Macbook Air 13 VS. Macbook pro 13 or 15

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Greetings everyone...

This is my first post, so I hope you'll all be helpful and help me decide what laptop should I buy..

Now I use Sony Vaio AR51SU (17") and it is just too large laptop for me. I'd like to switch to OS-x and definitely decided to buy macbook!
Currently, i use laptop for internet searching, writing some seminars for my college, watching HD movies, and so one, for now, nothing special...
Also, planing to use photoshop and maybe some other programs, like to try to program some iphone apps and so... nothing special..

So, my question is... Which model should I buy? Macbook Air 13 with 1,86GHz Core duo, Macbook Pro 13 with 2,4GHz Core Duo or to buy Macbook Pro 15 with 2,4GHz i5 and why?
I was closest to buy Air, but guys from Appstore told me not to buy it, but to buy Macbook Pro.. Their argument was that Air is mostly for journalists and people who travel a lot.. For me, the most important thing about my new laptop is to be very quick, practical and that i don't get some issues with programs and slow processing... Also using desktop PC at home so should keep that on mind...

Hope to get some good answers and sorry if my English is not perfect...

Thanx in advance!!
 
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Greetings everyone...

This is my first post, so I hope you'll all be helpful and help me decide what laptop should I buy..

Now I use Sony Vaio AR51SU (17") and it is just too large laptop for me. I'd like to switch to OS-x and definitely decided to buy macbook!
Currently, i use laptop for internet searching, writing some seminars for my college, watching HD movies, and so one, for now, nothing special...
Also, planing to use photoshop and maybe some other programs, like to try to program some iphone apps and so... nothing special..

So, my question is... Which model should I buy? Macbook Air 13 with 1,86GHz Core duo, Macbook Pro 13 with 2,4GHz Core Duo or to buy Macbook Pro 15 with 2,4GHz i5 and why?
I was closest to buy Air, but guys from Appstore told me not to buy it, but to buy Macbook Pro.. Their argument was that Air is mostly for journalists and people who travel a lot.. For me, the most important thing about my new laptop is to be very quick, practical and that i don't get some issues with programs and slow processing... Also using desktop PC at home so should keep that on mind...

Hope to get some good answers and sorry if my English is not perfect...

Thanx in advance!!
Well if you are going to be using Photoshop, the extra screen real estate on the 15 MBP with the upgraded screen would be the best.

All three of them will be fine for what you're doing tho. You have to see what you really need and then what you can afford. The Air doesn't have an Optical drive, so you would have to buy an external ($80) or use the remote sharing feature. The Air can also go up to 4gb of RAM (not user-upgradable). Your best bet if you get the Air is get it with 4gb of RAM. The other thing with the Air is the small HD space. These are very hard to upgrade, but I think some manufacturers are starting to make the 1.8" drives... Lots of people rave about the screen on the Air, but it's still a small screen, and viewing larger images on PS will be somewhat of a hassle.

With the 13 you get the base model MBP. This one has an optical drive, so you're set there. With the MBP's you also add a Firewire port, as well as an ethernet connection. An SD card reader is also included which can be a great help for getting photos off your camera and into PS for editing. The 13" has the standard 1200 x 800 screen, which, personally, is irritating sometimes using PS with large images. The MBP's also can go up to 8gb of RAM, which can be good for heavy duty PS usage. The 13" only weighs about 5 lbs so not bad.

Finally is the 15" MBP. Same ports as above, but add a higher res screen (1440 x 900) or the upgraded 1680 x 1050 glossy / anti glare. Depending on your PS usage, the upgraded screen would be your best bet. It allows manipulating large images much easier. The 15" also uses Intel's newest iX processor. They are, synthetically, twice as fast as a standard C2D processor. They have hyper-threading, which means that each core can have 2 threads. This means that while a C2D processor only has 2 threads, an iX processor has 4 threads, making multi tasking and CPU intensive tasks much easier. The iX series is also a little more future proof. Finally, it weighs in at about 6 lbs, so not bad.

Now with all that said, take a look at what you really need and then what you can afford. Or just go into your local Apple store, or Best Buy and test them all out and see which you like the best. And see if any of them have the upgraded screen, or look at another laptop with the 1680 x 1050 res. to see how much nicer it is.

Some recommendations tho:
-If you get the Air, get it with 4gb of RAM. You cannot upgrade this later.
- If you get either of the MBP's, get them with the lowest RAM and HD possible then upgrade yourself later. You want to upgrade to at least a 720 RPM HD after market, and RAM can be had extremely cheap these days. Don't pay Apple to do something when they charge double or triple the price.
- Look into a good case / backpack to get so you can protect it and make carrying it easier.
 
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thank you s2odin for your detail reply!

i see that MBP 15" is the best option but also the most expensive.. From what you wrote, and from what i read from some articles, I should definitely avoid MB Air because it cannot be upgraded what I will do in future with MBP.

So, if I choose MBP 13, thing that bothers me is that it has Core Duo which is on market from '06... I surly know that i5 is newer but here in Croatia is very big price difference between start models (MBP 13", 2,4GHZ Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 250 HD, GeForce 320M - about $1737 vs. MBP15" 2,4GHZ i5, 4GB RAM, 320 HD, Intel HD Graphics, GeForce GT 330M, 256 MB about $2671). So, as I sad, i was using Vaio with Core Duo, and was endurable, but of-course, as technology grows so do programs demand more powerful processors. Also, one thing that borders me is that next year is coming OS Lion as replacement for OS Leopard, and am afraid that Core Duo could be slow for that new OS... Maybe I'm wrong because I don't know much about it.

So is the price difference that big as are Core 2 Duo and i5, considering that I can upgrade both of them to 8 GB RAM for some time...?

Also, thanks for recommendations in the bottom of the top!!!
 
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If you're looking to do anything that requires processing power (ie: photoshop, encoding/decoding/rendering videos, gaming), go with a 15" mbp. else, go with an Air, since i think the 13" mbp is in an odd niche given the price/performance of the 15" mbp and the Air.
 
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thank you s2odin for your detail reply!

i see that MBP 15" is the best option but also the most expensive.. From what you wrote, and from what i read from some articles, I should definitely avoid MB Air because it cannot be upgraded what I will do in future with MBP.

So, if I choose MBP 13, thing that bothers me is that it has Core Duo which is on market from '06... I surly know that i5 is newer but here in Croatia is very big price difference between start models (MBP 13", 2,4GHZ Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 250 HD, GeForce 320M - about $1737 vs. MBP15" 2,4GHZ i5, 4GB RAM, 320 HD, Intel HD Graphics, GeForce GT 330M, 256 MB about $2671). So, as I sad, i was using Vaio with Core Duo, and was endurable, but of-course, as technology grows so do programs demand more powerful processors. Also, one thing that borders me is that next year is coming OS Lion as replacement for OS Leopard, and am afraid that Core Duo could be slow for that new OS... Maybe I'm wrong because I don't know much about it.

So is the price difference that big as are Core 2 Duo and i5, considering that I can upgrade both of them to 8 GB RAM for some time...?

Also, thanks for recommendations in the bottom of the top!!!
Well with the 15" you are getting the newer processor, better video card, and higher res screen. The RAM and HD upgrades are really easy, and relatively inexpensive.

As far as if it's worth it, that's up to you. If you feel comfortable putting out $2671 for the MBP 15, then by all means, go ahead. You won't be disappointed. The other option is you can look on Apples website for a refurb.

Here's a few you should seriously consider:
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)
and
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 - Apple Store (U.S.)

And if you were really thinking about shelling out $2600 for the MBP 15, here is a refurb that would smoke it:
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 - Apple Store (U.S.)


Now I'm not sure about Apple shipping to Croatia as far as taxes are concerned and whatnot, but check out those 3 above.

Yes, the C2D processor architecture is old, but many users will still find it usable. If you are worried about it not being able to handle all your tasks then definitely get the i5, but just be ready to spend more money.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
 
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Well with the 15" you are getting the newer processor, better video card, and higher res screen. The RAM and HD upgrades are really easy, and relatively inexpensive.

As far as if it's worth it, that's up to you. If you feel comfortable putting out $2671 for the MBP 15, then by all means, go ahead. You won't be disappointed. The other option is you can look on Apples website for a refurb.

Here's a few you should seriously consider:
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)
and
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 - Apple Store (U.S.)

And if you were really thinking about shelling out $2600 for the MBP 15, here is a refurb that would smoke it:
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.66GHz Intel Core i7 - Apple Store (U.S.)


Now I'm not sure about Apple shipping to Croatia as far as taxes are concerned and whatnot, but check out those 3 above.

Yes, the C2D processor architecture is old, but many users will still find it usable. If you are worried about it not being able to handle all your tasks then definitely get the i5, but just be ready to spend more money.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.


Ok, I saw prices at appstore, but even if they are shipping to Cro, the price would be bigger than these in Cro, so that doesn't make any option...
Also, we also have all of those models here, but they are very very expensive so they are not a option at all...

for now I don't have questions, but thanks for helping me... I will definitely reconsider till weekend which one should I buy and get it on Saturday. Also, this thread will stay open for my first impressions and if I have any questions, I'll be free to ask you via PM.
Thank you once again!!!

PS. @pinchy: I have decidet not to go for Air because for that money I think that getting MBP 13" is much better option... that is just my opinion...
 
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Ok, I saw prices at appstore, but even if they are shipping to Cro, the price would be bigger than these in Cro, so that doesn't make any option...
Also, we also have all of those models here, but they are very very expensive so they are not a option at all...

Well is there someone you have in the states that you could trust to order it for you and then ship to you if you send them the money?
 
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Well is there someone you have in the states that you could trust to order it for you and then ship to you if you send them the money?

Unfortunately i don't have anyone there so my only option is to pay shipment from USA or to get it here in Cro.

@ jillianlee: thanks for advice, for now, I'm closest to buy 15" MBP.
 

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