Should I get a MacBook air???

[rachellarissa]

I'm currently using Fujitsu lifebook sh760, it is 1.6kg and 13"
Should I get a MacBook air 11" or 13" but it's much thinner and lighter.
been wanting to get a MacBook air but my polytechnic BUSINESS course (I'm from Singapore) did not recommend Mac.
So I got Fujitsu instead but now I'm regretting my decision

Currently using my laptop for:
- surfing net
- watching movies/videos
- stalling pictures
- Microsoft word/ppt/excel/access

*** I dont play games ****

 

[S.B.G]

Why did your polytechnic course not recommend a MBA?

Aside from the course, the things you list you do will run fine on a MBA. As for an 11" or a 13", that's going to be your preference. Do you want more or less screen space?

 

[jksu]

I'm currently using Fujitsu lifebook sh760, it is 1.6kg and 13"
Should I get a MacBook air 11" or 13" but it's much thinner and lighter.
been wanting to get a MacBook air but my polytechnic course did not recommend Mac.
So I got Fujitsu instead but now I'm regretting my decision

Currently using my laptop for:
- surfing net
- watching movies/videos
- stalling pictures
- Microsoft word/ppt/excel/access

if you want a mba, it does all the above easily and beautifully. if your class requires windows, you can always install it on the mba as well.

mba is just a well designed and constructed machine. it has shortcomings (disc space and cpu power) but if you aren't doing major video editting, etc, it's the best tool for most folks.

 

[Cerano]

I'm currently using Fujitsu lifebook sh760, it is 1.6kg and 13"
Should I get a MacBook air 11" or 13" but it's much thinner and lighter.
been wanting to get a MacBook air but my polytechnic course did not recommend Mac.
So I got Fujitsu instead but now I'm regretting my decision

Currently using my laptop for:
- surfing net
- watching movies/videos
- stalling pictures
- Microsoft word/ppt/excel/access

should be alright
im J2 and im using my MBA 11 for all my schoolwork

 

[KPOM]

The Fujitsu specs (Arrandale Core i7 2.66GHz, discrete NVIDIA GeForce 310m GPU) are much closer to the current 15" MacBook Pro, plus it has ExpressCard and USB 3.0. If you get a MacBook Air 13", you will notice a drop in the CPU and graphics performance. The SSD will offset some of that.

My suggestion would be to wait for the MacBook Pro update, which I think will be announced in the next few weeks. It will likely get the Sandy Bridge CPU, and I think we will see SSDs be heavily pushed, perhaps standard on the 13".

A MacBook Air will handle movies, casual photos, web browsing, and Office just fine, but you might benefit from the Sandy Bridge chips in your engineering classes if you need to use special software.

You mentioned Access. Note that the Mac version of Office 2011 does not come with Access, so you would need to install Windows on your Mac if you need that. I'd suggest running it using Parallels or Fusion so you can run it side by side with your Mac programs. That's another reason to consider a Pro, since it is expandable beyond 4GB. 4GB is fine for basic Windows 7 on the Mac in virtualization, but more RAM would be better.

 

[Cerano]

The Fujitsu specs (Arrandale Core i7 2.66GHz, discrete NVIDIA GeForce 310m GPU) are much closer to the current 15" MacBook Pro, plus it has ExpressCard and USB 3.0. If you get a MacBook Air 13", you will notice a drop in the CPU and graphics performance. The SSD will offset some of that.

My suggestion would be to wait for the MacBook Pro update, which I think will be announced in the next few weeks. It will likely get the Sandy Bridge CPU, and I think we will see SSDs be heavily pushed, perhaps standard on the 13".

A MacBook Air will handle movies, casual photos, web browsing, and Office just fine, but you might benefit from the Sandy Bridge chips in your engineering classes if you need to use special software.

You mentioned Access. Note that the Mac version of Office 2011 does not come with Access, so you would need to install Windows on your Mac if you need that. I'd suggest running it using Parallels or Fusion so you can run it side by side with your Mac programs. That's another reason to consider a Pro, since it is expandable beyond 4GB. 4GB is fine for basic Windows 7 on the Mac in virtualization, but more RAM would be better.

Hey mate,

I beg to differ, with a 13" MBA you will feel as snappy and the graphics performance is much much more. The 310m cannot compare to the 320m.

Seriously the gap is wide and honestly for her uses USB 3.0 doesnt matter much

her prime consideration is evidently light weight and looks and design which the MBP fails to provide on any count

 

[KPOM]

Hey mate,

I beg to differ, with a 13" MBA you will feel as snappy and the graphics performance is much much more. The 310m cannot compare to the 320m.

Seriously the gap is wide and honestly for her uses USB 3.0 doesnt matter much

her prime consideration is evidently light weight and looks and design which the MBP fails to provide on any count

I'm not suggesting the current MacBook Pro. I think the next 13" Pro will be closer to the Air, perhaps under 4 lbs, particularly if it loses the optical drive.

The MacBook Air is nice (I have a 13" 'Ultimate' myself), but I don't think it can hold a candle to a 2.66GHz Core i7 with a discrete NVIDIA 310m. Put an SSD in that Fujitsu, and assuming it is running Windows 7, it will fly.

 

[2IS]

If you'll be doing things that require a significant amount of CPU power I would stick with what you have. The i7 is way more powerful than the C2D in the MBA. Don't get me wrong, the C2D is a capable chip but if you actually needed all that power you would most certainly want that i7.

 

[Cerano]

I'm not suggesting the current MacBook Pro. I think the next 13" Pro will be closer to the Air, perhaps under 4 lbs, particularly if it loses the optical drive.

The MacBook Air is nice (I have a 13" 'Ultimate' myself), but I don't think it can hold a candle to a 2.66GHz Core i7 with a discrete NVIDIA 310m. Put an SSD in that Fujitsu, and assuming it is running Windows 7, it will fly.

it wont outgun the I7 however, for gaming it will outgun the fujitsu as the GPU is the bottleneck.

if the MBP loses the drive then maybe but i dont think it'll happen this time round though. Maybe the next revision.

The 320m is based on a GT216 core. its basically and integrated GT 325m according to anandtech and benchmarks show it rips a discrete 310m

 

[2IS]

it wont outgun the I7 however, for gaming it will outgun the fujitsu as the GPU is the bottleneck.

if the MBP loses the drive then maybe but i dont think it'll happen this time round though. Maybe the next revision.

The 320m is based on a GT216 core. its basically and integrated GT 325m according to anandtech and benchmarks show it rips a discrete 310m

So you think gaming is the primary concern at his polytechnic course?

 

[Cerano]

So you think gaming is the primary concern at his polytechnic course?

nope. merely clarifying his statement.

The Fujitsu specs (Arrandale Core i7 2.66GHz, discrete NVIDIA GeForce 310m GPU) are much closer to the current 15" MacBook Pro, plus it has ExpressCard and USB 3.0. If you get a MacBook Air 13", you will notice a drop in the CPU and graphics performance. The SSD will offset some of that.

but anyway if the TS is from the same country as I am and I highly suspect it, polytechnics are where people dont study and have fun gaming behind or surfing facebook while the lecturer preaches

and the TS mentions she is using the laptop for primarily these functions

Currently using my laptop for:
- surfing net
- watching movies/videos
- stalling pictures
- Microsoft word/ppt/excel/access

All of which a MBA 13" would handle easily minus the access which has to be run in bootcamp

 

[KPOM]

but anyway if the TS is from the same country as I am and I highly suspect it, polytechnics are where people dont study and have fun gaming behind or surfing facebook while the lecturer preaches

If it's a school like Cal Poly or Polytechnic Institute of NYU, then it's the exact opposite. That said, she said it was a "polytechnic course" not a polytechnic university, so I'm not sure what that means. Are there any specific programs (such as CAD) that would typically be used in such a class?

 

[slioch]

My suggestion would be to wait for the MacBook Pro update, which I think will be announced in the next few weeks. It will likely get the Sandy Bridge CPU, and I think we will see SSDs be heavily pushed, perhaps standard on the 13".

I'd like to see them in a couple weeks, but I sincerely doubt Apple will release updated pros this quick. Especially since it appears that the new ipad is on the immediate horizon. IMHO it would be more reasonable to expect April - June timeframe (as much as I would like to seem them now as well).

--
Michael Larson
Crunchy technical tidbits: http://softengcrunch.blogspot.com/

 

[KPOM]

I'd like to see them in a couple weeks, but I sincerely doubt Apple will release updated pros this quick. Especially since it appears that the new ipad is on the immediate horizon. IMHO it would be more reasonable to expect April - June timeframe (as much as I would like to seem them now as well).

--
Michael Larson
Crunchy technical tidbits: http://softengcrunch.blogspot.com/

Apple has an earnings release Tuesday evening. If history is any guide, they will make a product announcement about a week or two after that. It could be iPad 2, but it's been quite a while since the MacBook Pro has been updated. The VZW iPhone announcement doesn't really count since it wasn't "their" announcement and is not really a new product.

 

[rachellarissa]

Why did your polytechnic course not recommend a MBA?

Aside from the course, the things you list you do will run fine on a MBA. As for an 11" or a 13", that's going to be your preference. Do you want more or less screen space?

I would prefer a bigger screen- 13" however, if the weight difference btwn 11" & 13" is major then I would get the lighter one of course.

 

[rachellarissa]

if you want a mba, it does all the above easily and beautifully. if your class requires windows, you can always install it on the mba as well.

mba is just a well designed and constructed machine. it has shortcomings (disc space and cpu power) but if you aren't doing major video editting, etc, it's the best tool for most folks.

If I install windows7 on MacBook air will it somehow slow down the laptop?

 

[talmy]

I'm going to be contrarian here. The business world is 99% Microsoft Windows. You'll avoid lots of issues (some of which are just Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) by just going with the program and using a Windows machine.

 

[rachellarissa]

Thanks for all your replies !! Much appreciated !

 

[Funkymonk]

I'm going to be contrarian here. The business world is 99% Microsoft Windows. You'll avoid lots of issues (some of which are just Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) by just going with the program and using a Windows machine.

X2. There are plenty of great windows laptop options out there. I suggest you go to notebookreview.com and ask them!

 

[Cerano]

If it's a school like Cal Poly or Polytechnic Institute of NYU, then it's the exact opposite. That said, she said it was a "polytechnic course" not a polytechnic university, so I'm not sure what that means. Are there any specific programs (such as CAD) that would typically be used in such a class?

she's in singapore mate

in singapore polytechnics are places where people dont go to study but to have fun. best time of your life i swear. man my friends love it in there

 

[Cerano]

I would prefer a bigger screen- 13" however, if the weight difference btwn 11" & 13" is major then I would get the lighter one of course.

the weight isnt major sis

its about the size. 300g isnt much but if you wanna just dump it into a small crumpler its just not possible

that said its your personal preference i guess. girls tend to like smaller laptops

 

[KPOM]

If I install windows7 on MacBook air will it somehow slow down the laptop?

Merely installing Windows 7 won't slow down OS X. There are two options for installing Windows 7:

• Install Windows through Boot Camp
• Install Windows through a virtualization program like Parallels Deskop, VMWare Fusion, or VirtualBox

If you install through Boot Camp, to run Windows you need to reboot your system and boot specifically into it. Your Mac essentially becomes a Windows PC and runs at native speeds. The disadvantage is that you can't run Windows and Mac programs side by side.

If you run Windows from within virtualization, it will be like another large program running, so yes it will be slower than running it natively, and it will use up RAM that OS X would normally use, so it could slow down your system somewhat, but I've been OK running Windows 7 on my 4GB MacBook Air. The big benefit is being able to run Windows and Mac apps side by side. You can "suspend" the virtual machine when you aren't using it instead of shutting it down, which makes restarting it quicker.

Note it's also possible to install Windows in Boot Camp and access it through virtualization, but you lose some benefits, such as being able to "suspend" your virtual machine.

 

[cutiedoggy]

I'm currently using Fujitsu lifebook sh760, it is 1.6kg and 13"
Should I get a MacBook air 11" or 13" but it's much thinner and lighter.
been wanting to get a MacBook air but my polytechnic BUSINESS course (I'm from Singapore) did not recommend Mac.
So I got Fujitsu instead but now I'm regretting my decision

Currently using my laptop for:
- surfing net
- watching movies/videos
- stalling pictures
- Microsoft word/ppt/excel/access

*** I dont play games ****

Hey! Am from Singapore too but ain't from the same course as you. In sciences instead. Yes, polytechnics here only recommend Mac for students in the media industry but not for the other courses. I really recommend getting the air cause I regretted my previous laptop which is a Sony and it freaking weighs 2.6kg so switching to an air is something significant for me!

From what I see, you basically use most of the things I do on my air so I don't see a problem for you. I even use CAD on my Mac and it's compatible with my friend's laptop using windows; same goes to microsoft office.

One thing is, I can't find a web that I can stream movies, so I will use my other computer to do that

Go go, get a Mac air!

 

[cutiedoggy]

she's in singapore mate

in singapore polytechnics are places where people dont go to study but to have fun. best time of your life i swear. man my friends love it in there

Dude, not Everyone in poly enjoy their time there, it depends. But yes, loads of freeloaders around and because it is more of project based, some tend to just enjoy leaving all the other work to the rest of the grp members & sadly enough I ain't the one enjoying

Yeah JC is different definately.

Sorry for the off-topic discussion but I just to voice out, don't like the feeling of others saying how poly students are just slackers.

 

[Cerano]

Dude, not Everyone in poly enjoy their time there, it depends. But yes, loads of freeloaders around and because it is more of project based, some tend to just enjoy leaving all the other work to the rest of the grp members & sadly enough I ain't the one enjoying

Yeah JC is different definately.

Sorry for the off-topic discussion but I just to voice out, don't like the feeling of others saying how poly students are just slackers.

bro
poly students are not slackers. 3/4 of my class went to NP.
They are definitely not slackers.

Given a choice id be inside too im only saying their time in poly is seriously the best time for many people as this is what my ex-classmates tell me(those not doing their FYP yet at least)
Dont worry your high GPA will pay off for sure!
Cheers