Macbook Pro or Macbook Air?

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DreamTheater36

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Jul 25, 2004
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My girlfriend is looking at getting a new laptop and she has decided to go the Mac direction (blasphemy in my eyes) and I wanted some opinions. We have looked online at both the Pro and Air and I wanted to know what everyone thought. She was really wanting something with a disc drive and I noticed the Air doesn't come with that. Any help would be appreciated.
 
What does she do that uses discs? If it's for software installation, most Mac software is available via download from the Mac App Store. A lot of big-name software isn't even released on disc anymore for Mac.

If it's movies, they can always be ripped on another computer, and Netflix/Hulu are cheap.

Macbook Air is an excellent machine if it suits your needs. It's the original "ultrabook" and is at the top of its class, at least for now.
 
Definitely get the MBA. Its a much nicer experience. And that's coming from a current MBP user. You really won't miss the disc drive. I don't think I've ever used mine.
 
Well, to really definite what she wants/needs then you kind of have to have a full knowledge of what she intends to do with the computer.

If this is going to be her ONLY computer, that would lean me more towards the Macbook Pro as there are more/faster hardware options for MBP's. If she does creativity based things then the larger size and greater resolution of the 15"+ MBP's are advantageous.

The MBA is the ultimate in portability. It is more than capable of doing virtually any task thrown at it and maintaining the smaller size and weight. If she does a lot of traveling or moving around with her laptop, this is ideal. It has less hardware options, but it makes up for it with SSD's standard and higher resolution than MBP models of the same size. Although capable, ideally this would be a secondary machine mainly used for documents, browsing, and watching media on the go with a faster machine at home for all the heavy lifting.

As a side note, there is an external DVD drive for the MBA. Additionally, external optical drives aren't proprietary or anything, and other optical drives have been tested/used on MBA's just fine if you don't want the Apple one. Honestly after install there isn't much use in a DVD these days. A majority of what I use is downloaded (we just had another "best OSX freeware" thread not too long ago) so other than Office, Adobe Suite, and Aperture, everything is DL'ed. Heck if I didn't want the physical copy, Aperture 3 is also available on the app store. So 3 programs and then the DVD drive just sits there...

Personally I would get the MBA as I have a 27" iMac at home and to me laptops are ALL about portability. I went from a 15" MBP to a 13" MBP just to shave 2" and weight, and when I buy another laptop it will definitely be a maxed out 11" MBA. Being only slightly larger in footprint than an iPad is incredible, and it will never feel like a chore to move around. In a pinch it can still do last minute Photoshop/Aperture work but once again, I prefer to mainly do that on the desktop.
 
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I've used MBPs for years and love them, but have only used the DVD drive to load Windows. I'm hoping for a 15" Air, this year. If it happens, my MBP is gone.

Get the Air. She can pick up a cheap external DVD if she ever needs to use DVDs/CDs.
 
Thanks for everyone's input! She uses her computer solely for her school work, surfing the web and itunes. Her daughter is notorious for getting on the computer and infecting it with some vicious viruses and we are looking for something to help with that. Her biggest issue is making sure that the Microsoft Office for Mac will be compatible with the Office for Windows for her school projects. I know absolutely nothing about Macs so I feel stupid when she asks me these questions.
 
DreamTheater36 said:
Thanks for everyone's input! She uses her computer solely for her school work, surfing the web and itunes. Her daughter is notorious for getting on the computer and infecting it with some vicious viruses and we are looking for something to help with that. Her biggest issue is making sure that the Microsoft Office for Mac will be compatible with the Office for Windows for her school projects. I know absolutely nothing about Macs so I feel stupid when she asks me these questions.
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While its still not perfect, Office 2011 for Mac is way better in terms of compatibility than older versions. If she needs perfect compatibility, she could always use a Windows version of office through Parallels.
 
I've found both Office 2011 and 2008 to be great. I guess I haven't had problems with them like others have. I used 2008 through University, and now have upgraded to 2011.
There has never been a time in which I've been e-mailed back by someone with any issue with my .doc's. The formats are literally the same (as they should be.) Still some people have a problem opening .docx but that isn't a Mac exclusive problem (some people haven't upgraded their Office software.... still...)
 
It's not on the App store, but Microsoft themselves offer digital downloads:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/buy

Being Microsoft, they will charge you for the "service" and mail you DVD's in addition to the digital copy, and apparently they don't have digital only copies.

Unless someone else knows where you can do digital only...

Edit: Just kidding, Amazon has a download only service:
http://www.amazon.com/Office-Mac-Ho...SKBO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1328216756&sr=8-3
Slightly less than Microsoft overall as well.
 
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Just to reiterate. Office 2011 for Mac has never given me a problem at school. Hell, 50% of the computers I see on campus are Macs, I doubt they're all using Parallels just for Office :)
Like these others guys have said, the Air is freaking sweet.
 
1 more vote for the Air here, I had a 13" Pro which was great but the Air is an absolute pleasure to use all-around. Really fast too.

Also, you don't need to worry about viruses on a Mac. They do happen but they're so few and far apart that the chance of her computer being infected is negligible.
 
He's probably referring to the fact that the 13'' Air has the same hinge as the 11'' Air despite the larger screen size, so it wears a little quicker. But all laptops eventually develop looser hinges, regardless of the manufacturer, design, or size: it's a fact of life in this specific product category.

Also, if your girlfriend really needs CD/DVD access, just get an external USB drive to go with the Air.
 
AnonymousUser said:
Can you swap the stock hard drive on a MPA like you can on a MBP?

Thanks
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It doesn't have an HDD, it uses a special SSD module. Some (all?) of them can be upgraded. iFixit and Other World have some Air SDD upgrade kits, but they're pricey and require some work to install.
 
Just be warned, once you start playing with the Air, you're gonna want one for yourself.
 
What I mean is go to any apple store, the airs on display are flopping around, the apple guy said they have a thinner hinge so they don't last as long as the pros.
 
We went to the i-Store and looked at the Air and Pro. She really liked the Air and I think we are going to go pick up a 13" today after lunch. I appreciate everyone's advice, it really helped!
 
I went from a 15" C2D Unibody MBP to the top of the line 2011 13" MBA and won't ever look back. Since my old MBP and my MBA have the same resolution but higher density I could care less about the 2 inches. The form factor and footprint of the Air just make it one of the best notebooks out there.
 
We picked up the MBA today and it has been quite a learning curve from the PC. Any suggestions on how to make a smooth transition?
 
This I think is extremely helpful:
http://www.usingmac.com/2007/11/21/mac-os-x-leopard-200-productivity-booster-hotkeys

I really believe that OSX's strength really is in it's speed. Hotkeys are essential into tapping into that. If either of you are tech savvy then the transition isn't that bad. For me it was about a week to get used to the OSX way of doing things and a few weeks before I felt like I had a decent amount of knowledge about how OSX does stuff. If you're a Unix or Linux person then it should be even less.
 
DreamTheater36 said:
We picked up the MBA today and it has been quite a learning curve from the PC. Any suggestions on how to make a smooth transition?
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Go into System Preferences and investigate every section. Not only is it a good way to introduce yourself to what OS X can do, but you can configure it pretty extensively to your liking at the same time. Pay careful attention to the Trackpad section.

Refer to the recent "Bought a Mac Mini" thread for a list of apps you might be interested in. And definitely explore the Mac App Store at your leisure.

Learn about Services and Automator. They're arguably the two best features of OS X.

Lastly, perform a battery calibration ASAP. Basically: plug the Air in and charge it to 100%, and keep it there for at least 2 hours; unplug, use the Air as normal until you drain the battery and the Air shuts off; wait 5 hours, then plug it in and charge back up to 100%. Do that once a month.
 
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UnknownSouljer said:
This I think is extremely helpful:
http://www.usingmac.com/2007/11/21/mac-os-x-leopard-200-productivity-booster-hotkeys

I really believe that OSX's strength really is in it's speed. Hotkeys are essential into tapping into that. If either of you are tech savvy then the transition isn't that bad. For me it was about a week to get used to the OSX way of doing things and a few weeks before I felt like I had a decent amount of knowledge about how OSX does stuff. If you're a Unix or Linux person then it should be even less.
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Thank you, I just told her about that site. I think the hot keys will be a great help for her since she uses Word and Excel a lot.
 
We went to a Beginners Mac class last weekend and it really helped us understand the differences between Mac and PC. She loves it so far!
 
Terpfen said:
Lastly, perform a battery calibration ASAP. Basically: plug the Air in and charge it to 100%, and keep it there for at least 2 hours; unplug, use the Air as normal until you drain the battery and the Air shuts off; wait 5 hours, then plug it in and charge back up to 100%. Do that once a month.
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That kb specifically says the Air doesn't need to be calibrated. :confused: Is it really beneficial? I just got one myself.
 
CEpeep said:
It doesn't have an HDD, it uses a special SSD module. Some (all?) of them can be upgraded. iFixit and Other World have some Air SDD upgrade kits, but they're pricey and require some work to install.
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Very pricey actually. Around $2 a gb for SSD upgrade kits. So for a 240gb module it'll set you back around $500. =\
 
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