Macbook pro vs Air

[Kramerica]

Anyone have experience with either of them? I'm talking the new 2012 versions. I'm having a very hard time deciding between the pro and the air. Price is the same at 1200. But specs are very different. Just trying to decide whether the size of the air is worth the performance cut. If anyone uses either one of these, can you give me your first hand impressions?

 

[Clamman73]

At $1200, you are looking at the two 13" base models of air and pro, correct? I have a 13" Air from fall 2010 that has a SSD hard drive, which i really recommend on any computer today. Makes it silent and speedy. It also depends on your storage requirements too since SSD drives are still expensive compared to platter drives.

The thing about the two 13" models is that they haven't gotten the retina screen yet, and there is still rumors whether or not the 13 Pro will get the all new version with retina screen this fall or not, but the price would increase for a base model if that happened.
I mention the retina screen because when I go from my iPad3 to the Air, it looks like there's something wrong with my vision comparing text crispness b/t the two. The current Air screen is the same from the one I have now.

The one big plus of the Air vs Current 13" Pro is weight; it is great to have on your lap or to carry around.

 

[wdwmagic]

I think you really have to decide whether you want the boost in performance or the smaller chassis. The Air is certainly a very capable of machine. If you are doing any kind of content creation, I would go with the pro. If you are looking for a general purpose machine, I would go with the Air. Both are fantastic machines, by the far the best laptops out there, so I think you would be very happy with either.

 

[Kramerica]

I went with the air. I'm sure it can handle what I need. Photo editing and basic processes. The smaller drive space is a bummer, but it's a lot faster. And with usb 3.0. I can use an external drive if needed.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

You'll love it. I made the jump from a Vaio to a pro 2 years ago and it's been wonderful. I don't know how I'd ever go back to a PC unless I absolutely had to.

 

[Clamman73]

Congrats! My Air has been the best computer experience for the past two years.

 

[wiigirl]

You will love it! I love my Air, its small compact and powerful.

 

[mkt]

13" Pro with 2.8 processor, 16gb of memory, and an SSD. Small enough for me, more powerful than any Air, and I don't feel like I'm going to break it (like every time I've used an Air)

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I have a top of the line 2012 MBA and it is faster than any of my peers 2011 MBP's....granted, I maxed out the memory and the storage when ordering.....But I love it, and it works just great for everything I need -- productivity apps, photoshop, music, movies, etc...I saw the retina screen at the Apple store for the MBA and frankly my 50-year old eyes see ABSOLUTELY no difference between the regular MBP and the retina display screen -- I don't see it on my iPad3 either, looks the same as my old iPad2...younger eyes will no doubt see a difference....but as to the retina display in the MBA, I don't think its going to happen -- it would make the MBA twice as heavy as it currently is, and the entire idea behind it is the complete portability it affords....

 

[wdwmagic]

I have a top of the line 2012 MBA and it is faster than any of my peers 2011 MBP's....granted, I maxed out the memory and the storage when ordering.....But I love it, and it works just great for everything I need -- productivity apps, photoshop, music, movies, etc...I saw the retina screen at the Apple store for the MBA and frankly my 50-year old eyes see ABSOLUTELY no difference between the regular MBP and the retina display screen -- I don't see it on my iPad3 either, looks the same as my old iPad2...younger eyes will no doubt see a difference....but as to the retina display in the MBA, I don't think its going to happen -- it would make the MBA twice as heavy as it currently is, and the entire idea behind it is the complete portability it affords....

Wow I cant believe you cant see a difference between the retina display and a regular. It is like night and day. Once I saw it I cant view a regular display in the same way anymore LOL.

I'm certain Apple are moving toward retina displays for everything. The only line that doesn't have is the iMac and Air. It will happen.

The 15inch retina pro is only about 1lb heavier than the 13inch Air.

 

[wilkeliza]

I see you already bought the air but I wanted to give my experience with both just in case anyone else comes across this thread. Fair warning be very careful with your Air. Apple will blame everything on a drop no matter what it is and then your applecare won't cover it.

I have experience with the early 2012 models of both (pre retina for the macbook pro) of those. Honestly I don't think the air is worth it. Ours broke for no reason a month after owning it and even with Apple care they said they wouldn't do anything about it. The screen actually cracked in the middle. The only think I can think is something slightly banged it in one of the bags it had been in. My Macbook Pro has held up for several years through drops and dings and my boyfriend has the early 2012 Macbook Pro which he bought to replace the air and it has had no problems. This is not a one time issue with the airs either. His mother's air went dead as well. The hard drive crashed on hers and we were told once again apple care would do nothing for us because they believe it had been dropped. It had never been dropped and simply had been carried in a purse for 6 months. If you need a laptop that needs to travel since that's what laptops are meant to be used for then the Pro is a much better option. Also the processing and ability of the Pro is far superior to the Air.