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Does anyone have a macbook air? what do u think of it?

 
Old 08-10-2011 at 12:48 AM   #1
fatcat
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Does anyone have a macbook air? what do u think of it?
So I'm thinking of getting the 15 inch macbook air. I was wondering if anyone else had this and how satisfied they were with it. I'll be using it for school. I mainly just use office and watch videos and web surfing. I like the fact that it has a longer battery life and that its light coz im one of those people who takes my laptop everywhere i go.

any suggestions/ideas?

cheers
Old 08-10-2011 at 01:04 AM   #2
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Go for it. I bought my Macbook Pro in May of 2011 and it was worth the money. The battery life is great and the touchpad makes the mouse a thing of the past. Also, it is a great time to buy it since the Lion OS is pre-installed (and new i5/ or i7 processor, your choice) and I am pretty sure that they still have their "back to school special" in which you get a $100 gift card for the Mac Apple Store. Lastly, I would recommend you get the 13' inch model rather than the 15' inch (and save a bit of money) . I bought the 13' inch model thinking it would be too small but it is the perfect size and very portable. I hope this helped you out!
EDIT:Looks like Futureshop does not offer $100 gift card any more, but you get Microsoft Office bundle instead, and I think you meant the 13' inch model instead of 15' because they don't make the 15' model for Mac Air.

Last edited by Swampis : 08-10-2011 at 01:10 AM.
Old 08-10-2011 at 01:09 AM   #3
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A 15" Macbook Air doesn't exist, but the 13" Air will be more than capable of running everything you need (Performance-wise, it's about on par with the Macbook Pros from last year which is pretty impressive considering it's size).

The new 13" air is basically the perfect university laptop.
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Old 08-10-2011 at 04:32 AM   #4
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If this will be the only computer you need for university, I would definetly go for the new 13" Macbook Air, now with the updated specs it's pretty much on par with the Macbook Pro 13". It would be ideal for your situation, performance, battery life and portability.

I'll be using my Macbook Pro 15" at home for movies, surfing, gaming etc. and therefore bought the 11" Macbook Air model for in class.
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Old 08-26-2011 at 02:48 AM   #5
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i bought mine in june when my netbook got water damage and needed a laptop ASAP for summer classes.
bought and haven't regretted it since
in terms of storage space it isn't ideal but everyone's basically got an external hard drive now anyways.
the battery life is amazing when set to the lowest brightness (which is still pretty bright)
i have the 13 inch and the fact that it comes with a full sized keyboard is pretty impressive as well.
it's light and extremely portable. it weighs basically nothing.
love it.
obviously look into it and research to make sure it's a good investment for you personally. but i adore my Air.
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Old 08-26-2011 at 05:01 AM   #6
BeAll_EndAll
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Guys, what's wrong with you?

The air is like $1400 for an 11 inch with extremely poor hard drive, terrible graphics cards, crappy screen size, etc. Even their site says it's 5 hour battery life which isn't that good.

You can get a PC which is triple the performance, probably quad core processor, 1 TB HD, and radeon graphics card for the same price. Or spend like 800 and get a decent specs PC laptop.

Why waste so much on a Mac? Is it just because you go to Mac?

Old 08-26-2011 at 08:46 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeAll_EndAll View Post
Guys, what's wrong with you?

The air is like $1400 for an 11 inch with extremely poor hard drive, terrible graphics cards, crappy screen size, etc. Even their site says it's 5 hour battery life which isn't that good.

You can get a PC which is triple the performance, probably quad core processor, 1 TB HD, and radeon graphics card for the same price. Or spend like 800 and get a decent specs PC laptop.

Why waste so much on a Mac? Is it just because you go to Mac?
Just from reading your post it is clear you have no idea what your talking about.

poor hard drive? Its a SSD, you are not going to get better than that. A SSD is 10X faster than a Mechanical Hard Drive.

1299 FOR 13in, and 7 hours battery. Not to mention it is 1.7cm think <. and weighs 3 pounds.

There is not a single PC that can match these specs. If you find me one as light and thin as this I will give you 100$.

Not everyone needs a 20LB Laptop that can play the latest games, some people need it for simple tasks and portability.


ON TOPIC :

The air is amazing. It is on Par with the 13in Macbook Pro. The SSD makes does quiet a bit to make up for the Processor.

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Old 08-26-2011 at 09:07 AM   #8
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Just to add, this year's 13" Air outperforms the the fastest MacBook Pro model from last year— it beat a 2.67GHz Core i7 17-inch MacBook Pro. You can't deny that's bloody impressive.

Of course, that's mostly because of the SSD, but that doesn't change the fact that it's faster. And taking into consideration that the SSD on the Air is standard, as opposed to the extra $500-$600 you'll have to pay to get a 256GB SSD, it's a really good deal. In daily usage, the Air will be faster than an equivalently-priced MacBook Pro (even this year's model), so long as you're not into 3D modelling or video editing and rendering. The benefits of an SSD far outweighs that of a faster processor to the everyday user.

On that note, providing won't be doing 3D modelling or video editing, don't go with the i7. You'll never notice the speed boost of the i7, not even with gaming or Photoshop. However, if you will be doing said activities, you can't go wrong with the $100 extra on the i7.

You won't find any other ultraportable notebooks (or even regular notebooks) that''s give you the speed-for-price value you'll find in the Air.

Last edited by Yogurt : 08-26-2011 at 09:15 AM.
Old 08-26-2011 at 09:12 AM   #9
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I have an 11 inch i7 with the 256gb ssd. I want you to find me a better alternative.
Old 08-26-2011 at 09:32 AM   #10
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In regards to everyone defending the air/macs in general:

Why exactly would you want a paperthin laptop. Maybe it's just me, but i want something sturdy to the fingers that i won't be nervous about using as a laptop. My laptop is a couple pounds heavier, and a couple cm thicker and less than half the cost of the air. Of course i'm not arguing the high end SSD is a great thing to have, but imo, that's the ONLY saving grace the air has, besides that it's a glorified netbook.

[mac rant]
How can you all not feel ripped off with buying Macs. Apple has RECORD-BREAKING profits and is surpassing EVERYONE simply because their profit margins are so astronomically high since they charge 1000+ for laptops that really are at least half or 1/3 of the actual retail cost. It boggles my mind you would spend your hard-earned money on such a fad. [/mac rant]
Old 08-26-2011 at 09:41 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adaptation View Post
In regards to everyone defending the air/macs in general:

Why exactly would you want a paperthin laptop. Maybe it's just me, but i want something sturdy to the fingers that i won't be nervous about using as a laptop. My laptop is a couple pounds heavier, and a couple cm thicker and less than half the cost of the air. Of course i'm not arguing the high end SSD is a great thing to have, but imo, that's the ONLY saving grace the air has, besides that it's a glorified netbook.

[mac rant]
How can you all not feel ripped off with buying Macs. Apple has RECORD-BREAKING profits and is surpassing EVERYONE simply because their profit margins are so astronomically high since they charge 1000+ for laptops that really are at least half or 1/3 of the actual retail cost. It boggles my mind you would spend your hard-earned money on such a fad. [/mac rant]
I'm going to take a stab in the dark and assume you've never used a Macbook Air, but they're very light and comfortable to use, and beyond that their aluminum build feels far more sturdy that similarly priced PCs built with cheap plastic. Performance-wise, the Macbook Airs are on par with PCs in the $900+ range and there are simply NO PCs that can match the Air in size, performance, build, and size yet. Until there is one that actually costs half the price, there's absolutely no reason to disparage the Air.
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Old 08-26-2011 at 09:50 AM   #12
Crzyrio
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adaptation View Post
In regards to everyone defending the air/macs in general:

Why exactly would you want a paperthin laptop. Maybe it's just me, but i want something sturdy to the fingers that i won't be nervous about using as a laptop. My laptop is a couple pounds heavier, and a couple cm thicker and less than half the cost of the air. Of course i'm not arguing the high end SSD is a great thing to have, but imo, that's the ONLY saving grace the air has, besides that it's a glorified netbook.

[mac rant]
How can you all not feel ripped off with buying Macs. Apple has RECORD-BREAKING profits and is surpassing EVERYONE simply because their profit margins are so astronomically high since they charge 1000+ for laptops that really are at least half or 1/3 of the actual retail cost. It boggles my mind you would spend your hard-earned money on such a fad. [/mac rant]
3lbs goes a long way when your walking around all day with other books etc with you.

to your rant, all I have to say is you have never owned a Mac. Everyone who glorifies Mac's have had the chance to experience both OS X and Windows and it is clear why they prefer Mac/OS X.

To be it is hardly fab, my White Macbook is the best computer there is. Quality > Quantity

Last edited by Crzyrio : 08-26-2011 at 09:53 AM.
Old 08-26-2011 at 09:50 AM   #13
Commie8507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by adaptation View Post
In regards to everyone defending the air/macs in general:

Why exactly would you want a paperthin laptop. Maybe it's just me, but i want something sturdy to the fingers that i won't be nervous about using as a laptop. My laptop is a couple pounds heavier, and a couple cm thicker and less than half the cost of the air. Of course i'm not arguing the high end SSD is a great thing to have, but imo, that's the ONLY saving grace the air has, besides that it's a glorified netbook.

[mac rant]
How can you all not feel ripped off with buying Macs. Apple has RECORD-BREAKING profits and is surpassing EVERYONE simply because their profit margins are so astronomically high since they charge 1000+ for laptops that really are at least half or 1/3 of the actual retail cost. It boggles my mind you would spend your hard-earned money on such a fad. [/mac rant]
Having used PC notebooks for about 7 years the following are reasons why i made the switch. PC manufacturers like to cut corners, every single notebook either had a terrible quality display, terrible build quality, terrible trackpad, insufficient cooling, wifi issues. There isn't a brand of notebook i have not owned, from the Envy line to the Samsung 7/9 series all had some of these issues. Apple products specifically there notebooks have phenomenal build, displays and trackpads.

The macbook air is for someone consistently on the move and someone who needs a small footprint. The air takes minimal space in my bag and lets me carry more books. I tried looking for a PC alternative and sadly an alternative just doesn't exist. The closest to the air is http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/... 9216ce3a4en02 it recently is on sale but back when i purchased it it was 1499. The base 13 inch is faster, offers a better resolution display, better battery and does not suffer from the wifi related issues. To reiterate their exists no cost effective alternative to the macbook air.

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Old 08-26-2011 at 04:33 PM   #14
BeAll_EndAll
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crzyrio View Post
Just from reading your post it is clear you have no idea what your talking about.

poor hard drive? Its a SSD, you are not going to get better than that. A SSD is 10X faster than a Mechanical Hard Drive.

1299 FOR 13in, and 7 hours battery. Not to mention it is 1.7cm think <. and weighs 3 pounds.

There is not a single PC that can match these specs. If you find me one as light and thin as this I will give you 100$.

Not everyone needs a 20LB Laptop that can play the latest games, some people need it for simple tasks and portability.

Regarding this:

1) WHY would you want a SSD on your laptop for SCHOOL? How much data are you going to be transferring to your harddrive that you need it to run so fast? A normal hard drive works just as well for school purposes: And also it has 5x the storage capacity and it is much cheaper. Get a SSD, and you are going to be constantly transferring data to an external (NON SSD) hard drive anyway (because 128 GB is nearly NOT enough). I dont see the point of getting a SSD on your laptop for school.

2) It is $1299 for 13 inch, yes. But you have to add on the stupid warranty from Apple which is around 250$. Its not easy to open up your MacBook Air: "The company has made it especially difficult to get inside these notebooks" [1], so anything that goes wrong with it, you have to take to the Apple Store and they fix it for you. With a PC, couples screws open, see whats wrong inside, fix it, close.

3) Size yes, Macbook air is obviously smaller. But look at the things you are giving up as a result of it: performance! Do you really think it is worth it to pay $800 extra for 5 pounds less weight on your back? Do you really think that?

Message to everyone:

Listen, we are all students, and we need to save every last penny we can, because that money can be used towards textbooks and/or tuition fees. So why would we go out and buy a $1500 laptop (more than 1500 if we start talking about the macbook pro), which isnt even that great performance-wise (discussed above), when we can buy a good laptop to satisfy our needs for $800? Those $700 you save can be used to buy your textbooks for a whole year (brand new books too!).

Reference:
[1]http://www.tomshardware.com/news/MacBook-Air-iFixit-Teardown-Disassembly,11509.htm l

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Old 08-26-2011 at 05:08 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeAll_EndAll View Post
Regarding this:

1) WHY would you want a SSD on your laptop for SCHOOL? How much data are you going to be transferring to your harddrive that you need it to run so fast? A normal hard drive works just as well for school purposes: And also it has 5x the storage capacity and it is much cheaper. Get a SSD, and you are going to be constantly transferring data to an external (NON SSD) hard drive anyway (because 128 GB is nearly NOT enough). I dont see the point of getting a SSD on your laptop for school.

2) It is $1299 for 13 inch, yes. But you have to add on the stupid warranty from Apple which is around 250$. Its not easy to open up your MacBook Air: "The company has made it especially difficult to get inside these notebooks" [1], so anything that goes wrong with it, you have to take to the Apple Store and they fix it for you. With a PC, couples screws open, see whats wrong inside, fix it, close.

3) Size yes, Macbook air is obviously smaller. But look at the things you are giving up as a result of it: performance! Do you really think it is worth it to pay $800 extra for 5 pounds less weight on your back? Do you really think that?

Message to everyone:

Listen, we are all students, and we need to save every last penny we can, because that money can be used towards textbooks and/or tuition fees. So why would we go out and buy a $1500 laptop (more than 1500 if we start talking about the macbook pro), which isnt even that great performance-wise (discussed above), when we can buy a good laptop to satisfy our needs for $800? Those $700 you save can be used to buy your textbooks for a whole year (brand new books too!).

Reference:
[1]http://www.tomshardware.com/news/MacBook-Air-iFixit-Teardown-Disassembly,11509.htm l
Agreed. At a lower price than the Macbook Air you can get a larger screen, twice the ram, triple the hard drive size, a faster processor, and more battery life. All for a bit more than a half an inch bigger in height and for around 3 pounds heavier. Apple gouges their consumers; although to be fair this is the most reasonable priced laptop they seem to offer in comparison to their other products.

Last edited by Moghue : 08-26-2011 at 05:18 PM.



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