Look at the competition
If you want a laptop, and you want it to be a mac, you could go with an older one from last year or you could choose a macBook retina, macBook air, or macBook pro. Of these, the retina is the slowest, the pro is the most expensive, and the air is respectable from the specifications standpoint and available at the cheapest. Consider these points: Hardware ports Do you use any of these items with your computer?- USB flash drives
- scanners
- printers
- ethernet adapters
- screens (for presentations to others or for large screens for those who can see them)
- storage cards, such as those from media players, phones, cameras, etc.
- external keyboards or mice
- braille displays
- external CD or DVD drives, as there isn't an internal one
- external hard drives for backup
- Microphones other than the basic one in your laptop already
- Midi keyboards or interfaces for music composition
- Your smartphone cable (to charge from or sync with the computer)
Comments
Agreed!
I agree with this post. The Air is still a fantastic computer if you want a functional Mac at a relatively cheap price. I don't need all the bells and whistles of the MacBook Pro, so the Air suits my needs just fine. If Apple plans to kill off the Air and all the cheaper machines, I may have to look elsewhere for a computer unless the prices on these new machines come down. Then again, I'll probably get to keep my current Air for the next 6 or 7 years unless something catastrophic happens to the hardware.
Air is good, last years pro might be a better choice for most
I do believe the air should be considered by some people because of it's price. However, I think it's important to remember that last years mac book pro is only about three hundred dollars more expensive, and you are getting a lot for that extra three hundred dollars. I just bought the 2016 Mac book pro, and I'm really liking it, but it's a fact that all of Apple's new Macs are too expensive.
As far as dongles go, I understand they are an issue for some, and I am not going to question that, but for me they have never been an issue. I bought four usb type c to type a dongles for twelve bucks, and now I'm totally set. Of course it would have been a different matter if I needed other styles of ports, but everything I use is usb.
Consider the air, but don't forget last years pro, most people seem to not even realize that Apple is still sailing it. In my experience the most important upgrade is an SSD. I was running a 2011 Mac book pro with a mechanical drive, before I got my new machine, and that old Mac was a nightmare. If your computer still has a spinning drive, get any SSD equipped computer and you will probably be happy.
Very Good Post
Although I'm not quite a power user yet at least according to some standards, I love my MacBook Air. I got it as a Christmas present from my parents in 2013, and it has served me well indeed. There are still things I'm learning on here, but it's an awesome machine. Having said that though, I would at some point like to try out the new keyboards and some other Apple accessories. But both my SuperDrive and my external hard drive are fully compatible with my Mac.
I tend to agree on this. The
I tend to agree on this. The air is good for some. I like the pro personally. I'm probably gonna get the 15 inch 2016 pro with as much maxed out on it as I can, due to the fact that everything is soldered in place and there's no way to remove it! And, I'll pick up USB C to USB A adapters, no bigy. It honestly depends on what you can afford. If you can splurge a little on a new pro, go ahead and get it. The air is still pretty respectable in performance.
exactly my point
I'm wondering why you are getting the maximum specs available. I don't know what you are planning to do with your computer, but extra ram does no good if you don't have programs that fill it, and you could be spending a lot of money on a faster processor that still waits around most of the time. Admittedly, you could have plans that require those specs, but even if you do, I would suggest that most people do not.
Bought an Air a few months ago
Hello,
I would certaintly not discount the mac book air. I just purchased one back in August. I maxed mine out in the store. I purchased the quad core i7 model with 8gigs of memory and a 512gig SSD. This computer does everything I need. I even have Windows10 boot camped on it. I really do like it because it is light, portable and has great battery life. So when I travel I only need to take it with me.
Regards,
Greg Wocher