Macbook question

[nate]

Want to buy my wife a new laptop for Christmas and I am between a 13 inch Air or 13 inch Pro.  Performance wise either will do for her, she just uses it for browsing the net and minor office type work and watching videos etc.

 

The big difference between the two is that the Air doesn't have a retina display while the Pro does.  Anyone have any experience with the Air and Pro and have an opinion how much better the screen is on the pro?  Is the Air screen still pretty good?

 

Also yes I know macs suck blah blah blah

[Tank]

can't tell you about the difference in the display, but with the airbook you don't have a slot to insert CDs. depending on what you have on disc (namely music), if you buy the air, you won't be able to download any music you already own. you'll have to purchase it through iTunes (or wherever). that can add up pretty quickly.

[halomatt]

we have both in our house. The girlfriend has the Air and I have the Pro.  I use mine for lessons and to view student work.  Within the last two years that Ihave owned the Pro, the kids turn in work on flash drives almost exclusively. As Tank said, the DVD drive is almost useless now, save for any music you own.

 

While I have more computing power and such, I find that the lighter, more portable Air would have sufficed.  As for the retina display, it all looks the same when your screen is dusty! 

 

Seriously, there's a tiny, tiny bit of difference.  It appears to me that the difference is in sharpness.  My girl uses hers for browsing and Candy Crush as well as a Math program for her lesson planning.  Easily capable. 

 

Hope this helps!

Edited November 3, 2015 by halomatt

[mrwicked]

we have both. 

my main one is a 15" pro with retina, she has the newest air (the 13" retina wasn't out then).

she uses her for basic web surfing or whenever her phone/ipad doesn't suffice.

i use mine for work hacking.

 

for me i would never go non-retina.

i turned on my older pre-retina pro recently and the screen just looks god awful after using retina for so long.

 

if i was buying hers today i would absolutely lean towards the pro, but i would let her decide if she wants the itty bitty one.

the reason you get the air is for the portability, the small pro is still probably a pound heavier.

she probably doesn't care about the screen so much, but once you use it often its hard to ever go back to non-retina.

 

as for the CD/DVD drive: those aren't included on any new laptops anymore, and haven't been for a while. even the pros. you have to get the external drive.

Edited November 3, 2015 by mrwicked

[red321]

get the retina display

[Guest]

I have an Air and 15" retina (had a 13" retina last year).

The 13" retina is probably the best laptop around, and I really recommend it–it's literally perfect: thin, powerful, high quality

I personally went with the 15" because I need the extra RAM and screen space.

The Air is amazing for its portability, and it's no slacker when it comes to performance/battery life; but the display is beginning to show its age.

I'm pretty sure updated MacBooks will be coming out in a few months, but I'm not sure.

Edited November 3, 2015 by failos

[nate]

is there a 13 inch air retina?  I didn't see that option.

[red321]

I don't think there is a 13 inch air retina, but the 13 inch pro retina is small and lightweight. That is what my wife uses, and I also take it with me on when doing a photo roadtrip. Failos mentioned there are probably some new models coming out soon, wouldn't be surprised, they usually bring out new models around the holidays...which also means you can get some great deals on the older models.

[nate]

I might wait then.  I am a display snob so I could never go with non retina but I don't think she cares that much.  Still I have a hard time not buying her a retina display.  Her current laptop is 13 or 14 inches, she likes having something portable.  I know everything else about the air or the pro would be fine for what she uses it.  I will probably just get the pro, the price difference is negligible.

Edited November 4, 2015 by nate

[UndertheHalo]

nate, have you considered the new macbooks ?  They have the nicer display without the price tag of the macbook pro.  If its just regular stuff she'll be doing it should be fine.  The processor is on the weaker end of the spectrum tho if you're a preformance junkie. 

[Guest]

is there a 13 inch air retina?  I didn't see that option.

There isn't an Air retina period. Unless you're thinking of the New MacBook:

 

http://www.apple.com/macbook/

 

 

It's not that great, though.

[nate]

New Macbook is only 12 inch and really weak processor so I wasn't considering it really.

 

I will wait around and see if they come out with an Air retina, if not I will get the pro.

[mrwicked]

"In terms of appearance, it has been reported by Motley Fool that the 2016 MacBook Air will feature a very slim industrial design and a high-resolution Retina display,"

 

http://masterherald.com/2016-apple-macbook-air-to-feature-slim-industrial-design-and-high-resolution-retina-display/19930/

 

you could go get a refurbished one, or a used one on craigslist for the meantime.

then get her her the new air retina when it comes out.

Edited November 4, 2015 by mrwicked

[nate]

She just got a huge promotion at work so I decided to use part of her signing bonus to buy her a 15" mbp for Christmas.

[nate]

So she was so happy with hers she bought me one.  Score!  lol

[mrwicked]

nice!

let me know if you want my address and she can buy me one too.

[Tank]

i'm cool if you just send me the cash, nate. we have enough laptops as is. thanks, buddy.

[Blarg]

She just got a huge promotion at work so I decided to use part of her signing bonus to buy her a 15" mbp for Christmas.

 

What in the hell are you doing spending her bonus check? 

 

 

So she was so happy with hers she bought me one.  Score!  lol

 

I hope she spent your money doing it.

[nate]

lol I used most of my bonus to pay my taxes.  So, no.

[Blarg]

I wouldn't ever consider spending a bonus check my wife makes. That is her reward, not mine. I guess we have a different relationship where we share everything but respect certain perks or rewards each may earn. I do pay for almost all bills, she covers health insurance and the household groceries and living expenses. But we have separate bank accounts and so discretionary spending is up to us independently. 

[nate]

It all goes in the same account for us and I told her about it before I bought it.

[Blarg]

We never had much success with a joint account. It is like the Senate where a budget is in place but all fight over the money with no regard for what was already spent. If you've found a way to make that work, congrats. 

[mrwicked]

notti for the record, if you want to buy me a macbook as well, it's cool with me if it comes from your separate discretionary account.

i won't mind that.

[nate]

We never had much success with a joint account. It is like the Senate where a budget is in place but all fight over the money with no regard for what was already spent. If you've found a way to make that work, congrats. 

 

We haven't had an issue but we also make almost the exact same amount so it isn't like one of us feels slighted.

[Blarg]

My discretionary money is for the finer things in life, Taco Tuesday. Come on down next week and we will hit up Del Taco, I'll buy.