2011 Macbook Air 13 vs 2010 Macbook Pro 13

S

Sync

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 17, 2010
Messages
121
Hey all need some advice.

I just recently purchased a used Macbook Pro 13 2010 2.4 Intel Core2 off ebay. Its all standard options with apple care. I got it for $850.

I am now looking at the Macbook Air 2011 13" i5 1.7 and wondering if would be better for me? I can get one brand new shipped for $1200.

Geekbench has the Air very much higher than the MBP. 5372 for the Air and 3337 for the MBP.

Here are my main uses:

Web development is #1! I will be using the air at home 85% of the time plugged into an external monitor. I use Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Illustrator CS5 daily. Besides that its just normal web surfing, skype, mail, etc. NO gaming at all, no real video editing.


So what do you guys think? Sell the MBP hope for about $900 and then buy the Air for the $300 more? The geekbench difference is just crazy. I know I could also grab a 13" MBP 2011 for about the same price as well so I guess that is part of the equation if it matters.

Thanks for any opinions!
 
Probably the main reason for the difference is the SSD in the Air. Let me tell you, once you start using OSX with a SSD, transitioning back to spinning disks is painful.
 
I'd get the 2011 13" Air because of it's higher screen resolution, faster CPU, insanely light weight for the 15% of time away from your desk. I might sell my 15" MBP when the new 15" Air is released, depending on its specs.
 
Yeah Im pissed at myself for not considering the Air in the first place. I feel like I just wasted my time buying the Pro.

Anyone know if you can trasnfer Apple care from one laptop to another? Probably a longshot.
 
They're both great machines. I much prefer the build quality on the Macbook Pros. No flex whatsoever. The Air is just flimsy enough to make you wonder how long it will last if you take it everywhere with you. The Macbook Pros also have nicer displays (even if lower DPI). You can always get something better for more money but it's not always worth it.
 
Sync said:
Yeah Im pissed at myself for not considering the Air in the first place. I feel like I just wasted my time buying the Pro.

Anyone know if you can trasnfer Apple care from one laptop to another? Probably a longshot.
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Like Zinn wrote, they're both great machines. I love my MBP! After buying it, I upgraded the RAM to 8GB, replaced the stock HD with an SSD and replaced the DVD with the stock HD. The MBP screams. I'll jump to the 15" Air only if it's a significantly better laptop. I don't like the matte HR display on the MBP or Air, so that might kill it for me, but I won't make a decision until I actually see the 15" Air.

EDIT: AppleCare is transferable from user to user, but not from laptop to laptop.
 
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If spending an extra $300 is not a big deal to you then go for it. Sounds like you will be happy with it. Maybe getting an i7 MBP would be a good option too?
 
Mr. Wolf said:
Like Zinn wrote, they're both great machines. I love my MBP! After buying it, I upgraded the RAM to 8GB, replaced the stock HD with an SSD and replaced the DVD with the stock HD. The MBP screams. I'll jump to the 15" Air only if it's a significantly better laptop. I don't like the matte HR display on the MBP or Air, so that might kill it for me, but I won't make a decision until I actually see the 15" Air.

EDIT: AppleCare is transferable from user to user, but not from laptop to laptop.
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Which version MBP do you have? I too was upgrading the ram to 8g and adding an SSD. Maybe that will be enough to make it just as good as the Air?
 
Get the air...better benchmarks....better resolution.... insanely portable....you can't go wrong if you find a good price.
 
Go Air. I just replaced my 15" MBP with an i7/256GB 11.6" Air and oh man was it the right choice. I rarely used the GPU on the Pro and *never* the optical drive. I love the weight and the size of this thing.

Slightly different situation because the machines are such hugely different sizes for me compared to you looking at both 13" machines, but I'd go for the Air, it seems like the machine Apple *wants* people to own and experience.
 
Thanks guys. Decision is definitely made to get the Air. I appreciate the help! Sometimes these decisions are tougher than they should be.
 
I'm a bigger fan of the MBP however I have the 2011 model. I must ask, is this 1200 shipped with a 256SSD? Quite frankly, I like the option of buying an MBP and upgrading it later to an SSD. In my case I need OSX for OSX/iOS development, and Windows 7 for all the other software development. The 256 is the bare minimum for me and I still will have to carry around a portable ext. hard drive. I can imagine in your case you're working with web graphics and can fill up that drive quickly with stock raw images. (I really wish Western Digital released that Lightpeak MyBook they demo'ed last year already. )


I mean, 850 for the MBP2010 plus purchasing a Samsung 470 256 drive. (You missed the sale, they were 349 on NewEgg, now 399 free shipping.) The MBP2010 still has fantastic battery life. Which is my complaint with the MBA, wish the battery life was better compared to the fantastic battery life of the MBP 13 2010/11. With an SSD it will feel scorching fast. If the MBP switches to a drive-less configuration in next years update, you can pass that Sumsung to your new MBP 2012.



(2011 models either use the Samsung 470 series or the other one I can't remember the name of. Though Apple probably has a modified firmware so they only support trim on the 470's they installed.)
 
I just sold my 2010 i5 17in Pro and bought the base 13in Air. More powerful in a much smaller package.
 
Thanks guys. Just got back from Best Buy where I purchased my new Air! Woohoo. Now have the MBP I bought on craigslist. Super excited to get home tonight and load her up!
 
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