Macbook Air for college student...

[waloshin]

Couple of questions. Who's a college student and has a Macbook Air? Do you think I would make a mistake ny selling m Aluminum Macbook 2.4ghz for the supossed new coming out this week?

[kaldor]

Unless you're rich, there's *no* point in getting the Macbook Air. They cost the same amount as a regular MacBook but have much lower specs. The only benefit is the smaller size and solid state drive. You can get a much better machine for the exact same price.

If you want a netbook, just get a Dell Mini or something.

If you're set on a Mac though, wait for Lion to come out in a couple of days.

[Dustin2128]

Just buy a cheap old thinkpad and stick an SSD in it. Same basic thing but you'll have an optical drive if you want to. Or keep your macbook and do the same thing.

[kaldor]

Or keep your macbook and do the same thing.

I know of someone who did this and it turned out great. +1 to that.

[Dustin2128]

I know of someone who did this and it turned out great. +1 to that.
I've been meaning to do this with an older laptop- but PATA SSDs are expensive, and CF cards are slow :(. Would be quite cheap for a fair bit of storage on a SATA laptop or desktop.

[Santaji]

Get the Air if you are finding the MacBook to heavy/bulky to carry around. Otherwise just keep the MacBook and install a SSD.

[LowSky]

I think it would be dumb to bring such an expensive PC to school.

The chances it will get dropped or damaged are much higher.

[3Miro]

My opinion: Mac Books cost too much, Air costs even more. Get something from Syste76 or ZaReson with better specs and/or lower cost.

I had a Sys76 laptop in school and I liked it a lot. It did everything that I needed it to do.

[conundrumx]

If your current laptop is too heavy/thick/not enough battery life to bring with you then you should consider an Air or a netbook. Which is right for you, how much of a difference you'll really notice, etc is all subjective, regardless of what people on here will try to tell you.

[mamamia88]

personally i would just get a netbook and install debian on it. no point wasting over a grand on a netbook

[SilverDragon]

Get the Air if you are finding the MacBook to heavy/bulky to carry around. Otherwise just keep the MacBook and install a SSD.

I agree with this. The real benefit is how light and thin it is. It is rather expensive though. Also, it would depend on how old your MacBook is. You said you were considering selling it. Any idea how much you could get for it so we know how much the upgrade would end up costing you?

[zekopeko]

Couple of questions. Who's a college student and has a Macbook Air? Do you think I would make a mistake ny selling m Aluminum Macbook 2.4ghz for the supossed new coming out this week?

Instead of asking people here who most likely never used a Macbook or don't understand the appeal of them, I suggest you go to:

http://www.reddit.com/r/apple

and ask there. The folks there are nice and should provide you with thoughts on real world experience in owning a Macbook Air.

[waloshin]

Lightpeak would be nice, better screen resolution my Macbook at 1280x800 Macbook air at 1440x900.

[BrokenKingpin]

You should sell your current Macbook and get a non-Apple laptop.

[krapp]

$300 netbook vs. $1000 netbook, both made in China; boy, that's a hard one.

[LowSky]

$300 netbook vs. $1000 netbook, both made in China; boy, that's a hard one.

but one is hand picked by steve jobs! Surely thats why anyone would pay $1000 for fruit computing

[JustinR]

Dell has a great track record with Ubuntu, having the most compatible machines than other computer makers.

The Dell XPS 15z is a direct competitor to the Macbook Air for much cheaper:

Dell XPS 15z:
http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15z/pd?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cid=cxps15z&lid=240611

Reviews:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/23/dell-xps-15z-review/
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/dell-xps-15z.aspx

It has many advantages over the Macbook Air, supposedly better battery life (by 1 hour), a Intel Core i5 processor, 2.3 GHZ w/ TurboBoost 2.90GHZ (compared to the Macbook Air's 1.4-1.6 GHZ Intel Core i7), better nVidia Graphics card (The Macbook Air, comes with Intel HD integrated graphics, the Dell with a nVidia GT 525M 1GB graphics with Optimus) a bigger screen (if that matters to you, but resolution doesn't go as far.), more ram (2GBs more than the max configurable option of the Apple Macbook Air, for a total of 6 GBs of ram), more ports, and the Dell one includes an internal CD/DVD drive, etc.

It starts at $999 like the smallest base configuration of the Apple Macbook Air, but contains more features for less, I've read that most configurations for the Macbook Air usually run $1500 plus.

The Macbook Air is limited with it's hardware, it might be small, but doesn't include normal hardware, like the CD drive but confusingly doesn't even come with an ethernet port.

[Supergoo]

I am to understand that the new macbooks are sealed units. I would recommend a Thinkpad, I have one and I love it !

[kaldor]

but one is hand picked by steve jobs! Surely thats why anyone would pay $1000 for fruit computing

Or realistically, there's more to computing than just tech specs. There's form factor to be considered and the MacBooks win hands-down on that. They also feel a lot more durable. The MacBook is a LOT nicer to work with than my own HP without a doubt. Not a fan of the iMacs at all though.

The MacBook Air 11" is a load better than any of the common netbooks on the market. That said, it's not worth the $1050 price tag that it's set at where I live.



I am to understand that the new macbooks are sealed units. I would recommend a Thinkpad, I have one and I love it !

No, just "Unibody". You can still simply unscrew the bottom case.

[3rdalbum]

Because the Air is so thin, it leaves less room for internal cooling and airflow, and less room for a bigger battery to run those power-hungry CPUs and GPUs.

So the Air uses "CULV" components - Consumer Ultra Low Voltage. They use less power and require less cooling, but they are lower performance than standard laptop parts. And much lower performance than desktop parts where power is not an issue and there's space for heatpipes and 120mm cooling fans.

Your current Macbook is likely to be more powerful than the Air.

My suggestion would be a netbook - they're cheap (around $300) and realistically don't have much less power than the Air. Because they're cheap it doesn't matter so much if it gets lost or falls down a staircase.

[Dustin2128]

Instead of asking people here who most likely never used a Macbook or don't understand the appeal of them, I suggest you go to:

http://www.reddit.com/r/apple

and ask there. The folks there are nice and should provide you with thoughts on real world experience in owning a Macbook Air.
Please, everyone on reddit is a mac fanboy :roll:.

[Santaji]

You should sell your current Macbook and get a non-Apple laptop.
Why? If his current MacBook is running fine, And suits his needs well, Then why should he sell it and get a non-Apple laptop?


Or realistically, there's more to computing than just tech specs. There's form factor to be considered and the MacBooks win hands-down on that. They also feel a lot more durable. The MacBook is a LOT nicer to work with than my own HP without a doubt

I agree with this 100%. A lot of Windows and Linux fanboys only think about the specs without paying any attention to design, battery life, form factor, display, etc..
Apple's laptops are by far the best designed laptops available today.

[zekopeko]

Please, everyone on reddit is a mac fanboy :roll:.

You obviously haven't visited the site. The funniest part is that /r/apple is far,far less fanboish than /r/linux or /r/android.

[BeRoot ReBoot]

I agree with this 100%. A lot of Windows and Linux fanboys only think about the specs without paying any attention to design, battery life, form factor, display, etc..
Apple's laptops are by far the best designed laptops available today.

Battery life is a part of the "specs". 'Design' and 'form factor' are irrelevant to most customers, and if the rest are OK with paying the Jobsian premium for a shiny case, so be it, but don't pretend you're somehow getting a superior product because of the logo and price tag.

[zekopeko]

Battery life is a part of the "specs". 'Design' and 'form factor' are irrelevant to most customers, and if the rest are OK with paying the Jobsian premium for a shiny case, so be it, but don't pretend you're somehow getting a superior product because of the logo and price tag.

Wow you must be right. People don't care what clothes they ware, what car they drive, how their home is furnished. People are utilitarian machines that care only about specs.

[kaldor]

Battery life is a part of the "specs". 'Design' and 'form factor' are irrelevant to most customers, and if the rest are OK with paying the Jobsian premium for a shiny case, so be it, but don't pretend you're somehow getting a superior product because of the logo and price tag.

The shiny plastic case computer still beats the 500 dollar Dell/HPs out there, regardless of specs.

And of course, form factor definitely doesn't matter to customers. That's why everyone is running Linux, right? :roll:

Edit: On the topic for a bit. The old (2008 I think) aluminium MacBooks are fairly underspecced compared to today's options. If you feel you need a new PC and you want a Mac, I'd recommend the entry level MacBook. But as you said, that's too heavy. Why not get an Asus eeePC? Ubuntu runs pretty nicely on them.

The Air is a great machine, but the price is *really* not justifiable. Though, the solid state drives are great. Is there any reason why you want a Mac though? Is it for OS X or the Mac itself?

[duckwars]

I usually don't post on the forums unless I have a SERIOUS problem, but I just had to chime in on this.

I have a 4-5 year old macbook pro, an asus eeePC (1.5 years old) and I am a graduating college student. Also, I might add, my Mom has an 11 inch macbook air that she OCCASIONALLY let me borrow.

The macbook pro was a humongous pain in the butt. Before I had the Asus I pretty much never brought it on campus unless I just absolutely HAD to.

The asus is nice. It was like 350$ after all was said and done. It's portability is deceptive though. I could always feel it in the bag, and it took up as much thickness as its thickest part, namely where the battery is. So it felt like a rather large textbook in my bag.

Here's the kicker. The power cable. Apple beats the living snot out of everyone when it comes to power cables. I would wrap up the power cable, and then it would come undone in my bag, and then I would have to shuffle through a bunch of cable everytime I wanted to grab something.

Then there's the air. You can barely feel it in the bag. It's something more along the lines of notebook (I mean like a spiral bound notebook, not a computer). The power brick wraps up and tucks away nicely.

The air's speed is FINE. What are you guys doing on your netbook? Why is everyone so concerned about the specs. My mom's (lowest end macbook air) easily runs 720p video... so unless you're playing crysis (is that game still the craziest one out?) or doing a lot of video editing, you will feel a slow down nowhere.

That is how I feel, and full disclosure, I just ordered the 13" balls out model. It's my graduation present :guitar:

[duckwars]

$300 netbook vs. $1000 netbook, both made in China; boy, that's a hard one.

I know, this is exactly how I felt buying my last car.

$45,000 dollar lexus or a $10,000 dollar used corrolla, both made in Japan; boy, that's a hard one.

[krapp]

I know, this is exactly how I felt buying my last car.

$45,000 dollar lexus or a $10,000 dollar used corrolla, both made in Japan; boy, that's a hard one.

I see you're not good at making analogies.

[TheSuperSteve]

Couple of questions. Who's a college student and has a Macbook Air? Do you think I would make a mistake ny selling m Aluminum Macbook 2.4ghz for the supossed new coming out this week?

Asking a forum full of Linux fanboys is not a good place to ask about making a Macbook purchase. I havent read the thread but most people are probably suggesting you buy a bunch of trashy cheap laptops with Windows installed that fail within 2 months and telling you to install some random Linux distro on it to beta test.

Instead, i'll send you over to these pages: http://www.apple.com/macbookair/ http://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/20/early-benchmarks-reveal-new-macbook-air-rivaling-high-end-2010-macbook-pro/

The Macbook Airs have been updated with the release of Lion and rival the speed of the high end 2010 Macbook Pro. They are more than capable computers for your needs and much faster than what you currently have. I say if you really need it, make the sale and purchase the Macbook Air of your choice. They're amazing computers now for more than just web stuff.

[el_koraco]

Since when is 350 for a netbook "cheap trashy"?

[krapp]

That's funny. My two Asus laptops have lasted more than two months.

SuperSteve, thanks for letting us know your pockets are deep but something else...

[KiwiNZ]

The new MacBook Airs are awesome. I have previously been on record as not liking the MB Air but that view has changed with these new models.

They may well be on my purchase list before the end of the year but I need to buy a new car first.

[kaldor]

The new MacBook Airs are awesome. I have previously been on record as not liking the MB Air but that view has changed with these new models.

They may well be on my purchase list before the end of the year but I need to buy a new car first.

Yeah, but it's a really annoying move. It's basically forcing you to buy a MacBook Pro if you want anything other than an 11" Air. I am not at all surprised that the standard MacBooks are gone, but the 13" Air should have at least been priced the same.

[KiwiNZ]

Yeah, but it's a really annoying move. It's basically forcing you to buy a MacBook Pro if you want anything other than an 11" Air. I am not at all surprised that the standard MacBooks are gone, but the 13" Air should have at least been priced the same.

The new 13" MB Airs offer considerably more the the old white MacBooks.

[UltraNEO*]

Couple of questions. Who's a college student and has a Macbook Air? Do you think I would make a mistake ny selling m Aluminum Macbook 2.4ghz for the supossed new coming out this week?

Wait... WHY would a college student NEED a MacBook Air?

[UltraNEO*]

The new 13" MB Airs offer considerably more the the old white MacBooks.

More you say? Still doesn't have a blu-ray.

[cprofitt]

Alright here are my thoughts:

(full disclosure: I think Apple as a company are corporate pirates and E.V.I.L. beyond any evil we have ever seen).

13" MacBook Air Specs ($1299):


1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4GB memory
128GB flash storage1
Intel HD Graphics 3000
2.96 pound
height 0.68"

13.3" Lemur UltraThin ($1033):


Core i3-330UM Processo
4 GB - DDR3 800 MHZ 2 DIMMs
120 GB Intel 320 Series SATA II 3 Gb/s Solid State Disk Drive
Intel HD Graphics (GMA 5700MHD)
3.4 lbs
height 1.0"

12.5" Thinkpad X220 ($1240)


Intel Core i7-2620M Processor (2.7GHz, 4MB L3, 1333MHz FSB)
12.5" HD ( 1366x768 ) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
4 GB DDR3 - 1333MHz (1 DIMM)
720p HD Camera
128 GB Solid State Drive, Serial ATA
< 3.0lbs
height 1.3"

The Lemur saves you over $250, the Lenovo saves you $59 but also gives you a much better processor. If you do not need the SSD drive, but would be willing to have a standard SATA drive the prices on the Thinkpad and Lemur drop and you get much larger drives. Both the non-Apple solutions allow you to tailor the devices to your specific needs.

[kaldor]

The new 13" MB Airs offer considerably more the the old white MacBooks.

Say I want a 13" MacBook like before. Either I pay the usual price and get an 11" MacBook Air, or I pay at least 200 dollars extra to get a MacBook Pro or a 13" Air. Most people I know would want something larger than 11". I think they're just trying to push people to buying a higher end model.

OS X is also very annoying on small screens. Namely due to the poor hiding functionality of the dock.

[krapp]

I'm still trying to figure out why someone would buy a laptop with a SSD knowingly. It's an enormous waste of money at this point. Who cares about boot times when the whole point of a laptop is that you can close it shut and throw it your bag and wake it back up again from suspend 30 minutes later.

[kaldor]

I'm still trying to figure out why someone would buy a laptop with a SSD knowingly. It's an enormous waste of money at this point. Who cares about boot times when the whole point of a laptop is that you can close it shut and throw it your bag and wake it back up again from suspend 30 minutes later.

Solid state drives tend to be faster when doing normal tasks as well.

But yes, it's not really that important yet. Though the speed is pretty noticeable in some cases.

[KiwiNZ]

I'm still trying to figure out why someone would buy a laptop with a SSD knowingly. It's an enormous waste of money at this point. Who cares about boot times when the whole point of a laptop is that you can close it shut and throw it your bag and wake it back up again from suspend 30 minutes later.

You answered your own question. SSD's are less susceptible to movement damage therefore they suit the mobile PC

[duckwars]

I'm still trying to figure out why someone would buy a laptop with a SSD knowingly. It's an enormous waste of money at this point. Who cares about boot times when the whole point of a laptop is that you can close it shut and throw it your bag and wake it back up again from suspend 30 minutes later.

Takes up less physical space, and uses less energy to read and write to.

Physical space and energy consumption are of great importance to a mobile computer.


And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the bottle-neck of speed of modern computer often times come from the hard drive. Trying using a 5400 rpm drive sometime. It sucks.

[krapp]

... still not worth the money. And when offered at 64 gigabytes??!!


You answered your own question. SSD's are less susceptible to movement damage therefore they suit the mobile PC

I certainly didn't mean "throw" in that way so the response is yours not mine. A conventional harddrive will stand up to movement if not abused.

Whoever handles their computer as if it were a textbook deserves a broken expensive technological instrument. Daddy can always buy them a new one anyway.

[UltraNEO*]

I'm still trying to figure out why someone would buy a laptop with a SSD knowingly. It's an enormous waste of money at this point. Who cares about boot times when the whole point of a laptop is that you can close it shut and throw it your bag and wake it back up again from suspend 30 minutes later.

Hahaha!! Love the comment :)

[chegarty]

I had a macbook air (2009) for a short time, but I quickly saw that it didn't meet my performance expectations, so I returned it. In hindsight, it was a stupid decision to pick it in the first place. If you *have* to have a mac, get a macbook pro. It's just a more robust machine. The whole "razor thin" trend in laptops just doesn't make sense to me because there are still a lot of trade-offs.

[zekopeko]

I had a macbook air (2009) for a short time, but I quickly saw that it didn't meet my performance expectations, so I returned it. In hindsight, it was a stupid decision to pick it in the first place. If you *have* to have a mac, get a macbook pro. It's just a more robust machine. The whole "razor thin" trend in laptops just doesn't make sense to me because there are still a lot of trade-offs.

In 2009 the Air had a 1.8" 4200RPM hard drive which was a serious bottleneck. With the transition to flash storage it was eliminated.

[krapp]

In 2009 the Air had a 1.8" 4200RPM hard drive which was a serious bottleneck. With the transition to flash storage it was eliminated.

Again, the cheapest Air has a 64 gb SSD. I call that a serious bottleneck. My $300.00 Eee Pc has 4x the storage space.

[zekopeko]

Again, the cheapest Air has a 64 gb SSD. I call that a serious bottleneck. My $300.00 Eee Pc has 4x the storage space.

Your $300 EEEpc doesn't have an SSD that can read/write at 200+ MB/s. You most likely have a 320gb 5400RPM hard drive that can write around 40-50 MB/s. I'd call that a serious bottleneck.