Hi Neil, thanks for paying such close attention to my message, and for writing such a great response. I actually picked up an MBA last weekend, and am inclined to agree with you on all points. Happily this particular store actually carried the models with the upgraded specs, so I was able to get that model without ordering it online. I have to say, it's a pretty amazing little machine. It's quite speedy--though I haven't really put it through all its paces yet as I haven't transferred my data over. And the sound is amazingly good for such a small device. I do notice a fairly significant difference in sound between the MBA and my 13-inch MBP, but as you say, not so much of a difference that it would impact my choice of machine. Now the only question remaining is whether I feel rich enough to live without the $1700, especially given that my 2009 MBP is working just fine. Cheers, Donna
On Aug 25, 2011, at 4:39 AM, Neil Barnfather - TalkNav wrote: > Donna, > > Looking at this, I've owned the 15in MBP and all three of the Air's, the > original incarnation and now the 2010 11in and the revised 2011 11in. > > Firstly sound, if you were looking at the original 13in Air, the sound was > hopeless, with a mono single speaker I really didn't like that thing. > > The 11in 2010 and 2011 models though for me solve that. there's stereo baby > built right in there, and although there's not much bass to talk of, the > sound is clear and it packs a surprising amount of punch for its size. > > put against the 15in, its a notable difference in richness and output, but > against the 13in MBP, I think less so. > > you do have the bass issue and if you like your tones, not just music but > Alex etc to have that depth it might make you think, but I find that once I > sit down in front of it, unless I'm working with my iMac along side the Air, > which I do every now and then, you'll not notice it. > > Looking at this DVD business, lets see, presumably you're not watching DVD's > in the class room etc, so why not just leave the USB drive for that in your > hotel etc, I've seen you state that this lack of a DVD drive is a real issue, > but only as you seem to watch films, well as someone else has said, a lot of > it is downloadable now, you can also rip them, and finally, if you're like > me, why should I pay to download something I own on disk, spend the > additional $80 and get the super drive... leave it in your hotel room and > you're good to go. > > I use my Air for everything when I'm not at a desk, and my iMac if I am. > > The issue that a lot of folk seem to be throwing up over spec and > performance, you really need to ask yourself what you're going to be doing > with it, I find my Air faster than my MBP 15in, which I had as a late 2010 > model with full processor upgrade, I think a 2.9Ghz i7 with 4Gb of RAM. but > you see most of what I do is word processing, e-mail and internet, oh and > iTunes / watching DVD's. > > I carry my MBA all around the world with me, leaving the super drive in hotel > rooms or my carry on in a plane if its a long flight. > > I personally think its really the way to go if you're seriously looking to > lighten the load. > > there is an InCase sleeve for the 11in and 13in available from the Apple > online store, I use this and think its great... for whoever asked that > question. > > HTH. > > Neil Barnfather. > On 15 Aug 2011, at 20:29, Donna Goodin wrote: > > Hi Mika, > > I believe there's a program called DVD Remaster that does that, though I > haven't tried it. In the long-term, your definitely right, I suspect > there'll come a time not all that far off when having a DVD drive will seem > as obsolete as having a floppy drive does now. But for me anyway, that time > hasn't quite arrived yet. But, as with Chris's mention of the lack of an SD > card slot, this is a question of personal preference and usage. > > The processor question is a tricky one. The processor on the MBA is slower > than that on the MBP. But the solid state drive should make up for a lot of > the difference there. > Cheers, > Donna > > On Aug 15, 2011, at 1:15 PM, Mika Pyyhkala wrote: > >> As for a DVD drive, is it easy say to copy a movie over to the hard drive of >> say a MacBook Air, so that you don't need a DVD drive on the road? >> >> I just am thinking of this as software increasingly moves to being acquired >> through a platform like the Mac app store. >> >> I'm just not sure, for me, why it would be important now a days to have a >> built in DVD drive? >> >> Things like the processor, sound, etc. are more important in the uses I >> would tend to have. I'm not sure also on the MBA that just came out how >> much of an improvement the processor is, etc. >> >> BTW I now have the 11 inch MBA (the model just before the most recent >> release), bought in early 2011. I still found I mostly used Jaws, mainly >> because I'm still more efficient browsing the web under Jaws and for >> Qwitter, though I have not really spent the necessary time to learn the Mac >> ways of doing things. >> >> >> Best, >> mika >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin >> Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 1:05 PM >> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >> Subject: Re: going from an MBP to a MacBook Air >> >> Hey Chris, >> >> Yeah, the lack of memory card is no big deal for me, I tend to use a USB >> drive most of the time. The one that gets me is the lack of a DVD drive. >> >> That 11-inch Air is *reeeeeally calling my name. I would have given >> anything to have it while I was in Hawaii last week, the MBP was just big >> enough that I didn't feel like hauling it on the plane and all. I can see >> why you're sticking with the MBP, though - it's definitely the more powerful >> device. And I totally agree, if they ever combine the Air with the iPad, >> I'd be all over it! >> >> I was originally thinking I'd replace the MacBook with the Air, but I can't >> see going without a built-in DVD drive, at least not at this point. So I >> don't know. In addition to the work stuff, I've got some more plane travel >> coming up over the next few months, and it'd be nice to be able to take the >> Air. I'd definitely use it, I know that, but it's a luxury, not a >> necessity. Buuuut ... lol >> Cheers, >> Donna >> >> On Aug 15, 2011, at 12:49 PM, Chris Moore wrote: >> >>> Donna, >>> >>> One other thing to bare in mind if you are going for the 11inch model, is >>> that it does not have a memory card reader. This is done via a USB dongle >>> instead. Not sure if this is important to you. >>> >>> I must admit, the 11inch model is very alluring. >>> >>> I think I will stick with my Macbook Pro and iMac for now. If Apple are >>> heading in the direction of merging both their operating systems, then I >>> would expect to see a merged Macbook Air and iPad. Now that's the baby I >>> want. A keyboard with a touch screen all in one. >>> >>> Chris >>> On 15 Aug 2011, at 17:47, Donna Goodin wrote: >>> >>>> Hi Mika, >>>> >>>> The MacBoo Pro has some significant advantages. It has a bigger hard >>>> drive, faster processor, can be upgraded with more memory, has built-in >>>> ethernet, DVD drive, and SD card slot. As Ricardo pointed out, it also >>>> has better sound. With the Air, you can connect to a DVD drive or ether >>>> net via usb, but they're not built-in, so that's extra hardware you need >>>> to haul around. The Air is a great portable device, but the MacBook is a >>>> more powerful computer, with more features built-in. >>>> Cheers, >>>> Donna >>>> >>>> On Aug 15, 2011, at 12:18 PM, Mika Pyyhkala wrote: >>>> >>>>> What are the primary advantages you see the the MBP (MacBook Pro) as >>>>> opposed to the MBA (MacBook Air)? >>>>> >>>>> Just wondering if people appreciate more the ports, or if it is speed of >>>>> the machine, etc? >>>>> >>>>> Thanks, >>>>> Mika >>>>> >>>>> -----Original Message----- >>>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >>>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Blouch >>>>> Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 11:56 AM >>>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com >>>>> Subject: Re: going from an MBP to a MacBook Air >>>>> >>>>> I've hauled the Macbook all over the place and didn't mind so much with >>>>> the backpack. Maybe because the old computer bag was just so bad. Made >>>>> the change when I was presenting at a conference (cough - CSUN) that >>>>> could no longer fit in its venue and rented two hotels. Of course the >>>>> session I wanted to attend would be in one and then I would present in >>>>> the other then hike back to the first. Not that big a deal with the >>>>> backpack. If I could just remember which pocket I put the network cable >>>>> vs. the AC adaptor vs the displayport connector etc. >>>>> >>>>> CB >>>>> >>>>> On 8/15/11 11:12 AM, Donna Goodin wrote: >>>>>> Hi Chris, >>>>>> >>>>>> In the past, I've always felt as you do, that the MBP is very easy to >>>>>> haul around. But unfortunately, I'm not just looking at schlepping my >>>>>> MBP to and from work. Every class I teach is in a different building, >>>>>> and all those buildings are different from the building where my office >>>>>> is. So I'll be carrying it around most of the day, along with a braille >>>>>> display. >>>>>> >>>>>> I do think I've decided though that the Air can't replace my MacBook. >>>>>> So I'll either be trying something like what you describe, or just >>>>>> getting the low-end model and using it for times when I want a lot of >>>>>> portability. >>>>>> Cheers, >>>>>> Donna >>>>>> >>>>>> On Aug 15, 2011, at 10:09 AM, Chris Blouch wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Having shlepped my MacBook to work for many years I found that it >>>>>>> wasn't that big a deal in a nice backpack. I used to use those computer >>>>>>> bags with a shoulder strap but it started bothering my shoulder. I >>>>>>> finally picked up one for cheap from Megamacs and have really liked it. >>>>>>> Very comfortable and more pockets to lose things in :) Might be worth >>>>>>> the $20 to find out. It's been several years now but the one I got is >>>>>>> still available: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> http://www.megamacs.com/index.php?action=frameview&id=3566552 >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Their cart UI doesn't move focus to the form input on each step so you >>>>>>> have to slog around to find where the form is, but it does work. I >>>>>>> guess it's no worse than many web shopping carts. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> CB >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On 8/14/11 7:46 PM, Donna Goodin wrote: >>>>>>>> Hi all, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Since I'm going to be schlepping my Mac around a lot for work in the >>>>>>>> next several months, and possibly then some, I'm seriously considering >>>>>>>> shelling out the $$ for an 11-inch MacBook Air. I'm looking at one of >>>>>>>> the new ones, with all the specs maxed out. My MBP is two years old, >>>>>>>> running a 2.53GHZ processor with 4G of ram. I'm wondering if there's >>>>>>>> anyone on list who can give me an accurate comparison of the user >>>>>>>> experience on these two models. A couple of the things I'm wondering >>>>>>>> about are: >>>>>>>> 1. Speed. How will day-today- use compare. My MBP has the faster >>>>>>>> processor, but the Air has the solid state drive, which I assume will >>>>>>>> compensate, at least to some extent. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> 2. Sound quality? this won't be a deal breaker, but wondering how >>>>>>>> the two compare. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> If there are any other differences that people have experienced, >>>>>>>> either good or bad, I'd love to hear. >>>>>>>> Best, >>>>>>>> Donna >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> P.S. 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