Jumping into the Mac world - Air or Pro? Suggestions please!!

[iwicked]

Hi folks,

So, I've been using windows all my life. After I got myself the iphone 5 last year I felt the urge to delve deeper into the world of Apple. Getting a Mac has always been a dream and now I am finally ready to buy one for myself. Oh the excitement!

But I need advice - which one to go for? The Macbook Air is beautiful, but I'm not sure if its too underpowered compared to the Pro. I am leaning more towards the Air. I will not be playing any games. I will do - watch films, office work, web browsing, writing, etc. Nothing too graphics intensive. However, I do basic video editing (trimming, cutting, etc) and I like to run multiple videos simultaneously. I use GOM player to run 5-6 videos side by side and my windows laptop starts to lag. Will the Air be able to handle this?

Guys, please advice from personal experience. Thanks!

 

[TechnologyTwitt]

I can't speak of any video editing but on my Air, I run two users (one profile for home use & one for work). In each profile there's a browser open with between 3-8 tabs open at any time. Excel & Word are open, Evernote is open, Dropbox is running, calendar & calculator are running and I can still launch PowerPoint or anything else without hesitation.

In any of the two profiles I can use more than 1 desktop, flip through screens and tab through open apps very smoothly.

Mine has the 128GB SSD, which while I love the 12 second boot time (mine always sleeps though, I rarely shut it down) I wish I had a larger drive.

Overall though, I absolutely love the thing.


_-TechnologyTwitt-_
iPad Air / Space Gray / 16GB
T-Mobile * 5GB Data

 

[iwicked]

Thanks for the insight TT. How much RAM do you have? What you described sounds promising. Quick question, is it free to upgrade OS X versions? Do I need to pay for upgrading from Mavericks to Yosemite when it is released? Thanks!

I can't speak of any video editing but on my Air, I run two users (one profile for home use & one for work). In each profile there's a browser open with between 3-8 tabs open at any time. Excel & Word are open, Evernote is open, Dropbox is running, calendar & calculator are running and I can still launch PowerPoint or anything else without hesitation.

In any of the two profiles I can use more than 1 desktop, flip through screens and tab through open apps very smoothly.

Mine has the 128GB SSD, which while I love the 12 second boot time (mine always sleeps though, I rarely shut it down) I wish I had a larger drive.

Overall though, I absolutely love the thing.


_-TechnologyTwitt-_
iPad Air / Space Gray / 16GB
T-Mobile * 5GB Data

 

[TechnologyTwitt]

Apple announced the upgrade to Yosemite will be free.

My Air is almost 2 years old, battery time is still pretty good, obviously dependent on usage. There's 4 GB Ram, 1333 MHz DDR3.


_-TechnologyTwitt-_
iPad Air / Space Gray / 16GB
T-Mobile * 5GB Data

 

[Nophix]

Its been free to upgrade versions so far since Mavericks. It wasn't prior to that, but it looks like Apple is going to continue the trend, as Yosemite is also going to be a free upgrade.

I've actually got the beta on my 2010 Macbook, and with 8gb it runs flawless. I do a ton of work including video and graphic editing, and its a much older machine.

 

[UJ95x]

The Air should be enough for your uses. But the Retina display is so damn nice. That was really the only reason I got it over the Air, as I didn't need too much power either. The new base models of the rMBP now have 8GB of RAM standard, which I'd recommend even on the Air. That will put the price close to the base Retina model, which also has a better CPU and iGPU.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.4

 

[iwicked]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I suppose Air would be fine for me. But I am also in awe of the retina display. I will go check out the models first hand in the store and then update you folks. If the rMBP isn't too thick compared to the Air, then I may just decide to get that. Let's see!

 

[TechnologyTwitt]

Good luck, let us know what you end up with


_-TechnologyTwitt-_
iPad Air / Space Gray / 16GB
T-Mobile * 5GB Data

 

[iwicked]

So I got myself the rMBP 13". I put the Air and Pro side by side and it was not competition - the retina display blew the Air away! I'm loving the Pro!!

Can you suggest me a good movie/video player that would play all the different file types?

 

[iwicked]

VLC

VCL is good. Cheers!

 

[pooma89]

May I get some suggestions too?
I got to work with MATLAB, JAVA, Python, C, OpenCV library, latex and also video(editing and watching). Will Air suffice?

 

[UJ95x]

May I get some suggestions too?
I got to work with MATLAB, JAVA, Python, C, OpenCV library, latex and also video(editing and watching). Will Air suffice?

If you get the 8GB of RAM version, yes.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.4

 

[EggoEspada]

So I got myself the rMBP 13". I put the Air and Pro side by side and it was not competition - the retina display blew the Air away! I'm loving the Pro!!

Can you suggest me a good movie/video player that would play all the different file types?

I've been in the same predicament as you. Plan on getting a Mac next week, but haven't been able to decide between the Air or rPro. I'm not doing to crazy with my computer, but the RAM and retina screen have had me gearing towards the rPro. And after seeing this I think I'll be doing the rPro, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[iwicked]

I've been in the same predicament as you. Plan on getting a Mac next week, but haven't been able to decide between the Air or rPro. I'm not doing to crazy with my computer, but the RAM and retina screen have had me gearing towards the rPro. And after seeing this I think I'll be doing the rPro, too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would wholeheartedly recommend the rPro. The amazing display makes it all worth it. Plus, it's not much heavier or thicker than the Air anyway. Putting them side-by-side I could hardly label it as "fat" or "ugly" compared to the Air. To me its almost as beautiful as the Air, if not more and packs a greater punch as well.

Go for the Pro - you will not regret it! :yes:

 

[Soeasy]

It's all relative. I'm in NYC on the Upper East Side. I picked up the 13' Air two weeks ago. My reasons were simple, I carry my it in my messenger bag like tons of other NY'ers.

Heavy population density here and the majority of us don't drive. The Air is simply much easier to walk around with. Walk in to a Starbucks in Manhattan and the Airs(11's and 13's) outnumber the Pros. I'm also noticing more chrome books.

if you can get by without a disc drive and you're also always on the go, the Air is an excellent choice. I'm a freelance tv writer and don't watch many vids on my Air.

I guess figure out what you need your machine to do and go from there.

 

[PeltFrelken]

Congrats on the new Mac. The Air vs. Pro decision is not an easy one. But, the Pro will last you many many years.

 

[pooma89]

If you get the 8GB of RAM version, yes.

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.4

Okay, Thank You.

 

[pooma89]

It's all relative. I'm in NYC on the Upper East Side. I picked up the 13' Air two weeks ago. My reasons were simple, I carry my it in my messenger bag like tons of other NY'ers.

Heavy population density here and the majority of us don't drive. The Air is simply much easier to walk around with. Walk in to a Starbucks in Manhattan and the Airs(11's and 13's) outnumber the Pros. I'm also noticing more chrome books.

if you can get by without a disc drive and you're also always on the go, the Air is an excellent choice. I'm a freelance tv writer and don't watch many vids on my Air.

I guess figure out what you need your machine to do and go from there.

Okay. Will figure out what is best for me soon.