go wash your car. Go water the plants. Go call and check up on your mom. Go do something else.
(It probably helps to know: I code. I do movie editing. I periodically do use photoshop although not as much as I used to. I play starcraft 2 a little. And yet, I not only use an old Core2Duo Macbook Pro, but I turned down a Corei5 MBP that I wouldn't have needed to pay a cent for.)
Besides, telling me that you don't want to use an older chip is silly. After all, the Pentium 4 was once the newest, but certainly not better than what came before it.
Maybe this will help. I have an i3 13" MBP, with 4GB of RAM, and 320GB Drive. My son has a 2007 C2D MB with 4GB of RAM, and a 1600GB Drive. Mail, Web, Office, iWork, Youtube, and all that stuff runs as good on his MB as it does on my newer MBP. The only difference I can see? Backlit keyboard. Yet, I rarely type in low light settings, so he's not missing anything!
I messed around with a 13" MBA at the Apple store a week or so back. LOVED IT! Wished I had waited. It has better screen, lighter, snappier, and it's a slower Proc than my MBP. To take that, and tuck it under my arm for a meeting, or into a sleeve for a meeting...wow. Lighter, faster...all that.
So...if it were ME..keep it, be happy and enjoy it! There's always something better, faster, and sleeker around the corner.
I messed around with a 13" MBA at the Apple store a week or so back. LOVED IT! Wished I had waited. It has better screen, lighter, snappier, and it's a slower Proc than my MBP. To take that, and tuck it under my arm for a meeting, or into a sleeve for a meeting...wow. Lighter, faster...all that.
So...if it were ME..keep it, be happy and enjoy it! There's always something better, faster, and sleeker around the corner.
My main computer is a Mac mini unibody with a Core 2 Duo clocked at 2.4 GHz and 8 GiB of RAM. Sure, it's a bit more than the MacBook Air specifications.
However, I don't see myself upgrading any time soon, as I can do the following, all at once:
- edit two dozen PHP, HTML, CSS and XML files with TextWrangler
- use four browsers at once for testing web pages (Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Opera)
- listen to music with iTunes
- slice PSDs with ImageReady CS2 (which has to run on top of Rosetta)
- edit a pet project of mine in Google Sketchup
- play World of Warcraft in windowed mode (about 800x600) on medium settings (I don't really "play", I just stand around and wait for herbs and minerals to re-appear, pick them up, then I leave WoW alone for 10 minutes)
- encode a ripped DVD into H.264/AAC with Handbrake (pre-ripped to the hard drive since reading from the optical drive would slow everything down)
I can't wait to see the next Mac mini upgrade. Not because I need to upgrade, but because I'm curious to see what the next revision will bring.
The MBA does what you need. Enjoy it.
However, I don't see myself upgrading any time soon, as I can do the following, all at once:
- edit two dozen PHP, HTML, CSS and XML files with TextWrangler
- use four browsers at once for testing web pages (Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Opera)
- listen to music with iTunes
- slice PSDs with ImageReady CS2 (which has to run on top of Rosetta)
- edit a pet project of mine in Google Sketchup
- play World of Warcraft in windowed mode (about 800x600) on medium settings (I don't really "play", I just stand around and wait for herbs and minerals to re-appear, pick them up, then I leave WoW alone for 10 minutes)
- encode a ripped DVD into H.264/AAC with Handbrake (pre-ripped to the hard drive since reading from the optical drive would slow everything down)
I can't wait to see the next Mac mini upgrade. Not because I need to upgrade, but because I'm curious to see what the next revision will bring.
The MBA does what you need. Enjoy it.