13" MacBook Air (2012) or 13" MacBook Pro (2012)

[albertolempira]

I am planning to buy a MacBook. My budget is around the $1500 so I was taking a look at the 13" MacBook Air with 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 which is $1499 and th 13" MacBook Pro with 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 which is also $1499.

I am an Engineering student and I occasionally use video editing apps and I'm a freelance web/graphic designer so my biggest concern is if I could do this with the MacBook Air, or if the Pro is more suitable for the job.

I don't mind about portability so, if the Pro is definitely the way to go I could handle that.

Thanks.

 

[Iphonejackson]

I would think the 15in would be a better fit because it has the upgraded graphics card.
Not sure if that's in the budget.

 

[Guacho]

for video editing it's a good idea to go with the pro's, I was in the same situation and I decided to go with the new 27" iMac, it just didn't make sense to spend 2.200 dollars on the 15" retina when I can get the iMac for around 2000 and get better performance for my photography software, up to 32gb RAM, screen size, quadcore, etc.
For portability I'll get an 11" Macbook air next year..

 

[Alli]

There are two big differences between the Air and the Pro. The first, obviously is the size/weight. The 13" Air is a lot thinner and lighter than the 13" Pro. The second major difference - and the reason I finally got rid of my Air and moved to the Pro - is the hard drive space available. You are extremely limited on the Air, and can't upgrade, while you can start with a much larger drive on the Pro and upgrade later, if you so choose.

 

[anon(4698833)]

There are two big differences between the Air and the Pro. The first, obviously is the size/weight. The 13" Air is a lot thinner and lighter than the 13" Pro. The second major difference - and the reason I finally got rid of my Air and moved to the Pro - is the hard drive space available. You are extremely limited on the Air, and can't upgrade, while you can start with a much larger drive on the Pro and upgrade later, if you so choose.

With the pro, you can also do an SSD hybrid drive combined with an internal HDD and have the best of both worlds (quick start up and reliability with SSD, massive internal storage with HDD). And like it was mentioned before, graphics intensive work will certainly not push the pro as close to its limits as the Air would be.

 

[korp]

This is an old bump, but with the older version you can do the upgrade for the HD. On the new Retina you basically cannot upgrade anything once you buy it, so pick accordingly. I bought the new 15" Macbook Pro Retina and love it. I wish the 13" had a quad-core because that was the big reason I went with the 15".

 

[PhoneAddict]

Have both a 13" Air and Pro, use the Air for business as the quick access and portability were key factors, plus business / work files do not take up much SSD space unless you are doing a lot of graphics. The Pro is used at home for Photo's, Video, iTunes through Squeezebox for network music and general computing, so the HDD was a consideration. Both are great and it depends on how you will use the machine as to which will better suit your needs. Based on your description of your uses and the lack of concern over portability you may want to consider the Retina Pro if your budget allows, as all of the benefits of the Pro outlined in responses would indicate that is the best choice for you.

 

[Hail Caesar]

Go with the Pro if this is going to be your primary system. For me it wouldnt make sense because I have a 27 inch Quad Core iMac, so getting an Air would be the better option for portability purposes while still having decent specs.