Is the Air right for me?

Hello,
I plan to purchase a new mac laptop and I am considering the various models. I currently have a MacBook Pro, 15-inch. I am really attracted to the MacBook Air because I will be needing a portable machine as I will be transporting it and using it wirelessly much more often than I have ever used my Pro. As a law student, I will be needing to run Windows XP Professional via Bootcamp. I am wondering what people think about the performance of the MacBook Air. I am not good at interpreting the computer specs and details and I am hoping someone can break down the main pros and cons in a nut shell of this model and perhaps the others (15-inch Pro and the black Mac Book). Will I notice a difference if I switch to the MacBook Air from the Pro as far as the efficiency of the machine. Also, I am curious as to how people get along without a CD/DVD drive. This may not be a problem for me because I know it will work with the iMac's CD; however, is it a draw back when you are on the go? Thanks!

Also keep in mind, that the machine was primarily designed to be use in conjunction with another computer that had all those "missing" features: optical drive, larger capacity HD, etc.
For example, after tweaking the install on my machine I had about 57GB of free space on my MBA. I allocated a 20GB Windows XP SP3 partition for Office, Quicken and other applications. So that gave me about a 20/35 split for my storage needs. But...
1.) I have 572GB of "media" that consists of photos, music, movies, games and other misc. items. All that data sits on a Mac Mini that has two 500GB hard drives connected to it. When I want to access something, I simply connect to the Mini on my network and access the data I need either from the Mini or transfer it to the MBA.
2.) I have all of my libraries "shared" across my network, so the 72GB of music and the 44GB of photos I have are all readily available to my MBA. The best part, not a single portion of that data is ever stored on my machine. But it takes less than 30-seconds to bring up my home network setup and only a few minutes to begin streaming the content for my enjoyment.
If I'm getting ready to head out for a weekend, or a trip than I organize playlists, music, movies, etc. and then transfer it over to my MBA before I head out. I went on vacation a month ago and had 2200 songs, 7 full length movies and other things to keep me busy. When I was done with a movie or a playlist of songs I just simply deleted them, knowing that all of that content was on my machine at home. At the airport, 3200 miles away from my Mac Mini, I used Back-to-my-Mac to check missed voicemail at home, quickly program my TiVo, and look up a phone number for a family member that I saved as sticky. I even watched an episode of Dexter that I had recorded.
Again... techno-examples aside, there's a ton of capabilities in the machine with the assumption that it'll be used in conjunction with a support infrastructure (like another computer, or wireless printer, or Time Machine, etc.) I firmly believe that when Apple engineering thought of the MBA it was with that in mind. The computer is extremely capable of being a fantastic machine on its own but it really shines when it's used alongside another Mac or network.

Similar Messages

Macbook Air right for an engineering major?

I'm currently a Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering double major at UC Davis, and I wanted some input on whether or not a Macbook Air would be suitable for my needs. The 13" 2013 unit with the Haswell CPU is only $999 on Amazon right now and I figured it is priced so competetively with other ultrabooks now that I can actually consider it.
As far as I know, I need access to a Python and C/C++ IDE and compiler, MATLAB, and several CAD applications that my school gives us for certain classes. That's pretty much all I need from now through my bachelors degree. I'll also dual boot Windows 8 since I may occasionally miss Windows, since this will be my only PC from now on (I completely stopped gaming so I sold my custom desktop). I'll also run any programs that are Windows only in Windows of course.
Sure, I will be doing some software design, but the ULV i5 is plenty powerful. I'm not doing some insane rendering or anything. Just some very basic rendering and programming.
So I have 3 questions:
1. Is a Macbook Air right for an Engineering major? How has having a Macbook "changed" you as an engineer?
2. Is there any way to have a Windows Partition, an OSX Partition, and an exFAT partition to share my music and videos across both OS's? Both Windows and OSX can read and write to exFAT right?
3. What external hard drive and USB drive formats (other than FAT since I have files larger than 4GB) are best for transferring files to and from OSX and Windows machines?
Thanks for the help! I'm looking forward to purchasing a Mac since they are so competetively priced now. I think Apple mad a great move with these price cuts.

I second the above opinion, as I am an Electrical Engineering student currently. I've been using an 11" Air for everything (full options, i7, 8gb, 512ssd). I was using a mid 2011 and i just got the new 2013 model and I have to say both have performed outstanding.
Since you're gonna be an engineer i'll tell you how I run my machine to let you know how powerful it is for school:
I run 4 desktops that i swipe between constantly with 10+ programs running, most of which are not your normal small programs (Autocad, MotionBuilder, etc.)
My 5th desktop that i swipe between is Parallels Desktop running windows 7 for the non-mac apps, inside of windows i typically run 3+ programs which include AutoCad, Quartus (electronic modeling) and PSpice.
Keep in mind that I run all of this at the same time and it's probably too much (I don't need to run everything at once I just love to keep evrything up so between classes I don't have to prepare for the next).
All I have to say is the machine kills it. i'm serious, no lag, fluid autocad building, low heat, and great battery, i got about 5 hours out of my 2011 model and i expect to see 8+ out of this one when school gets going again.
You're in the right direction, i think you'll be more than happy with a new Macbook Air if you max out the options, and then you'll increase the resale so in 2-3 years you can grab the latest and greatest as i did.
Good luck in engineering and don't let it get to you, stick it out and it'll be worthwhile!

Took away the access rights for harddrive - mac os x cant boot! pleasehelp!

i took away the access rights for harddrive - mac os x cant boot! pleasehelp!
thank you for any help

wow! thank u a lot!!! it worked great!
i did this:
A1. If the disk in question is your Mac OS X startup disk and your computer stops starting up at the blue screen, restart with the Command and S keys held down, and enter the following commands:
mount -uw /
chown root /
chmod 1775 /
exit

Is the IPad right for me

hi guys,
i am trying to figure out if the ipad is right for me. i very much want one, but it seems to me that there are several reasons that it won't work for me.here is my situation: i travel a lot for work, so it would be in my best interest to consolidate how much i have to pack with me when i travel. right now i have to bring my 15' mbp with me wherever i go. i must have internet access for my job. since i spend a lot of time in hotel rooms, i have transferred most of my movie collection to a portable external hard drive that i bring with me....its about 600gb of data.
so here are my questions:
1) is there a way the ipad can access the movies on the external hard drive?
2) most hotels have wireless, but there are some i stay at that only have wired internet in the rooms
3) i have 64 gb itouch and an amazon kindle already, so is there any reason to get a ipad considering that i have major problems with the fact that the 3G plans aren't unlimited, and so if i only got the wireless version, i would basically have the itouch with a book reader (which i already have).
i very much want the ipad, i just am not sure if there are solutions to those problems above. i really don't want to get into jailbreaking the thing because i don't want to void the warranty, so i know that takes away some possibilities right there. any advice anyone can offer would be appreciated. thanks!!

thanks for the response julian, and to answer your question, of course i don't NEED the 600gb of movies, haha, but WANTING is something different, right ..... to be honest, no, i don't need all that, but sometimes i am on the road for 7-10 days, and i don't watch tv really, so its nice to be able to have anything i need in the area of movies. as for the airport express, i just found that solution as well, and i already have an airport express at home, so then is it possible just to create a wireless network if need be in the hotel room? i havent done that before.

IBook G4 owner scorned: is the time right for MacBook?

Hello,
I am the owner of an iBook G4 (early 2004), which replaced an iBook G3 that was serviced three times in the first six months I owned it. Earlier this year, I had to replace the logic board on the G4 (ugh), and, frankly, two and a half years into ownership of the current machine, I am nervous.
When is it time to replace? What is the life expectancy? Are the new MacBooks plagued with problems, like the iBooks were? I'm starting to think thoughts of upgrading, but I don't want to jump the gun. I just feel a bit insecure about this computer and don't want to end up in trouble. I use my computer nearly all day, every day, to earn a living.
Advice would be much appreciated.

I've owned an iBook G4 12" 1.33, an iBook 14" 1.42, a MacBook Core Duo 2Ghz, and now, a MacBook Core2Duo 2Ghz.
I've been buying and selling, wheeling and dealing in my upgrades over the past couple years, and I love each successive upgrade.
All four machines were brilliant- never a serious issue. Like you, I am using my laptop most of the day, and as such, we're the kinds of users that are prone to having issues occur, due to normal wear and tear.
My mother uses an early 2004 iBook, and so does a co-worker. I replaced the hard drive and the combo drive on his for him, and on my mothers I replaced her hard drive as well. I replaced the drives with 5,400rpm drives, and they were even faster and more perky than ever.
I think you might have hit a streak of lemons- all of the machines I've come across, except for one that was badly misused by the previous owner and needed a new logic board have been great machines.
You'll really enjoy some of the changes from the iBook to the MacBook. I think they're well worth the money, and the performance is unbelievable.
The only drawback for me is the decreased battery life, which comes at the cost of performance I guess.
The rest- glossy screen, hard drive upgradability, ram upgradability, higher screen resolution, magsafe, apple remote/front row, increased airport reception, dual-layer dvd drive, right click tapping... awesome.

Where is Over-The-Air update for n93i

I try to found update through my mobile phone browser . and in nokia web site there no OTA update for n93i.
how can it be ?
is the phone to new ? :]]

i think nokia are stopping the over the air updating, due to phones dying because of low battery etc. its better to do it on pc anyways

How to check the access right for a specific SAP object like MaterialMaster

Hi!
How can I check if I have the right to change a specific object like a material or document in SAP vie RFC. I need a remote able function which tells me, if I have enough rights! Or, if such a function does not exist, how can I write my own ABAP code to do this?
Thanks,
Konrad

Hi,
When initiating a transaction, a system program performs a series of checks to ensure the user is authorized.
1. The program checks whether the transaction code exists in table TSTC.
2. The program checks whether the transaction code is locked by the administrator (transaction code SM01).
3. The program checks whether the user has the authority to start the transaction. Authorization object S_TCODE (transaction start) contains the authorization field TCD (transaction code). The user must have the appropriate authorization for the transaction code to be started (for example, FK01, Create Vendor).
4. The program checks whether an authorization object is assigned to the transaction code. If this is the case, the program checks whether the user has an authorization for this authorization object. The transaction code/authorization object assignment is stored in table TSTCA.
Note: An SAP program controls steps 1 through 4. It displays an automatic message to the user if an authorization attempt fails in the step.
5. The system performs authorization checks in the ABAP program using the ABAP statement AUTHORITY-CHECK.
Regards
Sudheer

Is the Cloud right for an individual who uses only PS?

There is a lot of buzz with speculation that Adobe is moving toward forcing all users to use the Creative Cloud subscription approach. As an individual free lancer with no corporate support and no needs except for PS and LR, the pricing of Creative Cloud today appears prohibitive for me. I have tried to locate appropriate links on the Adobe site but am led only to Chat or Telephone or here. Seems this is a question for Adobe personnel but I see no other way to present the question than the forum.
I am looking at my experience with CS5 as an example. I have upgraded to the newest major versions as soon as possible. So, if you look at my record in Adobe's database, you'll confirm I installed CS5 on 7/11/2010. That site also shows I purchased CS6 on 5/14/2012. That means I used CS5 for a hair over 22 mos. If I was paying the "buy it now" price of $29 per month, I would have paid $638 for the upgrade to CS5 for which I paid $199.
If future major versions will come at a pace of one every seven months, paying $29 per month would break even with the single license upgrade purchase cost. Have not seen any buzz suggesting such a torrential product cycle is under consideration.
Is this a legitimate assessment?
Should I be expecting an increase of over 300% if I am forced into the Cloud? Until now, I have purchased the upgrades eagerly for the new capabilities they have brought.
I have also search for other threads in the discussion that might raise this question without success.
I recognize Creative Cloud may not yet be fully defined. My primary purpose here is to register the question and hope Adobe is giving consideration to users like me.
Doug

No. It is not right or you.
Nor do you need the latest versions. Photoshop is thankfully backward compatible, and most new functions do not alter the core capabilities that much.

OTA (Over the air) Settings for Nokia 3110c !!!!!!

Hello guys,
I have Nokia 3110c , there is an option for over the air firmware settings but from where will i get settings for that.
I am in india with BSNL East as my operator.I also have an active GPRS connection.
please help !!!!!
Moderator's note: Email address removed.
Message Edited by concordia on 27-Sep-2008 03:36 PM

The only ones I know of and have used are iFiles, Dropbox, and Aji Reader. My Yahoo Calendar also syncs with the native iphone calender app over the air.
Pardon my ignorance, but the iFile and Aji Reader apps require a wi-fi connection. I'm not sure that constitutes an OTA app or not.
Message was edited by: Kadelic

Adobe Reader XI, how do I remove the panel on the far right for Tools, Fill & Sign, Comment?

How do I remove this panel on the far right of the screen? It takes up too much space when I move the Adobe window to only the left or right side of my screen. Can it be shrunk like Bookmarks, Attachments and Thumbnails?

Thanks ~graffiti. That got me halfway there. I only want the tool bars on the right to go away. I like the toolbars on the top.
I found if I "Hide Toolbars" and then "Show Toolbars", the Tools Fill & Sign Comment toolbar comes back minimized. The shortcut key is F8. I will have to remember the shortcut so I may rapidly turn off and then show the toolbars.

How do i change the access rights for every file in every sub-folder?

I have an external drive that was shared between my PC and my iMac (running Snow Leopard 10.6.5).
Some of the files created by my PC have the following access rights (privileges):
Me: Custom
staff: Custom
everyone: Custom
I want every file to have the following access rights (privileges):
Me: Read & Write
staff: Read & Write
everyone: Read & Write
I presume that I need to go into the terminal and run some command line program, but I have no idea what program or what options (or even where to look for such a program). Can someone tell me how to do this, so that every file in every sub-folder has the same access rights?

Well, that's different. Most people do not install anything on their PC to read an HFS+ disk, so I assumed it was formatted for the PC. [See my above post|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12843313#12843313].
Note that it is the same as what you asked about, except with numbers instead of the letter equivalents.
Posix permissions are for User;Group;Other (ugo) and each one can have read/write/execute permissions. Read = 4, Write = 2, and Execute = 1. So, for rwx you set 421=7.
I try to make it safe by not typing in the file path. If you do what you posted, you will change the startup volume's permissions. The path to your external is /Volumes/ext hd mount point. If you start typing the path and accidentally hit return before finishing the full path, you could fubar something you didn't want to. So, I type the command, leave a space, and then drag the target to the Terminal window.
You might also consider the GUI based permission changing program, [BatChmod|http://www.macchampion.com/arbysoft/BatchMod/Welcome.html].
Message was edited by: Barney-15E

Need advise: Is the MBA right for me?

I currently have a MB, I am thiniking about the MBA but don't know if it would work for me. Here is what I would have to be able to do (every day) with the MBA:
- Access internet and email (WIFI or verizon USB card)
-Use iChat and Skype
-Have parallels or VM fusion with WindowXP
-I need about 300 pix in iPhoto (not editing just family stuff)
-Have about 1000 songs in iTunes
-need to access data from a USB portable drive.
-Need to be able to watch a DVD from time to time.
I guess the usual traveler stuff.... Also for those of you travelers, using the MBA, how do you protect your computer (airport, airplane etc) from damages?
Thank you.
Frederic

Here are comments based upon my experience having had one for months:
Wifi is unreliable and this is a big disappointment. My AT&T 881U (cellular broadband usb modem) works great and I use that when not at home. Wifi seems to work great when you have a router that just has 802.11n connected devices using WPA/WPA2. You won't find these at public hotspots.
iChat and Skype work without problems, even the video chat is great. Camera needs good lighting but considering it is video chat, work well. Sound is very good even without a headset.
I'm running Fusion with a WinXP guest os. It works. The MBA runs hot, disk intensive programs like virus scans take quite a long time. It won't break any speed records but I'm able to use MS Project, MS OneNote, Outlook (VPN to company network).
iPhoto works great. Have about 500 pics of the kids and the screen is very nice.
I keep my iTunes songs on a home server and run iTunes on the MBA. No problems, works well with about 6000 songs. All ripped from CD and encoded with a high (extreme preset) mp3 bitrate.
I haven't tried it with flash memory.
People have reported on this forum, even with the latest software update, playing videos causes the MBA to run hot. The shuts down one processor core and the machine runs too slow for playback.
Best bag for me has been the Incase for a MBA. I wanted a bag with a shoulder strap as I carry mine around NYC and need free hands for coffee and blackberry This case is light and thin.
Regards-Michael G.

Premiere Element 13 The progress bar on the lower right for Indexing has frozen and when asking to open a video file in the organizer, Premiere does not open.

The above says it all.

I can't really answer you first question. What has happened is: when I moved an mpg file from my assets to the movie (I have added already a mpg file in the first part of the movie) a message box appears telling me the file is being "indexed" and then this Indexing progress appears in lower right of screen and it processes up to 99% and then freezes. The file appears in the time line, but the frame appears that says "media pending" and then nothing happens. I can go into the Widows media player and the mpg file plays okay, with audio. That is best I can tell you.
Though I did not say this earlier, when I try to open this mpg file from the Organizer, Premiere does not open.
My operating system is Windows 7 on a Dell computer with lots of ram and plenty of space on my hard drive.
Properties of movie file
These properties are the same as a file I already inserted in the timeline.
I look forward to your help and thanks..
JC

Is the iPhone right for me?

Hey, I think i've already convinced myself that I want an iPhone, but theres a few queries that I have, and if anyone can help, it'd be much appreciated.
First and formost, I want the iPhone because its a phone & iPod in one device - currently I have a Nokia N95 and i hate the music player on that so I have an iPod Nano... but thats full!
So this is what triggered off wanting an iPhone
But:
* Whats the iPod player like, is it still simple and easy to navigate around (i've never used an iTouch so not at all sure what it'll be like to use a 'touch' interface)
* Also, when your in a call on the iPhone is the speaker loud enough? My Nokia N95 is perfect as its clear both on loudspeaker and in handset mode. I used to ahve a Samsung U900 Soul and found it hard to hear - hence why I change to Nokia N95
* Also which colour do i choose (i'll be opting for a 16Gb version if i go ahead with one) Black looks sleek, but the white makes more of a statement, so im going to base my decision on which one hides the scratches better... Im gathering the White one would be best?
*Talking of scrtaches, does the screen resist scracthes or should I look for some sort of case or sock?
Currently I have 12 months of my Orange contract left, so I know its a bit premature to be looking for a new Phone, but does anyone know if iPhone is going to stay exclusivly with O2?
Any light shed is much appreciated! Thanks.

minimadj wrote:
* Whats the iPod player like, is it still simple and easy to navigate around (i've never used an iTouch so not at all sure what it'll be like to use a 'touch' interface)
It works the same way the iPod software works on other iPod devices. It just doesn't have a wheel, you finger flick instead.
* Also, when your in a call on the iPhone is the speaker loud enough? My Nokia N95 is perfect as its clear both on loudspeaker and in handset mode. I used to ahve a Samsung U900 Soul and found it hard to hear - hence why I change to Nokia N95
It depends on your hearing. I find the speaker loud enough for my needs.
*Talking of scrtaches, does the screen resist scracthes or should I look for some sort of case or sock?
The screen is glass and it can scratch. If you're rough on electronics a case and screen protector are good ideas.
Currently I have 12 months of my Orange contract left, so I know its a bit premature to be looking for a new Phone, but does anyone know if iPhone is going to stay exclusivly with O2?
No one here knows what the future plans are and we're not allowed to speculate.

Question: Is The Macbook right for me

i am thinking about getting a new laptop and i started to think about the macbook or macbook pro.
i am a web programmer, i work with coldfusion and will start to work with mysql more. i not a really big gamer so that is not a big deal to me.
i was hoping someone give thier opion on how well a macbook or macbook pro will work with those applications.

Hi there,
I'm a web programmer working in Visual Studio 2005, Dreamweaver, Flash and Photoshop.
I have a black Macbook with 1 gig ram.
Works great for me and I am really enjoying the widescreen format. Those side-mounted toolbars in dreamweaver flash and VS '05 fit nicely along the sides while leaving plenty or workspace for the main window.
Performance is great, whether you're in Mac OS or Windows. The graphics card has not been an issue.
I am planning on getting 2 gigs or ram when I can afford it.
My only pet peeve is the limited drive space, especially when using Bootcamp. If you use this as your main machine, i would recommend upgrading the hard drive or getting a firewire/usb 2.0 external drive for serious storage.
Best of luck!

Is the Air right for me?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for