470 Questions on Comparing Macs

  • 13" MacBook Air or 13" MacBook Pro?

    I'm about to buy my first MacBook and need some help, I was waiting for the 13" rMBP but its way too expensive so I've decided to go with the 13" Air or Pro. I'm leaning towards the Air because of its looks and portability.

    As I know very little about specifications I was wondering if someone could help me answer a few question;

    Is 128gb flash storage enough in the air?
    Is the 1.8GHz i5 quick?
    Will I need an optical drive or can everything be downloaded now?
    Is 4GB of ram enough?

    Basically, I want the air but only if it is going to be quick while; web browsing, streaming, downloading, using word and excel (or apples equivalent) and gaming

    Thanks for any help

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    I have had a MacBook Air for almost 2 years now and find it quite good for all of the functions (except gaming, which I don't do) that you mention. I previously had a 15" MacBook Pro and found it too heavy to bother taking anywhere. Now I travel with the Air daily.

    Streaming YouTube, downloading iTunes songs, etc, is fine and the only bother I have with upload or download speeds is trying to sync large media files with Dropbox: it can be frustratingly slow (but I am talking Gigabytes of files...). I rip DVDs to the Air and keep quite a few on that 128 gb drive, plus a healthy iTunes library, but otherwise store documents and photos in Dropbox and iCloud (meaning you don't necessarily have to have a huge internal hard drive...

    I don't do gaming on the Air and if I were a gamer, I'd probably recommend the MacBook with the faster processor, more RAM and I'd put an SSD in it rather than a mechanical hard drive. The Air, I think, is all about mobility and productivity, with a bit of entertainment on the side.

  • Would MacBook Pro or MacBook Air be best for high school?

    I'm a 9th grader right now. My parents decided to reward me for getting 2nd place in the National Middle School debate tournament. In high school, chances are I'm probably still going to be on the debate team, so i'm going to need a computer that can do word processing, relatively fast internet (for research), and chances are I'm probably going to have a million tabs open at once so i can get stuff from different sources. Weight shouldn't be too much of a problem. as long as it isn't too heavy (like 5.5 lb+). Battery life could be an issue, because there's no grantee that the room I'm debating in will have a outlet to plug into. So would the MacBook Pro, or the MacBook Air be more suitable?

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    If I was you, I would go for the MacBook Pro. It's got more battery life in it, more storage so you can do more stuff, it's really fast and it has good connectivity but if you are going to use an Ethernet port for the Internet, you'll need an adapter for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina Display but the normal generation of MacBook Pro has an Ethernet port. It also depends how much you want to spend. Good Luck.

  • Should I get a macbook air when I already have a macbook pro and an ipad 2?

    I have a 4-year-old 15-inch MacBook Pro which still works perfectly, except for some operating system issues, but is very heavy. It is a bit of an effort to carry into work at times. I also have an ipad 2, although this is mainly used for emails sometimes and social networking and games.
    I am considering getting an 11-inch macbook air and using the pro as more of a desktop. I use mainly word, pointpoint and the internet on my pro.
    Do you think there would be benefits of getting an air? or is it a waste of money?- I have been told the screen isn't that great- but as my pro is so old I may not notice this!

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  • whats the largest size of apple macbook pro

    you can get a 13in and a 15in is there a bigger version

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  • What is a faster machine? the new MacBook Pro with retina. Or the Macbook Pro with Ivy bridge

    I am wondering what will be a better macbook for running video editing software and possibly some gaming. The MacBook with Ivy Bridge or the New Macbook with Retina display. I know the Retina will look better but will it run better then the Ivy Bridge?

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    The MacBook Pro with Retina Display should be faster. All MacBook Pros carry the Ivy Bridge processors but the MacBook Pro with Retina Display has solid state flash storage so it will be faster than the other MacBook Pros with hard drives. The Retina Display MacBook also has 8GB of RAM which is more than the other MacBook Pros.

    I'd go with the Retina Display one, it has great specs and also looks great. Should be great for video editing and gaming.

    -I have the MBP with Retina Display and use it for everything now.

  • imac 27 inch i5 vs macbook pro 15 inch i7 for video editing

    I'm doing some heavy video editing and consider upgrading to final cut pro. Need advice on what machine either imac 27 inch i5 or macbook pro 15 inch i7 to run the program. thank you in advance.

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    just from what you're saying I'd have to go with a mcp 15 inch I7 simply because the processors, and as a video editor myself, I like having the ability to edit in different places/on the go, it makes you more mobile and maybe more prone to outside inspiration haha. but having an i7 processor would be a huge advantage simply due to the hyperthreading capabilities (Hyper-Threading (Intel Core i7 only — a technology that allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core. So a quad-core iMac has eight virtual cores, all of which are recognized by Mac OS X. This enables the processor to deliver FASTER PERFORMANCE by spreading tasks more evenly across a greater number of cores.) with the heavy video editing you mentioned, you're going to want to be able to render those files faster. and in my opinion, the i7 should do that for you better than an i5.

    having hyperthreading should help a lot

    - hope that helps :)

  • Should I get a MacBook Pro or an iMac? I already have an iPad so I won't really be bringing my laptop anywhere.

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  • Does the new 13" Macbook Pro (announced October 22nd, 2012) with Retina Display have a CD drive installed?

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  • home automation on mac mini

    I want to automate my house and the software I want to use needs to leave the computer on all the time. What I would like to do if possible is hook up a mac mini to my TV and also use for home automation. Can I set up using my Mac Book Pro, leave the mini on all the time so I can access from the web to control my house from anywhere.

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  • MacBook Pro or Air 13" or 15" for new college graduate?

    I recently graduated college and am looking to buy a new laptop. I've been a Windows user for all my life and am now wanting to make the switch to a Mac. However, as thorough as I've tried to be in my research, I can't seem to grasp the differences.

    I take a TON of videos/pictures and enjoy working with them in Photoshop and Movie Editor. I am also religious about the internet, surfing pages, streaming videos and chatting with friends through Facebook as well as Skype video calls.

    I am also an avid writer and have come to understand that I'm going to have to buy a word processor? While I'm not going to be writing as many papers/proposals/etc, I would like to have a decent amount of space for documents and presentations. I have a 2TB external hard drive I can use but would prefer to have space to keep my daily used "things" so I don't have to lug the HD everywhere.

    Also, as my last item, has any previous Windows user found it difficult to transition between the two systems? I'm going to assume it will help that I've had an iPod for years now and bought myself an iPhone 6 months ago. I also already use Safari as my browser on my PC. My main worry is the interface/navigation with the rest of the OS.

    If anyone could help me, it would be greatly appreciated. :)

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    With the screen sizes you've given, I'm going to assume you are in the $1300-$1500 range.

    The advantages of the MacBook Air (MBA) products are their lightweight portability, and the speed of file storage on the Solid State Drive (SSD). The advantages of the MacBook Pro (MBP) series is raw computing power and on-board storage space.

    Any Apple product is going to be great for social computing. If you like to compute "socially" (for example, with friends at the local java-joint) then the MBA is great for its portability: lightweight and solid state -- pass it around the table, then tuck it under your arm to go.

    For journalism/writing, most text documents do not take up a large amount of storage (usually around 1MB each). Many journalists use the MBA for its small size and lightweight with generous keyboard, to get in and get the story to press. Likewise, many authors enjoy toting the MBA through the home -- from kitchen, to patio, to bed -- or to the park, without all the weight.

    An advantage to MBP for journalism is longer battery life, and the possibility of a larger screen size (if your budget allows).

    For photo and movie editing, the MBP pulls ahead. Photoshop tends to generate huge files (at least as workfiles). Running Photoshop (or iMovie) on an MBA is nimble, but you will probably run out of storage space very quickly -- this also means your temp-file working space as well. The MBP makes up for its slower storage by its much faster processing power. With 5x the storage capacity of the MBA, the MBP should keep you editing in style without the external drive.

    My friend made the switch from Windows to OS X, and the first week or two she was asking, "Okay, where do I...?" or "How do I...?" But she considered the process pretty painless and recommends OS X to everyone now as the better OS. Use built-in Help, and your 90-days support. Your local Apple store has services to help you transition, too.

  • The Mac mini is the same to the iMac without the screen?

    Like, the iMac works with a Mac mini or everything is on the screen

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    The short answer is "No". The Mac mini is a headless computer, meaning it comes with no display/keyboard/mouse, where the iMac is an "all in one" computer, meaning the display and the computer are all in one unit.

    The Mac mini is a much less powerful computer than the iMac. The new iMacs will have processors that range from 2.7GHz quad-core to 3.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (this is really fast and rivals many Windows PCs). The Mac Mini starts at 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 and the top of the line is only a 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7. The hard drive in the low end Mac Mini is only 500 GB where the iMac has a 1 TB hard drive. The video card in the iMac is much better than the Mac Mini.

    The bottom line, if you have a display you like and a keyboard and a mouse, and you don't need much computing power, or a large hard drive, or a good video card for playing games, editing photos and videos, then the Mac Mini is for you.

    If you want a fairly powerful computer with a decent sized display screen (21 inch or 27 inch) in a small footprint, then pay the extra money and get the iMac.

  • I want to start a home base bussiness what kind of lap top do you suggest?

    We have a lap top @ present but does not have a lot of memory and dowloading video etc.just makes it run slow then it crashed.

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  • How much does the iMac 27 inch including packaging weigh

    I have a 23kg limit per item of baggage on my return flight from Australia and I need to know what the total weight is for the iMac 27 inch including the box

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  • am looking forward to the new Sim City 5

    I am looking forward to the new Sim City 5 game coming out in March. I want a new MacBook Pro. Would I be ok with the Intel 4000 or should I go with?

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  • Should I get a basic 13" MacBook Pro or the high end MacBook Air 13"

    I'm looking at making the upgrade to a mac after my school ordered a roomful. I'm getting the iMac (27") but I need to have a laptop that I can take with me. I'm saving the money and I hope to get the refreshed models in December this year. My question is if the MacBook Pro's and Air's stay like they are which one should I get? I like a 13" screen and I'm not going any smaller but I like the instant wake up on the Air but because I hate having slow computers I want the Pro. I'm only using this for school work, watching videos and browsing the web. How much bigger and heavier is the Pro than the Air?
    I also like the Pro's price better but I'm good with paying the extra if I feel it necessary.

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    In my opinion the MacBook pro is better. With the air you can't upgrade at all so what you buy is what you are stuck with. The MacBook pro you will be able to upgrade it so it is a lot faster than the air would be. If you put a ssd in the MacBook pro then it will wake up just as fast. The air is nice because it is really portable but the pro is just a better computer. It has more ports, a cd player, it is faster, and upgradable!

  • is the mac pro with retina touch screen

    mac book pro

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    No.

  • I am consider to buy mac air with upgraded 2.0 i7 or mac pro 13'' with 2.5 i5. So I am wondering that which one might have better performance?

    I do used to run a lot applications, especially I always open a lot web browsers. Occasionally I use photoshop and lightroom. I use some statistics software on my mac.

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  • Help! Should I get the MacBook pro 13" or 15" for photoshop and general movies, music, Internet and "future proof-ability"?!

    I want to buy a Macbook pro but cannot decide between the top end 13" or the bottom end 15". I would use if for general stuff and probably the most processor consuming task is photoshop. So I'm stuck between the decision and it would be great if anyone knew if the 13" could handle photoshop and is powerful enough to be future proof (ie. I can use it for 1-2 yrs and not worry about speed.

    I like the size & portability and 750gb HDD of the 13" and have an external monitor so screen size isn't an issue at home.

    On the other hand is it worth waiting until the new MBP range?

    Thanks in advance!

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    For real future proofing I'd go with the 15" because of their quad-cores. The 13" easily does what you want but since you want it future proofed I say 15".
    1-2 years no speed problems for 13" but any longer I'd go with 15"

    It could be worth waiting for the new range, depending on how long until you need a new one.

  • What is the best mac to get if I am using it for bookkeeping eg. myob and quick-books. I would prefer a laptop over PC

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    Any Mac can handle bookkeeping software. But keep in mind that a laptop won't have a numeric keypad which all professional accountants use/need. If you go laptop you'll have to buy a separate stand alone numeric keypad & they can be problematic, plus it's more stuff to schlepp around.

  • What could be the best configuration for the Logic Studio application ?

    I am planning to buy an apple mac pro jus for the purpose of Logic Pro. So far I am a Windows user. So I have no much knowledge about iMac other than Logic Pro . So pls suggest me the best configuration for the particular application keeping the cost effectiveness in mind !

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