Air versus pro

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Level 1

0 points

Air versus pro

I am a PCM user who is thinking of converting to a mac. I am looking for something I can take on holiday and is lightweight but powerful enough to run, say 6 Internet windows, photoshop elements, excel and word all at the same time. I keep changing my mind between the 13" pro and air. I like the weight of the air for its portability, especially for hand luggage on flights, but I've read that they are not very strong and am worried that spending a lot of money for the highest spec would be wasted if it broke. There seems to be a problem with the screens. However the pro, although having more practice use is quite a lot heavier. Does anyone know about the sturdiness of the air? Or would I be better with the added weight of the pro?

MacBook

Posted on Mar 13, 2013 6:09 PM

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Answer 1

dominic23

Level 10

83,904 points

Mar 14, 2013 3:06 AM in response to Sugarcandy

Macbook Pro 13/15 inch

Consider 8 - 16 GB RAM.

AppleCare, if you can afford it.

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Answer 2

Jon P D

Level 4

1,522 points

Mar 14, 2013 4:45 AM in response to Sugarcandy

Also if this helps (regarding your worries of it being fragile)

I have used an Air for about a year and a half as my only computer. I never really look after my technology so it didn't have a cover, would be used in the kitchen, has been dropped a few times, it's still fine - it has a few minor dents but this is 100% cosmetic.

It's made of metal, not plastic, trust me, you don't need to worry about breakages, unless you are planning on shooting it or something...

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Answer 3

Pitcn

Level 1

10 points

Mar 15, 2013 9:48 PM in response to Sugarcandy

It is a tough question because they are very different. If you need portibility and mid range power get the air. The air can handle everything you mentioned no problem. Depending on which pro you want the retina or non retina each have different features. If you want a built in optical drive buy the non retina. If you want the best of both worlds, portibility and power, get the retina. It has all the power you will need plus is a pound lighter and thinner than the non retina macbook. I think that all of these laptops are great but its your desision. I was in the same position you are in last month and chose the 13 inch non retina pro. I really liked it until I saw the 13 inch retina. I traded it in for the retina the next day because it had all the power I needed but was much more portible than the non retina.

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Answer 4

Sugarcandy Author

Level 1

0 points

Mar 16, 2013 2:49 AM in response to Pitcn

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. I did look at the Retina Display for the reasons you say but I read that it doesn't work very well with Adobe Photoshop Elements at the moment so was worried I would have problems. Also people have mentioned that a lot of sites look very fuzzy because their resolution is much lower. I even thought about the 15" Retina Display and could then use that for both my main computer and for travelling but it may be a little bulky to carry around.

Do you know if you can turn the resolution down on the Retina Display models to solve this problem when using other sites or when using the Photoshop?

I'm not too worried about the disc drive as I can always get the external one to use if I want and being 'old fashioned' I still like to buy CD's for my music.

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Answer 5

Jon P D

Level 4

1,522 points

Mar 16, 2013 3:20 AM in response to Sugarcandy

yes you can easily turn the resolution down to "normal" for the screen size so it takes 4 pixels as 1

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Answer 6

Pitcn

Level 1

10 points

Mar 16, 2013 9:10 PM in response to Sugarcandy

I have had the retina for the last few weeks and haven't noticed any problems with websites. When you first start using the computer you dont really notice a huge difference in the screen. That is until you see another computer even other macbooks and you will see a huge difference in clearity. I really dont know if I can go back to a lower resolution screen because I instantly see small pixels everywhere. I really would get the retina model if you can live without some of the ports because it is a powerful and very portible computer. I use it for grad school as well as at my job and its like carrying a book. You wont regret the purchase.

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