What specs would make the perfect MacBook Air for college?

I've decided I'm going to get a MacBook Air for college, but I want to make sure it's the best possible for my four years as an undergraduate so I don't have to get a new one over this time period.
For the processor: how much of a speed difference will there be between the i5 and i7? I'm thinking the i7 will be a better choice, but I really don't know what the difference will be.
For RAM: 4gb should be plenty for four years, right? Right now I have a late 2008 aluminum MacBook with only 2gb of RAM and only recently did I notice it to start getting slow.
Storage: My biggest concern. Will 256gb last me four years? I will be bringing an external hard drive, but I plan on only really using that for Time Machine backups and storage for photos. Should I make the jump to 512gb?
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
-Nick

JasonFear wrote:
The $100 upgrade from 4GB to 8GB (personally) I think is a total no brainer. RAM is one of those things that you can never have enough of and whatever decision you make at time of purchase is the one you're stuck with for the life of the machine. I can't tell you how many times I've had a user with the 2GB model from the previous generation complain of sluggish performance over a lack of available RAM. If it was hundreds of dollars I could see but it's not, especially when you factor in the cost of the machine. Over the course of three years the RAM upgrade translates into $2.78/month and you'd be "future proofing" yourself.
As with previous generations, Apple only lets you upgrade from 256GB to 512GB if you buy the higher end model. Which means you're looking at $1999 for the 13" model with 512GB (4GB of RAM) and $1899 for the 11" model (4GB of RAM). Absolutely not worth it, unless you absolutely have to have 300-400GB of data available locally.
I came into the conversation to clear up wrong information. If there's one thing I've learned in my time posting, more points doesn't mean good information. The OP, who's new, had a question about buying decisions and was given bad information. You've never corrected someone when they wrong? Doubt it...
Regrettably, because this an open discussion forum, we're all free to respond to whoever and whenever. It's very possible that the OP may not know the technical differences between the various CPUs and thus would base his purchasing decision on your false information. Imagine his surprise when he's told that his i7 CPU is a dual core and not a quad core.
Seeing you've asked (so eloquently I might add), I'm happy to provide information on the CPUs.
The i5 in the 13" MacBook Air is an i5-3337U, the i7 is an i7-3667U. Both machines when benchmarked against one another in a PassMark CPU test scored as followed:
i5 - 2,652
i7 - 2,841
A difference of 189 points. You're a numbers guy, Kappy. So if real estate property #1 is worth $2,652,000 and real estate property #2 is worth 2,841,000 how much more is that property worth? It's sure not 25%.
My apologies to the OP for the divergent of your topic, but I think it's important when a frequent poster who's opinion is highly regarded but (other) members on here to be corrected when bad information is provided. I know I would expect the same correction if I recommended something incorrectly.

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What situation would make the dbms_scheduler to delay the execution of jobs

Hello all,
Env: 10.2.0.3
I have a couple of jobs scheduled in DBMS_SCHEDULER to run at 6:00 AM everyday and it used to run at 6:00.
But today instead of 6:00 they ran at 13:00. Next_run_time for jobs are at 6:00AM tomorrow. I checked the log files and but did not hit on anything.
What are the situations that would hinder the scheduler from running jobs
1] If DB is down, scheduler will start jobs once the db is up. [ But in my case DB was up at that time]
2]
Are there any other situation that would make the scheduler wait?
TIA,
J J

Hi,
job_queue_processes is 64
MAX_JOB_SLAVE_PROCESSES is NULL and
sessions parameter is 665. The total sessions has never gone above 150.
There were no jobs running in dba_scheduler_running_jobs.
It so happened yesterday, one of the job scheduled in dbms_scheduler to run at 10:00AM didn't run. Then we manually ran it at around 11:00, though it was successful the last_start_date and next_run_date in the dba_scheduler_jobs didn't change.
select job_name,job_type,start_date,repeat_interval,state,max_runs,failure_count,to_char(last_start_date,'dd-mm-yy hh24:mi:ss') last_start,to_char(next_run_date,'dd-mm-yy hh24:mi:ss') next_start,event_condition,job_priority,comments
from dba_scheduler_jobs where job_name='OFAC'
OFAC EXECUTABLE 03-DEC-06 12.00.00.000000000 AM JAPAN FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=10;BYMINUTE=0;BYSECOND=0 SCHEDULED (null) 6 06-04-08 10:00:35 07-04-08 10:00:00 (null) 3 OFAC
Then the scheduler itself ran this job at 13:09 and the dates were changed.
OFAC EXECUTABLE 03-DEC-06 12.00.00.000000000 AM JAPAN FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=10;BYMINUTE=0;BYSECOND=0 SCHEDULED (null) 6 07-04-08 13:09:54 08-04-08 10:00:00 (null) 3 OFACI did apply the patchset 10.2.0.3 on 30th of March on this 2 node RAC.
In bdump i can see a log file shcn01_cjq0_2217.trc, which is always being populated with
jsksGetCurWindowId:1 got error 27468
jsksGetCurWindowId:1 got error 27468
jsksGetCurWindowId:1 got error 27468
jsksGetCurWindowId:1 got error 27468
jsksGetCurWindowId:1 got error 27468
jsksGetCurWindowId:1 got error 27468
jsksGetCurWindowId:1 got error 27468
jsksGetCurWindowId:1 got error 27468the same is on node2 also. It started this from the next day after applying the patchset.
Also the ora_cjq0_SHCN01 process is always in the top 3 (since 4 days) in o/p of top command on both nodes.
Any reason for this behavior ?
TIA,
JJ

Help me build the perfect Macbook Pro for web design!

I am a beginning web design student, and I'm planning to purchase a new MacBook Pro in the coming weeks. I need to be able to effectively run a few of the CS6 programs, including Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Which configuration should I have---I really don't want to spend more than $2000.00. Should I beef up on RAM and skimp on the processor?
Or, would I be better off getting an iMac? While losing portability and processor speed, the screen real estate would be incredible.

If it were up to me, I would choose the latter;
2.3GHz i7 Quad Core
With 8GB DDR3
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MacBook Pro or MacBook Air for college

Hi guys!
So this is the typical college question from a mac lover, do I get the air or the pro? Currently my major is undeclared, but I'm looking into engineering. At the moment I don't do a lot of work with video and photography, but I am hoping to get more into that stuff although it wouldn't be like getting a major or a minor in it. More like just fiddling around. I usually watch a lot of DVDs and I have a fairly large music library. I'm hoping to just use netflix and get rid of some old music next year but chances are that won't happen.
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I'm kinda leaning toward the air, but every time I go to purchase it something inside me asks if that what I really want.
Alright so what are everybody's thought! Thank you!

I recommend you a Macbook Pro (preferably maxed out in the specs). I'm studying Mechanical Engineering and so far it has worked marvels for me. The Macbook pro is a little heavier than the MBA, however i feel that what you should really look for is performance and not merely things like weight (specially if its so little difference). As for the battery, I don't know in your college, but in my we have ALL around the campus TONS of power outlets, so that shouldn't matter. So yeah.. between MacBook Pro and MacBook aire definitively Macbook Pro

Macbook Air for College?

I'm thinking about getting a MBA for college in the fall.
I do light/medium video/photo editing, a lot of multitasking, web surfing, etc. I like the idea of the AIr because it boots up so quickly and is much more convenient for work on the go. Has anyone experience noticable lag when video editing or photo editing with the MBA? Is there any reason for me to consider one of the Macbook Pros?

Even though I have a new iMac at work and a very good iMac at home, the 2011 MBA I got in December has become my workhorse and that includes using Photoshop CS 5 and iMovie. I briefly experimented with Final Cut and abandoned it, not because the computer couldn't handle it but because my project couldn't fit on the SSD and when I tried working from a USB drive I got some stuttering. This may not be an issue any longer with the new MBA having USB 3 ports (or if I were willing to remove a goodly bunch of media from my computer).

Macbook Pro or Macbook Air for college? (Science/Psych Major)

Hi, I'm a last year high school student that has had a Macbook Pro 13" (mid 2012 model) (2.5GHz Intel i5, 4GB) since the end of 2012. It's been getting kinda slow on me and I've been thinking of getting a newer Macbook at the end of the year for college next year.
I will definitely be majoring in a Science/Psychology sort of degree. It won't be a strongly mathematical, calculative degree that requires fancy software.
I'll most likely use it for:
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- Using Microsoft office programs
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- Listening to music (Spotify)
- Skype occasionally
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If you're in any way serious about the video then the Pro.

My computer thinks firefox is running and will not open browser window,error = firefox is already running, you need to terminate the process or restart computer. restart has no effect. what file would make the computer think firefox is running?

Reinstalling does not help. Computer locked up for unkown reason and this has happened ever since when i try to start firefox.
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See:
* http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_in_use
* https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Firefox+is+already+running+but+is+not+responding
Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problems.
See "Basic Troubleshooting: Make a new profile":
*https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Basic+Troubleshooting#w_8-make-a-new-profile
There may be extensions and plugins installed by default in a new profile, so check that in "Tools > Add-ons > Extensions & Plugins" in case there are still problems.
If that new profile works then you can transfer some files from the old profile to that new profile, but be careful not to copy corrupted files.
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*http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox

Re: How I would make the Toshiba AC100 successful

Hi All,
I post my ideas for improvements here, maybe someone from Toshiba reads this.
The original blog post is here:
http://soltesza.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/how-i-would-make-the-toshiba-ac100-successful/
Please feel free to contribute here or at the blog post.
The AC100 is an early attempt from Toshiba to create an ARM based netbook (a smartbook) with Nvidia's successful Tegra2 chipset.
Although, the AC100 looks like proper hardware design, it became only
mildly successful. Some of the reasons may have to do with the primary
operating system, Android ([see my earlier article about this|http://soltesza.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/toshiba-a100-smartbook-with-android-but-why/]) but even more can be attributed to the design decisions Toshiba made.
Since these machines are now available in my home country (Hungary)
at quite attractive price points (~$250 USD, some people seem to be
trying to get rid of it soon after purchase) I can't help bumping into
it all the time. Sinc[View post|http://soltesza.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/2011/05/09/how-i-would-make-the-toshiba-ac100-successful/]e
I am a gadget fan, I always have my hand trembling seeing those prices
and I need to cool myself down before doing some impulse-buy I regret
later.
What could make me click on the "Buy" button?
*More memory*
First of all, 1-2GB of RAM instead of the measly 512MB the AC100
hosts. Why the heck tried Toshiba sell a netbook with 512MB of RAM when
ALL of the Atom N450 netbooks seemed to come with 2 GB at that time?
This amount of RAM would allow to slap Ubuntu onto the machine and not
worry about running out of memory when loading up OpenOffice. Ubuntu has
been demonstrated on the AC100 and even looks snappy. (see this [site dedicated to Ubuntu on the AC100|http://tosh-ac100.wetpaint.com/]). Toshiba could easily put 2GB of RAM into the machine without major cost-increase.
*Desktop OS and/or Android*
Putting 1-2GB of RAM into the AC100 would open the gate for using a
proper, netbook-oriented desktop OS which can take advantage of the
form-factor. They should use Ubuntu, since that could be fixed up on
this hardware in no time (especially if they purchase some consultancy
from Canonical).
I don't think that Android needs to stay on the machine but if
Toshiba still thinks it is such a good idea for any user-group, they
could make the AC100 dual-boot, or even better, run both OSes in
parallel (2GB of RAM would make this absolutely possible). Android would
be the light-and-easy OS on the device but the user could any time
switch to a full Ubuntu desktop with an Android launcher icon and start
using OpenOffice or other decent desktop software. The
paravirtualization developed by B-labs would be an [instant solution |http://armdevices.net/2011/04/04/android-virtualization-on-ti-omap4-processors-dual-core-cortex-a9/]for this problem and would future proof the machine for a possible Windows8 scenario later.
*More battery*
The 8 hour runtime of the AC100 is decent enough but more
battery-time is always welcome. The enclosure has a LOT of free/empty
space under the keyboard due to the ultra-compact nature of Tegra2 and
its supporting circuitry. Toshiba should again take advantage of the
form-factor and add one or more extra battery docking bays under the
keyboard which could extend the runtime to 16-24 hours. (Admittedly,
they would make the unit weight much more but since these batteries
would be optional, this decision would be up to the user. A 24-hour
runtime with a 3-battery arrangement would make the AC100 extremely
appealing for a large-set of users. It would be acceptable that the
batteries are charged in series (so the recharge process is lengthier)
so that Toshiba doesn't have to switch to a more expensive power supply.
(Although the power supply issue is probably not a serious cost
factor).
*What else*
Of course, there would be a lot of things to be improved (more USB
ports, higher-resolution display...etc) but I tried to draw up things
which require smaller redesign so that an improved version could be
implemented faster.
I believe the AC100 line could be made really successful and Toshiba should take steps to make this happen.

hi there,
I'm new here and I need support from someone...
I buy notebook toshiba ac100 3 weeks before and I suffer major problem...
something happened with my screen , I press the power button and notebook is running /I can tell from turning on play-multimedia button for music and it plays music/ but the screen is not running !
I try many many things, like only on A/C , only on battery , pushing button for switch between screen and ext.monitor , but unfortunately - the screen was still black !
so I connect to flat tv with HDMI cable, and there you go - i have the screen ot the TV , but only there !
my question is this is problem with the screen or something I do wrong ?!
thank you in advance.
regards.

Is there a way to connect the new MacBook Air to an audio interface that only has FireWire 400 input?

I recently acquired the new MacBook Air for my performance rig and have discovered that there is no way to connect it to either of my audio interfaces [both have FireWire 400 ports only. Is there an adaptor for this? I can't seem to find one.

Later on this month, both Belkin and Sonnet have indicated that they will have means to adapt the Thunderbolt port to the Firewire 800 interface.
Sonnet's solution will be an simple adapter, while Belkins will be a more full featured dock, with a few ports, including USB 3.0
There is no indication what the price of either will be, but both of them should provide a relatively easy means to then adapt to Firewire 400, as such cable adapters are already readily available at a nominal price.
Apple has the Sonnet adapter mentioned on their website, so it may be likely that the Apple online store will be carrying them when they become available.
As far as an adapter from USB 2.0 to Firewire, there have been only a scant few adapters available in the past, and all that I have seen were propretary in nature, only usable for the particular device they were fashioned for. I have not seen any that were usable in a general sense. Look at the reviews of any such products you might find in this regard. You will find no satisfied users.

Will the new MacBook Air be able to handle what I need it for?

I'm about to buy my first ever Mac, exciting right?
Anywho, I was set on getting a MacBook (or possibly pro) then the new MacBook Air came out, after looking at it and doing a bit of research it seems to be a fantastic computer but I'm not sure if it can handle what I'll be using it for.
On a general day to day basis, I use these programs:
- a Web Browser (surfing the web and watching online video mostly)
- iTunes
- Scrivener (Writing Software)
- Skype
- AIM
- Microsoft Office
On about a weekly+ basis, I'll be using these programs:
- iMovie
- Adobe Flash CS5 Professional
- Adobe Photoshop CS5
- Other Adobe programs?
Other little tidbits that may be helpful:
- I'm a college student (And though I don't write a lot of essays, stupid technical classes, I will next year because...)
- I'll most likely major in Graphic Design, English or both.
- I spend a lot of time on the computer.
- I'm not a gamer, outside of the occasional online game
- I'm not planning on keeping too much on the computer. (Only programs and whatever project(s) I'm currently working on. Everything else will be kept in an external hard drive or Dropbox. Too keep away clutter and because having so many PC's crash on me has made me paranoid.)
I like the new MacBook Air because it's small and light and has the perfect amount of battery to fit my needs (I hardly ever keep my computer away from a plug for more than 7 hours) Also I really never use my CD drive on my laptop, in fact I think I only used it twice this past year. So really my only concern is that I'll buy it and end up discovering that it doesn't fit my needs, hence this post.
Beyond this I only have three questions:
1.) How much memory should I have? (I do want some wiggle room)
2.) Does a mini jack mean I have to buy special headphones or an adapter?
3.) Does the Facetime Camera = Web Cam? Can I use it for the same purposes? (ex. taking photos/videos, video chat through Skype, etc.)
And the main question: Would the New MacBook Air work for me? If not, which Mac should I get instead? (I'm getting a 13" laptop across the board)
And I probably posted way too much information about my computer life, but if there is anything I learned from taking technical classes its that the more information I can give the better suited computer you can advice me to get.
So thanks to anyone who responds!

witsallbeendonebefore wrote:
The extra 2GB would make any computer run faster. Could you maybe explain more?
Absolutely. The 13" MBA (baseline configuration) at $1299 weighs in at $100 more than the 13" MBP, upgrade the MBA to 4GB and it's now $200 more. So you're paying more money for comparable or "slightly" better performance.
There's been a lot of performance benchmarks released over the past 4 days since I made my initial remark. Not to mention in that time I've had the opportunity to use a 13" MBA with 2GB & 4GB of RAM, although I had more time with the 2GB model. Some observations:
1.) What happens when you need to install something that's only available via CD or DVD? Part two of that question, what happens if you don't have access to a computer with an optical drive to share over to the MBA?
2.) What if you require FireWire connectivity or need to troubleshoot your computer via TDM?
3.) How do you manage 128GB?
4.) How do you run a presentation from the machine with an IR-base remote?
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of the MBA, I was one of the first in line to buy one when the first generation came out and I made the 2nd generation MBA my "go to" mobile computer for well over a year. I've been very pleased with currently MBA, but it's not a jack of all trades and while it may be faster than my 13" MBP there are still scenarios that require features the MBP has 'standard' that the MBA does not offer or requires more $$ to implement.
My initial comment about "sluggish" performance was in respect to LightRoom3, Starcraft II, World of Warcraft and Adobe Photoshop CS5. I'll absolutely agree that equalizing the RAM would definitely help to level the playing field but thus far in my testing with the 13" MBA @ 4GB versus the 13" MBP @ 4GB there's still some noticeable difference in favor of the MBP.

I received a MacBook Air for Xmas and would like to copy the contents from iTunes on the old computer to iTunes on the new mac. How can i do this?

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.

I just bought the new MacBook Air a few days ago and my Internet connection is so slow. My iPhone's connection works fine when connected to the wifi but the MacBook connects for a few seconds then drops completely. What do I do?

I just bought the new MacBook Air a few days ago and my Internet connection is so slow. My iPhone's connection works fine when connected to the wifi but the MacBook connects for a few seconds then drops completely. What do I do? I tried connecting it to my phone's hotspot and it works perfectly. I'm a new Mac user so I have no idea what to do. I have Comcast xfinity cable and Internet. Thanks for the help.

Your warranty includes 90 days of phone support. Contact Apple.

Hi I bought 2TB WD my passport for mac but I do not know what I can delete from the original macbook air. Thank you.

Hi I bought 2TB WD my passport for mac but I do not know what I can delete from the original macbook air. Thank you.

That depends on what you have on the MBA...if you have videos, move the videos to the external drive. If you have a lot of music, create a folder/library for the music and point iTunes there for the music. If you have a lot of photos for iPhoto, make a new library on the external drive and move our photos over there and then select that library as the default library for iPhoto to use.
Those are the big files and should take a lot of the load off the internal storage.

My wife just got the new macbook air. What cable do I need to copy music and photos from my 2007 macbook to the new macbook air?

my wife just got the new macbook air. What cable do I need to copy music and photos from my 2007 macbook to the new macbook air?

Try doing it without a cable!
Use AirDrop, described here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4783
UPDATE - Oh, sorry, I see the article points out the MacBook is too old for AirDrop.
Message was edited by: sberman

When I try to connect the Air with my iPhone to create an Hotspot, it drops the connection and gives an error message in the iPhone saying that the device (MacBook Air) is not supported. What can i do about it?

When I try to connect the Air with my iPhone to create an Hotspot, it drops the connection and gives an error message in the iPhone saying that the device (MacBook Air) is not supported. What can i do about it?

The problem has been fixed with the most recent OS X software update.

What specs would make the perfect MacBook Air for college?

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