my Dell is 1,000 in computer years ...

June 28, 2011 5:52 PM

MacBook vs MacBook Air--which do you recommend?

My six-year-old, 33 gig harddrive Dell Inspiron laptop is finally not cutting it for me anymore. I’ve used Windows all my life, and I’m ready to switch over to a Mac. I’m having problems deciding which one I want.

Right now I am looking at either an 11” MacBook Air or a 13” inch MacBook. I plan on waiting until new models come out (which is rumored to be soon for both, right?) and then buying a refurbished current model of whichever one I choose. I don’t want to spend more than $700-800.

I originally was sold on the MacBook Air, but I’m developing reservations about it. I have heard both positive and negative things about it, and specifically how it’s good for a “secondary computer.” Whichever one I end up getting will most likely be my primary computer for the next five years or so. I currently am using only 20 gigs on my Dell, so I don’t have a lot of data, but I guess it could fill up in coming years.

Another reservation I have is the lack of an internal optical drive in the Air—I know people say they’re obsolete, but the optical drive in my Dell broke recently and I find myself really missing it. I like watching movies on my laptop and I’ll be adding music to iTunes from CDs. Is it worth it to get a laptop with no optical drive for basically the same price if I end up buying an external one? I'm otherwise not a heavy user. I don’t game; I use my laptop mainly for web browsing, email, Word documents, listening to music, etc.

I have to admit, I like the Air because of its style, and I like tiny electronics. My current laptop has a 12” screen, and I’m used to the small size. Would going up or down an inch really make a difference? I also like the fact that the Air is so portable—I move my laptop around the house a lot and I imagine I’d be going to cafes and friends houses with it. At the same time, I’m not a student, so I probably won't need to constantly travel with it.

Would I be foolish to be seduced by the sexiness of the Air when I can get a higher-powered machine for around the same price?

posted by queens86 to Computers & Internet (28 answers total)

I think you'd be better off with the MacBook. The Air is basically designed to be tethered to another computer. It would take a lot of doing to get your files on to it, not to mention loading applications. I agree that it's a pretty sexy little book, but unless you plan on keeping all your docs in the cloud, you're going to find yourself missing a lot of features.
posted by Gilbert at 5:58 PM on June 28, 2011

The Air is basically designed to be tethered to another computer.

Gilbert, I don't understand where you're getting that from. Are you confusing the Air with the iPad? The MacBook Air is a more or less a regular laptop. You don't have to have another machine to be able to use it.

queens86, if you really want an optical drive, I believe you can buy the peripheral. I'd go for the Air myself--if anything, you can try it for 14 days, and if you change your mind, you can switch it out for the MacBook.
posted by litnerd at 6:05 PM on June 28, 2011 [3 favorites]

I have a 13" MacBook Air and use it as my primary computer. I've been very happy with it. I decided that having a lightweight computer was more important to me than the features I'd be missing out on (ample hard drive space, built-in optical drive, user-replaceable battery, etc.), and I don't use the kinds of programs that would require a tremendously powerful computer. I have an external optical drive that's easy to plug in when I want to watch a DVD or burn CDs.

The MBA is plenty powerful for my needs. The SSD keeps it very peppy, and I love how portable it is (I'm a small person, so those extra few pounds make a big difference). And it barely gets warm during normal use, unlike my old MacBook, which was pretty much unusable on a lap.
posted by enlarged to show texture at 6:06 PM on June 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

If you want this laptop to past five years it should be a Macbook Pro. The cpu in the Air is already obsolete, the amount of memory is fixed, and the hard drive cannot be replaced. It is slow and crippled today, and in five years will be very slow indeed.
posted by twblalock at 6:11 PM on June 28, 2011 [4 favorites]

Nthing the Air. Pick up a relatively inexpensive external optical drive if it will give you peace of mind to have it. When you don't have the external drive with you, you can download movies via iTunes or watch streaming movies through a number of sources. The current gen Air should be more than sufficient for your basic computing needs, and if the 11" screen is big enough for you, it seems you'd be very happy with it.
posted by maxim0512 at 6:12 PM on June 28, 2011

I have purchased two white macbooks and I promised myself to never buy one again. They just sort of fall apart. I little crack here, a broken bevel there, some flaky over there. On the other hand, I have had multiple metal macbook pros and they last forever. Those macbooks sort of disintegrate though. But, if I had to give unsolicited advice, I'd recommend you get a lower end macbook pro. There is a few hundred bucks premium on the entry price, but factor that into the lifetime of the computer, I think you'll save money in the end.
posted by milarepa at 6:14 PM on June 28, 2011

The Air, uch. I had a really terrible experience with this computer. Instead of venting for the next hour -- the short answer is that it should not be your primary computer. If you don't have a reason to tote a laptop around with you every day, I would go with the MacBook.
posted by Sylvia Plath's terrible fish at 6:16 PM on June 28, 2011

If portability is not an issue (meaning, do you need to pack it around easily), the MacBook is the better choice, it's just much more computer for the money.

I have three laptops, actually, I'm using a macbook pro for work , an Air for casual stuff around the house (and for taking to meetings when I want a computer, it slips into a pocket on a leather notebook I have). I also have a MacBook which, when all is said and done, is the repository of all my music, photos, and is the media server for the house (using Home Sharing and Apple TV's) due to hard drive space and optical drive.

I tend to use the machine that is handy, unless I'm doing something like uploading photos to iPhoto, or downloading music, about the only tasks that are tethered to a specific machine.

I love the Air, as you said, it's sexy technology, the best machine since the 20th Anniversary Mac that I had years ago, but the functionality is less than the macbook..... if that's not a drawback for you, then it's a great choice.
posted by tomswift at 6:17 PM on June 28, 2011

I'm going to second the unsolicited recommendation for a used MBP over a MB or MB Air. I have had several Macbooks fail or develop case cracks within two years, but my Macbook Pro is on year four and running fine. I think for a used machine the Pro will have the sweet spot of durability and price.
posted by zippy at 6:19 PM on June 28, 2011

I recently bought an 11 inch Air (after my own Ask MeFi settled some doubts for me).

I don't regret it at all. Some of the reviews out there do reference how it's not "supposed" to be a primary computer. That hasn't jibed with my experience. Keep in mind most of those reviewers are on the technogeeky end of the spectrum and are biased against using a "subpar" machine, benchmark-wise, as their go-to computer.

I have retired my old 13-inch white Macbook and use the Air for everything, including notetaking at school, writing and researching, web browsing, etc. It's plenty powerful for all that and I don't find the screen too small usually. The only drag about it is that I can't keep my whole music library on it because I got the base 64 GB model.

That said – the main advantage IMO really is the portability. I lug mine around on the subway every day in a messenger bag, and the 3.5 or so pounds make a big difference. The benefit over the regular Macbook diminishes quickly if you're not taking it everywhere. In your situation, I'd say it kind of sounds like a toss-up.

I do wonder if they're going to keep refreshing the white Macbook though; if you're waiting for the new models to come out, then you may as well wait and see. I wouldn't be surprised if the Air gets closer to the Macbook, specwise, though you'll never have the optical drive.
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 6:22 PM on June 28, 2011

Also, my old plastic Macbook did start cracking around the wrist-rest area after a year or so. I know a ton of people with the same model and most of them have the same issue. Don't know if the newer models are better, supposedly they're unibody like the Pros now, just made of plastic, which should help matters.
posted by dixiecupdrinking at 6:25 PM on June 28, 2011

This page is useful for all things mac-purchase related.

Now isn't a spectacular time to buy a Macbook or an Air - they're late in their product cycle - but my next machine (I'm on a 15" MBP now) is almost certainly going to be the 11" Air. That said, if you're expecting your laptop to last as long as your old one did, I'd switch to a 13" Macbook Pro.
posted by mhoye at 6:35 PM on June 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

I love my 13" macbook and don't understand why, aside from screen real estate concerns that might drive someone to a 15" pro, more people don't go for that option.

I have the cheapest macbook. I fucking love it. It does everything I need. Mine is almost two years old and might as well be new (knock wood). My last computer (an iBook), purchased in 2004, lasted 5+ years. Unless you're a video editor or an animator, you really don't need to spring for a MacBook Pro. Unless you have a fetish for tiny and light, you really don't need the Air.
posted by Sara C. at 6:37 PM on June 28, 2011

BTW, I have had no problem with cracking or any of the case problems folks have with the MacBook. Possibly because I'm a little delicate with my machine.
posted by Sara C. at 6:56 PM on June 28, 2011

Had to edit this to the top. mhoye has a very salient point. From my prior experience with Apple's product cycle, they're ripe for a revitalized laptop line.*

I feel like I've said this before, but what are you going to be using it for? And if the answer has the words "Photoshop", "Studio", "Final", "Cut" or "Pro", you should go with the Macbook Pro. Otherwise, go for the Air. it's tiny, expensive and hard as hell to fix.

*oh jesus, no pun intended, I swear.
posted by Sphinx at 7:00 PM on June 28, 2011

I would wait a bit to do anything. Even if you aren't planning to buy a new Macbook Air, when the new models come out the prices on the used old ones will probably go down.
posted by The Lamplighter at 7:03 PM on June 28, 2011

Right now I am looking at either an 11” MacBook Air or a 13” inch MacBook. I plan on waiting until new models come out (which is rumored to be soon for both, right?) and then buying a refurbished current model of whichever one I choose.

I'd like to point this out, since it seems that reading the question before answering is going out style.
posted by litnerd at 7:11 PM on June 28, 2011

Nthing: if it's your primary computer and you don't take it EVERYWHERE, MBP. If it's a second computer, or portability is critical, MBA.

Never a white MacBook. Worst of both worlds. Not worth the minimal savings.
posted by supercres at 7:31 PM on June 28, 2011

Response by poster: Wow! So many differing opinions. One thing I am slightly worried about is the MacBook's plastic case--besides cracking, I just don't love the look of it.

I found a 13" 2010 MacBook Pro on Apple's refurb website just now for $899-- is that a great deal? How often do refurbs come up-- is it something I need to jump on right away? It's fairly close in price to a refurb MacBook. MacBook Pros aren't rumored to be updated soon, are they?

I still like the air, but the lack of optical drive is bothering me, plus the fact that I could run out of hard drive space. My current computer is 4.2 lbs and while it does strain my shoulders in a bag sometimes, I carted it around college for four years with no real problems. The Pro I am looking at is about the same weight, while the Air is about half.

So many decisions!
posted by queens86 at 7:34 PM on June 28, 2011

@litnerd, would you have to get a separate drive in order to install Word? How do you get your music on it? Looking at Apple's site, their answer is the DVD or CD sharing system, whereby you borrow the optical drive of a nearby Mac (e.g. an iMac), then drag stuff over to your computer. That sounds like a tethered notebook.
posted by Gilbert at 8:06 PM on June 28, 2011

I would put my money into the Macbook. My wife has an Air and has had it for as long as the Air has been out. She uses it religiously every day with out any problems or compliants. That said, it is still running the OS it came with only because updating is such a bitch. That is not to say it can't be done- it just takes more time and effort then the Macbook.
posted by bkeene12 at 8:26 PM on June 28, 2011

I thought about getting an Air last year, but decided on a Macbook Pro because I really wanted more processing power. I couldn't be happier with it, even if lugging around a computer weighing over four pounds can be a hassle at times.
posted by cp311 at 8:51 PM on June 28, 2011

The Air and MBP are both great machines, so choose on size, weight and storage space and you will love either... but here are two as yet unmentioned cautions:

1. The 13 inch Air and even the sweet 11 inch version have higher resolution (more pixels) than the 13 inch MacBook Pro. Weird but true: you get less with "Pro" in this case.

2. If you do choose the Air, don't buy an Air this week. Wait for the any-day-now revision, which should be faster and more future proof, at least, at the same price point. I'm almost certainly ordering the new 11 on release day, to replace my (fine but kinda heavy) 2009 MBP, and there are a lot of us waiting on it.

I also recommend avoiding the plastic ones. Less durable.
posted by rokusan at 11:07 PM on June 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Either way, definitely avoid the plastic one. (I thought they stopped making those).

Other than that, it's kind of a coin toss. The only thing you say that tips me toward the *metal* MacBook/MBP is the video-watching. If I were parked on the couch watching a DVD, I would not want to have an external drive to deal with.

With either machine, if you need more space you can just plug in an external HD. The small portable kind don't even need an external power supply - i'd bet both machines could power them over USB.

With the older Airs, the display quality was kind of crap, but I think that's improved. So that's probably not an issue.

As for The Sexy, well, the Air is certainly that, but the smaller MBPs are no slouch in that department. I bet if you had one, you'd forget all about the Air.
posted by TangoCharlie at 12:03 AM on June 29, 2011

(I meant to say "Yes, wait for the new Air, but not the regular MacBook" above, since there's no guarantee that one will be replaced, or even continue. An $899 Air makes the whole cheaper MacBook model a little moot, see. And the MBP is already as up-to-date as it'll be in 2011.)
posted by rokusan at 1:33 AM on June 29, 2011

I am a power user, I have a first-generation unibody Macbook, 13". It is my main computer, I use it for web development (my job), lots of writing, and even a little gaming (when I have time…ha!). I am also very seriously contemplating an 11" Air for when I replace thing (well loved) machine.

First, in the 33months since I bought the computer, I've used the optical drive less than 10 times. I don't buy CDs anymore, I now purchase my music online. Further, I rarely watch DVDs on my computer. We have a TV and a DVD player for that. All the software I buy is also downloaded. However, I have filled my hard drive (I have an external hard drive as well as a server to handle my backups, and store everything that I don't use on a regular basis.

That is me, you are in a different situation, and your usage patterns will definitely differ from mine. It seems to me that there are two questions you have to ask yourself:

1. How often do you watch DVDs on your computer? If the answer to this is more than "occasionally" seriously ask yourself whether that habit will change (for instance, would you watch them on a TV instead?
2. How much harddrive space do you really anticipate using? How big is your music CD collection? Do you plan on moving everything to your computer? Do you often burn CDs for the car? If you have a really big music collection, you may need the hard drive space, 128gb fills up fast these days, but that can be taken care of much more cheaply with an external no matter what you choose.

By the way, the OS X update coming next month is only going to be available via download (which suggests it will only be downloadable from now on), so bkeene12's issue with updating an Air will be moot.
posted by thebestsophist at 2:40 AM on June 29, 2011

Gilbert, like I said, you could get a peripheral optical drive if you're still using discs for whatever reason. My personal experience, I haven't installed software from a disc in at least two years. I can't remember the last time I bought a CD. The lack of an optical drive does not make the Air a "tethered computer." That's like saying a laptop isn't a proper computer because it doesn't come with a mouse.
posted by litnerd at 5:07 AM on June 29, 2011

just FYI: an external DVD drive is going to run you all of $30. you don't have to buy the $80 Apple one (though, it will be nicer).

to be honest: while the Air is a great little machine, I'd buy as much machine as you can get within your price range. the 13" MacBook Pro is pretty easy to carry, and will last you longer because you'll be able to add memory, replace the hard drive and replace the battery yourself. you can do none of these things on the Air, and 5 years is a long time in computer years. the current 13" Pro is basically the same size and weight as the 13" MacBook. the Air may actually go pretty well for you as long as your needs don't get more complex - a friend has the base 11" with just 2GB RAM, and says Lion runs great on it, actually - but who knows what you'll need to run OS X 10.9 when it comes down the pike.
posted by mrg at 1:49 PM on June 29, 2011