Macbook Air vs. Macbook Pro - Help me out guys

[PRIME]

Ok, so I'm planning on getting a new laptop in the next couple weeks. I've come down to a road block though. 
I'm unsure on whether or not I should get a Macbook Air or a Pro. I'm a web designer and will be using this notebook for work and play. And by play I don't really mean gaming, mostly music, movies, NT, etc. 

Here are the two options I'm leaning towards - 

Macbook Air

Upgraded ram to 8gb

Upgraded processor to 2.0 ghz i7

Upgraded 512gb Flash Drive

Macbook Pro

Bone stock $2200 15inch model OR the retina display model when it drops

Here is my question, I know upgrading the RAM and processor will help me out with running multiple programs at once on the Macbook Air but does that 2.7ghz quad core make a HUGE difference in web design? Am I going to regret not having that quad core in the future?

I love the form factor of the Air. Its the perfect size to me. But the extra power of the Pro is really appealing considering I'll run 2-3 programs from the Adobe Master Collection at once. 

Both will come out to being around the same price, so the price isn't a worry for me because the Air with all those upgrades comes out to around $2200. 

Any help would be appreciated NT. I don't want to fall victim to getting the bigger model just because it packs a bigger punch if I don't need that much, and vice versa; I don't want to miss out on the extra power I may need just because I like the thinner notebook. 

 

[based mod]

if i were a web designer and this laptop's going to be my primary machine, i'd get the mbp with retina

 

[livemyreality]

Get the Macbook Pro. No questions asked. The Macbook Air is overpriced. Really.

 

[teamjordan79]

Originally Posted by Based Mod

if i were a web designer and this laptop's going to be my primary machine, i'd get the mbp with retina

as a primary, yea. Although i read somehwere that the new retina is the least upgradable of all mac's so far...

Personally, ima wait untill the retina air or maybe the retina 13'' comes out. 

 

[vendetta]

Originally Posted by LiveMyReality

The Macbook Air is overpriced. Really.

Fixed

Is the $600+ mark up for retina worth it to you? 

 

[PRIME]

Originally Posted by TeamJordan79

Originally Posted by Based Mod

if i were a web designer and this laptop's going to be my primary machine, i'd get the mbp with retina

as a primary, yea. Although i read somehwere that the new retina is the least upgradable of all mac's so far...

Personally, ima wait untill the retina air or maybe the retina 13'' comes out. 

I was hoping that all of the MBP's were going to be retina upgraded, because I would have definitely opted for a retina 13 inch, but unfortunately they weren't.
And for now until I move later this summer and pick up an iMac this fall, the notebook will be my primary machine. 

Originally Posted by Vendetta

Originally Posted by LiveMyReality

The Macbook Air is overpriced. Really.

Fixed 

Is the $600+ mark up for retina worth it to you? 

The inner "I want it because its shiny" part of me is saying yes. But in reality, I don't know how much the retina display will do for me. I mean, of course for illustration it will be dope as hell, and if I decide to run Skyrim or something on it I guess the display would be dope. But other than that, I just really want the retina display version because of its thin body .

But heres the breaking point of the retina display version for me, it only has a 256gb SDD 

Thats where I lean more towards the Air as far as having a thin notebook with a ton of space to work with. 

 

[djmano34]

Why not just get the one without the retina display? its cheaper and has a lot more space.

for $2,200. you could get the 15in 2.6ghz (turbo boost up to 3.6) 8GB RAM, 750GB HD.
All of that is plenty enough plus more for you'll be needing it for. 

http://store.apple.com/us...amily/macbook_pro/select

 

[mplsdunk]

eff the retina, just get the mbp for 1500. 

 

[jomitm]

MBP.

Performance > Weight.

You'll be thanking yourself later if you get it. You'll say you regret getting the Air if you don't.

 

[6 Rings G.O.A.T.]

Def going to look at all of the replies in this thread..

 

[airjordan23z]

Originally Posted by jomitm

MBP.

Performance > Weight.

You'll be thanking yourself later if you get it. You'll say you regret getting the Air if you don't.

co-sign thaaat..

 

[MajinZuub]

If both come to the same price go with the Pro no question. Even shelling out a little more is worth it.

 

[captainkicks]

I have a Mac and I'd say just get a PC.

Same or better specs for half the price

 

[jomitm]

Originally Posted by CaptainKicks

I have a Mac and I'd say just get a PC.

Same or better specs for half the price

Strongly disagree lol.
Windows is too vulnerable of an OS. Unix-based like Apple and Linux OS are better, smoother, and more protected. 

Especially for OP, who will primarily use his laptop for web development, Mac is superior. 

And I'm telling him right now that MBP is more superior than the Air in the laptop section. 

 

[sole vintage]

the only problem i see with the retina display pro is, if something minor happens to it ( bad RAM) you will need to replace the whole laptop. The RAM is now soldered to the logic board

 

[buggz05]

2.0ghz is pretty low on processing power imo..
Also I think the difference between the two of mbp vs mba is that the Air is a dual-core versus the Pro's quad-core.

With technology, you don't want to get stuck behind because it moves pretty quickly these days. 2 years from now that 2.0 ghz might not be up to speed...

 

[nocomment6]

Since you'll use it for design I'd suggest the 15", because it may not seem like a lot, but it does matter. Or you may want to get a screen, but then again a good one is expensive. Because with a MB Air you get a very portable laptop and I think it's performance is more then enough to run music, internet and so on, in addition the CS5-CS6 and all of it's components work well on it, I'm not saying that you won't notice the difference, when comparing it to a quad core, but it runs well.
But truth is you'll have to do a lot of zooming, plus the ROM isn't too big with the MB Airs, you'll definitely need an external HDD with the small capacity of SSD.

As for retina display, since you are mostly designing things that will show up on "normal" screens I don't think it's mandatory. Especially since Apple LED screens are so much better then most things on the market. Performance is better, but the price, I don't know I think it's way overpriced, it's just so much money...

Personally I got a MBP 13" 2 years ago and I love it. I can work Adobe on it and 3D programs as well at a pretty good speed, (this is "only" the 2.4 GHZ INtel Core duo 2. And I'm pleased with it. The screen thing is somewhat of an issue, I have to do a lot of zooming and sometimes I think it's a restrain, but other then that I love the size for everything else: travel, internet etc.
I actually like it so much, I am not planning on getting anything new for a bit. Maybe a 13" retina MBP or if Airs get retina, maybe in a year or so.

Both have pros and cons, but are amazing pieces of machinery.

Hope I could help.

 

[mez 0ne]

Is traveling around necessary, because the AIR would be a great investment if that's important.

If not, just go with the Pro, especially if you're going to be doing extensive work.

 

[rap sizzle]

For those suggesting the retina Macbook Pro, it actually isn't the ideal laptop to work with for a web designer due to its extremely high resolution. You'll have issues with scaling and what you'll be seeing on your retina screen won't be the same as the majority of the world.

Read up on this: http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=90

So yeah, since you're a web designer, go with the Air or classic MBP. Avoid the retina for now.

 

[bkzkurse]

Originally Posted by Rap Sizzle

For those suggesting the retina Macbook Pro, it actually isn't the ideal laptop to work with for a web designer due to its extremely high resolution. You'll have issues with scaling and what you'll be seeing on your retina screen won't be the same as the majority of the world.

Read up on this: http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=90

So yeah, since you're a web designer, go with the Air or classic MBP. Avoid the retina for now.

This. Majority of people do not have retina displays and it won't be the standard until maybe a year or 2 (?)
Go with regular now and as the market changes making retina displays standard, than you can upgrade to a retina display to keep up with your client base

 

[cj863]

No thread jack but I'm in between a MBP and MB Air as well. I'm a student and the only true functions I need my
laptop for are word processing and PowerPoint. Other than that it's straight web browsing for me. Do I sell my MBP
and get a MB Air or the new pro? Thoughts?

 

[Kimchi Papi]

I agree with Rap Sizzle. I'd get the MBP...Saw this on Wired.com a short while ago. The co-founder & CEO of iFixit, Kyle Wiens called the MB retina Unfixable, Unhackable, & Untenable. LOL. Link to story here.

Question, would you folks go with Apple Care or Best Buy's Accidental plan?

 

[cj863]

Originally Posted by psk2310


Question, would you folks go with Apple Care or Best Buy's Accidental plan?

Applecare by far. Best buy's accidental plan is terrible. My biggest mistake when purchasing my MBP.

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Originally Posted by CJ863

Originally Posted by psk2310


Question, would you folks go with Apple Care or Best Buy's Accidental plan?

Applecare by far. Best buy's accidental plan is terrible. My biggest mistake when purchasing my MBP.

Thanks for the feedback...

  

 

[sonoftony]

Get a MBP w/o the retina.