External HD

Hi

I am planning to buy a Macbook Air, the one with 11" and 64GB and my plan is to buy an external HD to have more space.

I have read in forums that its possible to install applications on the external HD without problems. Today I went to an Apple Store and they told that it is not possible to install apps on the external HD.

Which is the truth? Is it possible or not? Should I buy the model with 128GB?

Thanks in advance.
J

Not familiar with that specific model so I am sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. By default applications are installed in an Applications folder on the internal hard drive. Most installers also have some means of putting the application in another location. I think the store employee meant that most applications which come from Apple (iTunes,iMovie, etc) are expecting to be in the Applications folder on the internal drive. If these programs are installed elsewhere some problems occur:

1. Software update will not automatically update things like iTunes, iPhoto or other Apple apps because it does not know where they are located.

2. Applications stored on an external drive will not launch properly unless the drive is connected and powered on before they are launched. If you go this route you will probably want to add the drive to your login items so it gets mounted at login.

I've looked at the 11" MBA myself and have come to the conclusion that buying the basic MBA with only a 64 GB drive is not a viable option. The absolute minimum for myself is to have at least 256 GB but that costs more. My advice: Save your pennies and buy the better 11" MBA with the larger SSD and more memory. You won't be sorry later on. By the way, MacWorld Magazine rates the better 11" MBA with 5 stars. That's even a higher rating than the retina machines which only get 4.5 stars.

Thanks everyone for the advice.