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apersianboyCOM

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 28, 2008
328
0
London, UK
I currently have the unibody 17" MBP and this is my 4th unit and I've had enough because it's faulty as well... see this thread!

I wanted a MBA before I got the 17" MBP but that was when it was still the old design, when the design was updated to the unibody I just had to pre-order it!
It's my first ever mac and I love it, but the issues I've been having have annoyed me a lot.

I'm thinking of getting a refund from Apple and getting the 1.8GHz MBA with SSD instead. I love it's form factor (I'm a gadget geek at heart!).

I will be using it as my primary machine, will be using it for:
VMWare Fusion
Photoshop
Microsoft Word
Burning DVD's using Roxio Toast
Watching films


Do you think it would be capable for what I want it for?
Would I notice a really big decrease in speed from my current MBP?
Would it be hard to switch down to a smaller screen from 17"?
Does it have really noisy fans? or is the system completely silent?
Do you think I should get it now or is a Rev C near release?
 

waloshin

macrumors 68040
Oct 9, 2008
3,408
206
Probably not, if you want to use it as a primary machine I would go for the Unibody Macbook/ Macbook Pro 15". As they come with a Dvd burner. It probably would be hard, but you could always use a external monitor.
 

youssefm

macrumors 6502
Oct 7, 2008
386
0
It'll work, and be fine.. but that jump from a 17" mbp, to a mba is really huge, you'll notice the size difference (which is good) but then power difference (which is negative depending on what you do on the computer)
I say go for it, it'll handle what you're doing, but it isn't necessarily a desktop replacement or main computer
 

Scottsdale

Suspended
Sep 19, 2008
4,473
283
U.S.A.
I had a rev B MBA with 1.86 CPU and SSD. I absolutely loved it. I used it as a primary Mac for about three months. I never missed the internal optical drive. I think wireless everything works well. I also plugged it into a 24" ACD, and it felt like a desktop Mac (for work). It's obviously more fun when away from a desk. I also used an Airport Extreme Base Station with it which worked very well for wireless access to an attached hard drive. The whole system works really well together. It's really really fun. It travels well. It fits in a tote and nobody can even see it, and you will forget it's there as it is so thin and light.

While I was extremely happy with my MBA, it was stolen, and I decided not to replace it as I am hopeful for a rev C MBA rather soon. Anything could happen, but I really don't think it makes much sense to pay $2500 for technology that was released seven months ago. Plus, I think the natural evolution could be rather enjoyable.

Lastly, I need to run Windows for a client application. It is usually only a day or two per month, but I would like to be able to do that on my MBA too. However, right now the MBA has TWO problems with Windows. One, it has limited drive space, and I wouldn't want to "waste" 10 GB with Windows (out of a 128 GB drive). Secondly, sharing 2 GB of RAM virtually with Fusion seems very foolish.

So, the MBA's two limitations seem like definite upgrades in the rev C MBA. And the natural process of Mac notebook updates is due really soon. And, there is a rumor for Mac notebooks before the WWDC in June. We may or may not get an MBA update, and it may or may not include what one would think.

I think the rev C MBA will include the following. Better display without lines, 2.13 GHz SL9600 CPU (already released), 4 GB RAM in high end model, 256 GB SSD, smart battery tech used in 17" MBP, and a glass trackpad. For those reasons, it is worth the wait if the wait means June. If the wait doesn't include all of those items, doesn't happen by the end June, I will wish I replaced the stolen MBA the day after it was stolen. I really do miss it as I am currently using an extremely inferior uMB (terrible display).

Others have some even more interesting ideas. One person suggested black aluminum, which sounds like it could revitalize the MBA. There is even a rumor for an OLED display, which could be incredible.

If I were you I would wait, as it could be really worth the wait.
 

apersianboyCOM

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 28, 2008
328
0
London, UK
I had a rev B MBA with 1.86 CPU and SSD. I absolutely loved it. I used it as a primary Mac for about three months. I never missed the internal optical drive. I think wireless everything works well. I also plugged it into a 24" ACD, and it felt like a desktop Mac (for work). It's obviously more fun when away from a desk. I also used an Airport Extreme Base Station with it which worked very well for wireless access to an attached hard drive. The whole system works really well together. It's really really fun. It travels well. It fits in a tote and nobody can even see it, and you will forget it's there as it is so thin and light.

While I was extremely happy with my MBA, it was stolen, and I decided not to replace it as I am hopeful for a rev C MBA rather soon. Anything could happen, but I really don't think it makes much sense to pay $2500 for technology that was released seven months ago. Plus, I think the natural evolution could be rather enjoyable.

Lastly, I need to run Windows for a client application. It is usually only a day or two per month, but I would like to be able to do that on my MBA too. However, right now the MBA has TWO problems with Windows. One, it has limited drive space, and I wouldn't want to "waste" 10 GB with Windows (out of a 128 GB drive). Secondly, sharing 2 GB of RAM virtually with Fusion seems very foolish.

So, the MBA's two limitations seem like definite upgrades in the rev C MBA. And the natural process of Mac notebook updates is due really soon. And, there is a rumor for Mac notebooks before the WWDC in June. We may or may not get an MBA update, and it may or may not include what one would think.

I think the rev C MBA will include the following. Better display without lines, 2.13 GHz SL9600 CPU (already released), 4 GB RAM in high end model, 256 GB SSD, smart battery tech used in 17" MBP, and a glass trackpad. For those reasons, it is worth the wait if the wait means June. If the wait doesn't include all of those items, doesn't happen by the end June, I will wish I replaced the stolen MBA the day after it was stolen. I really do miss it as I am currently using an extremely inferior uMB (terrible display).

Others have some even more interesting ideas. One person suggested black aluminum, which sounds like it could revitalize the MBA. There is even a rumor for an OLED display, which could be incredible.

If I were you I would wait, as it could be really worth the wait.

Thanks a lot for your detailed input, I really appreciate it :)
 
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