11"/13" macbook air for design + travel
Hi everyone!
I am thinking about getting a new macbook air, either the 11" or 13". I am a graphic designer and I am running on Adobe Creative Suite 5, mostly using Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. I wanted to get the 11" just because I will be travelling and it is very light and portable but I am open to the 13". I already have an older iMac at home so the macbook will be my secondary computer.
Also, what sort of upgrades should I consider getting i.e. processor, memory, storage? I am not really knowledgeable about these things and any ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
The usage you intend would first take advantage of more memory. make that a top priority. The i5 should be plenty of processor, but the i7 would give a little quicker response on application of Photoshop filters, and other manipulations. The $100 difference may be worth it to you as a commercial user, as opposed to a leisure user.
Disk space requirements are really dependent on just how portable you want all your files. 128 GB may suffice, 256 GB may be more comfortable, and 512 GB will be extra roomy.
I use Photoshop quite a bit for website design work, but I am sure my file sizes are paltry as compared with some graphic artists who are designing for HD print or large scale. Gauge what you think you might need in the first year, then double it, to help decide. If you plan on this being a long-term purchase, you may want to consider being a tad bit more conservative, then upgrading the SSD in a few years, as the cost will be less than the configuration upgrade today. Mind you, there are no upgrades for this at the moment, but OWC/Macsales.com has been batting a 1000% on available upgrades for all models of MBA's as of now. I'm certain they will have something available when/if you come ready. You just may not want to upgrade while still under Applecare, as there is no definitive answer as whether it is compliant with warranty or not. Remember, you can always offload excess files to an external drive for archiving.
Similar Messages
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I am thinking about this for running cs5. Using it for Ai,Id,Ps,Fw, and Dw. I need it for working on this at work on breaks while i'm going to school for graphic arts and design. Any opinions on this from current owners.
"Designer" is very broad term so I can't speak for the others, but I'm using the 11" (ultimate) pretty much exclusively for my work. I'm a full time designer mainly doing GUI/UI (web and mobile devices), ID, product concepts and many things in between. For me 11" is powerful enough, display resolution is high enough, and the size and weight are just priceless. I can work from anywhere anytime (it's a good thing, I was told.
When I need to do video editing or something heavy, I have a Mac Pro in my office. If you do web stuff and need to check compatibility with PC browsers, people reporting virtual machines such as Parallels and VM Fusion are working just fine on the 11", but I'm just VNCing into my home/office servers and using the browsers running on Parallels there.
So again, don't know other type of designers, but I am doing just fine with the 11" Air.
Message was edited by: coelacanth -
2013 MacBook Air for graphic design?
I've been looking at the new 2013 13-inch MacBook Air for quite some time now. I'm a graphic designer, so I'll be looking to use Adobe CS6 (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat) and Aperture. Also of course, the general things such as Safari, Mail and iPhoto.
I have the new 27-inch iMac at home, which serves as my main machine. 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz, 32GB RAM (8GB at the moment - upgrading soon), 1TB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX with 1GB. I love it!
I absoloutely love the MacBook Air - it's a lovely design, so lightweight and the new 12 hour battery life is just epic!
If I were to get the MacBook Air, I would definite upgrade to these specs;
- 1.7GHz dual core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz (although I'm told the i7 will drain battery quicker, and isn't much faster?)
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB Flash Storage (or possibly 256GB - bare in mind, I have a 1TB external hard drive).
So I guess the big question is... Will the new 2013 13-inch MacBook Air, with these specs, be sufficient for my needs?
Thanks in advance!Welcome to Apple Support Communities
The problem of the MacBook Air is the GPU, and Adobe apps don't support the GPU of your MacBook officially because it's an integrated GPU.
Sincerely, if you want to use that type of applications, the only valid Mac is the 15-inch MacBook Pro. It includes a quad-core processor, 4 GB of RAM (with the possibility to add up to 16 GB), a 500 GB HDD (with possibilities for bigger HDDs and SSDs) and a NVIDIA GPU which will work with your applications without any problem. Also, you can modify the RAM and hard drive without voiding the warranty.
If you want to give the MacBook Air a try, buy it and see if your applications work properly. You have 14 days to return it if it doesn't work as you expected, but to be sure, go for the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The MacBook Air is designed for home tasks -
I've been looking at the new 2013 13-inch MacBook Air for quite some time now. I'm a graphic designer, so I'll be looking to use Adobe CS6 (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat) and Aperture. Also of course, the general things such as Safari, Mail and iPhoto.
I have the new 27-inch iMac at home, which serves as my main machine. 3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz, 32GB RAM (8GB at the moment - upgrading soon), 1TB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX with 1GB. I love it!
I absoloutely love the MacBook Air - it's a lovely design, so lightweight and the new 12 hour battery life is just epic!
If I were to get the MacBook Air, I would definite upgrade to these specs;
- 1.7GHz dual core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz (although I'm told the i7 will drain battery quicker, and isn't much faster?)
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB Flash Storage (or possibly 256GB - bare in mind, I have a 1TB external hard drive).
So I guess the big question is... Will the new 2013 13-inch MacBook Air, with these specs, be sufficient for my needs?
Thanks in advance!Ah, thats too bad. It's really annoying. Any workaround to make the line less visible? (i.e. external monitor)
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My hubby just got me a macbook air for Xmas which is awesome. Set it up to be able to ichat on it as well as on my iphone. Only now i wont get texts on my iphone- ONLY on my laptop. How can i configure so that I can get texts on my computer AND my phone. NOT just one or the other? Please help!
Hi,
The Mac version will use your Apple ID as the first and only choice...
... Until you add the same Apple ID to Messages on the iPhone.
Once this is done it is best to Restart the app on the Mac.
This will then get at least one, possibly two pop up saying the iPhone in using the Apple ID and the iPhone Number.
Accepting these Pop ups will enable the iPhone as an ID to be used in the Receive At List.
It will also appear in the drop down at the bottom for "Start New Conversations from"
If you did not set iyt up like this then remove the apple ID from the iPhone in the Settings > Messages.
Place the iPhone in Airplane mode to break with the server.
Take it out of Airplane Mode and re-add the Apple ID in the Messages settings.
Then Restart the app on the Mac as above.
Having done this you can still turn Off the Apple ID on the iPhone (receive as the iPhone number only) or disable the iPhone Number on the Mac (receive Apple ID stuff only)
The Start New Conversations option on the Mac version means you could use the iPhone number so people don't get your email.
8:26 pm Thursday; December 26, 2013
iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Mac OS X (10.6.8),
Couple of iPhones and an iPad -
How do I put an external display to sleep when I am using my MacBook Air for presentation?
How do I put an external display to sleep when I am using my MacBook Air for presentation? I do not want to go to the projector just to turn it off and turn on again after a while? Is there a keyboard shortcut for that?
I want to be able to sleep the external display and at the same time do things in the MacBook.( This feature is useful for me so that I can prepare some things and so that my audience will not see what I am about to show them.)
Is there a feature for Mountain Lion? -
Can I use macbook air for ios app development?
I would like to know if i can use macbook air for ios app development or macbook pro is only option?
Just to reinforce what shldr2thewheel says - be very sure what size memory you want if you get a Macbook Air. There is *no* way to change after purchase. My advice is to go for the 4GB option - especially if you want to do app development.
The internal storage (solid state drive) of the Air can be upgraded if required but it will probably be an expensive option. If you don't think the storage will be enough then maybe using a USB connected drive to hold non-essential files is an option.
As to deciding between the Air and Pro you are basically making a decision between portability (Air) and expandability/bigger screens (Pro). What is more important to you?
Mark -
I received a MacBook Air for Christmas, I would like to take my itunes content from my old computer and transfer it to the MacBook. Is this possible and how can I do this?
Not sure what syncing an iDevice has to do with copying your iTunes library from old computer to new computer...
I would like to take my itunes content from my old computer and transfer it to the MacBook. Is this possible and how can I do this?
Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from old computer to /Music/ on new computer. This will be the entire iTunes library. -
My dad got me a MacBook Air for my birthday but he used it a few times before he gave it to me. He doesnt remember the user password that he kept and now i cant download adobe flash player in it. Please help me!
Reset Password using Recovery HD
OS X 10.7 Lion /10.8 Mountain Lion
Follow the instructions in the first and third boxes.
http://pondini.org/OSX/Password.html
Note
Keychain
I don't remember my original (former) account password
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1631 -
i just got the macbook air for christmas and i also got the dr dre headphones so i am trying to enable my soundcheck on my iTunes but i cannot figure out how to find where sound check is located can someone please help!!
Go to the iTunes menu > Preferences > Playback.
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The sign-in graphic changed on my macbook air for no apparent reason. what's up?
The sign-in graphic changed on my macbook air for no apparent reason. What's up? How do I get it back to my chosen graphic and why did this happen?
When I originally set up the computer, I just chose a preloaded picture that was offered. (For example, I chose the sunflower, but now I get an eagle--but never chose the latter). It's not really a big deal, I was just worried that somehow my computer might have been tampered with. The OS update may be why it changed.
How do I change it back--if you wouldn't mind taking the time to explain something that is probably very simple to a not too computer-savvy user. Thanks! -
IPad or MacBook Air for Writers
So, come March, with the anticipated arrival of the long awaited and less-rumored iPad 3, I will probably be joining the throngs of people eager to get my hands on and fall in love with another Apple device. But wait! As I mull over the decision to purchase the iPad, I think to myself, hmmm, maybe I should go with the MacBook Air. I currently have a 21" iMac, which, despite recent Lion Wi-Fi problems, I love. What I'd like to do with the iPad is have the portability factor, mainly do a whole bunch of writing, and some photo editing, to the extent it allows. I will, most likely, get an external keyboard, and an accomodating case to create a laptop like environment. So, my question is which would be the better choice for writing, and also which will be the overall more enjoyable option. I know that typically the iPad is for consumption and the MBA for production, but I guess I'm looking to hear from people who use one or both, and what their experience with either of them is. Thanks.
Hi! I am new to Apple, but i love my White mac book that I had gotten used on ebay a couple months ago. I have actually recently, considered the same thing you were debating. Ipad or mac book air? I am not sure, I have a kindle fire which i feel is great for reading books, not really interested in reading a book on an ipad. I was thinking of a macbook air for on the go I am going to a new college in the fall and need access with me on the go...think its half the weight which is good. I want it to be thin...however i do like parts of the ipad, i like that its sleek and the cases they have are amazing. I am just not sure what to choose. What did you end up choosing? I am not going to want to buy a keyboard.... . Any extra thoughts and advice would be great.
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Is there a way to enlarge the overall screen size in a macbook air for easier viewing
Is there a way to enlarge the the icons/text, etc. on a macbook air for easier viewing without changing the screen resolution?
not really apart from changing the resolution, but theres a a couple of things you can do
you can change the "minimum font size" in Safari (and other apps) in the General tab - this will enlarge any fonts to the minimum size you specify if they are under that size
the features in the accessiblilty section of system preferences might be worth a look as well
the pinch zoom feature is also useful
unfortunately there isn't a 1-button setting somewhere that can do this, because apps, documents, web pages, images etc all work independently from each other, they use different font types, different zoom levels, etc. You can't just enlarge them all in sync without content getting jumbled up/distorted. if enlarge an app/page/document and get it looking good, on the next one you would probably need to zoom in at a different level for it to look right -
I have no sound on my MacBook Air for sending and receiving messages. All sound settings have been checked and are OK. This problem has arisen many times and is intermittent in the sense that the sound returns and disappears for no apparent reason.
Open System Preferences > Sound > Sound Effects
Select: Play user interface sound effects
And make sure the Mute box is not selected.
Now open Mail. From the Mail menu bar clik Mail > Preferences then select the General tab.
Make a selection from the: New messages sound pop up menu. -
I've had my MacBook Air for not even a year and about 2 months ago i tried opening my Iphoto, but it continually sits with a blank screen and the loading wheel just spins. Someone help
Option 1
Back Up and try rebuild the library: hold down the command and option (or alt) keys while launching iPhoto. Use the resulting dialogue to rebuild. Choose to Repair Database. If that doesn't help, then try again, this time using Rebuild Database.
If that fails:
Option 2
Download iPhoto Library Manager and use its rebuild function. (In early versions of Library Manager it's the File -> Rebuild command. In later versions it's under the Library menu.)
This will create an entirely new library. It will then copy (or try to) your photos and all the associated metadata and versions to this new Library, and arrange it as close as it can to what you had in the damaged Library. It does this based on information it finds in the iPhoto sharing mechanism - but that means that things not shared won't be there, so no slideshows, books or calendars, for instance - but it should get all your events, albums and keywords, faces and places back.
Because this process creates an entirely new library and leaves your old one untouched, it is non-destructive, and if you're not happy with the results you can simply return to your old one.
Regards
TD
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