Macbook vs Macbook Air...Decisions, decisions

EDITED: SCROLL DOWN BELOW TO SEE THE PICTURES OF MY NEW MACBOOK
Anyway...here is my question.

I am trying to decided between Macbook Aluminum 2.4 Ghz vs
Macbook Air 1.86ghz with 128gb SSD. Price is
almost a $1000 difference. But let's say I can
afford either one of them. Would you pick Macbook
2.4ghz because it's faster, has more ports, and
$1000 cheaper or would you go with the Air
because of the 'wow' factor it has, how thin it
is, despite being slower and more expensive?
It will be primarily my college laptop. I won't
really be doing any video editing or 3d modeling,
but I will play now and then mmorpgs like EVE or
WoW. So which Apple laptop would you recommend
me? To be honest Macbook air got nothing on
Macbook specs wise, but the VISUAL APPEAL! You
can't deny sexiness of macbook air =p.
So in other words hot babe that is mentally
challenged or average looking gal that is
intelligent?
OK I am serious, I really need help with deciding
=/.

EDIT: I won't be doing a review, there's plenty of them on NBR forums already. But I will post a few pics of my just-arrived Macbook, as I promised =p.

Enjoy!

 

you can't use the air as your primary machine. it has no disc drive and almost no ports.

i would get the macbook, unless you are using this as a second (or third) computer.

 

Well the Macbook Air has thinness, lightness, and a MUCH better screen going for it. However the Macbook is better in all other areas. Personally I'd get the Macbook unless you have a ton of cash burning a hole in your wallet. For casual use, I'd say the Macbook Air would be more pleasant to use (especially if you got the SSD) but definitely not $1000 more pleasant.

 

If you're just wanting the 13" screen then you need to make a list of your needs and priorities. If you don't need ports and a drive, don't mind a slower machine, the the Air might appeal to you. However, if you need ports, the drive, a faster laptop, you might swing to the Macbook.
If money's no object, you can use a 15.4" screen and you could afford the Air, why not take a look at a MBP? About the same money, dedicated graphics and a host of other things I could think of to spend my money on if I had it.
What ever you do, make sure you check to see if there are any education discounts. You'll save a few coins that way.
Best of luck.

 

Do not buy an air unless the only reason you'd use a CD/DVD drive is to install drivers and/or you are physically to weak to lift anything slighter bigger.

Sorry I sound like an A** ! Let me re-phrase.

Ahem...I would suggest the Macbook Pro, between the two.

 

I've heard the Alu Macbook has the crappiest screen nowadays. I had a colleague who bought one right when I bought mine, and didn't see much of a difference in screen. Other than the size obviously. So who knows.

Can you get down to an Apple Store? That trip will surely answer your question.

If it were me though, for the money you put down for the Air, squeeze a little harder and get the Pro

 

ok I found a great price on ebay for both laptops.

Macbook = $1450.
Macbook Air = $2100.

So it's a $750 difference. Would you guys still recommend me buying a Macbook Alum instead of Air?

 

Macbook, because the only thing the air has going for it is thinness, and portability, which the new MB has adopted very well. The Aluminum MB has more ports, a SuperDrive, a better processor, and user expandability for things such as the battery, RAM, HDD. I really thing the Unibody MB is giving the Air a run for it's money.

 

I'm going to join in with everyone else and campaign that you scrap both ideas and grab a Macbook pro. You'll thank us later. I promise.

 

Yeah, if the Air is $2,100 then +1 for the Pro

 

Having owned both an Aluminum MacBook, and a MacBook Air, I definitely vote for the MacBook

The Air is a beautiful machine, but the MacBook is so much more usable.

 

I agree, I had the first gen mba and while it was cool because it was so thin and looked very small when it is in closed shell mode.. the cool factor went away after a few weeks and it just became a slower yet more expensive version of the macbook.

Also not to mention that the new macbooks also has the unibody, faster cpu, much cheaper + led screens and the best part is the user replaceable SATA drive.

And IMHO the mba is only worth it if you get the SSD drive, which makes it even more expensive. And Also instead of paying $2500 for the mba with the SSD drive, I'd rather just get a 15" 2.5ghz mbp or better yet pay a little more and get a new 17" hi res mbp.

 

I've owned the Macbook (late 2008) and first generation Macbook Air. I'd take the MBA over the Macbook. Main reasons: Screen (higher contrast, better black levels) and weight.

But I can't decide for you. None of the tasks you do really need the Macbooks additional power.

What is best for you depends on:
-How important is screen quality to you. Some people are satisfied with the Macbook screen. Some people can't really tell the difference with a better screen. While other people instantly notice the lower contrast on the Macbook and get turned off by it.

-How important is weight to you. Some people don't mind carrying around 2kg every day. While others care even about every ounce. The Macbook Air weigh 1.37kg and it makes a big difference in strain on my shoulder.

-How important are a DVD drive and connectivity for you. To me they're not important. I can do everything with one USB port by plugging in a hub at home. For some people it is important though.

 

Seriously I think the only people the mba is really made for, are journalists on the go all the time or people that are out and about 5-8 hours a day that just needs something so small to just throw in the bag and just go.

But if your not out and about jumping airports to airports or train to train 5-7 hours a week then the mba is not necessary.

The macbook however is small enough that you can put it in your backpack and just travel daily to your office where it will sit on a desk anyway right and I'm sure this is what most people's jobs are like. And 4.5lbs for a macbook thats pretty freakin light to me once its in a backpack and on your back.

Unless your the weakest person in the world, the mba's lightness is mandatory.. I think not.

The mba is not about needs its all about wants, you pay the extra huge premium for the thinness feature thats about it. I'm not saying that its wrong if you do opt for the mba as we pay for many many other things in life for certain features/pleasures but its just my opinion.

If I had a mac pro desktop, I know I'd be tempted to get a mba though for on the go and moving around the house with more pleasure BUT if the macbook is your one and only main notebook, it is the much better choice.

 

Lol just for the record: I am not a journalist, nor do I hop on trains and plains every day. I do like to work outside my home though.

 

I've actually met quite a few people that do work out and about every day though that they need to just throw their small trusty notebook in their bag and go places to places every day.

But I do understand.. features features features and the prettiness of the mba.. I've had it once it was nice.

 

Thanks a lot for all your responses!
I have decided on buying Macbook. It will be shipped on Monday (tomorrow).
A few people mentioned Macbook Pro but to be honest the only reason why I got rid of my Asus G1S 15'' and Asus M70 17" is due to it's big size and thickness. Ok maybe Macbook Pro is not as thick as those two. But the point is I want something smaller, and 13" is just perfect for now. Later on though i plan on building a state-of-the art PC desktop with 22"-30" LCD monitor, so I won't be using 13" screen forever.

As for the weight difference between MBA and MB...I don't think 4.5 lbs will kill me , I used to carry my 9lb 17" laptop to work every single day back in the summer last year.

Ok guys, thanks once again. Once I receive my MB, I will post pics in this forum!

 

You made a good decision on picking the MacBook. *knock on wood*

 

great,enjoy!

 

Great choice! You will definitely enjoy your MB. . BTW, what configuration did you order?

 

I got the 2.4GHZ version. I am the 'night-person' so backlight keyboard is definitely nice addition.
For the last year an a half I've been using laptops with 3GB-4GB RAM, I just hope I won't see a big difference by switching to Macbook with 2GB RAM.

 

I really love the backlit keyboard, because I am also a night person. . My MB with 2GB of DDR3 1066MHz RAM feels just like my desktop PC with 8GB of DDR2 667MHz.

 

Excellent decision, the macbook is easily the best bang for the $$ and now especially with the led backlit screen + unibody with a user replaceable dedicated SATA HDD its an excellent buy! Enjoy!

 

Good choice -- The MBA is a beautiful piece of hardware, but the Macbook would have been my final decision, given your listed needs. The Macbook has a faster processor, larger HDD, more ports, etc. and you can change the battery and HDD yourself.

As I always have said ::::

"It is always better to (Have it and not need it -- than to need it and not have it)

 

Yeah, i totally agree with slash x.

 

My Macbook is on the way by the Fedex-Man and my camera is ready =D

 

Great news mate!

Congratulations!

 

Congratulations! Is this going to be a video on YouTube, or what?

 

id go ahead and buy a SSD and put that in your MB, if this was already said then forget it said this

 

I would wait until SSD prices go down, while increasing storage compacity at the same time. It won't be long.........I hope.

 

Updated. Check out the first post.

 

congrats man!any comments about it?

 

Can't comment much on it yet, I am a MacBook newbie . I haven't even figured out how to use Mac OS X yet.

But the good news is I just installed Windows 7 Beta in BootCamp and it works great!!! I am in Win7 right now actually. HUGE LEAP from Windows Vista.

Backlight keyboard was well worth the money, it looks great! Oh speaking of which:

PS: Nevermind. All I had to do is install drivers from the Mac OS X Install DVD inside of Windows 7. Now everything works fine

 

Congratulations, that's awesome! Anything you found that you don't particularly like about the Macbook? Mabye you could enlighten us on your thoughts.

 

Let me get that for you....*planes* kidding you're a good guy phil

congrats on your choice The mabook Air is awesome but they should lower the price around $300 thats my opinion though best of luck to you

 

Ok here's a compiled list of what I don't like so far. But then again it's all minor stuff, it doesn't bother me much:

1. Mac OS X cannot write anything on NTFS hard drivers. That means my current 1terrabyte external HD is read-only. It's nothing major, just very unconvenient.
2. QuickTime does not support MKV videos =(. So I had to get VLC Player as well. Unlike in Windows where you can install Vista Codecs Package and then play any file you want within Windows Media Player. Again, nothing big.
3. MacBook's screen...you know that black Windows Vista loading screen? Well it's more like grey loading screen if you look slightly at angle. But it doesn't bother me either, once the windows or Mac OS X loads, the screen is absolutely fantastic.

Other than that I really have no complaints. I love this MacBook!!! It's fast, absolutely gorgeous, and the keyboard is great! It's been so long since I've had a good keyboard laptop. I gotta admit, love writing long essays or blogs on keyboard. I can rejoice at last .

Oh and Windows 7 runs nice and smooth in Boot Camp. All drivers have been installed. I play EVE ONLINE (Premium Graphics Edition) just fine. No complaints so far.

 

let me try to help you with your problems!

1)there is a program called ntfs-3g,install it and you ll be able to write on NTFS
2)there are codecs for quicktime too.BTW,windows media player sucks!use KMPlayer

 

My god it is sexy!

 

get perian for your codec issues!

ps congrats on you purchase.

 

Wish there was a Mac version of KMPlayer. It's my favorite media player :-/

 

Xirurg you just made my day =D!

Underpantman, after some googling yesterday with quicktime video/audio issues, I downloaded and installed Perian. Everything works fine now.

As for MKV files I just use VLC player.

razer55, it looks so much better in person. Macbook feels so light. The aluminum finish is smooth and pleasant to hold in your hands. Keyboard is amazing.
I am very happy with the purchase!

 

Glad I could help!Enjoy!

 

I started using plex player its now replaced playing mkv bluray movies of vlc or mplayer.