Which Mac Notebook is right for me? Please help!

I'm a past iBook owner (2nd gen G3) and am now ready to replace my current pc laptop (13 inch) with a new Mac notebook as my primary home computer. I realise that Apple laptops have moved on quite a bit from when I owned an iBook, however I do know a bit about the two main lines: MBA and MBP. I'm having a really hard time trying to decide which one, model, size, components, etc. is right for me.

I've read every forum I can find on comparing MBA to MBP, however, those enquiring tend to have different requirements/use cases than my own, so I thought I'd see if someone can lend me some advice. Here's what I'm looking for/to do on the laptop:

- Store lots of photos and videos that I capture w/ my camera, iPhone, and iPad
- Some light photo and video editing - I'm not a pro, just at the amateur level, using Apple software like iPhoto/Video, etc.
- iOS app development - I'm beginning to learn to develop for iOS and have heard that any of the new Mac notebooks can handle this, but have also been told that I really need to have as big a screen as possible. Is this really true? I'd prefer not to have larger than a 15" screen, preferably 13", but not if this is not conducive to app development.
- Work documents - tend to work primarily in MS Powerpoint, but also Excel and Word (perhaps through the MS simulator)
- Fast performance for applications, inc. internet/browsing/streaming

I'd be excited to keep the purchase under $1,500, but realise that there is a 15" MBP at $1,800, so if that's the best option to for all of the above, then I don't plan to let price be the determining factor.

Any advice + rationale would be hugely appreciated!!

Thanks

I'm not sure why you'd need a huge screen to do iOS development. A larger screen might be nice but I don't think it's a requirement in any sense of the word.

The other requirements you have are pretty standard ones that any machine can handle. If you store a lot of media content and you want that storage to be in the notebook itself, the MBA is going to limit you since the flash storage available is considerably smaller than the storage you can get with the MBP. However, the rest of your requirements can be met with either.

I'd suggest that you go with the MBP simply because you get more for the same (or near same) price. The MBA, in my opinion, only really shines if you need something as thin as it is and don't need a notebook that is upgradeable. As such, I'd say go for the MBP.

vansmith said:

I'm not sure why you'd need a huge screen to do iOS development. A larger screen might be nice but I don't think it's a requirement in any sense of the word.

The other requirements you have are pretty standard ones that any machine can handle. If you store a lot of media content and you want that storage to be in the notebook itself, the MBA is going to limit you since the flash storage available is considerably smaller than the storage you can get with the MBP. However, the rest of your requirements can be met with either.

I'd suggest that you go with the MBP simply because you get more for the same (or near same) price. The MBA, in my opinion, only really shines if you need something as thin as it is and don't need a notebook that is upgradeable. As such, I'd say go for the MBP.

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Very helpful - many thanks.

I think now I'm just trying to choose between the 13" 2.9Ghz dualcore i7and the 15" 2.3Ghz quadcore i7...

thistlecush said:

Very helpful - many thanks.

I think now I'm just trying to choose between the 13" 2.9Ghz dualcore i7and the 15" 2.3Ghz quadcore i7...

Click to expand...

One BIG decision point between those two is the display size. Display size determines the amount of display "real estate"...and display size choice determines the weight of the laptop (15" heavier then the 13").

I guess you need to prioritize:

- display size
- laptop weight
- cpu type (2 core vs. quad core)

If you can do this...it will make the decision easier. Just remember...in many cases...you can't have it all!

- Nick