Is the Macbook Pro overkill for me?

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Level 1

8 points

Is the Macbook Pro overkill for me?

Hi,

I know that in the end I am the only one that can decide this but I was just looking for the experiences of other people to help.

I am a historian/writer. I don't do video editing, make presentations, or game on my computer. I basically use it to write and I travel with it when I lecture and teach my classes at different college campuses. I don't even store much on the computer itself as I work in Google Docs and keep most pictures and things on an external hard drive.

My question is, would the new Macbook be enough for my needs? I like the Macbook Pro (I have a late 2011 now but its on its last legs) but I am really impressed by the portability and design of the new Macbook and the lack of ports don't really bother me since I've never made a huge deal out of having to buy separate connectors on the occasion that I do need one.

Can anyone with any experiences or with a lifestyle like mine attest to which machine may be more appropriate, the new Macbook or Macbook Pro?

Thanks for any help

Posted on Jun 1, 2015 7:23 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

spudnuty

Level 5

7,116 points

Jun 1, 2015 8:01 PM in response to jlw771

You seem to be attracted to portability and given what you do you could go with the most economical of any current MacBooks.

There is a possible cheaper path:

"Macbook Pro (I have a late 2011 now but its on its last legs)"

I have an early 2011 MBP 13" that I'm on here. I upgraded w/ 8 GB RAM, a 120 MB SSD all from OWC. I have always used their stuff since they are always very Mac compatible. I'm also running Mavericks, 10.9.5, and have resisted moving up due to what I see around here.

Startup:

http://tinyurl.com/ooe6sac

Notice I've got 4 desktops and many windows open.

Photoshop CS 6 open job:

http://tinyurl.com/nsussol

OWC is here:

https://www.macsales.com/

There are videos and tutorials on doing the swaps.

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Answer 2

Jun 1, 2015 11:35 PM in response to jlw771

Judging by your needs and the travelling,I would suggest you go for the MacBook or the MacBook Air.While the Pro is for people who do intensive work like video-editing and photo-editing, the Air is for lighter and simpler needs like creating keynote presentations and Pages files.It's also lighter than the MacBook Pro and this makes it easier to carry around (With a MBP mid-2012 model I know the pain of carrying it around).Also, since you are not into graphic intense work,the Atom processor in the new MacBook will work just fine.The only drawback with the new MacBook is that it lacks the number of ports on the old Macs.But if that isn't much of a problem,then you can happily take a MacBook.However,as a student,I find it being a little bit overpriced for it's specifications.

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Answer 3

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,305 points

Jun 2, 2015 4:00 AM in response to jlw771

Based on the user requirements that you have delineated, a 13" Macbook Air would be the best choice. Very portable with extraordinary battery run time and less expensive than a Macbook Pro.

Ciao.

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Answer 4

jlw771 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jun 2, 2015 3:32 PM in response to daniel_firesword

I feel you on the price of the Macbook. It seems like I am paying a lot for that retina display. This is comparing it to the 13-inch Macbook Air, which I can upgrade the RAM and processor for about the same price as the base level Macbook.

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