Air or mac pro / Sept 2013

[birdbirdbat]

Hi Mac friends,

Been reading about updates and pricing, Is it good time buy? Should Ibuy extra RAM to add myself to save cash? Any other tips you might have for us? Budget is about $1500 USD. Leaning towards the air,due to the weight. THANK YOU Ka!

[Forethat]

HI!

In my opinion Air is the best option if size of screen is not an issue. In my work, I need more space, so I bought a MacBook Pro 15" to complement the Air I already had. One thing that MUST be said is the need for at least 8GB of RAM, preferably 16GB with a Mac. Buying one with 4GB is not recommended unless you buy extra memory from a cheap supplier like www.crucial.com (dont buy SSD or memory upgrades from Apple, it's crazy expensive). With MacBook this is not an issue since you can upgrade later, but with Air or the MacBook Pro Retina you can't upgrade, you order with X amount of RAM and it's soldered on the board. Do NOT buy an Air with 4GB of RAM!!!

Unless you need the bigger screen I'd go for the Air 13", in my opinion the best product that has ever left Apple production line. There is not a thing a dont love with my Air. And the battery time....love it!

Keep in mind that the MacBook Retina is MUCH thinner and lighter than the normal MacBook Pro, but also much more expensive; I doubt the $1500 will be enough for one of them...

[mogandave]

I would not buy a new laptop until a touch screen comes out.

[muratremix]

If budget is 1500 usd, with a little bit extra you can buy Macbook Retina 13.3" which has an amazing screen. However, I would wait for new models first. Macbook retina 13 is about one year old and new ones will come with better cpu and battery life.

[StrandedBusinessPerson]

Got the full-blown 13" air with all the upgrades, a bit more than your budget, but this machine is a beauty. 10+ hours and it will do anything my old MBP did (runs both Windows 8 and Mavs with VMWARE perfectly). The only downside is the lack of retina display, supposedly soon to be fixed in an updated model. cheers!

[negreanu]

Haswell 13" MBPr. Smaller footprint than 13" air and not much in it weight wise.

[StrandedBusinessPerson]

Haswell 13" MBPr. Smaller footprint than 13" air and not much in it weight wise.

great machine, but a battery suck compared to the MBA. I guess ya have those tradeoffs: battery life vs. really sharp display.

[triffid]

I am in the same situation of choosing between a 13" Air and a rMBpro. The online reviews plump for the latter. The Air's light weight (more than its longer battery life) was what appealed to me but it seems the rMBpro is almost as light. So I'm tending towards the latter. Would a RAM or HD upgrade be worthwhile having? I would keep some music (several hours) and podcasts there - but no games or movies.

(I already own a 1 yr old MacBook pro 15" on which I've upgraded RAM to 16GB and HD memory to 1 tB - this will be my base machine at home; the Air or rMBpro is what I'd travel with.)

[StrandedBusinessPerson]

but it seems the rMBpro is almost as light.

Have you held both? they are like night and day. One is a dense heavy bit of bulk and the other is more like a heavy tablet, but the keyboard won't come off. The MBA makes such a difference in a shoulder bag, and it's easy to grab if just going down the stairs.

Edited November 16, 2013 by StrandedBusinessPerson

[triffid]

but it seems the rMBpro is almost as light.

Have you held both? they are like night and day. One is a dense heavy bit of bulk and the other is more like a heavy tablet, but the keyboard won't come off. The MBA makes such a difference in a shoulder bag, and it's easy to grab if just going down the stairs.

No I haven't held them, but I will do so.

I am simply citing the reviews and the measured weight difference. However I take your word for it so far as the perception goes. Am I right that the lighter weight and longer battery life are the two objective reasons to prefer the Air? Did you have a chance to consider the new rMBpro, or did it appear after you bought the Air?

[StrandedBusinessPerson]

but it seems the rMBpro is almost as light.

Have you held both? they are like night and day. One is a dense heavy bit of bulk and the other is more like a heavy tablet, but the keyboard won't come off. The MBA makes such a difference in a shoulder bag, and it's easy to grab if just going down the stairs.

No I haven't held them, but I will do so.

I am simply citing the reviews and the measured weight difference. However I take your word for it so far as the perception goes. Am I right that the lighter weight and longer battery life are the two objective reasons to prefer the Air? Did you have a chance to consider the new rMBpro, or did it appear after you bought the Air?

I had both side by side in the office last week. I own the 13" mba, parner has the new rMBP. I could have waited a few weeks for the rMBP, but I figured why not try the MBA, as I knew the retina display would be a battery suck, and it is. 6 hrs vs. 10 hrs+. With the Air, I've forgotten what a charger is, as I don't have to carry it outside of the house for a day job with client. It will go the 8+ hours no problem. Not so with a rMBP. U are tied to the charger, as with most other laptops. Granted, the rMBP display is gorgeous and all of that, but for a workhorse that is light and thin and goes 10 hours on a charge, the MBA is my preference. The price is almost 33% less. My partner spent about 3 grand on his, after applecare and doohickeys. I spent about 2 grand on mine with applecare and doohickeys. 2 grand seems like enough to pay for a laptop, inmo. 3 grand is over the top. cheers!

[triffid]

"doohickeys"??

[negreanu]

The HASEWELL 13" rMBP has almost the same battery life as the haswell MBA.

[watcharacters]

The HASEWELL 13" rMBP has almost the same battery life as the haswell MBA.

.

What do you mean by Hasewell?