What do you think of your Macbook Air? for Questionland Seattle

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What do you think of your Macbook Air?

I am looking into getting a Macbook Air and want some opinions.

lilmonster206 asked in Tech Products about 1 year ago | Report

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tofu oyako

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I think it really depends on what you're intending to use it for. It's extremely light, thin, and really quick to start up (thanks to its use of Flash memory only). I think its a great computer for basic needs (internet, writing, itunes...). I find the lack of cd/dvd drive to be a non issue, since I tend to use downloads and usb much much more anyways. It also has pretty decent battery life.

It has some drawbacks though too. It has limited storage because Flash memory is still pretty expensive compared to the more traditional, spinning-disc kind; so the more memory you want, the price increases significantly. So if you have a lot of music or video, it will fill up fast. I would always carry around a portable external harddrive with my MBP, so doing that with the Air is no big deal for me, but for others it might defeat the purpose.
It also has a fairly slow processor compared to other laptops, meaning while it will perform admirably for your basic needs, it will be slower if you do more intensive tasks like graphics, 3D modeling, or video editing (but still fine, the best computers 2 years ago could do it, so the Air can do it too). I still use a MBP for that sort of work (and the just released MBPs would be even better for it, but c'est la vie).

Hope that helps. I also find the Macbook comparison sheet to be helpful too, if you haven't already looked at it.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_air?mco=MTM3NDczMDU
(its just below the purchasing options on the right side...)

tofu oyako answered in Tech Products about 1 year ago | Report

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Update* After playing with one in the Apple store, I got the 11 inch 1.6, 4G an I LOVE IT. Couldn't be more perfect for taking notes in class and it's less than 3 pounds, which means I can carry it in my backpack and not hurt my back! (I have some neck issues so I can't carry heavy things easily.) The external CD drive is portable and easy to use, and I don't really use it except for software. I highly recommend the MBA if you will be taking it all over with you. :D Thanks for your input, everyone!

lilmonster206 commented about 1 year ago | Report

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tofu covers the details quite well but I thought I'd mention both the Air and the Macbook Pros have been recently updated and now is a "good time" to buy both.

There are "bad times" to buy Apple products: in the 1-2 months before rumors of their next generation dropping -- watch out for those! Gizmodo.com posts somewhat regular "is it a good time to buy Apple?" posts.

Something that would be dumb to buy right now is an iPhone4 (Verizon or AT&T). Every June for the last 3 years they have release a new iPhone so why would you buy one that is going to be dated in less than 3 months?

You're good on all their laptops for a while as far as I know.

protosaurus answered in Tech Products about 1 year ago | Report

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I loved mine...until it broke in half. I had the last generation so maybe it's a bit tougher now.
I miss it and wished I wasn't so rough with it

Tim Keck answered in Tech Products about 1 year ago | Report

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The MBA is targeted at those who need portability more than anything else. The best question/answer to your question is what's your budget?

If you have a deep budget and your workflow doesn't require a lot of media production then go for it. It's dead sexy and now is a fairly decent time to buy one.

The biggest NO factors for me were no backlit keyboard and price. Right now I'm really productive on a much cheaper, but sill very portable netbook. When I need to do some heavy lifting I remote connect to a desktop machine.

drew answered in Tech Products about 1 year ago | Report

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I don't have a macbook air, but I am a big mac fan. I would NOT suggest the macbook air though. I would suggest you get a macbook or a macbook pro instead. I might be biased though. The macbook air seems to gimmicky to me and doesn't provide enough functionality.

Kristin Bell answered in Tech Products about 1 year ago | Report

6 comments by lilmonster206, Kristin Bell, and Tom Sackett…

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What about it is not as functional as a regular macbook? I have one, and want something thats lighter that I can bring to class easily. I know I would need an external disk thing, but besides that, aren't they pretty much the same?

lilmonster206 commented about 1 year ago | Report

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well, the thing that really bothers me about them is that (as far as I know) they don't have any usb ports or a dvd/cd drive. although I don't use those things all the time, i guess I'm just wary of not having them available...I guess it would depend on how much you plan on using the computer. If it is like your main computer I think not having those things would be annoying, but if it is a peripheral computer, it might not be such an issue. I guess if the weight of the computer is the main issue for you, it might be okay though. But, if it isn't your main computer, have you considered getting an iPad instead? Again, I guess it is all about what you will be using it for. The iPad doesn't have a drive or ports either (unless the new one does), but it seems to me like it is built to be more portable. I have a first gen. iPad and absolutely LOVE it!!! by the way. I guess my main question is: will you basically be using your portable to take notes in class and check email and stuff? or something else? are you using specialized software on it? or no?

Kristin Bell commented about 1 year ago | Report

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The MacBook Air DOES have USB ports. For CD/DVD access, you can buy Apple's external SuperDrive for $80, or you can share the drive of another Mac that is equipped with one.

I would keep looking for the opinion of someone who has lived with the MacBook Air for a while. I lug around a 15" MacBook Pro almost all the time. The Air is attractively light and small, but I could never fit my iPhoto and iTunes collections on it. You might have a similar deal-breaker.

Tom Sackett commented about 1 year ago | Report

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Yah, I would listen to Tom. I just had this visceral reaction of dislike when I first saw it when it came out at first. Since it has a USB port, it might be okay, but like he says, it might depend on like if you can fit everything on it. I personally wouldn't keep all of my iTunes stuff on a laptop, but that's just me.

Kristin Bell commented about 1 year ago | Report

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I would not want to use my iPad for note taking in class. First there is the expense of an external keyboard, and secondly, the formatting of the documents is poor. If note taking is your purpose I would definitely say the air, rather than an iPad.

ozchick commented about 1 year ago | Report

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I would say that it would depend on the style of note-taking that you do. There are some really good apps out there, like (I think it is called) NotesPlus for the iPad that lets you hand-write everything if you want to, plus you can make shapes and type if you like and then you can turn everything into a pdf or jpg. I agree that typing can be a problem for the ipad unless you have an external keyboard though...

Kristin Bell commented about 1 year ago | Report

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