MacBook Air or Should I keep MacBook Pro?

I recently (last week) purchased a MacBook Pro 13in. (2.8 ghz)
I originally wanted the 15 inch, but wasn't thrilled with the wieght. I know there are rumors of a new Pro design making them slimmer, but with no definite release date, It's kind of hard to wait on. Now I'm thinking maybe a MacBook Air would be a better fit.
However, I know its less powerful than the Pro. If I were to get the MBA, I'd go for the higher end ($1599) I just need ot know if you think it would work for my needs.
This wouldn't be my 'main" computer. I'd mainly be using it to take back and forth to work, to use around the house from room to room vs. being stuck sitting at a desk at home.
Programs I'd use often:
iMovie to create photo slide shows
Office for Mac
Adobe Flash Player (for work website)
Occassionally to watch movies (netflix or from itunes)
I'd also be surfing the web, accessing my work website, using it to store photos (how many photos can be stored?) and using it to listen to music from my Itunes while I'm working on it.
Most likely I'd probably have 2-3 windows open at once - Work website, photos, and word. Plus music playing. Is the MBA able to handle all of this? Would it get too hot? Or would I be better off keeping the Pro?

Your task list is very similar to mine and I haven't had any issues with my new MBA (13", i7, 1.7, 256) at all (other than the case "creaking" problem—that I might have finally fixed—described elsewhere in the forum.
Knowing that the internals of the Air are not upgradable, I anguished for months before upgrading from my trusty 2009 13" MBP.
Will 4 GB RAM be enough? (Yes, because I didn’t see any real difference when I upgraded my old 4GB MacBook Pro to 8GB. This has proven itself true in my day-to-day use of the MBA. The SSD makes up for any speed loss by only having 4GB.)
More importantly, will having only 256GB of storage be sufficient? (I had a 320GB hard drive on the MBP that was only about 2/3 full, so yeah…after some much needed archiving of old stuff to an external drive it was more than sufficient.)
Will not having a optical disk player impact the usability? (I used the disk slot on the MBP only a dozen times to install software, and only once to watch a movie. Worst case scenario is that I have to pull an external DVD drive out of storage for occasional use or drop $79 for Apple’s proprietary player if it ever becomes an ongoing need.)
The only time the fan spins up to max is when I did the initial import to iPhoto, when using flash, and with one particular screen saver (Colour Clock, now disabled). I haven't regretted the purchase at all, but I'm not getting rid of the MBP, just in case the Air ever needs to go into Apple for repairs.
Hope this helps a bit.

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Macbook pro to macbook air plus upgrade to lion and moving to cloud -- help!

So, I'm getting a new macbook air and I need to transfer stuff (apps, software, data, music, photos, etc.) from my macbook pro (a 2008 unibody w/a full hard drive that's got twice the storage of the air).
Should I upgrade the pro from OS 10.6.8 to lion first?
Should I move stuff to the iCloud first?
Whould I move my media (music, movies, TV shows, photos) to a hard drive first?
I'm clearly nervous about the best order of operations here so that I don't lose any of my data & media, and so I have the least awful transition experience. In the past, I've always upgraded to systems with *larger* hard drives so moving to a system with much less storage is freaking me out.
Thanks for your help!

I took the conservative route when I migrated to the MBair. I made a clone of my source machine, booted that and tailored it down to what I wanted on the MBair. I left the original machine alone (with plenty of backups).
Then when I received the MBair, I connect my tailored, external disk clone and used that when setup assistant asked if I wanted to migrate another Mac to the MBair.
Regards,
Captfred

Should I return my MacBook Air to upgrade to a MacBoook Pro?

I recently bought a MacBook Air with 4 GB of ram, 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 processor and Intel HD Graphics 5000 1536 MB for $850. However, I today found a refurbished MacBook Pro for sale with 8 GB of ram, 2.6 GHz intel Core i5 processor, and intel iris graphics for $1099. Should I return my MBA and buy the MBP for the $250 more? Is the faster RAM, processing speeds, and graphics worth $250? I often play league of legends but other than that I only use my laptop lightly, Microsoft and some web browsing.

If the MBP has the Retina display, then it is definitely worth it. The 13" MBP is not that much bigger than the Air. And the 4GB RAM in the Air will not be enough if you plan on keeping it for 3-4 years.
I too wanted the Air because of form factor but I settled on the 13" MBP. The Retina display and the 8GB of RAM make a pretty noticeable difference.

Should I buy a new Macbook Pro 13 inch or Macbook Air 13 inch?

Hi,
I was wondering if I should buy the new Macbook pro 13 inch, or keep my old 2010 1.4 C2D Macbook Air. I am not satisfied with the tiny 64GB SSD that my current Macbook Air has, because just a few weeks after I had done a clean reinstall of OSX Lion, the whole disk almost filled up. The one thing I do like about the Macbook Air, however is the speed of the SSD. Its really quick, and it boots in under 20 seconds. The Air didn't have many performance issues (other than overheating like crazy after playing a few graphics-intensive games).
If I were to buy a new Mac, my price range would be from $1200-$1500. I plan to use Garageband/iMovie frequently for making Youtube videos/school projects, and store a large music library. I also plan to do some moderate gaming and run Windows 7 in Bootcamp/Parallels. I don't plan to take it around much, but I don't want to have to weigh down my backpack in case I have to. My two options now would be the new Macbook Pro 13 inch or the new Macbook Air 13 inch. Could anyone give me a suggestion of which computer to buy?
Thanks!

I went through this same thing when I purchased my first Mac 3 days ago, also between the 13 inch MBA and MBP. I ended up deicding with the 13inch MBP, here's why:
1. More hard drive space, yes it may not be an SSD but more space is more space. I have also heard about people taking out the disc drive and adding an SSD in its place, so there would be an option.
2. The disc drive, I rarely do use it but just in case it's there and easier than carrying around an external.
3. Upgradability, I plan on keeping this Mac for a while because I spent so much on it. On a MBP I can upgrade the internal parts such as the hard drive and RAM. On a MBA everything is soldered together so what you buy is what you stick with.
4. Ethernet port, this is one that could be gotten around by an adapter but I still took it into consideration. Not everywhere has wifi yet including my work where every computer is hard wired.
5. Bootcamp, as well I plan to run Windows 7 on mine and Windows 7 takes a good amount of space so this is another spot where the larger hard drive of the MBP comes in handy. You could always have an external hard drive and run Windows 7 off of that on an Air but then you would have to have it always plugged in when you wanted to run Windows 7.
About me, I am a student so I had a lot to think about and read a lot of reviews online before I decided on my MBP but I am glad I decided on this over an Air. It may be a few pounds heavier also but in the long run for me I think the Pro will be better, I do plan on adding more RAM in the future as software becomes more memory intensive. With you're pricerange being 1200-1500 the 13inch MBP with the i7 processor may be one to look at. From Apple with their student discount, if you are one, you get $100 of plus a $100 giftcard. At BestBuy (where I got mine) the price of the i7 13inch MBP is 1,424.99 and if you're a student you get $100 off but no giftcard. I got the i5 13inch MBP because I don't need an i7.
In the end it all comes down to what works for you, but I hope I was able to help you some.

Should I sell my MacBook Air to get a MacBook Pro?

Currently I have a MacBook Air Mid 2011 with the following specs:
Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Hard Drive: 250GB
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 3000 384 MB
I originally put up an add to sell it for 950$ since it's from 2011. I wasn't sure if this was a good price or not but that's besides the point. I got an offer and I have the option to sell it now. The reason I would be selling it is because I would upgrade to a new 2013 MacBook Pro. I'm currently a student going into 1st year of University. Since I'm a student I can get the new MacBook Pro for only $999.00 so I wouldn't have to spend too much money upgrading which is good. The only thing I wasn't sure of is if this is even an upgrade I should consider.
Here are the specs of the 2013 MacBook Pro:
Processor: 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Memory: 4GB 1600MHz memory
Hard Drive: 500GB
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
I don't know much about specs so I don't really know if a 1.8 Ghz Intel Core i7 is better than a 2.5 Ghz Intel Core i5 or not. The program I'm going into doesn't involve a super high powered computer, but I do have one elective which is Computer Science which might require a high powered computer.
Anyways, I just wanted to upgrade because sometimes when I'm watching Netflix or YouTube videos that my MacBook Air tends to struggle sometimes. It gets very hot at the top left of the keyboard. It's not like the laptop lags or anything but it can get VERY hot. I try to keep the fan uncovered but I feel like there might be a big dust build up or something because it never did this when I first got it.
I'm also wondering if it'll be more convenient having a MacBook Air. I can get the brand new MacBook Air for $1049 which is only 50$ more than the Pro, but I imagine the pro is more for my money and my MacBook Air might even be faster than the newest MacBook Air.
Anyways any tips would be nice because I have a week to make my decision so thanks to anyone who is willing to help me out!

Here is an excellent video comparison between the 11” I5 vs. I7 2013 Macbook Air.
http://www.apple-tubes.com/apple-macbook-air-11-mid-2013-haswell-i5-vs-i7-compar ison/
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7113/2013-macbook-air-core-i5-4250u-vs-core-i7-465 0u/2
I5 vs. I7 performance 13” Macbook Air 2013
Boot performance
11.7 I5 ……11.4 I7
Cinebench
1.1 I5….1.41 I7
IMovie Import and Opt.
6.69 I5….5.35 I7
IMovie Export
10.33 I5…8.20 I7
Final Cut Pro X
21.47 I5…17.71 I7
Adobe Lightroom 3 Export
25.8 I5….31.8 I7
Adobe Photoshop CS5 Performance
27.3 I5…22.6 I7

I am a Communications student with my major in journalism and Broadcasting. Should i get a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro?

I am a university student and I currently use a Windows computer but I think it's time for a Mac upgrade. I'll be using it for writing lots of word documents and powerpoints, LOTS of web surfing espescially with many tabs and watching shows from my external hardrive. I'll be using some Adobe programs like Dreamweaver, Photoshop or Flash. I'll need to install the Windows OS into the laptop as well for my work. I'm also a light gamer. Mostly for the Dragon Age but that's not important. Portability, convenience and battery life is very important. I would hate to carry around a heavy laptop everyday.
I'm aiming for the either the 256GB, 13inch MacBook Air or the 13inch MacBook Pro. I'm not sure if I need such a high peformance laptop like the Pro but i'm also unsure if the Air is up for the job. The only reason why im hesitant to get the Pro is because it's very expensive and it's too heavy, Which one do you think i should get?

Macbook Pro 13-inch will do fine.
If you prefer a lightweight computer, Macbook Air 13-inch is the right choice
Consider 8-16GB RAM and 256 GB SSD.
Best.

Should I keep my MacBook Pro or exchange it for more Ram and SSD space?

Hello,
I decided to purchase a MacBook Pro 15 inch with Retina display. I thought I would just bite the bullet and get it with the upgraded 16gb Ram and 512 SSD as I want this computer to last me at least 5 years. I don't know exactly what I will be using it for but potentially I will be running a small business with it as well as using it for photos, some videos and all the other things we all use everyday. This brought the total price tag up to about $2900 before tax. Way more than I wanted to spend, but again, I plan on this being my last computer purchase for at least 5 years...and this would be my only computer...not a secondary one but the primary one.
As I was asking the guy in Best Buy about any sales or discounts, he mentioned a MacBook Pro with retina display that was just retuned to the store by a lady that decided to go with a MacBook Air instead. It had been opened but not used and was in perfect condition. The sales manager said he could sell that one to me for $470 off the normal price. The problem was, it was the base model and only had 8gb Ram and 256gb SSD storage. So, I had the option of buying the computer I wanted...that I know would last me for years and years, for $2,900 OR buy the base model for $1,729. What would you do?
I decided to buy the base model as it was just to good a deal to pass up. Now, 2 days later, I don't know if I made the right decision. I know that 256gb of memory is not going to last me very long...especially considering how much more space modern software takes up nowadays...and its only getting worse. My solution is to just buy an external hard drive and store everything I don't immediately need on it. But I don't know if I'm being realistic as maybe it will be a major pain to constantly have to carry around an extra storage device. Then again, even if I had the 512 SSD model MacBook, I would still eventually run out of space and need an external drive. Has anyone else relied on an external device for their daily computing needs? Is it a major nuisance or easy to get by with?
My bigger concern is that it only has 8gb of Ram and can NOT be upgraded in the future. 8gb ram is fine right now, especially with the flash drive and i7 quad core processor, but in a couple years, I'm afraid it won't be enough and that ill be forced to purchase another computer. The sales manager said that because its a Mac and because of the "monster processor" that the 8gb of Ram will be more than enough for years to come. According to him, Macs require less Ram than PC's due to their operating system being much more efficient. (This is my first Mac so I'm a bit unfamiliar)
So this is my dellima, should I return the base model and buy the one I originally wanted or should I make do with the base model and be thankful for the great deal I was able to get?
Will the 8gb of Ram be enough in a few years? I realize that depends on what I'm using the computer for but, since I'm not sure what my needs will be in the next year, lets assume I'll be using it to run a small business as well as the typical storage of pictures and home videos, etc.
Bottom line, will the 8gb of ram be enough to prevent the need to buy another computer for another 5 years or so or do I need to suck it up, return the base model, pay the extra $1,100 and get the 16gb of ram I originally wanted?
Sorry for the long story, I just need some solid advice as money is tight and I want to make the right decision. I'd rather pay $1,100 extra now and not need to buy a new computer for 5-6 years than save the money now but have to buy a whole new computer in 1-2 years. If however, the 8gb ram will still make for a solid computer in a few years, I will gladly save the money.
Thanks in advance for your help. ;-)

Generally (and in my opinion):
1) do not buy any computer you cannot replace the hard drive and the RAM in.
2) do NOT (EVER, EVER, EVER) purchase RAM or expended hard drive from any vendor (like Apple, Dell, etc). they mark up the RAM
purchase the lowest machine that will work for you and upgrade the RAM and hard drive down the road. Just look at the price Apple charges for the upgrade from 4GB to 8 GB:
Apple is charging the (4GB RAM + $100) for the 8GB upgrade. You can easily get 8GB for $100. later you should be able to get 8GB for $60.
Same thing for the hard drives:
Applis charging the price of (500GB + $100) for the 750GB drive. I just bought a 750GB notebook drive for $99
I, personally, would return the retina notebook for a MacBookPro that you can upgrade the hd and ram

I kept a dual boot of windows 7 and mac os x lion in macbook pro. so, should i keep antivirus for windows 7? which is prescribable between bit defender(bd) and microsoft security essentials(mse)?does bd and mse un-installs easily?

i kept a dual boot of windows 7 and mac os x lion in macbook pro. so, should i keep antivirus for windows 7? which is prescribable between bit defender(bd) and microsoft security essentials(mse)?does bd and mse un-installs easily?

lower your font size unless you have difficulty
MS Security Essentials is excellent
Then again maybe time to investigate Windows 8 RP (which uses Defender)

Should i go for macbook pro 13" or air 13"

hey guys, now that i've been new macbook pro has come out light, thinner and with extra 4GB RAM, i just do not know if i should get macbook air or pro.
I am a college student where power ports are readily available in my campus. so battery life of 7~8 hours and up are totally fine.
Pros for macbook pro are:
BEAUTIFUL screen
better CPU & GPU (even though there may only be slight difference)
Good palm rest
Pros for macbook air are:
LIGHT AND THIN
EXTREMELY GOOD battery life
I have seen many reviews where they said difference in size and weight is negligible for a person with healthy body (lol) but also CPU and GPU difference are also negligible since it doesn't differ very much in terms of performance.
I do not know if those are true, but regardless, i wanted to get some advices from people who owns pro, air or even both.
Thanks in advance guys !
ps. i heard apple might come up with RETINA displace macbook air in late 2014 or early 2015. is it trust able?

Yes, you should be able to dual boot Windows 7 and above using a built-in utility called 'Bootcamp'. I personally has boot camped Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Installing Windows only took about 10 minutes (lightning fast) and all the drivers installed correctly. Windows has never looked better =D
However, I will report one issue. In OS X Mavericks, you can use multi-touch gestures to interact with the system, for example two-finger scrolling, or pinch-to-zoom. In Windows, these multitouch gestures do not work on the trackpad at all. For me it was frustrating, and I ended up deleting Windows simply because of the fact that multi-touch is not supported by Windows. However, basic trackpad functions work, for example tracking, right-clicking, and dragging windows.
All other drivers are fully functional. If you need any assistance with Bootcamp, visit the Apple Support website, or just post in this same forum and I will be glad to help you.

Should I go for the new Retina Macbook Pro 13" (announced Oct 2013) or the Macbook Air 13"?

So, I was set on the Macbook Air until Apple announced the new notebook. The reason I was set on Air previously is because I really need a portable laptop, and the Air was lighter. But the new Pro seems light enough if not as light, so I'm confused all over again.
I won't use my laptop for much. I don't use my computer for gaming or high-end photo editing. I might use it for basic photo editing, nothing too special. I'm going to start college soon, which is why I need a portable laptop with good battery life. And I will be typing a lot. I listen to a lot of music, and so, I download quite a lot of music as well. Space is not that big of an issue, since I already own an external hard drive. Other than that, I browse the Internet... basic websites... Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Tumblr etc etc.
So, input would be highly appreciated. Which laptop would meet my needs, and will be good in the long run as well? Thanks in advance.

In my opinion, a college student should get the old-fashioned MacBook, NOT the Air.
You are going to be putting this in a backpack and heading off to your next class or lunch four or five times a day. The regular MacBook Pro can stand that abuse -- the Air is much more light and delicate.
If you were an executive, slipping this (in a neoprene sleeve) in and out of your Briefcase once a day, I would say the Air is fine.

Should I buy a macbook air wid i7 and 8gb ram or macbook pro with 2.4ghz i5 and 8gb ram

Hii.i am planning 2 buy a macbook and i am confused between pro and air so should I buy a macbook air wid i7 and 8gb ram or macbook pro with 2.4ghz i5 and 8gb ram..I want it to be fast and my use is onli web surfing , word & excel, watching movies and loading photos....plss help its urgent

I have a 2 year old Air with 1.8 GHz i5 4 GB that is more than adequate and extremely fast for the uses you describe.
Is battery life a factor in your decision? If so, knowing that may help someone else give you some more input.

Should I buy a MacBook Pro or a MacBook Air

I am currently going into high school and have saved enough money to buy a macbook. However, I am debating to if i should buy a MacBook Pro or a Macbook Air. I would use the laptop for these things
1. Basic Microsoft programs(Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc. for school)
2. I will also be Parallels on my mac
3. Light amount of gaming (League of Legends)
4. Websurfing/Research ( usually with an abundance of pages open)
5. Studying ( as any student would do)
6. Video Watching
7. Music
I am willing to upgrade the internals of the macbook but have a budget of about 1,250 dollars. Advice about which laptop to pick as well as what upgrades may need to be made for the internals will extremely help. Thank you

In addition to what Japib wrote
You might be able to shave $50 or so via education pricing at online Apple Store
Parallels has education pricing, ditto MS Office. Your school (district) might have some education prices for software.

Should I buy a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?

Hello,
I will buy a MacBook, but I do not know which one I should buy. I think the MacBook Air with 13'' and 128GB is good, but also the MacBook Pro with 13'' and 128GB with Retina. I do not need 256GB because I have a HDD with 1TB.
Thanks for your help.
(I am 17 years old.)

I have an external hdd also DONT DO IT buy the 256gb i thought I didn't need it either till it was to late my mb pro retina was still under warranty and I switched it for the 256gb. personally If you have money to throw into it and you would like to do some decent gaming get the macbook pro but if you can only afford the 128 gb SSD macbook pro get the 256gb air and if you want to throw some more punch into it get the I7 and this will all be around the price of a macbook pro retina. If you can afford it get the macbook pro the screen is amazing once you see it theres no going back. But the macbook air is also very nice and a better priced alternative. Hope you enjoy you're new laptop, whichever one you get there both great!

Should I buy a Macbook Air or a Macbook pro? HELP!

Hey everyone! I'm a highschool graduate starting college this fall for a music business major and I finally gathered enough money to purchase myself a macbook. I've never had a macbook before so I don't know much about them, other than that many people have one and say it's the best! The problem I'm having now is that I can't decide if I should purchase the Macbook Air 13 inch or the Macbook Pro 13 inch 2.5GHZ (these are my only 2 choices that fit my budget so pelase don't suggest any others)
I mostly use my laptop for:
- Web browsing, social networking, movie and music streaming applications. (twitter, tumblr, facebook, youtube, netflix, spotify)
- Gaming (Sims 3, IMVU, Secondlife)
- Downloading music (I have alot of music so I need alot of space)
- Uploading pictures
- Photoshop
- Downloading movies and music videos.
- (I also want a Macbook that has an application to create beats and make music!) I can't remember the name at the moment.
So in conclusion I need something with alot of space, a good graphics card for my games and a very high and fast performance overall! So which macbook is best for me? Thank you so much for your time and hopefully one of you can help me come up with a decision!

MathiasVignoly wrote:
So in conclusion I need something with alot of space, a good graphics card for my games and a very high and fast performance overall! So which macbook is best for me? Thank you so much for your time and hopefully one of you can help me come up with a decision!
For the high end technical specs you mention here, you will want the MacBook Pro. Note that it will not be cheap, but you get what you pay for. Get the highest end machine you can afford.
The music application you are thinking of is probably Logic X, which Apple just released last week.
Best of luck.

Should I buy the new MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro

Should I buy the new MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro?

it really depends what you are going to be doing, if you are going to be video editing and doing intensive stuff the Macbook Pro.
if you are going to be just browsing the web and doing lite video editing and not that intensive stuff than you should go with the Macbook Air.
Also if you want a cheaper computer than you should get the Macbook Air. By cheap, I mean less expensive.

MacBook Air or Should I keep MacBook Pro?

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