Thinking of buying a Macbook Air
I am having a bit of trouble deciding what to buy.
I am a university student, so I switch frequently between classes. Portability is one of my priorities, so I am leaning toward the Air with the ff. specs:
2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Nvidia 9400M Graphics Processor
128GB Solid State Drive
2GB RAM
I have the following concerns:
1. I will be creating the occasional video every now and then (sometimes it's needed for school), so will the system be able to handle that? It's just light editing and I don't mind if it's slow, but can just finish it. I also want to do some gaming, but I'm not too much into that.
2. Is 2GB RAM enough for current processing needs and for the next two years? I don't like doing too much multitasking (makes you less productive.)
3. I do not mind not having an optical drive as I have an external one. Will an LG optical drive work with the Air or do I need to purchase the SuperDrive?
4. Is the screen really better than the one on the MBP 13"?
5. I do not mind the lack of ports.
6. I really prioritize portability, and price is not much of an issue.
7. I might use it on a bed or couch, does it heat up that much?
8. Do rev C MBAs suffer from the hinge problem, and the screen lines problem?
These considerations in place, should I buy a macbook air?
Also, can someone provide a Microsoft OneNote substitute?
I am a university student, so I switch frequently between classes. Portability is one of my priorities, so I am leaning toward the Air with the ff. specs:
2.13 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
Nvidia 9400M Graphics Processor
128GB Solid State Drive
2GB RAM
I have the following concerns:
1. I will be creating the occasional video every now and then (sometimes it's needed for school), so will the system be able to handle that? It's just light editing and I don't mind if it's slow, but can just finish it. I also want to do some gaming, but I'm not too much into that.
2. Is 2GB RAM enough for current processing needs and for the next two years? I don't like doing too much multitasking (makes you less productive.)
3. I do not mind not having an optical drive as I have an external one. Will an LG optical drive work with the Air or do I need to purchase the SuperDrive?
4. Is the screen really better than the one on the MBP 13"?
5. I do not mind the lack of ports.
6. I really prioritize portability, and price is not much of an issue.
7. I might use it on a bed or couch, does it heat up that much?
8. Do rev C MBAs suffer from the hinge problem, and the screen lines problem?
These considerations in place, should I buy a macbook air?
Also, can someone provide a Microsoft OneNote substitute?
Comments
MBP 13" appears to be sufficiently portable even for minors (unlike MacBook). And I doubt a bit you would be able to tell two absolutely identical screens from one another...
Tonight I'll throw together a video and Keynote presentation to see how it handles that question of yours.
The screen is great.
The SSD is fast.
It's very portable (I have an older MBP 15" and a MBP 13" and the MBA is machine of choice for weight and space).
Mine doesn't get that hot.
Battery life: using basic apps (page layout, note taking) I can get a little over four hours which is great. When I get into animating stuff (ToonBoom Studio), batt life drop to three hours). The charger is light weight as well, so if you do feel you need to carry it you won't notice you've got it.
Note taking apps:
The one I use regularly is Curio.
http://www.zengobi.com/products/curio/
There's also Circus Ponies Notebook:
http://www.circusponies.com/
and Notetaker:
http://www.aquaminds.com/
even Yojimbo:
http://www.barebones.com/products/Yojimbo/
The keyboard is also angled somewhat making it gentler n your wrists over time.
I bought the Rev A and upgraded this spring to the Rev C SSD. It's great. Yeah, I bought it for its weight, too. It's sexy and easy to show around to other people using just one hand. Mainly I use mine for writing, planning and drawing (I'm in educational materials development).
Tonight I'll throw together a video and Keynote presentation to see how it handles that question of yours.
The screen is great.
The SSD is fast.
It's very portable (I have an older MBP 15" and a MBP 13" and the MBA is machine of choice for weight and space).
Mine doesn't get that hot.
Battery life: using basic apps (page layout, note taking) I can get a little over four hours which is great. When I get into animating stuff (ToonBoom Studio), batt life drop to three hours). The charger is light weight as well, so if you do feel you need to carry it you won't notice you've got it.
Note taking apps:
The one I use regularly is Curio.
http://www.zengobi.com/products/curio/
There's also Circus Ponies Notebook:
http://www.circusponies.com/
and Notetaker:
http://www.aquaminds.com/
even Yojimbo:
http://www.barebones.com/products/Yojimbo/
The keyboard is also angled somewhat making it gentler n your wrists over time.
How do you get by with just 2 GBs of RAM? I have 3 GBs in my MBP and wish I could put in 4 Gbs (mine will only recognize 3GBs).
That's the one limitation of the current MBA that I holds me back. I've come close to buying one several times.
I bought the Rev A and upgraded this spring to the Rev C SSD. It's great. Yeah, I bought it for its weight, too. It's sexy and easy to show around to other people using just one hand. Mainly I use mine for writing, planning and drawing (I'm in educational materials development).
Tonight I'll throw together a video and Keynote presentation to see how it handles that question of yours.
The screen is great.
The SSD is fast.
It's very portable (I have an older MBP 15" and a MBP 13" and the MBA is machine of choice for weight and space).
Mine doesn't get that hot.
Battery life: using basic apps (page layout, note taking) I can get a little over four hours which is great. When I get into animating stuff (ToonBoom Studio), batt life drop to three hours). The charger is light weight as well, so if you do feel you need to carry it you won't notice you've got it.
Note taking apps:
The one I use regularly is Curio.
http://www.zengobi.com/products/curio/
There's also Circus Ponies Notebook:
http://www.circusponies.com/
and Notetaker:
http://www.aquaminds.com/
even Yojimbo:
http://www.barebones.com/products/Yojimbo/
The keyboard is also angled somewhat making it gentler n your wrists over time.
Wow, looking forward to your answer.
I feel you're set on getting MBA... Yet, I kindly advise you to think over buying MBP instead. Spend the money on processor power and memory, all that comes in handy with video processing.
MBP 13" appears to be sufficiently portable even for minors (unlike MacBook). And I doubt a bit you would be able to tell two absolutely identical screens from one another...
I have been leaning towards the MBA, but I'm just making sure that there is no compelling reason for me to take the MBP 13" instead.
I have been leaning towards the MBA, but I'm just making sure that there is no compelling reason for me to take the MBP 13" instead.
No offense. It's your school and your business. Sure, you know better.
No offense. It's your school and your business. Sure, you know better.
I mean no harm nor disrespect.
The MBA got warm (not hot) and I could hear the fan stirring on both import and export, but there was no visible slow down or stutter, and the fan was not noisy at all (I was in a totally silent room so I could hear it). I did not check temps or fan speeds.
So, in conclusion, the MBA could perform the task of editing a short video. However, I think it would be wise to try a larger project before claiming it's clear to go with regular video-making.
If I get some time over the next few days, I'll try to go up to a 15-minute project and complete the same project on both a MacBookAir and a MacBookPro.
I also took a look at Apple's Discussion boards and didn't find anybody screaming about trouble with video editing with the new version MBA.
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BTW: I'm on my second MBA (chose to upgrade to SSD) and have had no trouble with the hinges on either machine.
How do you get by with just 2 GBs of RAM? I have 3 GBs in my MBP and wish I could put in 4 Gbs (mine will only recognize 3GBs).
That's the one limitation of the current MBA that I holds me back. I've come close to buying one several times.
As I said above, I mainly use the MBA for writing, planning and some drawing, so nothing really taxing (the tax is on my brain trying to be creative!). I leave on the heavy work for my MacPro at the office, which is why I had not edited video on the MBA until today, though I have done some audio work on it.
The primary apps I use on my MBA:
Pages
Keynote
iPhoto
Curio
Storyboard Quick
ToonBoom Studio (animation app)
iCal
Seashore (free drawing app)
They all run fine. On Apple's Discussion Boards, people are discussing using Photoshop.
As I said above, I mainly use the MBA for writing, planning and some drawing, so nothing really taxing (the tax is on my brain trying to be creative!). I leave on the heavy work for my MacPro at the office, which is why I had not edited video on the MBA until today, though I have done some audio work on it.
The primary apps I use on my MBA:
Pages
Keynote
iPhoto
Curio
Storyboard Quick
ToonBoom Studio (animation app)
iCal
Seashore (free drawing app)
They all run fine.
I use those as well, except for Storyboard and ToonBoom. I tend to open a lot of apps and leave them open and will page out on my MBP occasionally. I really enjoy working on my iMacs at home and at work which have 4 Gbs of RAM. I don't even think about my memory use.
I;m surprised that you don't have page out issues using those apps and a web browser on a MBA. Do you quit your apps after using them or do open and leave open until done using your Mac?
On the MBA, I tend to only do one thing at a time, so I've never maxed it out, or at least haven't noticed. Primarily this is because I'm at a coffee shop having lunch or something and sadly only have two hands.
In short, I love my MBA and it does what I need it to do and it doesn't feel like a dead weight when I carry it around. I usually travel with a Wacom tablet; the MBA and tablet weigh less together than a MBP.
I also have 4GB at work (soon to be 8) and also like leaving everything open; Spaces is my favorite tool.
On the MBA, I tend to only do one thing at a time, so I've never maxed it out, or at least haven't noticed. Primarily this is because I'm at a coffee shop having lunch or something and sadly only have two hands.
In short, I love my MBA and it does what I need it to do and it doesn't feel like a dead weight when I carry it around. I usually travel with a Wacom tablet; the MBA and tablet weigh less together than a MBP.
Cool. Makes sense.
My MBP still has a little life in it. When the MBA gets 4 GBs of RAM it'll probably be too tempting to pass up. I think I'd like the thinner form factor and lighter weight.
The only reason that prevent me to go to 13" laptop because I've got used to 17" screen. and I feel it is really hard for me to go for any 13" laptop.
Guys, the memory per se got not too much to do with needs of video processing (although, the memory upgrade is the first idea, which comes into mind, when looking at Apple's entire 2009 product line; got used to bragging? I have them all around to begin with MacBook till Mac Pro, passing by Mini
It's fast processor,
You probably notice, import/export operations are faster and less painful on MBA. Yep, SSDs are generally faster, than HDs. Not that I got any intention to influence your preferences and affections for those machines of yours, but it's easy now to order MPB with SSD being 2x bigger, than MBA's one. Some tests show MBP's SSD are little bit faster than MBA's those. And that MBP will weight even less, than HD model.
Umm...
Guys, the memory per se got not too much to do with needs of video processing (although, the memory upgrade is the first idea, which comes into mind, when looking at Apple's entire 2009 product line; got used to bragging? I have them all around to begin with MacBook till Mac Pro, passing by Mini
It's fast processor,
You probably notice, import/export operations are faster and less painful on MBA. Yep, SSDs are generally faster, than HDs. Not that I got any intention to influence your preferences and affections for those machines of yours, but it's easy now to order MPB with SSD being 2x bigger, than MBA's one. Some tests show MBP's SSD are little bit faster than MBA's those. And that MBP will weight even less, than HD model.
I don't need to do video processing on my portable computer.
But I've grown accustom to leaving apps open and using expose. That means that I need a healthy amount of RAM. 2 gbs wouldn't cut it for me unless I altered the way I work. I'd rather wait for the MBA to get 4 GBs of RAM... or I'll settle for the 13" MBP.
I don't need to do video processing on my portable computer.
But I've grown accustom to leaving apps open and using expose. That means that I need a healthy amount of RAM. 2 gbs wouldn't cut it for me unless I altered the way I work. I'd rather wait for the MBA to get 4 GBs of RAM... or I'll settle for the 13" MBP.
This is another story, and your expectations look absolutely reasonable (although, Apple did everything to make things complex in the case of MBA).
I perform constantly benchmarking and monitoring of all my Mac machines. Memory in standard configuration is nearly a visible bottleneck for all of 2009's. I don't own MBA, though, and am not gonna get any.
The air is the best it has been in the current revision.
However, you must also consider it will always be on 2GB.
If the Air is really the one you want and you can wait a few weeks, maybe see if the first few weeks of the new year brings 4GB of RAM.
Of course, if the Air or MBP is good for you right now, I think they are still great machines.