Which computer to pick? Which did you get? Macbook pro or air

[deleted303591]

I just dropped 2.5k on the new 15" retina, but I'm loving how fast and beautiful the display is.

That's a lot of money to drop on a computer that has been using the same form-factor for at least 8 years, and that basically requires you to use an operating system that has not had its user interface/appearance updated in over 10 years.

I do like Macs though. If you like it, it works, and you can afford it, I guess you can't go wrong.

My point is, when you spend money, it's gone, and you will never see it again. You will see rainy days, just like anyone else.

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[tyrionmygrace]

I dropped $1000 on a 15 in, high def laptop with 8 gigs of ram, 10 hour battery life, windows computer. Every aspect of my laptop is better or equal to the Mac. However, what should I do with the extra $1500?

Buy 3 shares of Apple stock

 

[Status Sciaticus]

anyone here bought an MBA yet? I'm debating between the 1.3 i5 or the 1.7 i7
Also to the med students, how often do you use an iPad/tablet? It just seems like a waste of money if I am buying a laptop anyways..

 

[Mavs88]

anyone here bought an MBA yet? I'm debating between the 1.3 i5 or the 1.7 i7
Also to the med students, how often do you use an iPad/tablet? It just seems like a waste of money if I am buying a laptop anyways..

I bought this one a month and a half ago: http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook...&qid=1386901044&sr=8-5&keywords=macbook+air13

Absolutely LOVE it. It's so damn fast and light. Tis a beauty.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

I bought this one a month and a half ago: http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-MD760LL-13-3-Inch-VERSION/dp/B00746YPQI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1386901044&sr=8-5&keywords=macbook air13

Absolutely LOVE it. It's so damn fast and light. Tis a beauty.

Ive pretty much decided on the MBA, its just the specs that need to be picked.

like 4gb vs 8gb ram
128gb vs 256 gb
1.3 Ghz vs 1.7 Ghz

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Unless you're going to use the iPad as you primary note taking device (which I would personally advise against) I wouldn't bother looking at one for a couple years. They become more useful during M3 but until then it's basically a toy, especially if you're getting something as easy to carry around as a MBA and you have a smartphone. Even during M3 an iPad is really only useful during prolonged downtime reading periods as you can quickly reference stuff on your phone just as quickly.

 

[Lya]

Ive pretty much decided on the MBA, its just the specs that need to be picked.

like 4gb vs 8gb ram
128gb vs 256 gb
1.3 Ghz vs 1.7 Ghz

I am not an expert on this, so hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

One thing that people used to complain the most about rMBP 13" last year was its 128 gb. So I know that if you are going with 128 gb, you might consider getting an external hard drive in the future. If you are not into videos or photography that usually take a lot of space, 128 gb might be just fine.

For RAM, there is a big difference between 2 gb and 4 gb, but between 4 gb and 8 gb, I am not quite sure. 8 gb is one of the most common. If you do a lot of multi-tasking and surfing the web, 8 gb will be better.

For 1.3 GHz vs. 1.7 GHz, a general consensus seems to be it is worth extra money for 1.7 GHz. Each 1.7 GHz core runs 10-30% faster, and some people usually say it is totally worthwhile.


If you have a local Apple store, I would suggest you to go and check it out in person. Sometimes, just talking in general might not give you the "feel" of which MBA version is better.


P.S. Have you looked into "like new" rMBP 15" in Amazon? Even the old versions like mid 2012 and early 2013 are not too different from the most current one, and you can get rMBP 15", 2.3 GHz quad, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB for ~ $1500. I don't know about other guys, but if I were you, I would have taken this rather than getting a brand new MBA for $300-500 cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007471PZQ/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Also, forgot to put this in before but for refurbished Apple stuff.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

You get the exact same warranty as the new stuff. Check back often because the stock changes depending on what they have in and it might be slim pickings right now b/c of Christmas. Amazon can also be cheaper in some cases b/c of sales tax too so compare.

 

[Status Sciaticus]

I am not an expert on this, so hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

One thing that people used to complain the most about rMBP 13" last year was its 128 gb. So I know that if you are going with 128 gb, you might consider getting an external hard drive in the future. If you are not into videos or photography that usually take a lot of space, 128 gb might be just fine.

For RAM, there is a big difference between 2 gb and 4 gb, but between 4 gb and 8 gb, I am not quite sure. 8 gb is one of the most common. If you do a lot of multi-tasking and surfing the web, 8 gb will be better.

For 1.3 GHz vs. 1.7 GHz, a general consensus seems to be it is worth extra money for 1.7 GHz. Each 1.7 GHz core runs 10-30% faster, and some people usually say it is totally worthwhile.


If you have a local Apple store, I would suggest you to go and check it out in person. Sometimes, just talking in general might not give you the "feel" of which MBA version is better.


P.S. Have you looked into "like new" rMBP 15" in Amazon? Even the old versions like mid 2012 and early 2013 are not too different from the most current one, and you can get rMBP 15", 2.3 GHz quad, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB for ~ $1500. I don't know about other guys, but if I were you, I would have taken this rather than getting a brand new MBA for $300-500 cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B007471PZQ/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

My laptop is just for notes/audio-video lectures/PPT/med school stuff.

I prefer portability and speed so I am dead set on the MBA ( i have an MBP right now)

Also, forgot to put this in before but for refurbished Apple stuff.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

You get the exact same warranty as the new stuff. Check back often because the stock changes depending on what they have in and it might be slim pickings right now b/c of Christmas. Amazon can also be cheaper in some cases b/c of sales tax too so compare.

Im not a fan of buying used things. Not trying to sound snobby or anything.

 

[Lya]

My laptop is just for notes/audio-video lectures/PPT/med school stuff.

I prefer portability and speed so I am dead set on the MBA ( i have an MBP right now)



Im not a fan of buying used things. Not trying to sound snobby or anything.

Okay. I would check your MBP and see how much memory you are currently using (128 vs. 256 GB) and see which one you will be more comfortable with for the next 4-5 years. I would go with 1.7 GHz and 8 GB, but depending on your budget and if I have to downgrade one of them for a cheaper price, I would make 8 GB -> 4 GB RAM.

Just my opinion. Looking into other online reviews or websites might be more helpful.

 

[frosted_flake]

For those of you who have purchased the newer MacBook air, is it REALLY 12 hours for battery life? I currently have an ASUS ZenBook prime, and it was supposed to be a "12 hour battery life" but the most I have ever gotten has been 5.5 hours, pecking away on Microsoft word, and with the screen so dim I can barely see...

 

[knv2u]

Macbook Air = much lighter, faster (not kidding, it's really faster), no DVD/CD drive

Macbook Pro = has DVD/CD drive

If in doubt, buy from Best Buy. I think they have a 30 day return policy. Double check to be sure. If so, you can use it for 30 days, don't damage it, keep the packaging, and return it. Then try out the other for under 30 days, and return it. Lastly, tell us which one you pick and why.

That's not a fair comparison. The Macbook Air models automatically come with a solid state drive (SSD) as compared to a standard hard drive. The SSD is an optional upgrade on the Macbook Pro. In terms of weight, I have a 15" Macbook Pro, and it is extremely light. Many times, I would stop to check my backpack on campus to make sure that it was still in my bag. All of them are student friendly in terms of weight.

The biggest differences are that the Macbook Pro comes with better processors and other technical specs and has the optical drive. The MBA is lighter, has a longer battery life, and the price (for an SSD model) is cheaper. There are trade-offs. You must decide what is best for you.

 

[terp720]

That's not a fair comparison. The Macbook Air models automatically come with a solid state drive (SSD) as compared to a standard hard drive. The SSD is an optional upgrade on the Macbook Pro. In terms of weight, I have a 15" Macbook Pro, and it is extremely light. Many times, I would stop to check my backpack on campus to make sure that it was still in my bag. All of them are student friendly in terms of weight.

The biggest differences are that the Macbook Pro comes with better processors and other technical specs and has the optical drive. The MBA is lighter, has a longer battery life, and the price (for an SSD model) is cheaper. There are trade-offs. You must decide what is best for you.

Only the 13" without retina display though. The ones with retina display don't have a CD/DVD drive either.

 

[polyatomic]

For those of you who have purchased the newer MacBook air, is it REALLY 12 hours for battery life? I currently have an ASUS ZenBook prime, and it was supposed to be a "12 hour battery life" but the most I have ever gotten has been 5.5 hours, pecking away on Microsoft word, and with the screen so dim I can barely see...

It's definitely give or take. If I'm not doing much on it, it'll definitely last for the 12 hour period. But usually I'm streaming music while checking FB/mail and doing school projects in microsoft office at the same time. So at that rate, it doesn't last 12 hours. But, I haven't yet had to charge my MBA more than once a day, which is absolutely amazing compared to the Dell I just replaced.

 

[frosted_flake]

It's definitely give or take. If I'm not doing much on it, it'll definitely last for the 12 hour period. But usually I'm streaming music while checking FB/mail and doing school projects in microsoft office at the same time. So at that rate, it doesn't last 12 hours. But, I haven't yet had to charge my MBA more than once a day, which is absolutely amazing compared to the Dell I just replaced.

That is SWEET! 🙂 If I am working on a big project, I have had to charge my asus 3 times, and eventually just leave the thing plugged in.

 

[Catman21]

In all honesty, everyone should just wait before you get a new laptop for med school... a few of the schools in my state "provide" (included in tuition) you with a laptop with all your text books (ebooks) already installed.
So before you go all crazy on a MBA or Pro or retina w/e you might want to hold off until you get in, before you get swindled out of that 2k they charge you in tuition.

 

[polyatomic]

That is SWEET! 🙂 If I am working on a big project, I have had to charge my asus 3 times, and eventually just leave the thing plugged in.

I know how you feel...that was my life before I discovered the MBA

 

[frosted_flake]

I know how you feel...that was my life before I discovered the MBA

If only Mac had OneNote, I would be sold. I would go buy one right now, but I can't bring myself to do it! I am so dependent on OneNote.

 

[MadRadLad]

For those of you who have purchased the newer MacBook air, is it REALLY 12 hours for battery life? I currently have an ASUS ZenBook prime, and it was supposed to be a "12 hour battery life" but the most I have ever gotten has been 5.5 hours, pecking away on Microsoft word, and with the screen so dim I can barely see...

You might want to get it checked out. I recently got the ASUS Q501 which isn't a super slim ultrabook (15.6", Core i5-4200U) and doesn't even have a SSD (which would use less power) and I get 8 hours doing basic word processing/internet browsing. Sounds like it could be an issue with your battery potentially? Download CPU-Z HWMonitor and check out your battery's wear level.