Not all i7s are created equal.

Here are the processors on the current 13" Apply models:
http://ark.intel.com/compare/83506,8...08,75114,75030
First 3 are the 28W models in the Pro, latter 2 are the 15W models in the Air.

Having a non-Apple machine with a closely related ULV i7, I can confirm that the i7 in the 13" Air will NOT spend a lot of time at the max turbo frequency, especially if there's much of anything running on the second core.

The base i5 in the MBP 13" is going to be faster than either CPU in Air for virtually all realistic use cases, although you an find some synthetic benchmarks where the i7 in the Air might show faster. In many use cases, the difference will be dramatic in favor of the higher-wattage processors.

Of course, for CPU-heavy uses like video editing or (local) software development, people will want the quad core which is only available in the 15" Pro.

Do you have any links to those specific models on BB? I didn't see those exact ones there. Let's take a look at the specs.

The ram is soldered to the MB on both the MBA and the MBP. That's correct, and one reason I wouldn't get the MBA without the memory upgrade to 8GB.

-David

Can't see why 95% of users would be bottlenecked by the Air's computing power. For atleast a decade now most personal computers have passed the point of sufficiency for average private computing uses.

especially those living "in Word, Outlook, and Chrome."

My 11" Air is my primary work and personal machine. It drives Outlook, Chrome, Powerpoint, Excel, Photoshop/Lightroom simultaneously non-stop. Sometimes docked to screen for the photo work, sometimes producing 720p videos, music transcoding, video transcoding.

On the couch I push full-screen high-def video wirelessly to a TV using AirPlay...at the same time using the laptop screen for alternate function.



Absolutely load up the RAM. The remaining practical difference is the resolution of the screen. The base 13" pro is really really showing its age on the display side. And a nuisance for spreadsheets and graphics work if not driven to external display. The Retina is gorgeous.

Not at all critical for casual use.... and on base display the Air actually has higher res than non-Retina-Pro....................

Unless you're a graphic designer or something cpu-intensive like that, I can't imagine the Pro's added power overcoming the weight advantage of the Air. Get the Air with maxed out RAM and you're good to go.

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/Mac...rive/IF123-026

I traded my 17" Powerbook for 15" Mac Book Air when they came out over a year ago. 500gb and 8 mb. Use a 24" display at home. Would never trade back. Easy to travel with and big enough screen (for me). Rarely load programs and Superdrive usually stays home reducing weight. Only complaint is Thunderbolt used for display so I use wireless at home instead of ethernet. Bought 4 port usb hub for u/$10 at Newegg.

MGX82LL/A is the model number of the Pro. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-ma...;skuId=6941972

MD761LL/B is the Air. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-ma...&skuId=1581949

Best Buy had early access for their elite members starting today, and since they'll only ship it to you, and I will be away until next week, it seemed to be the most sensible route to go. So, I went to bite the bullet, and of course Chase's fraud systems are a bit... particular. So I'm on the phone with Chase security now so that I can get the charge to go through.

Just depends on who you hang out with, and what you do. "95% of users" has no relevancy on any particular user, and even for "general use" the Flyertalk population tends to attract a lot of heavy users.

IME, with the same processor as the highest model MBA 13", Chrome and Firefox sometimes bog down painfully on Javascript-heavy or image-heavy web sites. Other than that, there's not much that constitutes "general use" that will likely tax those things, although there's plenty of heavy professional use (very large Excel sheets, for one) that might come up for some non-technical/non-graphic-arts users.

People's level of patience varies highly, as well.

There is no 15" MacBook Air. Do you mean 13" Macbook Air, or the thinner 15" retina MacBook Pro? They haven't sold a Powerbook since 2006 or something, so I hope you mean 17" Macbook Pro. Otherwise, no wonder the new one feels faster than a G4!

Just a word of warning, one you go retina you can never go back..

that about sums up my recommendation.

16GB is great, but from what you commented on as your needs you wouldn't have any problem with 8GB as it is. If you want to protect yourself for being able to do VM's, lots of photo or video editing in the future, or just like to have 50+ tabs open in a couple browsers at once then 16GB is going to make like a lot faster. But, for 200$. just for protection I'd probably put that $$ to something else.

I went through this same decision process a year ago as the OP and decided on a 13" Mac Pro (Late 2013 model w/retina) with the 2.8 Ghz i7, 16 GB ram, 500 GB SSD. I also attached the Thunderbolt display for my office desktop with an Apple Trackpad instead of a mouse.

As I write this, Activity Monitor says I am using 9.06 GB of RAM running Safari (streaming Bloomberg audio and FT), Outlook, PowerPoint and Messages. When I run on battery I typically get well over the stated 9 hours of life on wi-fi. The main reasons I got the MBP instead of the MBA was the retina display (yes, you can notice a difference side-by-side), the HDMI port and the SD card slot. Also, the ability to load it up with 16GB of ram, although I am not sure if the present model of the MBA can now support it.

At the time, the MBP was only a 1/2 pound heavier than the MBA. Now, I think the difference is a bit less. Compared to my old T43 TP I didn't mind the additional 1/2 pound. I tend to keep PCs for a while so I a glad I opted for the MBP. A very nice machine.

The only thing I don't like about that particular Air is the memory config is minimum 4GB.
The MBP is also min. mem config, but at least on the MBP min config is 8GB.

Which one did you order? Enjoy!

ah .. the SSD is replaceable on the MPB 13? Apparently it is, here's the guide for it. https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook...lacement/27849

But the processor and ram are fixed as it comes on both.

I went with the pro. I will normally spend a few hundred on more ram in a year or two anyway so i figured I would just do it early. Now im nervous about learning a new system. Aside from an experiment in college, I've tended to stick with a pc. What's the mac equivalent of Windows+m, and how di force a split screen?

Same here but I got used to it. The biggest change for me was navigating the file system and Finder. Very different from Windows Explorer. But, you will enjoy the change especially when it comes to installing programs, drivers and updates. Good luck!

What factors are making you think a Mac is the only realistic option for your needs? Plenty of PCs are ultra light/road warrior friendly and come with SSDs, high resolution displays, excellent battery life, etc. Apple has forced PC manufacturers to innovate, and life is quite good now even if you don't buy a Mac.

Edit: Saw my question is perhaps a bit late, but still interested in the answer.

I like the 4 finger swipe up instead of minimize all, but you will find what you like

No idea on the split screen thing .. sorry.

Congratulations .. let us know how you like it and if you have questions as you get used to it. You will find that many people switched from windows and had or have the same questions, so search usually provides an answer or some insight.

It's funny, but the one thing I had trouble with is the screen you are presented with when installing an application. In some, there's an installer program you run by opening it, which is a familiar interface to anybody, but many programs you just mount a disk image that you downloaded (by opening it) and then drag the program to "applications", but for some reason that confused me at first. You'll see what I mean and hopefully have a good laugh at it.

Just remember, most of the UI things you may not like are configurable, like the natural scrolling (I turn that off, can't stand it) and disappearing scrollbars (a default that I also hate) and you have to remember to configure things like spotlight search to make it more useful and less annoying. And also tap/drag is enabled in 'accessibility options', not where you might expect it. It will take a little time but you will discover all these things on your own sooner or later.

-David