MBA vs. MBP

Hey you guys..

I currently own a MB which I cannot stand using any longer - it keeps breaking.. So I'm on the market for a new MAC, but really can't decide between the MBA or MBP..

Thing's I use my MB for:

TimeMachiening (FireWire connected HD)...
Photoediting - iPhoto, but soon switching to Aperture...
Carrying around at school 6 hours a day..
Occansional dvd/cd burning...
It is often hooked up to a 19inch screen, with an external mouse and the Apple bluetooth keyboard.. (only at home that is)
Websurfing...
Word, excel and powerpoint...
Video editing - for now iMovie, but soon higher end - maybe final cut..
Wireless internet - sometimes ethernet (when the wireless dosen't work.. a few times every month)...
Travelling - I go travel by plane, train and car up to 10 times per year..

My question is what you think is more suitable.. I'm really torn..
The MBP is lighter than the MB, but has the larger screen with a higher resolution (15in version) - good for video and photo and multiple word, excel and powerpoint windows.. It has also got more processor power ...

But the MBA is tempting for its lightness and portabilty and the screen is as good as the MB's...

Somebody please give some advice here..

(I will be purchasing this either in Denmark or US - through the online Apple store)

 

how is the MBP lighter than the MB? For what you're doing, I cannot recommend the Air as its just too underpowered. I would go with the Pro.

 

Ups - I misread apple.com.. the Pro is thinner than the MB.. And only .4 pounds heavier - though much stronger and with a bigger and better screen..

That was my thought too - but the Pro and MB are so darn heavy to carry around a full 6 hours a day...

 

get MBP!it is better fir your needs!

 

MBP all the way. MBA is just pretty garbage.

 

I can see a couple problems with the Air. First, it has no FireWire port, so you'll have a difficult time with the external hard drive. It only has one USB port. Thus, given what you mentioned in the OP, you'll need a USB hub, which will give you four USB ports - enough for the mouse, CD drive (Air having no internal one), and monitor, assuming it connects with USB. The fourth would work for the harddrive, if you found a Firewire --> USB adaptor.

But even then you'll need to buy an external DVD/RW drive, a Firewire --> USB adaptor (if they exist, otherwise a new external hard drive), and possibly an adaptor for the monitor (either that or a new external monitor). You'd also have to look into some type of ethernet --> USB adaptor (again I'm not sure if they exist) for when you used ethernet.

It really seems like your use is the type of use that the Air's lack of ports create a problem for. Thus I'd have to recommend the MBP over the Air. It's heavier but is much better in terms of meeting your requirements.

Really it sounds like a small Lenovo (or another similar business line) would be best in terms of what you want - small, reliable, good port variety, some have internal optical drives, also has bluetooth as an option. But that does create problems with compatibility with software and files. Or perhaps another MacBook if you haven't lost all faith in their reliability.

 

MBP>MBA..especially for you

 

Drives me nuts when people call the Air garbage. I've been using one for a month now alongside my MacBook Pro, and I still prefer to bring the MBA around with me than my MBP. I've done photo-editing, Word, Excel, HD-movie watching, Internet surfing, DVD burning (with the Superdrive attachment) etc etc, with zero issues. And the resolution on the MacBook Air, to my eyes, is much better than on the MBP. 1280x800 on a 13.3" vs 1440x900 on a 15.4". The MBA looks sharper to me.

Anyway, if you're going to be doing a lot of video editing, you would want an external display regardless of which system you choose. That said, the MBA is more than capable of Final Cut editing given good airflow. The only thing is there's no Firewire. I have a FW800 drive connected to my MBP, and the speed is nice, but for portability you'd be using a 2.5" 320GB-or-larger USB 2.0 drive anyway...

And for carrying around for 6 hours? Give me the MBA every time.

Just some thoughts from someone who actually OWNS a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro...

 

I'm potentially interested in either an Air or a Pro as well so this is an appreciated thread.

 

MacBook Pro; far more powerful, functional, and economical. You don't mind carrying a little extra weight, do you?

 

Both resolutions have near the same DPI(113 on MBA,110 on MBP). But the thing with resolutions is that the mbp have more pixes to work on, so you can put more things at screen at once.
The hard drive performance at the MBA can be too slow for video editing work.
Carryin around six hours means that you are walking six hours?
I carry my dv8000(almost twice as heavy as an MBP, about 4 kg) to school and back almost every day, but I don't keep it in my back more than almost an hour.

 

I agree with everyone else....

go with the MBP.

*edit*

keep in mind the MBP has better battery life than the MBP. The CD version I have can push around 4 hours with taking notes and light web surfing. And the newer MBP have ever better battery life.

You will still need to bring a charger for 6+ hours on campus, but with the MBP, you can also charge faster than the MBA... at least from reports I've heard.

 

mbp all the way

 

Who called the Air garbage?


I'd also recommend the MBP. Really if you think the MBP is too heavy to carry around you need to exercise some. Sometimes when I'm walking around campus I think I've forgotten to put my MBP in my backpack because it feels so light!

 

It's all relative. The MBA is so, so much lighter than the MBP.

Again, I'm not saying the MBA is a powerhouse or anything, but it's definitely something to look into...

 

The MBA isn't garbage, it just isn't aimed at the majority of people. Its meant to be a secondary Mac for those with a more powerful computer at home, and it does that job well.

 

Thing is that you own both the MBP and the MBA - I can only afford eitther one of them..

I connect my 19in LG monitor with DVI - thus I use the Mini DVI -> DVI Adapter for the MB..
The external harddrive is for at-home-only use.. When I come home from school I hook up the MB to my Logitech MX mouse (USB), 19in screen, Lacie firewire HD, my speakers - that leaves 1 USB, the ethernet port and headphone jack empty - so to speak.. My Apple keyboard is bluetooth..
Regarding the carrying around; I'm at campus 6-7 hours a day.. every hour I switch class and have to carry my MB around for 15 minutes.. 5-6 times a day. (8-9am, 9.15-10am etc).. Furthermore I commute 45 minutes each way to and from school.. That's why the Air is so appealing for me.. The incredible portabilty it offers is huge compared to the MBP.. Also taken into consideration is that I go to states 1 or 2 times a year, drive to austria (14 hours in a car) 1-3 times a year.. And then the occasional drive to the other end of island (1 hour each way... 1-3 times per month)

Thing is that i have other things than my computer in my bag - it really sums up to a lot of KG - and the weight of the Air is just incredible..

I really have been looking into a Lenovo X61s - but I just can't see myself without Mac OSX... Spaces (in particular.. I use all day long.. Does Windows XP or Vista have something similar??), TimeMachine, Mail, iCal, iPhoto, PhotoBooth.. I can't take into account how much I really do LOVE leopard..
And I SO not going back to a MacBook - Their build-quality is not what I had expected.. This is my second MacBook and I'm sure the aluminium is much more reliable and capable of wear than the cheap MB plastic is..

 

Haha. When I first say the title, I thought, MBA program vs Mac Book Pro??? Give me an $30K degree darn it!!!!

 

Do you really need to carry a mac in the campus? Maybe you should get an MBP or even an iMac and some of these budget ultraportables like the eee PC.

 

Haha - I can't help it.. Funny thing.. Naa.. I might just take and MBA in a few years, when I'm done with High School - but I'll worry about that bridge when I cross it..

Yea - I kinda need too.. I need it for notes in school - I only need one computer and I don't really want a iMac - haven't got the space for it.. And the overall portability a notebook gives is indescribable - I bring my MB to bed, to the living room.. Everywhere - I actually won't leave the house without it or my camera.. having all my music and photos with me is great..

 

get MBP,it is only 0.6 pound heavier then MB.

 

I'd say MBP... just for your needs but I love my MBA and still don't regret dropping the MBP for it!

 

I am currently considering a MBA or MBP for a first Apple purchase. I am mainly a Windows user, and do plan to run VISTA on it.

Which Mac do you enjoy typing on more - the MBP or the MBA?
I have Thinkpad and other good keyboards now, and the MBP and MBA are both steps down from a Thinkpad keyboard.

I want the best display for my use, which seems to be the MBA the MBP with glossy option. Text does seem to appear sharper on the MBP with glossy screen, since the matte has anti-glare coating. I am sure that photos are much more accurate on the matte version.

Since I have several PC laptops and desktops, what I want in an Apple is a good screen and a good keyboard. Both the MBP and MBA seem to provide this, with perhaps the edge to the Air?

Andrew

 

Personally, I prefer Apple's chicklet (aka, MB) keyboard. The MBP keyboard feels too "squishy" to me. That's not to say, however, that it's uncomfortable to type on by any means.

But if you're planning to run Vista on your Mac, I'd definitely recommend the MBP over the MBA. The extra horsepower, RAM, and dedicated graphics will priceless since Vista is such a resource hog.

 

I prefer typing on the MBA than my MBP. Cleaner key presses.

 

So, it seems most people here would opt for the MBP but that again may just be because the Air is geared towards a much smaller crowd...?

 

I would lean towards the MBP just because in my eyes, it is more future proof than the MBA. The MBA was/is designed for a specific crowd, and while it is an amazing machine, I would want to stretch my money as afar as possible. Plus, you can upgrade your memory and get a larger HDD. The dedicated graphics card doesn't hurt either.

 

The MBP is only slightly more future proof that the Air, actually. You can replace the battery on both (admittedly not quite as simply with the Air, but you can). You can't easily replace the HD in the Air, and the RAM isn't upgradeable, but that's it. It's not as if you can make either system faster, though....

I don't know. The MBP is clearly faster, but the MBA is such a fantastic lightweight laptop, I'd have a tough time choosing between them myself.

 

Word!! That is so how I feel - but gotta admit that all the replies here - and there has been alot in a very short time - has made me have second thoughts..

Does anybody know how the Air handles Aperture??

Thanks again, for all the replies - I really appreciate them alot..

 

I can tell you how the Air handles LightRoom, since I wrote up a review of the Air here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=232152

I did install Aperture for a few minutes as well, and it was just fine on the Air.

 

I think you are right.

My situation: I had never owned an Apple, and was not intending on buying one, untill I saw the MBA.

I own it for a week now and it's an amazing machine. Well except for my troubles with Apple's antialiasing but you'll have that on any MB.

For me personally a 5 pound machine is not really a portable. A 3 pound is. Simple as that.

If you are serious about video editing the MBA is not really an option I expect.