Considering an Apple laptop...but which one to get?

[notposting]

Hey everyone,

dipping into here for some advice. We might be getting a new laptop soon, possibly as a 2nd one, or as a replacement for this one when it dies (aka toddler finishes killing it). I think the next one will be defended a lot more.

If we do go Apple for the next one, I'm pretty sure it will be a 13", but whether it's the Air or MBP is up in the air, and I'm not sure what any worthy, if any, upgrades are. Budget is definitely a consideration...as close to a grand as possible is best.

For usage, it would be general browsing, and home network controlling. I would probably have to install Windows at some point for some of that (WHS Console, My Movies, but that is intermittent use and I could remote into another machine most likely). It would also be for school for the wife (nursing school) so papers, presentations, etc, will have to score a copy of Mac Office as well. Also, grabbing pictures from the Flip, memory cards, and possibly my phone and then doing some basic editing and uploading. Longer battery life would be nice.

I toyed with the 11" Air at Microcenter and I think it's definitely too small (and no memory card slot I could see). I've played with the 15's before and I think they might be too big. Currently we have a 15.6" Acer, which replaced the last one when it died after 16 months...not sure if this one will make it that far. It has a tendency to just turn off occasionally (like... *poof* off, not shut down off).

I like the light weight of the Air, but it seems like the MBP might have better battery life? And better performance? Or would the SSD in the Air compensate enough for that? I am probably looking at the early this year revisions, not the latest ones as well.

I'm using this Acer on the couch (on mah big belly) right now...seems that Apple's design eliminates most of the worry of blocking the vents? It will also be dropping into a heavily MS home (all PC's W7, a WHS, Xbox 360, MCX, WP7) so it should hopefully be able to make the most of it.

So Apple people...what say you?!? 13" the best choice? Air? MBP? Any worthy upgrades? Thanks in advance!

 

[Pliablemoose]

Grab a 13" MBA, with 4GB, keep an eye open to snap up a larger SSD used off eBay... The RAM is soldered in on the MBA, so it's not upgradeable, the SSD is....

I have yet to have the fan come on on my 13" MBA...

Had it come on on my 11" MBA and thought the speakers were trashed, didn't even know it had a fan-after 6 months of ownership

 

[runawayprisoner]

Generally, I think that if 15.6" is too large for you, then you have pretty much settled down for the 13". Then it's a matter of Air vs Pro.

Personally, I think the 15" is the right size. Note that it's exactly 15", and not 15.6" or some weird stuff like that. The bezel around the 15" is also smaller than that around the 13", so you are looking at a machine that's probably just 1" wider and 2" longer between 15" vs 13". But that's me. I think you'll be perfectly happy with a 13" Macbook.

Onto Air vs Pro. I think the tradeoff between the 2010 Air and Pro were clearer. With the 2011 models, it's not much. Both devices have really fast processors, so it's really hard to say that one is better than the other in general and even in slightly heavy usage. I did notice that with my usage (which admittedly includes very long sessions of Lightroom and AutoCAD along with iMovie and other heavy lifters), the Air tends to "roar" more and louder than the Pro. I guess the headroom on the Air is just smaller. I do prefer the higher resolution and sharper PPI of the Air, though. It makes things just that much better, and honestly, regardless of loud noise, less battery life, more heat, and anything else, I think the screen alone makes the 13" Air a better buy than the 13" Pro.

So I think it really depends on your usage. If you just want a computer to check out some Youtube videos, or type up the next report, I think the Air is more than adequate. If you need a computer to run Windows and do something even remotely related to graphics processing, I think the Pro might be a better choice. If you are into gaming and heavy CAD works, I don't think you can get away with a computer less than a 15" MBP...

Oh, and just a last note. The MBA does feel very thin and very light compared to a Macbook Pro. I'm quite an active person, and I do exercise regularly, but the weight of the MBA is very noticeable compared to the Pro. But the tradeoff is that the Machine feels a bit... bendy? There are times when I think that I can just snap it right in half, no kidding.

 

[notposting]

Well looking at Air's now, thanks for the reminder on the soldered RAM, I had read that in Anand's review and forgot about it.

Yeah nothing heavy duty on it really...now to convince the wife of it

Edit: plus it's hard to really gauge the 15's at the store...everything is tethered and no couch to lounge on...honestly it wouldn't be bad for me, that size fits okay on the lap that way...

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I have had a 13" MBP for about 2 1/2 years - see my thoughts at http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2170868.

Everyone's preference is different but I find the 13" form factor just perfect for me. I LOVE my computer but if I were buying a new machine today I'd get a 13" Air. The Air is amazingly quick, light and thin, and at its price point I find it a remarkable bargain. I would probably pay more for a 512GB SSD, but in this era of streaming video and cloud storage I'm sure I'd get by just fine with 256GB as well.

 

[Emulex]

the new 15 will be super resolution macbook air (15" macbook air) but still called a pro - if you can't wait then get what you have to but i find out of all my tablets, i grab the air. 2008 model