[PVisitors]

(Original post by Dentistry:))
So what's the general verdict guys? Realistically speaking, I'm not a guy that'll use it for much more than internet browsing, typical schoolwork stuff, and OCCASIONAL downloading lol. I really wanted to get the new retina display Macbook Pro, but like £1800 is not something I can pull out atm.

I personally think the MBA is ideal for you then.

[Dentistry:)]

(Original post by Iqbal007)
Do you really need a Macbook air?

In all honesty, it's a matter of want more than need, you asked a valid question. But I'm sure Macbook Airs are not "all show no go" right? Do you have one?

[Dentistry:)]

(Original post by PVisitors)
I personally think the MBA is ideal for you then.

Lol I'm really sorry man but what does MBA mean?

[Mr Smurf]

(Original post by Dentistry:))
Lol I'm really sorry man but what does MBA mean?

Macbook Air.

[Sir Fox]

(Original post by Iqbal007)
I got negged as well, rather than someone telling me why i'm so wrong.

No one can deny the fact that Macbooks are seriously overpriced, the good points is the design and OS.
Otherwise specwise it can't compete with a Windows equivalent.

Another thing is that that Air cannot be upgraded in any sort of way as everything is soldered together.

Well, I don't know about the others but I negged you because you gave a totally irrelevant answer to a post which asked for something totally different. Plus, we're talking about a controversial subject over here (Mac vs. Windows, yeah ...) and I strictly dislike both, Apple fanboys as well as Apple haters.

There are advantages and disadvantages and immediately being negative without stating a valid reason is not particularly helpful for the TO.

[Sir Fox]

(Original post by Dentistry:))
In all honesty, it's a matter of want more than need, you asked a valid question. But I'm sure Macbook Airs are not "all show no go" right? Do you have one?

I had to made a very similar decision some weeks ago. For me it was MacBook PR 13' vs. Zenbook Prime UX31E (similar to the MacBook Air, I just preferred the Zenbook for several reasons), so basically Ultrabook vs. 'normal' full-fledged laptop.

Whether the MBA will suit you depends on your needs. The reasons why I decided to get the MBP 13' instead of an ultrabook were the upgradeability (as soon as SSDs become more affordable I'll replace my HDD), the i7 instead of an i5 and the DVD drive which I use fairly often (movies, importing music from CDs, installing old computer games I still love like Anno, Stronghold etc.). I also like the possibility to burn data (I take a lot of pictures) on DVDs as a durable backup.

On the other hand the MBA is less expensive and considerably more portable, but I can live with the little bit of extra weight.

[Iqbal007]

(Original post by Sir Fox)
Well, I don't know about the others but I negged you because you gave a totally irrelevant answer to a post which asked for something totally different. Plus, we're talking about a controversial subject over here (Mac vs. Windows, yeah ...) and I strictly dislike both, Apple fanboys as well as Apple haters.

There are advantages and disadvantages and immediately being negative without stating a valid reason is not particularly helpful for the TO.

It's not a totally irrelevant answer, I simply asked whether he definitely needed one, some people just buy things without realising whether they actually needed, Hence why I asked that question which is perfectly relevant to what he wants.

Can you tell me where I was negative in this question "Do you really need a Macbook Air?"
because it no where near negative, it's in fact quite helpful to find out his needs before answering his question.

[Iqbal007]

(Original post by Dentistry:))
In all honesty, it's a matter of want more than need, you asked a valid question. But I'm sure Macbook Airs are not "all show no go" right? Do you have one?

It's not all show, the good things are the portability, and it's software like the OS.
No I don't, but I asked as you just said you don't really need it.

What else are you going to use it for?

[Sir Fox]

(Original post by Iqbal007)
It's not a totally irrelevant answer, I simply asked whether he definitely needed one, some people just buy things without realising whether they actually needed, Hence why I asked that question which is perfectly relevant to what he wants.

Can you tell me where I was negative in this question "Do you really need a Macbook Air?"
because it no where near negative, it's in fact quite helpful to find out his needs before answering his question.

When it comes to consumer goods whether someone needs something is not always important. My neighbour definitely doesn't need an Audi A7, he would be able to accomplish all his tasks with a car less than 1/4 of the price, yet he decided to get the Audi. I don't really need my MacBook Pro but I need a laptop and I found that for me the advantages outweighed the price.

I would even argue that no one needs an Apple product, no one needs to shower with warm water and no one really needs air condition, touch screens, music, art, sushi, tuxedos, apple juice etc. pp. We can survive without all of that.

So we both know he doesn't really need the MBA

[bmqib]

(Original post by Sir Fox)
When it comes to consumer goods whether someone needs something is not always important. My neighbour definitely doesn't need an Audi A7, he would be able to accomplish all his tasks with a car less than 1/4 of the price, yet he decided to get the Audi. I don't really need my MacBook Pro but I need a laptop and I found that for me the advantages outweighed the price.

I would even argue that no one needs an Apple product, no one needs to shower with warm water and no one really needs air condition, touch screens, music, art, sushi, tuxedos, apple juice etc. pp. We can survive without all of that.

So we both know he doesn't really need the MBA

the wonders of marketing...

[Iqbal007]

(Original post by Sir Fox)
When it comes to consumer goods whether someone needs something is not always important. My neighbour definitely doesn't need an Audi A7, he would be able to accomplish all his tasks with a car less than 1/4 of the price, yet he decided to get the Audi. I don't really need my MacBook Pro but I need a laptop and I found that for me the advantages outweighed the price.

I would even argue that no one needs an Apple product, no one needs to shower with warm water and no one really needs air condition, touch screens, music, art, sushi, tuxedos, apple juice etc. pp. We can survive without all of that.

So we both know he doesn't really need the MBA

Now your going off topic, and comparing things which are completely irrelevant in this thread as we are talking about his laptop.
Nor does everyone have the same views on the matter.

Hence why I asked the question, which was completely relevant, to get an insight into the users needs, as it could change things if there actually needs aren't met by the MBA.

So I guessed you negged for no reason at all
and my question was relevant

[Dentistry:)]

Wow man so many mixed views haha thanks for the help guys. I'm just pay a trip to the Apple Store sometime again and just take it from there. Would you guys have any other suggestions what to get if not a MBA/MBP?

[Dentistry:)]

(Original post by Iqbal007)
It's not all show, the good things are the portability, and it's software like the OS.
No I don't, but I asked as you just said you don't really need it.

What else are you going to use it for?

Like I said above man it's nothing of the heavy sort. It's just standard student stuff, maybe some movies and web-browsing. Thats about it :/

[Sir Fox]

(Original post by Dentistry:))
Wow man so many mixed views haha thanks for the help guys. I'm just pay a trip to the Apple Store sometime again and just take it from there. Would you guys have any other suggestions what to get if not a MBA/MBP?

Depends on your budget - I mentioned the Zenbook Prime UX31A earlier, it seems to be the MBA's closest competitor. Other good ultrabooks are the Samsung Series 9, maybe the Lenovo U310/410. This said the Zenbook and Series 9 are likely to be more expensive than the MBA.

[Iqbal007]

(Original post by Dentistry:))
Like I said above man it's nothing of the heavy sort. It's just standard student stuff, maybe some movies and web-browsing. Thats about it :/

Well both of them will do fine for your needs, power would be a slight overkill. Also they are not gaming laptops so be careful there. But you could save money by getting something else.
But as I said before the software is very good and the OS on Mac's, you'll get some other benefits as well make sure to get extra warranty as it'll kill your bank if it breaks.

[Wookie42]

I had the 2011 Air, upgraded a week or two after the 2012s came out.

Very happy with it, I'm sure you're aware of the main benefits but here goes anyway:

*SSD - really nice bootup/shutdown times and even nicer software loading times. I can open Photoshop CS6 in a few seconds Honestly though, the SSD makes all every day tasks fly. Saving files, importing music into iTunes, you know what I mean.

*Weight - I didn't bother with the Retina Pro because of this. Such a lightweight device which is great for the commute to uni and stuff, especially when you're carrying books/lunch/etc.

*Battery life - find me a non Mac equivalent that has a comparable battery life...

They're the major things I'm appreciative of anyway, but of course there's the nice display, fast keyboard and gestures on the trackpad - again, find me a laptop/OS that offers the functionality a MacBook does through the gesture system.

No, you can't upgrade anything post purchase (except for the SSD at great expense), but I don't get why people use this as an argument - except for RAM, how many people do you know who've decided to open up their laptop and upgrade all the time. Regardless, the best counter argument for this is that Macs retain so much resale value - I only spent another £100 on upgrading from the 2011-2012 and my 2011 wasn't in the best condition to say the least. I won't lie, you don't need a MacBook Air and you certainly don't need the Retina Pro. However, if you want a laptop that's going to be a joy to use, will easily last you through uni+ and runs a far superior OS to Windows then its worth the money in my opinion. I kinda cheat because I do Computer Science so I can semi justify owning one, but still. Right now, SSDs and such are luxuries - you don't need them by any means, but boy are they nice to have

[f1mad]

(Original post by Sir Fox)

So we both know he doesn't really need the MBA

He doesn't need it - he wants it.

[Sir Fox]

(Original post by f1mad)
He doesn't need it - he wants it.

That's it But the same way people want Zenbooks or Samsung Galaxies - it's not limited to Apple.