I’m advising a friend who’s looking to buy a new Mac laptop. He’s infatuated with the Air, but I told him to hold on and get more opinions. My problem with the Air is that it doesn’t have an optical drive and it’s HDD memory is, for me, low at 128GB, which is the model he’s looking at. However, he really only stores music, not films, so maybe it’s enough.
My main question is, now that the 13 Macbook has been discontinued, does it make sense to buy from the last remaining stock pieces? I have the Macbook 13 and I love it. Will it be serviceable after 3-4 years, should he need it serviced? A Pro is beyond his budget and his needs.
Or is the Air sturdy enough? He can buy and connect an external optical drive, I guess.
—–
Dhruv
MacMost Q&A Forum • View All Forum Questions • Ask a Question
What’s your recommended Apple laptop after Macbook’s departure?
Comments: 3 Responses to “What’s your recommended Apple laptop after Macbook’s departure?”
Comments Closed.
I don't think the MacBook has made sense for a while, even before it was discontinued. Even if you don't consider the Air, the low-end MacBook Pro 13-inch is only a little more money for a lot more power.
I would think that the choice now is between that MacBook Pro and the Air, not a leftover MacBook.
I just moved from a MacBook Pro 13-inch to a MacBook Air 11-inch.
The optical drive wasn't a consideration. I could see that even as a power user I rarely needed it. And if I did, I would just get an external one for $79 that I could leave at home.
As for 128GB, I just took one look at my MacBook Pro's hard drive and saw that I was using less then 60GB. So 128 was plenty.
But I have the advantage of the MBA being my second Mac. My primary one is a Mac Pro. So maybe if it was my primary machine I would have stuck with a MBP instead of a MBA.
One big advantage with a MBA you get over the old MB or current MBP is the drive is an SSD -- solid state drive. No spinning disk. So it is super fast and consumes little power.
You say that a MBP is "beyond his budget and his needs" -- but it is $1199 as compared to $1199 for a MBA (with 128GB drive). Same price.
I don't know. I just can't see spending $1000 or even $900 on a MB when you can get such a superior machine (either MBA or MBP) for just a little more.
But one thing I would advise: have him go to the Apple Store and try them. Very important. I wouldn't dare have someone decide on a Mac without doing that.
I am currently looking at replacing my Toshiba Laptop. I use my laptop to mainly cruise the internet and of course my emails. I purchased an Iphone not so long ago and have been very impressed with it so I have decided to go apple for my laptop.
Is the air faster than the Pro ? Apart from the weight, what are the pros and con of these two machines.
I will be going Apple, I just want to get the most apropriate machine for my needs.
Cheers Graeme
The processors in the Pro are faster than in the Air. But you can customize am Air with faster processors too. And the Air has an SSD, which is faster than a standard drive, but smaller.
I'd take a close look at both in the store and ask an employee there to show you the differences.