Ars Technica:
Though the new 15″ Retina MacBook Pro has probably garnered the most attention this week, Apple did refresh its existing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines. If you’re in the market for a 13″ model, it can be tough to decide between the Air or Pro, especially since prices for both start at $1199.
In what follows, we explore the general ramifications of the difference between the two, for those of you who can’t wait for a more in-depth examination. This is only going to be part of the story, but our two lead characters reveal most other hand by their specs alone.
If we gave you the money (we’re not going to so don’t ask), which one would you choose?
Well since you’re offering fake money and I need an ultra portable laptop I’m going to get a 17 inch Windows laptop.
The Air, no doubt…I love my Air, and it’s one of the underpowered, undermemoried, over performing late-2010 ones…the new ones should be killers, and…I’m not getting one until next year 🙁 Wife insists that she wants a new room in the house instead of me getting a new MBAir :/
Air.
No contest – Air
Wow…that’s going to be a cheap room…. 🙂
I’d get the Pro. It’s plenty portable for my purposes and I appreciate the ports and hard disk space. I use my iPad to fill the Air’s superportable niche.
Air. Portable means lugging it on my back (not in a car) and on airplanes, so every ounce matters, and I’m not compiling or video editing so the power, while nice, is not a must-have.
Construction is cheaper in .mx than in the US 🙂 ‘sides, she’s the rich one, I just get to give her all my money and she pays for the rest lol!
My thoughts exactly.
Air. I’d need the RAM maxed at purchase, though.
Fake money, fake laptop, got it.
The Air !
Hands down, the Pro. More for the money plus expandability and possibility of DIY repair gives it a longer lifespan. I only carry my computer between the car and home or work so the weight is not a factor for me. I rarely fly more than twice in one year.
Waiting on my 13″ MBA to arrive on Monday. Though I will admit that point for point the review is accurate. The MBP is a better value, though if I were looking for value, I might be looking elsewhere.
As others commented, I upgraded the CPU and the RAM. Thought the $500 bump for the 512GB SSD was a touch much for me.
For the same money as a slightly upgraded 13″ MBP I would grab a 2011 15″ from the Apple Certified Refurbished store.
The DIY repairs on the Pro are pretty much limited to replacing a bad hard drive, bad RAM, or a bad fan, aren’t they?
The Air isn’t going to have those problems, except possibly the fans, and that’s operating in a known environment where the heat isn’t going to get too bad.
Not saying the expandability isn’t a good option to have, but I consider the removal of moving parts and the qualification of the RAM a wonderful thing. 🙂
My wife has an Aluminium MacBook, which is essentially the same as the first 13″ MacBook Pro, and I love it. It’s a nice size, great keyboard, a good all-rounder. She loves it too.
In 2010, when the new wedge-shaped Air came out, I finally replaced my failing 17″ Hi-res MBP with a 13″ Air. I don’t regret the choice I made one bit. Despite being just a 1.8 Core2Duo, and despite only having 4GB RAM, I use it day in day out as a developer to write iOS and web apps. It’s an incredible machine.
The reason I went for the Air, apart from the amazing size/weight factor, was the screen resolution. Got to love the extra pixels, especially in Xcode with Interface Builder and the assistant window open. Or Photoshop with the palettes pinned open (which I have to do else I just struggle to use it).
Benefits of the MBP are, of course, more battery, more CPU, better keyboard, easy RAM and SSD upgrades. Some people also prefer the lower resolution screen, with the text being slightly larger and easier on the eyes — my wife finds it perfect for what she needs.
So, for me MBA, but I totally get why you’d want a MBP. I might be tempted by the 13″ retina model when it arrives, price permitting. Of course, the retina model will be none-upgradable, so those cheap after-market RAM and SSD prices will no longer be an advantage.
FWIW, I think Apple will release the 13″ retina model in the fall. I think it’ll cost either $1499 or $1599.