Macbook Air versus Pro - Thoughts?

[robav8r]

Bought a 13" macbookpro while on deployment in Kadena, OK in 2008. Absolutely love it and will stay with a Mac but unfortunately, it is beginning to show signs of an early death. Considering a Macbook Air, but don't like the lack of memory and disk drive. I think the 13", $1499 Macbook Pro is a better deal. Whatever I get, it will spend some time underway, on deployment with an ARG next year. Appreciate any comments and input . . . . .

FOG

 

[SeaHawk2011]

Pro is a more powerful computer; it's designed to be your fulltime computer.
Air is designed to be your on-the-go, easy to carry around computer.
With the flash storage, the Air is a little less susceptible to bumps and drops (nothing to get knocked out of alignment)
Personally, I'd go with the Pro.

 

[scoolbubba]

I got a pro after playing with an air on deployment. Until SSD's come down in price to match the space a disk drive can give you, the payoff isn't there to go with the air. If you really want the best of both worlds and aren't concerned about coin, get the pro with the 500g solid state drive, or better yet, by the bare bones pro and throw your own solid state drive into it. Voila, macbook air on steroids.

 

[robav8r]

I got a pro after playing with an air on deployment. Until SSD's come down in price to match the space a disk drive can give you, the payoff isn't there to go with the air. If you really want the best of both worlds and aren't concerned about coin, get the pro with the 500g solid state drive, or better yet, by the bare bones pro and throw your own solid state drive into it. Voila, macbook air on steroids.

One of the Sand Crabs I worked with at NAVAIR said the same thing. He upgraded his Macbook Pro with a solid state hard drive and said the performance difference is remarkable. Thanks for the 411.

 

[Lawman]

Go Pro.

One of the guys this deployment had an Air and there were just too many times where he needed a drive to move work shit and couldnt because of the whole no USB crap with military computers.

 

[OscarMyers]

I can't speak on the Air, but My pro took a tumble out if my truck, killed the hard drive and dog eared the screen frame. Changing parts in that thing was a breeze. Unlike my old MacBook and PC laptops, disassembly consisted of less than ten screws and two holding the hard drive in. I have heard the Airs are built more like IPads, making parts replacement a little more varsity.

 

[PropAddict]

I have a 2009 vintage MBP. Still trucks like a champ. I'm on the 2nd battery, a solid state HD that was more a "want" than a "need", and I need a new track pad. The click button part has about a 30% chance of working.

My only reason for opting for an Air is if you were going to drag it around in a backpack or briefcase a lot. The MBP is a heavy beast to lug through airports all the time, but it's a great machine for everything else.

 

[SynixMan]

The retina pros are pretty amazing kit. I wouldn't get the older model with an optical drive.

I have an 11" Air and the small 64gb hard drive is an annoyance. I have a 1TB Thunderbolt external that's rediculously faster than anything USB I've had, but it's constantly tethered if I need to move media around.

 

[BackOrdered]

Bought a pro in 2008, it still holds up productivity wise today with next to no real maintenance or house keeping. With the operating system being so cheap to upgrade, it is shaping up to be my only laptop for at least 4 more years.

 

[sevenhelmet]

I bought my wife a 'pro on my last deployment when our desktop took a shit. I got her a factory refurb and paid half of what I would have paid in the store for a new computer with only slightly better specs. I recommend the Apple factory refurb route with gov't discount. Takes the sticker shock out of buying a Mac.

 

[snake020]

Once you go Mac you never go back.

I'm running a MacBook that's five years old with a Windows XP partition on it, and it still runs Windows better than any NMCI or ONENET machine I've used within the last year.

 

[KBayDog]

I'm running a MacBook that's five years old with a Windows XP partition on it, and it still runs Windows better than any NMCI or ONENET machine I've used within the last year.

If you set the bar low, you'll never be disappointed.

 

[ryan1234]

I have a 13" MacBook Pro....year old...love it.
If you have a GoPro, Final Cut Pro X plus a MBP is a good combo

 

[Brett327]

If you have (insert camera), (insert NLE app) plus (insert computer) is a good combo.

 

[FlyingOnFumes]

Pro all the way. Don't know if the Pro still has an ExpressCard slot (an external PCI-Express x1 expansion slot for notebooks) since the introduction of Thunderbolt, but you certainly won't get it with Air.

Allows you to add an eSATA II, eSATAp II (Power over External Serial ATA), or possibly even an eSATA 6 Gb/s ExpressCard and hook up an external hard drive directly (or up to 5 simultaneously via an eSATA II Port Multiplier Hub), bypassing USB 2.0 and get nearly 2x the speed of USB 2.0 (with even SATA I) since TA is the native interface on most hard drives and all consumer hard drives.

Also the Pro will have a better GPU (Graphics Processor) than an Air. I'd get a current Mac Mini before I ever get an Air,

Plus the Air will screw you on the availability of other expansion ports.

Get an Air only of you are looking for a notebook alternative to an iPad.