Wondering outloud - 2013 13' Air or 13' Pro

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Wondering outloud - 2013 13' Air or 13' Pro

Hello,

I am looking at buying a Mac laptop to keep current on emerging coding tools, standards, etc..

XCode

HTML 5

Java Development

etc..

This machine wouldn't be a full fledged desktop replacement, just something to work on when away from the office, but still something I would like fast and powerful enough to code on.

i.e. Would need to run JBOSS on it, etc.

Would the 2013 AIR be up to the task (would love to hear hands on experience) - or should I look at the PRO (non Retina).

Thanks.

Posted on Jun 14, 2013 11:45 AM

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dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Jun 14, 2013 12:52 PM in response to darkfire.shadows

The MBA might be small and light but there's nothing lightweight about its performance. In the past 5 years I've moved from a 15" MBP to a 13" MBP to a 2011 13" MBA and I'll probably trade this one in on the new model to get its improved battery life.

There's nothing I can do on my iMac that I can't do on my MBA. Two caveats: 1) I'd really rather use Photoshop and InDesign on a large display than the 13" display and 2) the discrete graphics card of the 15" MBP does make a difference with some tasks. But for coding, unless you are doing 3D graphics related coding, that isn't going to be an issue.

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