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sigmundsmith
Joined: 22 Nov 2007
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 Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 9:24 pm Post subject: MacAir, MacPro or Netbook? |
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Am looking at purchasing a small laptop/netbook 11 inch or so screen.
Would like an idea of what people think of the 3 different types. I know that there is a difference in the price for Apple products.
Have always used windows/PC's in the past but have always heard good things by Apple users.
What is the difference between the Pro and Air (apart from weight), and which do you recommend?
Does the cheaper netbook measure up to the more expensive Apple's for specs etc?
If I go with a Pro or Air, is it best to go to the Apple store and buy from them or go to Yongsan?
Does the Apple products easily change over to English OS? Or do they do like in Yongsan and just upload a pirated English version?
Does Mac Office easily purchased (in English) in Korea?
Cheers |
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cj1976
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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I've heard a lot of complaints about the Macbook Air overheating and sometimes burning people. I have a Macbook Pro and even that gets hot after a while, even with it's superior (to the Air) cooling system. Also, the Air is very expensive for the technology you get.
Apple products are very expensive, so if you're on a budget then you could do the netbook/hackintosh method to run both Windows and Os X for half the cost. The Dell Mini is supposed to be perfect for that. |
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nstick13
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:04 pm Post subject: |
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You get a heckuva lot more computing power with a pro compared to the Air, and a lot more storage as well, so it really depends on what your current and anticipated needs are. I wouldn't touch any photo or video editing with a pro--it could handle some, but it's like using a knife to split a log.
Likewise, if you have no plans to do any photo/movie editing or more intensive processes (games fall into this as well) then getting a pro is like using a sledgehammer to hang a picture.
Since you said you're only in the market for a netbook, I think you're looking only for the Air. It's got incredible battery life according to its specs and reviews. I have to think the mentioned heat issues occur when people are doing CPU intensive things like games/editing photos or movies/etc. My regular mabcook gets warm then, too. Any computer will. Another thing that's pushed into at least pondering the Air is its weight.
What will your primary use be for the computer? Will you be doing anything an iPad can't? |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:29 pm Post subject: Re: MacAir, MacPro or Netbook? |
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| sigmundsmith wrote: |
Am looking at purchasing a small laptop/netbook 11 inch or so screen.
Would like an idea of what people think of the 3 different types. I know that there is a difference in the price for Apple products.
Have always used windows/PC's in the past but have always heard good things by Apple users. |
i was a windows user for more than two decades starting from DOS. i always bought windows machines until about 5 years ago when i made a switch to apple machines. i did this mainly to program for ios when it was still at its infancy, as an apple machine is required to do so.
to this day i haven't turned back. i did purchase an asus netbook two years ago and it was nice, but i ultimately got rid of it. i've owned a 24 imac, a 13 macbook pro, and a 13 macbook air.
| sigmundsmith wrote: |
| What is the difference between the Pro and Air (apart from weight), and which do you recommend? |
the main differences between the pro and the air are, speed, expandability, integrated optical drive, weight, and screen sizes (if you want anything bigger than 13 inches). the air is pretty much the best ultraportable currently out, but you pay for the privilege. if you don't travel a lot it's not a very good choice imo.
| sigmundsmith wrote: |
| Does the cheaper netbook measure up to the more expensive Apple's for specs etc? |
no. there is no netbook out (to my knowledge) that can keep up with even the base macbook, not to mention their more expensive machines. while apple laptops use mobile versions of processors for thermal and size reasons, they are all equipped with the intel core 2 duo procs or better. most netbooks run the far inferior intel atom processor line of procs for even better battery life.
the currently refreshed i7 sandy bridge processor equipped macbook pros are getting benchmarked as the fastest non-gaming (aka, portable and not needing to be plugged in all the time) machines for both osx and windows via boot camp.
| sigmundsmith wrote: |
| If I go with a Pro or Air, is it best to go to the Apple store and buy from them or go to Yongsan? |
if i were you i'd find a nice military friend, give him 100 bucks to take you on a base and get a machine on-base, tax free and at american prices. the korean machines are WAY overpriced on what are already machines priced at a premium compared to windows machines.
| sigmundsmith wrote: |
| Does the Apple products easily change over to English OS? Or do they do like in Yongsan and just upload a pirated English version? |
yes it's easy to change the language. osx ships in almost any language you'd ever need.
| sigmundsmith wrote: |
Does Mac Office easily purchased (in English) in Korea?
Cheers |
uh. if you're asking if you can easily buy mac office in english, that i don't know. again, just get it on a military base with a buddy imo.
to sum it up, apple machines are some of the best designed computers out there. they are fast enough for most people (gamers aside), they run windows just as quickly as other non gaming windows laptops, they are built better than most other laptops with judicial use of aerospace grade aluminum but cost significantly more than a windows laptop. this can slightly be offset by the fact they have pretty good resale value in comparison to a windows machie.
if you were talking about their desktop line, upgradeable would be an issue, but their laptop line (sans the air) are just as upgradeable as any windows laptop.
if you have the cash to burn i personally think it's a no-brainer. |
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sigmundsmith
Joined: 22 Nov 2007
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 5:01 am Post subject: |
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Thanks wishful thats the type of info I was after. Appreciate it.
About the cost of buying one here I think I heard correctly if you go into an Apple store here and show proof that you are an educator or a student (I'm also studying my masters here) you get a relatively good discount that might be on par with US costs. |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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| i believe the educator/student discount is the same worldwide for apple. 10% for computers. will make things more palatable, but still worth it imo to see if you can find a gi to help you. |
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tatertot
Joined: 21 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 6:57 pm Post subject: |
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| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
| i believe the educator/student discount is the same worldwide for apple. 10% for computers. will make things more palatable, but still worth it imo to see if you can find a gi to help you. |
The education discount is actually slightly less than 10% for some products, and may be higher than 10% for others. I bought a $600 Mac Mini a few years ago and the education discount was $50. I would urge you to look into getting a refurbished computer from the Apple online store if you want to get a better deal. |
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Gnawbert
Joined: 23 Oct 2007
Location: The Internet
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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| tatertot wrote: |
| wishfullthinkng wrote: |
| i believe the educator/student discount is the same worldwide for apple. 10% for computers. will make things more palatable, but still worth it imo to see if you can find a gi to help you. |
The education discount is actually slightly less than 10% for some products, and may be higher than 10% for others. I bought a $600 Mac Mini a few years ago and the education discount was $50. I would urge you to look into getting a refurbished computer from the Apple online store if you want to get a better deal. |
Absolutely do this if possible. They're covered by the same warranty and, in most cases, are in perfect condition.
http://store.apple.com/kr/product/FC505?mco=MTM3NDc1NzM
Be warned, there's some speculation that Apple may introduce a new line of Macbook Airs in June. Whether this happens or not is another thing altogether, but I'm personally holding out until then as my current Macbook runs fine for the 3.5 years of age on it. |
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Chokse
Joined: 22 May 2009
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| Posted: Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:42 pm Post subject: |
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Agreed. Getting a refurbished computer is usually the cheapest way to go. The only disadvantage is that you can't do a "build to order" computer. If you want to change any of the specs, you are out of luck with the refurbished store.
This is not really an issue for things like hard drives or RAM (usually) because they can easily be replaced for a cheaper price than Apple charges, but it can be an issue for things like graphics cards where there is no other upgrade option.
I said that RAM is usually not an issue, but this is not true for the MacBook Air. Its RAM is soldered to the main board, so if you get one with 2GB of RAM, that's all it will ever have. All other Apple laptops have user upgradable RAM. |
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