OK, supposing the new Air is released tomorrow or sometime this week and does not happen to have an AMD with onboard ATI (or, God forbid, a dedicated GPU somehow), which seems to be the probable case at this point. If I spend most of my time browsing the Internet, doing mailing and other light tasks for work, and listening to music, with a small amount of time editing video and playing World of Warcraft, then will the Air suit my needs?
I'm definitely looking for a laptop that is portable and durable, since it will be carried back and forth from work every day and since I'll be using it for stormchasing. I also expect both the external and internal hardware to last me at least two years. I am extremely attracted to the durability and quickness of an SSD, as well. Looks like the Air almost exactly meets these.
I am, however, afraid that either the HD3000 in the new models or the C2D (even the 2.13) in the old referb models will start showing a noticeable lack of performance as software advances in the next couple of years. The last thing I'd want is to have to prematurely buy a new laptop because of one of my more taxing hobbies requiring more hardware.
Of course, the solution would be to get something small but rigged, like the Alienware m11x, Sony VAIO Z, etc. But I don't want Windows at all, and the look, feel, and portability of the Air exceeds every PC lapper I've encountered.
Anyway, sorry for the wordy dilemma, but I thought I'd get some opinions to push me one way or the other. Are my concerns valid? Would it really make that much of a difference between a loaded 13" referb and something that will probably have the same stats as the MBP?
I'm definitely looking for a laptop that is portable and durable, since it will be carried back and forth from work every day and since I'll be using it for stormchasing. I also expect both the external and internal hardware to last me at least two years. I am extremely attracted to the durability and quickness of an SSD, as well. Looks like the Air almost exactly meets these.
I am, however, afraid that either the HD3000 in the new models or the C2D (even the 2.13) in the old referb models will start showing a noticeable lack of performance as software advances in the next couple of years. The last thing I'd want is to have to prematurely buy a new laptop because of one of my more taxing hobbies requiring more hardware.
Of course, the solution would be to get something small but rigged, like the Alienware m11x, Sony VAIO Z, etc. But I don't want Windows at all, and the look, feel, and portability of the Air exceeds every PC lapper I've encountered.
Anyway, sorry for the wordy dilemma, but I thought I'd get some opinions to push me one way or the other. Are my concerns valid? Would it really make that much of a difference between a loaded 13" referb and something that will probably have the same stats as the MBP?
