Macbook Air?
(Monkey, 44
Points)
on 7/18/12 at 10:01am
So my 4 year old laptop finally crashed on me after a slew of problems. I'm thinking of getting an Macbook but Apple discontinued the standard model and now the only options are Macbook Pros and Macbook Airs.
I'm not trying to start a mac vs pc war here, I just want to know if anyone here has either of the newer models here and could vouch for them.
I'll be mainly using the laptop for school btw.





If you're in school and you
If you're in school and you don't own a Mac you are by definition lower-class / uncool. Is this even a question?
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As always, it depends on what
As always, it depends on what you think you'll be using it for in school. I've used one (borrowed a friend's) and liked it a lot - very sleek, smooth, etc. It's easy these days to install Windows on one. For me, though, I just don't like the keyboard layout and prefer to get a better deal on a PC, especially because I like swapping parts out. I mean it really just comes down to you going to a store, trying different models, and seeing what you think is best for yourself, though.
Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?
I think Air is better if
I think Air is better if you're in school. Easier to carry around for classes. If you want to stay with windows, check out Sony Vaio Z series. A bit pricey, but it's definitely one of the top PCs out there.
If you have around $1k to
If you have around $1k to spend on a laptop, I genuinely believe the Macbook Air is the best one on the market. It is the best combination of performance, portability, endurance and design. Yes there are many competing "ultrabooks" out there but the reason none of them has seen fantastic success is they simply aren't as good.
Note that Excel for Mac is terrible, but you can Boot Camp into Windows extremely easily (or Paralllels is even easier). The only argument against buying a Mac computer nowadays is the price, but all ultrabooks are priced around the same so even that argument goes out of the window.
When configuring your computer I'd recommend a few things:
- You cannot upgrade anything in the future, so splash out a bit extra to future-proof your laptop. 4GB of RAM comes as standard nowadays but upgrading to 8GB for $100 is decent if you use a lot of applications at once
- 128gb of flash drive space is the minimum really, considering the OS takes up about 10GB. You will soon be able to buy an SD drive called 'Nifty' (search it on KickStarter) which looks fantastic and will add a lot of storage expansion space
- If you're going for a 13" MBA, get an i7 processor. It will be worth it
The model I recommend is as follows:
MBA 11"
2.0 GHz i7 processor (upgrade)
8GB RAM (upgrade)
128gb flash storage
Total cost - $1,349
If you're willing to wait a few months, you might be able to pick up a refurb version for a 20% discount. Make sure it is a 2012 model though so you get the large benefits of the Ivy Bridge processors.
See my other WSO blog posts>
don't buy a mac
don't buy a mac
Asatar: If you have around
If you have around $1k to spend on a laptop, I genuinely believe the Macbook Air is the best one on the market. It is the best combination of performance, portability, endurance and design. Yes there are many competing "ultrabooks" out there but the reason none of them has seen fantastic success is they simply aren't as good.
Note that Excel for Mac is terrible, but you can Boot Camp into Windows extremely easily (or Paralllels is even easier). The only argument against buying a Mac computer nowadays is the price, but all ultrabooks are priced around the same so even that argument goes out of the window.
When configuring your computer I'd recommend a few things:
- You cannot upgrade anything in the future, so splash out a bit extra to future-proof your laptop. 4GB of RAM comes as standard nowadays but upgrading to 8GB for $100 is decent if you use a lot of applications at once
- 128gb of flash drive space is the minimum really, considering the OS takes up about 10GB. You will soon be able to buy an SD drive called 'Nifty' (search it on KickStarter) which looks fantastic and will add a lot of storage expansion space
- If you're going for a 13" MBA, get an i7 processor. It will be worth it
The model I recommend is as follows:
MBA 11"
2.0 GHz i7 processor (upgrade)
8GB RAM (upgrade)
128gb flash storage
Total cost - $1,349
If you're willing to wait a few months, you might be able to pick up a refurb version for a 20% discount. Make sure it is a 2012 model though so you get the large benefits of the Ivy Bridge processors.
but couldn't i get a 13" macbook pro for lower price with a better processor and larger hard drive for less?
I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed.
idrankmalk: Asatar: If you
If you have around $1k to spend on a laptop, I genuinely believe the Macbook Air is the best one on the market. It is the best combination of performance, portability, endurance and design. Yes there are many competing "ultrabooks" out there but the reason none of them has seen fantastic success is they simply aren't as good.
Note that Excel for Mac is terrible, but you can Boot Camp into Windows extremely easily (or Paralllels is even easier). The only argument against buying a Mac computer nowadays is the price, but all ultrabooks are priced around the same so even that argument goes out of the window.
When configuring your computer I'd recommend a few things:
- You cannot upgrade anything in the future, so splash out a bit extra to future-proof your laptop. 4GB of RAM comes as standard nowadays but upgrading to 8GB for $100 is decent if you use a lot of applications at once
- 128gb of flash drive space is the minimum really, considering the OS takes up about 10GB. You will soon be able to buy an SD drive called 'Nifty' (search it on KickStarter) which looks fantastic and will add a lot of storage expansion space
- If you're going for a 13" MBA, get an i7 processor. It will be worth it
The model I recommend is as follows:
MBA 11"
2.0 GHz i7 processor (upgrade)
8GB RAM (upgrade)
128gb flash storage
Total cost - $1,349
If you're willing to wait a few months, you might be able to pick up a refurb version for a 20% discount. Make sure it is a 2012 model though so you get the large benefits of the Ivy Bridge processors.
but couldn't i get a 13" macbook pro for lower price with a better processor and larger hard drive for less?
The Macbook Pro uses a standard hard drive which is physical and spins. The Macbook Air uses flash storage which is what you get in smart phones / tablets etc. Flash storage is more expensive per gigabyte but is a LOT faster and doesn't break. The main cause of failure in electronic devices is usually the spinning hard drive. The Macbook Pro processor has a higher clock speed (2.5 Ghz vs 2.0 in the Air) but is an i5 rather than an i7 and doesn't have the Turbo Boost feature (which will work wonders when you are not stressing the machine).
If storage space is a real issue and 128gb is too small, then I recommend buying an external hard drive. Going SSD (flash storage) internally for running the operating system and programmes is the biggest speed boost you can give a computer.
See my other WSO blog posts>
Vontropnats: If you're in
If you're in school and you don't own a Mac you are by definition lower-class / uncool. Is this even a question?
haha, don't buy a mac... get something that runs excel properly for half the price, you don't need to follow the hipster herd
Get the Air. Excel for Mac
Get the Air. Excel for Mac just takes getting used to but isn't terrible (you can customize your shortcuts, which goes a long way.) The Air is seriously awesome and insanely light.
Check out my WSO Blog
HP Envy, either Spectre the
HP Envy, either Spectre the new 15" (I have one). No need for an air..get an ipad
Mac OS is retarded anyways
I got the Macbook Air a year
I got the Macbook Air a year and a half ago and it has been fantastic - I highly recommend it. I have taken it on various trips and haven't had a single problem.
See my other WSO blog posts
Go for it. Windows laptops
Go for it.
Windows laptops are just horrible, especially the trackpad.
I bought a late 2008 air and
I bought a late 2008 air and really liked it, size was good and relatively good processing power (at the time). The only main problem is that it tended to overheat often which results in the processor being throttled back slowing everything done. Would hope they've fixed this issue, but interested to hear if anyone with a new model notices the heat.
also if anyone has comments on 11" vs. 13" would be interested
geofinance: I bought a late
I bought a late 2008 air and really liked it, size was good and relatively good processing power (at the time). The only main problem is that it tended to overheat often which results in the processor being throttled back slowing everything done. Would hope they've fixed this issue, but interested to hear if anyone with a new model notices the heat.
also if anyone has comments on 11" vs. 13" would be interested
how long did it last you? if i'm gonna drop 1 grand on laptop i want it to be able to use for more than 2 or 3 years
I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed.
*a Macbook
*a Macbook
I'm still using it at home.
Air. I have one and so does
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
Just bought the new 13''
Got a Dell XPS 13 for
128 GB of hard drive space is
Hackintosh, bro!
Just saying...
The air is so thin that it
I got my first Mac the MBA 2
get a thinkpad.. seriously
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I'm making it up as I go along.
I have a 13" MacBook Air. I
Gun Control Discussion
Cornelius: get a thinkpad..
Aimez: Cornelius: get a
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I'm making it up as I go along.
Cornelius: Aimez: Corneli
Aimez: Cornelius: Aimez:
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I'm making it up as I go along.
Asatar: The Macbook Pro uses
Cornelius: Aimez: Corneli