yet another person asking for advice on buying a macbook air

[spacka]

hello all

im after a little help regarding the macbook air and whether or not i should get one.

my situation is as follows:

i am a student at university
i work part time at tesco
i run a website for a fairly large band

now, i'm not really the biggest fan of laptops. one reason is because a few years ago i bought an ibook g4, literally a week or two before the new macbooks were launched. but apart from that laptops have still never really grabbed my attention enough to want one too much.

anywho, since ive began working for this band ive been travelling around a fair bit. every so often i need to travel from newcastle to london or sheffield or manchester or whatever, for various meetings and stuff.

basically my iphone has only just managed to keep me entertained on these trips, and on top of this my phone isnt exactly the best tool for showing website ideas and the like, as opposed to a laptop. and i dont exactly want to be slugging my ibook g4 around with me all day. ive tried it and it takes its toll after a full day.

so...

basically, you knowing that i'll only really need this laptop for on-board entertainment while travelling, maybe taking it into uni every once in a while and maybe to my mates every so often; i'd like you to recommend (or not) the macbook air.

obviously i could pay less for a much better spec macbook pro but like i said, im not going to be "serious" with this laptop. its purely for a bit of portable entertainment and yes, an indulgence in the latest gadget to show off every once in a while.

bear in mind when the macbook air was announced/launched i never took much info in because i basically thought it was one of those way too expensive laptops that i'd never buy, so i dont know much. i heard i could maybe sync it to my iMac?

all help appreciated. cheers.

 

[deriko100]

Definitely a macbook pro, its good for your band needs, portable, good screen size, great options for speed and graphics, they start off at around 2000 dollars, or a macbook, but definitely NOT A MACBOOK AIR, those things may be small and lightweight but for your needs a macbook pro would be best, im not entirely shure if the new macbooks run apps for helping you with the band but one app could be logic express or final cut express for video editing, hope this helped bye.

 

[zer0tails]

I think one of the new alu macbooks might be a better option. Since you're on the road a lot, you could watch dvds in it, and It'll basically do everything you throw at it.

Being 13" makes it a little more portable than the macbook pro as well.

 

[spacka]

thanks for the advice.

im pretty sure i dont want a macbook. i think im willing to pay the extra for a macbook air and i definitely dont need to do lots of video editing or anything like that.

its purely for a bit of leisure and the "basics" of computing, which is what originally made me think itd be a good buy.

 

[six.four]

is there a particular reason why you are adamant against the macbook? In my opinion, it is the best value and is a good compromise in the size between the MBP and the MBA.

All MBA owners essentially place great value on one thing - portability. If that's whats most important to you, then MBA is the right choice. If you don't mind carrying a little extra weight/bulk, I think the new aluminum macbooks are the best choice.

 

[spacka]

yeah seriously ive nothing against the others, but yeah i guess portability and the other cool **** that comes with it is what i'm after most.

 

[bengal85]

Dude by a pro the mac book air is going to be a pain in your situation because
1. you have to buy the CD drives and stuff and carry them separate
2.the pro has all that built in and is a bit thicker which could give you more protection from it breaking.

 

[silverblack]

"pretty sure I don't want a Macbook", "don't need something serious like Macbook Pro"... It sounds like you know what you what already. Why bother starting this thread? or do you have some concerns about getting the MB Air?

 

[zer0tails]

I read your original post again. Since having a notebook you can show off and brag about take precedence over computing.

get the macbook air lol you didn't need to start a thread for this if you weren't interested in considering the macbook or pro.

To be perfectly honest though, have you actually held and seen one of the new macbooks in person? They're gorgeous, and pretty cool if you ask me.

 

[spacka]

yeah i know this might not have been the most threadworthy topic since i kind of know i want one, i just wanted to be sure. ive made mistakes before without taking other people's opinions into account so im just being careful.

i havent held a macbook air nor have i held one of the new macbooks or pros, but i'll try to before i purchase.

also, what's new about the new MBA's?

obviously i know the spec is a bit better, but we aren't expecting a new model to be made soon are we?

 

[aussie.damo]

yeah i know this might not have been the most threadworthy topic since i kind of know i want one, i just wanted to be sure. ive made mistakes before without taking other people's opinions into account so im just being careful.

i havent held a macbook air nor have i held one of the new macbooks or pros, but i'll try to before i purchase.

also, what's new about the new MBA's?

obviously i know the spec is a bit better, but we aren't expecting a new model to be made soon are we?

As an Air owner, I say go for it. If you don't like the idea of lugging your current iBook around, neither the MB or MBP will suit. The Air is great at what it does, which is be portable. Also, once you hold one, you won't want to put it down!

Damo

 

[uniforms]

Go for the AIR!

I love computers and have many! I LOVE my air. I travel a great deal for work and when you have to carry a laptop where ever you go, weight is a very important factor. I did recently purchase the new macbook and found it fast and to be a wonderful machine. But for the road and toting around the air is my choice. Also it still gets lots of comments, oohhs and aahhhs. A very sexy machine to have.

I also found it to be a pretty heavy duty machine. That is I find it very durable. No damages or signs of wear and I have had it since it first came out. You may want to get the new one because of the speedier graphics.

Good luck.

 

[spacka]

that's exactly what i wanted to hear. cheers.

 

[sparkie7]

After doing a lot of research I think the New MBA revision is worth the hideous premium. New GPU, enhanced external display port, increased SSD capacity.

But its a shame they didnt up the RAM to 4GB, and add another USB port on the reverse side and add firewire 800

 

[allmIne]

thanks for the advice.

im pretty sure i dont want a macbook. i think im willing to pay the extra for a macbook air and i definitely dont need to do lots of video editing or anything like that.

its purely for a bit of leisure and the "basics" of computing, which is what originally made me think itd be a good buy.

You want a laptop for entertainment, so are leaning towards a laptop that really can't play much in the way of games, and doesn't come with a DVD drive?

 

[SFStateStudent]

You might want to wait until the next MBA is released next week. Several visits to the local Apple Store have shown a ghost town like atmosphere around the MBA and the White MB, as shown in the attached pic:

 

[spacka]

wait so theres new MBA's to be launched? i thought it was just the newer updated ones as opposed to brand new ones?

 

[mattnxtc]

I would definately wait and see the new MBA as well as the new MB..weight wise there really isnt a whole lot of difference between the two.

 

[six.four]

wait so theres new MBA's to be launched? i thought it was just the newer updated ones as opposed to brand new ones?

just the refresh being shipped in November with the 9400m and 1066fsb/DDR3/SATA .. exterior has been confirmed to be the same. It's actually the model that's on the apple website right now.

 

[spacka]

cheers again for the help everyone. ordered the 1.8 macbook air earlier today. 5 days estimated shipping they reckon.