Questions about the Mac? Get them answered here.

It depends on how you intend to use it.

Generally speaking, if you need something on the go for office, school or travel and will use it for word processing and internet connectivity with minimal technical work such such as video, audio and graphics editing, the macbook air is best for you especially the upgraded 11". Its small enough to fit anywhere and powerful enough to run most applications.

If you intend to use your computer for video, audio and graphics editing or if you require engineering and medical applications, or in any case requires you to handle large memory space, then perhaps the 13" retina is for you. It doesn't have the DVD slot though but when was the last time you popped a cd into your computer? you can always use a USB dongle as alternative or you can get the slim DVD USB device.

The good thing about the 13" retina is that its slim enough to be on the go and powerful enough to handle most technical applications. The classic 13" with dvd is quite heavy and monstrous when it comes to being mobile. However, its a lot cheaper.

• Answered by Sherwin S from Quezon City
• 10/12/2012
• Flag as inappropriate

The MacBook Pro does have a lot more storage space than the Air. However, that's because it uses a much slower spinning hard drive. The Air uses a more modern type of storage instead that is quieter, has no moving parts (making it harder to damage), and is much faster. But it is a lot smaller.

You can configure the MacBook Air to have quite a lot of data storage (up to 512 GB), but to be honest, you may be better off buying a default configuration. You may find that 128 or 256 GB is plenty.

If it turns out that the storage space is too small, you can always buy an external hard drive, which are available cheaply at most electronics stores. In fact, I suggest you buy one anyway and use it to set up a backup using Time Machine, especially if you're using your mac for assignments. Time Machine is very easy to use and it will protect your schoolwork from being lost if your computer were to break down.

The other notable difference difference is that the MacBook Pro has a CD/DVD drive while the Air does not. If you use your computer to play DVDs or music CDs this may be a problem. But when you buy an Air you can also buy an external "SuperDrive" that plugs into a USB port. It's not an ideal solution, but it works.

In summary: the choice basically comes down to the size and speed of your hard drive. The air is small and fast, while the pro is slow but large. But whichever one you choose, I suggest you buy a large external hard drive anyway.

• Answered by Arturo P from Katy
• 13/06/2013
• Flag as inappropriate

I just got my macbook air 13 inch... I was wondering about the pro as well, money wasn't a issue for me, but the matter of how convenient and its functionality for me. I'm so glad I got the air over the pro simply because it's so freaking light and the battery life is so awesome. Solid state drive is definitely a must... you would think it's not much and storage space is more important, but trust me..booting up OS in less than 30 seconds is absolutely fascinating... and going to sleep-wake takes less than 1 second. transferring files back and forth is effortless.. I upgraded mine to a 8 gb ram so i can run multiple programs without lag. I bought the air to do daily tasks like blogging, reading news, writing up stuff, surf the web, and casually play light flash based games. I even tried diablo 3 last night and it worked pretty well with medium settings... but i uninstalled it soon after because i have low storage. I intend to buy SDXC card online 64gb SDXC for 70$ or so, or another SSD to attach to my external casing on the go.

choice is yours... performance vs convenience...

IMHO, a college student = convenience.

I also did music editing a few days ago with my Air without problems ;)

• Answered by Youseok K from 해운대구
• 05/07/2012
• Flag as inappropriate

I would go for the 13" MacBook Air. Both computers weigh nearly the same, 2.96 vs. 3.57 pounds. However, the performance of the base 13" Air and the base 13" Retina Pro is nearly identical even with their difference in hardware (slightly faster processor, two more ports, more RAM, and better integrated graphics standard for the Retina). It's up to you to decide if the epic Retina display is worth the $500 price difference, but I would recommend custom building a base 13" Air with 8GB of RAM and leave it that, unless that Retina display really jumps out at you.

• Answered by Victor L from Portland
• 10/02/2013
• Flag as inappropriate

I am a graduate student and a teaching assistant, I would guess she'd be happier with the portability of the MacBook. She won't be limited to doing her homework in her room, which can help productivity if she is disciplined. A lot of her homework will probably be doable in a multitasking setting like at the library, at a coffee shop, in the student lounge etc. Also, the laptop will enable her to work on group projects easier...and it won't give her an excuse not to come home every now and then ;).

I have an iMac which is fine for me since school is my 9-5 job, but I'm about to get a MacBook Air simply because I don't like being stuck at my desk when I need to get school work done.

One thing to mention; laptops and iPads for taking notes in class can be a distraction unless your daughter is VERY disciplined. The majority of students just end up playing games and checking facebook instead of listening to the instructor. As a teaching assistant I see this a lot.

• Answered by Tiffany L from Lubbock
• 14/06/2013
• Flag as inappropriate

No. You have to purchase the Apple SuperDrive USB disc drive seperately if you wish to operate anything involving CD's or DVD's.

• Answered by Benjamin C from Jackson
• 14/03/2013
• Flag as inappropriate

Pro
It is hardly thicker and way more powerful.

• Answered by Alex R from Slinger
• 24/05/2013
• Flag as inappropriate

You may find what you want on the Apple Refurbished site. Search for REFURBISHED on the apple.com site. I've purchased my last 2 MacBook Pros from this site and they are good as new and cheaper.

Hope this helps.

• Answered by Harry Z from Spring Lake
• 14/06/2013
• Flag as inappropriate

My two bits ... the 13 inch Air might be physically lighter, but in reality takes up more real estate with its larger footprint and has a greater apparent heft because of leverage effect. The larger footprint of the Air was seen as a potential inconvenience when traveling by plane.

Processor performance were seemed similar with 8 GB memory, and when running sample renderings via OpenGL assistance. As for the display .... that was no contest; the Air has a great display, but the Retina proved best for viewing high density images and computed renderings. The one noted caveat with the Retina was a noted momentary lag when displaying very large image files.

With identical prices for my elected configurations, I returned the Air and went for the more compact and capable Retina display equipped model. Good luck in choosing ... I know it isn't an easy call.

• Answered by Karel N from Escondido
• 04/05/2013
• Flag as inappropriate