Macbook Air vs Macbook

kelton

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I'm giving up on tablets... I'm needing a real computer (but seek portability).

From what I can tell, the Macbook is not as powerful as the already existing Macbook airs.

The most recent Air can drive a 4k monitor if needed.
The Air processors are more powerful (right?)... you can even get an i7.
The Air battery life is equal or better.
The Air price is cheaper.

The Macbook has a much better screen, is lighter, and more expensive.

So now that the rumored Macbook specs are well known, I am right in assuming that I can reasonably purchase a Macbook Air without being left in the tech dust?

I tried to leave my Macbook Retina Pro at home... traveling with a tablet, but I can't take it anymore. I just want to be back in the normal world of hard drives, files & folders, normal ports, etc. etc. I want it to be as light as possible, but operate as a real computer.
 

kelton

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Yes, but that does not...in any way.... help a person see the performance differences.

Core M? is it faster than an i5? slower?

What about those graphics processors? Any difference between them? If so, a big deal or negligible?

I googled, but there is almost nothing on comparing the value of the Macbook (and it's performance) compared to the MBA.
 

iEd

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As far as I know there are no benchmarks on the New MacBook you'll have to wait until after it's released to get answers to some of your questions.
As far as the Intel Core M. It's been said to be less powerful than a i5. As far as slower that's all relative to the task being done which is true for any processor.





From my iPhone
 

PortCity79

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Yes, but that does not...in any way.... help a person see the performance differences.

Core M? is it faster than an i5? slower?

What about those graphics processors? Any difference between them? If so, a big deal or negligible?

I googled, but there is almost nothing on comparing the value of the Macbook (and it's performance) compared to the MBA.

The core M fits in between the regular Intel Pentium processor and the i5 processor. Therefore it is slower then the i5 processor. Also the graphics card in the Air is more powerful.
 

kelton

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Thanks!

That was the sort of info I had in mind. There are so many processors (and so many varieties of each type), that I have lost touch.

I'm guessing that with the high resolution screen and everything else being slower, then.... that it is likely to benchmark as a slower machine, too.

Perhaps their SSD memory will be quicker, though... not sure.

Because this new MacBook is such a different animal, I'm thinking that it will not have any influence on the pricing of the MBA. A was hoping to see some downward pressure on the Airs, but maybe that's not going to happen.
 

iEd

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From Mac Observer

"Decision Points

In addition to the basic technical specifications of the Core M, one has to take into account three other important factors.

1.Intel's technology moves along smartly. It may well be that the Core M in the new MacBook has equal or more power than the three or four year old MacBook Air you're using now. You'll gain the features of the MacBook without losing too much, if any, CPU and graphics power compared to what you've been using.

2.Your intended usage for the new MacBook should realistically match the class of the product. For example, this small gem of a MacBook shouldn't be thought of as a Mac to run advanced 3D rendering, Photoshop or Xcode at blazing speeds or run multiple virtual machines in Parallels Desktop at the same time. [Check back for an update.] If one has in mind writing, email, Twitter, Instagram, music, web surfing, Keynote/Pages/Numbers, and Skype, for example, then one can probably be confident, based on the data published so far, that the MacBook is up to the job.

3.Do you need it right now ?

Related to #1 above, Intel says that, compared to the late 2013 Core i5 (4302Y), the Core M is 47 percent faster in 3D graphics and 82 percent better in video conversion. (The i5-4302Y has been used in tablet PCs like the HP Pro x2 612 at 1.6 GHz, a rather low end product.)

While the CPU makers always pick the most favorable benchmarks, there's no denying that you have to decide if you want to compare Apple's new MacBook against what you could have in a 2015 MacBook Air (or Pro) or against what you've been using for the last few years. The latter case, the idea would be to take advantage of new features, better display and lower weight.

In terms of pricing, a current 13-inch MacBook Air with 8 GB RAM, 256 GB flash storage and a Core i5 at 1.6 GHz (base) will cost exactly the same as a base MacBook, US$1299. You'll have more ports in the MBA and a bit more power, but it'll be missing the Retina display, better keyboard and the Force Touch trackpad.

Which brings up point #3. No doubt, the new technology of the Broadwell 14 nm process will percolate into the i3/i5/i7 line. And so, if one is looking for, say, a fanless MacBook Air in the next 6-12 months, it would seem to be a possibility."
 

Lrover

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MacBook Air is great to have (light, fast, thin, etc.,), however, you have to remember that the Air does not have a DVD disk drive, no Ethernet port, only two USB ports, very limited with these basic things that come with a MBP, etc., these MBA are expensive and you will be spending more just to purchase external hardware if you need to use a DVD disk, or need extra USB , or FireWire pots, etc.,
 

Scatabrain

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MacBook Air is great to have (light, fast, thin, etc.,), however, you have to remember that the Air does not have a DVD disk drive, no Ethernet port, only two USB ports, very limited with these basic things that come with a MBP, etc., these MBA are expensive and you will be spending more just to purchase external hardware if you need to use a DVD disk, or need extra USB , or FireWire pots, etc.,

My MBP doesn't have Firewire or a DVD SuperDrive. Does anyone need Firewire or an Ethernet port anymore? We do have a SuperDrive external that the whole house shares.