Macbook Air for Graphic/Web Designer

I'm a graphic/web designer/developer. I work mostly with web graphics and create the occasional print graphic- most of the time nothing larger than an 18x24 poster. I'm currently working on an early 2008 Macbook with 4gb ram and 2.4 C2D. it's doing good, but is showing it's age a bit when working on certain things. it's been a great machine, albeit, not the nicest or fanciest for a designer, but it gets the job done.

having said all that, i'm now looking into making a new purchase soon. i am on a bit of a budget- i.e. a 15 rMBP isn't an option at all. being a young designer, i am on the move a good bit, working in coffee shops and out a lot of the time, so i am leaning a little more towards a notebook for now.

i really like that new macbook air alot, admittedly a little bit because it's such a neat machine. i'm wondering if anyone has any experience running Adobe CS4/5 on a macbook air? i mainly use PS, illustrator, fireworks, and dreamweaver. not usually at the same time though. i know that the CPU's are clocked a little lower, but keep in mind what i've been using comfortably, and i know that the SSD compensates a lot for that. and i would probably upgrade to 8gb of ram. i'll also note that i keep all my files on an external hdd so it's ok that the ssd in the air isn't quite so large.

The SSD won't compensate for a lack of pure processing power, nor will it compensate for the lack of a discrete GPU, particularly in newer versions of CS. Yes, it will help in I/O intensive operations, but if you've got a decent amount of RAM, the only significant tangible difference will be how fast your programs open and how fast the machine boots up.

That said, the 15 rMBP is pricey, non-upgradeable and (in my view), designed to be disposable. It is pretty, and the super-high-resolution screen is impressive (when used with apps that were designed to be used with it - which is a decidedly limited selection).

That said, have you looked at the 15" standard MacBook Pro (i.e. the one that uses the more conventional 1440x900 display)? At about $1700 (assuming you get it at a corporate/educational discount, or from an Apple dealer), it's quite a bit cheaper, but every bit as capable, and just a bit thicker and heavier.

Thanks cwa107 for your reply. I appreciate you taking the time. i do agree and completely recognize that the macbook pro is a completely dominant computer in terms of specs, however, $1700 is a bit above my budget. And i do realize that there are some great deals on 15 mb pros in the the refurb section, but i'm concerned about portability. i'm on the move a good bit of the time that i'm working. i'd also like to note that i am currently working with an ancient intel x3100 integrated graphics card without really any hiccups- i'm not working with any really gpu intensive apps. and my current setup is running on a 2.4 C2D processor that's still holding it's own perfectly fine, i do believe that most any of the more modern Core i processors will outperform the c2d, though i may be completely wrong on this.

having said all that, i do really like the 15 macbook pro, but i'm concerned about the weight of it- i'm usually walking a bit with my computer on my shoulder along with accessories for it. what i'm really trying to get at is whether the new air, upgraded to 8gb ram would be a good mix of power and portability. i know that it'll run my older adobe apps because i'm currently running them on my nearly 5 year old setup. I would consider the 13 inch pro, but they're still using 1280x800 resolutions, whereas the 13 macbook air has the same resolution as a 15 in pro- and i realize that there isn't quite as much color depth, but it's much better than what most other screens are, which is what i'm designing for.

what do you think on any of this?

I have a 13" MBA (for my wife) and an 11" MBA for myself - (Both mid 2011 models)

If you look at geekbench scores on Mactracker - you'll see that the current crop of MBAs are faster than the 2010 Macbook Pros. For most tasks the MBAs are plenty fast. I have run Photoshop CS6 (nothing too big but basic touchup) and have had no problems. I run virtual machines as well and I wish I had more RAM but current versions can get 8GB of RAM. (I have 4GB which is sufficient but I definitely using a lot of swap)

For Design and Photo-editing I think the MBA works fine. For anything with 3D (Gaming/CAD) you probably want the discrete graphics of the Pro.

I had a 17" MBP that I was carrying with me everywhere. I do wish I had the screen real-estate of that machine - but I fly on a commuter sized jet every other week (~60,000 miles this year) and I have to shlep across 2 airports. I got tired of carrying a big bag and a big computer. That is why I went with the 11". I am considering buying a Thunderbolt display - so at least at home I would get decent screen real-estate - but when traveling I'd rather carry my MBA - no doubt.