thinking about my next mac... looking at the mac book air

[berck]

Don't judge all windows machines based on the bad ones. Remember that Windows based computers encompasses everything from very very low end to extremely high end and powerful (better than any MAC on the market). The issue is most companies and people go inexpensive and low end giving the OS the bad rep when in reality it is the low end product that should get the bad rep.

It has nothing to do with the hardware, its the OS itself. I've been using various computers (Unix / Win 3.x to Vista / Mac OS / OS X / Linux). The unfortunate thing is that the Windows OSes (especially those with network access) tend to get bogged down after time. I've repeatable had to reinstall the Windows OSes from scratch to get the machines functioning properly again.

Where this hasn't been a problem is when I keep the Windows OSes in a VM, and don't use them to access much internet. Install very few programs, and things stay stable.

Comparing that to my current Linux or OS X systems that have gone through multiple OS upgrades on the same hardware. I've never had to reinstall the OS from scratch, they just keep working great.

 

[DodgerKing]

I don't have the same issues that you guys are having with any of my own machines since Windows 7. Of course I keep my own machines clean of bloatware. If I install software needed for new hardware, such as a printer, I do a self install using only the drivers needed for that particular piece of hardware and never use the installation CD. These installations CDs tend to want to install 20 other programs with it (particularly HP).

 

[Ilya]

Since Mac is a religion, you can't win this discussion with pure logic! So, give it up!

To be fair to both operating systems, most crashes and other problems whether it's MacOS or Windows, are caused by third-party software, not by the OS itself. So depending on what you install, your experience will be very different. For what it's worth, my MacOS crashes much more often than my Windows 7, in spite the fact that I have way more programs installed in Windows!

Back to the Mac hardware discussion. For me personally, the biggest limitation of my MBP (or any other current Apple laptop for that matter) is the lack of interfaces: no ExpressCard, no eSATA, no USB3! Yes, I have Thunderbolt and FireWire - but those are pretty much useless for me. Just two USB ports! A $200 netbook has more USB ports than that! I have both ports occupied at all times: one with a wireless mouse transmitter, another one with a flashdrive. Every time I need to connect something else, I have to sacrifice either the mouse or the flashdrive.

And personally, I am not buying another computer without USB3!

 

[lparsons21]

Ilya, would this do?

Sonnet - Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter

 

[Ilya]

Ilya, would this do?

Sonnet - Echo ExpressCard/34 Thunderbolt Adapter

That might help in some situations (thanks for posting the link - good to know).
But it's $150 plus another $50 for the Thunderbolt cable... and still no USB3!

 

[lparsons21]

I thought that you could use that adapter and then something for it to get USB3.

But yeah, it ain't cheap!

 

[Ilya]

I thought that you could use that adapter and then something for it to get USB3.

I guess you could use a USB 3.0 ExpressCard (another $50 or so) with that Sonnet box, but then you would probably need an external power source to support USB3's 500-900 mA currents. It's all very cumbersome and expensive compared to having a USB3 port on the laptop itself. Hopefully the Ivy Bridge based laptops (including Macs) coming out later this year will all have USB3, as it's now officially supported by Intel.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

What mac offers is top quality hardware optimized with the software. It is worth the extra money to me. Does it have USB3? No. But I don't need it. Its not meant to be a machine you customize. If you were able to customize you would lose the benefits of the tightly optimized hardware/software. If you choose to live in the Apple ecosystem, that is the price. You won't have a million options, but it will work extremely well, and for a LONG time.

Jason - your original question - do you buy a pro now or save money and wait, is the perpetual problem. IN six months I am sure there will be refreshes of both the air and pro. There were two refreshes of the pro last year. The air is definitely due for a refresh. Depends on what you want/need to do now, and whether you are willing to wait. I originally said I was saving and waiting until the refresh, but eventually it became clear to me that I wanted my own mac NOW and was not willing to wait until May or June or whenever. Will the next one be more powerful, faster, lighter? Probably. But I am happy with what I got.

And after less than a week with the 13" Air, I am not sure I'd ever buy a 5 pound pro again. My Air runs as fast, if not faster than my pro, and I only notice the difference on truly processor-intensive tasks, many of which I just do on the pro at the office.

 

[Neutron]

I wish the Air had a wired ethernet port.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I wish the Air had a wired ethernet port.

Eh... I am fine with it. WiFi works great, and if I want ethernet, for $30 there is an adapter and I can plug it into my usb hub. But haven't felt the need to.

Again, you are getting an incredibly portable and light device, as a result, it does not have every feature under the sun. If you want or need all them, get a pro.

 

[DodgerKing]

I wish the Air had a wired ethernet port.

Which will prevent it from being able to use it at my work. All network connection here is through ethernet. Routers are not supported and if you try to connect a router or hub it will lock down the entire server.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

Which will prevent it from being able to use it at my work. All network connection here is through ethernet. Routers are not supported and if you try to connect a router or hub it will lock down the entire server.

You miss the point. A USB/ethernet adapter from Apple would be the exact same thing as a hard-wired ethernet port on the machine. Not a hub, not a router, just an ethernet adapter for the Air.

 

[Ilya]

You miss the point. A USB/ethernet adapter from Apple would be the exact same thing as a hard-wired ethernet port on the machine.

And how many USB ports will you have left after that?

The Air is for leisure, not for business!

 

[JAG72]

The Air is for leisure, not for business!

I disagree with this statement. 90+% of business users only use 1 or 2 USB ports. The air is perfect for the business user that really needs to be portable.

 

[DodgerKing]

You miss the point. A USB/ethernet adapter from Apple would be the exact same thing as a hard-wired ethernet port on the machine. Not a hub, not a router, just an ethernet adapter for the Air.

I got that. My comment was directed at the computer by itself without having to purchase other equipment plugged into it. Why should someone have to pay extra for an adapter when it would have been very easy to put an ethernet port in the computer to begin with?

This is one thing that irks me about APPLE. Any additional feature you want to use that is standard on most computers adds additional costs, and often significant. Not only do you have to purchase and adapter, you may also have to purchase a cable that goes with it (look at the issue with limited USB ports, bluray players, ex). When you have to buy a cable, since the only cables that work are made by APPLE they charge an arm and a leg for something that should only be a couple of bucks. I cannot tell you how many teachers bring their mac laptops to work and realize they cannot connect it to a LCD projector without an additional $15 adapter. Any PC laptop can connect easily via DVI or VGA.

 

[DodgerKing]

I disagree with this statement. 90+% of business users only use 1 or 2 USB ports. The air is perfect for the business user that really needs to be portable.

I currently have four devices plugged into my laptop now (printer, mouse, iphone, and external drive - plugged into USB3). I am glad I have more than 2 USB ports.

 

[Ilya]

I disagree with this statement. 90+% of business users only use 1 or 2 USB ports. The air is perfect for the business user that really needs to be portable.

I guess it depends on the business. It would be very hard for me to live with just one USB port!

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I got that. My comment was directed at the computer by itself without having to purchase other equipment plugged into it. Why should someone have to pay extra for an adapter when it would have been very easy to put an ethernet port in the computer to begin with?

This is one thing that irks me about APPLE. Any additional feature you want to use that is standard on most computers adds additional costs, and often significant. Not only do you have to purchase and adapter, you may also have to purchase a cable that goes with it (look at the issue with limited USB ports, bluray players, ex). When you have to buy a cable, since the only cables that work are made by APPLE they charge an arm and a leg for something that should only be a couple of bucks. I cannot tell you how many teachers bring their mac laptops to work and realize they cannot connect it to a LCD projector without an additional $15 adapter. Any PC laptop can connect easily via DVI or VGA.

I know, you don't like mac's. We get that.

Macs use mini-display ports, big deal. I have a VGA and a DVI adapter. Not a big deal. And I suspect 99%+ of Mac users would take the mini-display port adapter over switching to a pc. AND you are wrong about having to buy the mini-display port adapters from Apple. There are plenty of third party alternatives for less money.

 

[rockymtnhigh]

I disagree with this statement. 90+% of business users only use 1 or 2 USB ports. The air is perfect for the business user that really needs to be portable.

And when you are going mobile, its pretty doubtful you'll be bringing a bunch of peripherals with you. For the desktop replacement, a simple USB hub eliminates any issue. ONE usb port to plug in and I have access to external USB mouse, external wired keyboard, external optical drive, and an external hard drive for time machine. NONE of those are things I need on the road.

 

[Ilya]

Macs use mini-display ports, big deal. I have a VGA and a DVI adapter.

We are talking about usability for business. When you walk into a conference room equipped with a projector you can usually expect a VGA cable (perhaps an HDMI cable too), which you can plug into your laptop (even a netbook) without any additional adapters. With my MacBook Pro I have to remember to always carry that mini-display ports adapter with me. If I ever forget to take it with me to a presentation, I am in big trouble!