Hi guys,
Planning to buy the new Macbook pro but friend sort of talked me out of it because I really just want a laptop that will last me long. Now, I will only use the laptop for work (word+excel+ppt) and movies.
Could you guys recommend me something that's around the same spec but cheaper? (My mate works at Apple so I'm getting 20% off on the new macbook pro 13inch retina , 8gb ram) .
Thanks!
P.S. I need something light :)
I second that, go for a MacBook Air and you will never look back. My 13" retina with 8gb ram sits in the cupboard and I use my MacBook Air 11" everyday for all my word processing and movie watching. It's a lovely display and the keyboard is great! It's thin as a feather and is an absolute portable powerhouse. A great investment, that's for sure!
Agreed. I've never had a Macbook Pro, but I got my Air and sold my Surface Pro shortly after. Unbeatable small ultrabook
Thanks guys for the prompt response! I'm just a bit concerned with the ram on the mac air . Is 4gb too little these days? I somehow think macbook will last me longer than the air?
No windows laptop can top the air ?
Thanks again guys
if your using it for browsing,word,excel,pp and watching movies, light gaming then 4gb ram is more than enough on the air. Thats pretty much what i do all day on it anyways
Yeah the flash memory also contributes to its speed.
My MacBook Pro quad core i7 with 8GB of ram is slow as hell compared to my girlfriends MacBook Air.
Change your friend who gave you such advice. Sounds like they were trying to impose their concepts on you without looking at your needs. That's no friend.
Ram is important but don't take concepts from one operating system to another. Again these are concepts or FUD that your ex friend has instilled.
The air advice above is sound especially if you need something light.
The OS is important. If you use a lot of windows only software that you must use on your travel computer, then you might find the Mac a limitation in that if there is no Mac equivalent you will have to do things differently.
Not sure on what the last long means - are you talking about daily usage (battery) or product reliability.
On both accounts the Macbook air is great. (Of course reliability is something everyone can give a bad story about every brand, so Google this to be comfortable with any product)
SSD drives have added advantage in that they are more sturdy than hard drives.
I'd suggest the toshiba z30. I was considering getting it when it was down to $1k at JB, but instead I put a new ssd in my 5 year old pentium duo instead :)
The z30 is suceeded by the Kira, but the Lan port on the z30 is a plus for me. Only 1.2kg, and the battery is supposed to be "up to 8 hours". Windows drains more power than OSX, so naturally, the MBA will have a better battery
The other downside of the z30 is the lack of a full hd screen.
Just worried that 1.4ghz will affect the speed of the mac if I have too many things opened at the same time (e.g. Internet browser tabs).
Again - different computer different effects.
Eg Mac - no virus protection generally needed, so there is an overhead not being needed.
Browser tabs are within the same program, unlikely to be an issue. Internet speed is more likely to come into play before processor speed.
Keeping in mind more processing that is going on requires more power - which affects battery life. Thats one of the reasons some windows users are using Macbook airs, as the battery life is quite good compared to some of the cheapies around. (as cpho above says)
Its a portable, how many programs do you need open at the same time? Its powered by an SSD so its fast loading, should you find the overhead is too much, you can quickly reload a closed program.
What programs do you intend to run?
I think someone maybe, is feeding you concepts that dont apply. But I maybe wrong.
Totally agree with the points Rocky makes.
Plus keep this in mind - the 1.4ghz processor will turbo boost up to (I think) 2.3Ghz. This is what keeps the battery life long - the CPU will basically idle until you really need it.
You could wait for the 12 inch that is rumored to be launching this year. If the specs are real it looks like a solid device for its size.
But if you can't wait, the 13inch Retina is a fantastic machine. Mate just got one, fast, light, great power. It is beautiful to use.
You are getting 20% percent off on Apple n not getting it. Damn man.. I'm waiting for 10% percent off to jump back to Mac. Had enough of windows in past 1 year.
Go for a macbook air, seriously. They are so much more convenient and last a hell of a long time on battery.
I plan on selling my macbook pro for one sometime in the near future..