<p>Anyone have any experience with this? I would like to know from a college student's perspective of how the MAcbook Air is.</p>
<p>I'm currently thinking of getting this (if all goes well) by the end of my fall semester (aka around Christmas time).</p>
<p>I’d recommend against this.</p>
<p>Wanna give a reason? Just saying that doesnt really help me…</p>
<p>The current MB Air is a little underpowered, but this will not be a problem for you, as new versions are coming out by this August with more modern and faster processors. I think that more and more computers will look like the MB Air as manufacturers start to move away from optical media and toward solid state storage. As long as you can live with not storing your whole life on your laptop drive, then I think that this is an ideal computer for a student; so thin and light and portable.</p>
<p>Thanks for a detailed response and not just “don’t do it.” </p>
<p>I did read up on new MB Airs coming out soon (I think the rumor was July). I mean, I don’t mind paying the large price for it considering I’m not the one paying for it, it’s a scholarship.</p>
<p>I would go with the 13 inch MacBook Pro instead of Air. Pro has more power, better battery life, yet it’s still lightweight enough to carry around. I have it- just got it on Saturday for college this fall and I love it. I have already carried it around with me. We went out of town on Sunday and I brought it with me in a shoulder bag and it wasn’t heavy at all.</p>
<p>Oh cool. It’s hard for me, because price isn’t an issue since it’s a scholarship paying for it. And I’ve read mixed reviews about the Pro vs Air. I even read rumors that there is a new Air coming out by August. What I don’t like about the Air is that it doesn’t have a CD-Rom.</p>
<p>^One of the other reasons I didn’t like Air. You’d have to plug in an external CD-Rom into the USB port all the time, which would get annoying after a while.</p>
<p>I haven’t heard about a new MacBook Air, but I guess it’s possible.</p>
<p>From what I understand, they’ll be new Macbook Airs coming out around August along with a refresh to the Mac Pros. I think you’d be surprised how much you don’t use a cd drive on a computer. Almost every app you’d need uses the download installation method instead of optical media. The Mac app store has really helped further this along by providing a central point for the majority of the apps people need. If the Air gets updated to the new sandy bridge processors (done deal at this point), the Air would finally be a legitimate power machine for once instead of just a novelty item for its size. I’d keep a watch on them in the next few months and if everything goes to plan, they should turn out to be something really worth the grand you’d pay for them.</p>
<p>check out this : [Parents</a> of NY Teens: What laptop to purchase for College?](<a href=“http://parentsofnyteens.blogspot.com/2011/06/what-laptop-to-purchase-for-college.html]Parents”>Parents of NY Teens: What laptop to purchase for College?)</p>
<p>and [My</a> kid is going to college. Which Mac should I buy him or her? | The IvanExpert Mac Blog](<a href=“My kid is going to college. Which Mac should I buy him or her?”>My kid is going to college. Which Mac should I buy him or her?)</p>
<p>Hey, iluvpiano, if you don’t mind me asking, approx. how much tax did they charge you for your Macbook Pro?</p>
<p>The macbook air isn’t “underpowered”. I’m using one right now. The only possible way you could say that is if you are doing LOTS of movie rendering. Carrying a 2.7 lb laptop is so easy and light. I’ve tried carrying around MBP’s and after my experience with the air, MBP’s seem like bricks. The air is great in a college situation. What could you possibly need do with an i7 that you can’t do with the current MBA? Word? LOL. </p>
<p>Either way, strong recommendation for it. Especially if theres a refresh + $100 Mac App Store</p>
<p>The one thing I find wrong with the Air is that it doesn’t have a cd/dvd drive which is a big thing to be missing I think. IMO the pro is NOT heavy…especially if it’s in a backpack.</p>
<p>Aside from educational stuff, I like having a place to play my DVDs :)</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s one of the problems I had with the MB Air. I wanted a CD drive, plus more power, so I got the Pro. I agree with momomomo- the Pro is not that heavy.</p>
<p>It all depends what your uses are.</p>
<p>These people who are saying the MBA is underpowered clearly have difference usage in mind. Maybe some are gamers…</p>
<p>But if all you’ll ever be doing is playing movies, doing Word, and carrying your laptop to class, then a MBA is perfectly fine. My friends have the Air and they love it. And because it uses an SSD, it’s noticeably faster at opening/loading things than a MBP with an HDD and can be carried around from place to place effortlessly and without worrying about crashing HDD heads. </p>
<p>The MBA will be updated at the end of July for sure, or the beginning of August. Hold out on buying one if you will. The new Sandy Bridge update will probably increase battery life (possibly) and will certainly increase the power of the computer itself. But I don’t think it ever was a novelty item. It just fulfills certain needs of certain people.</p>
<p>As for the CD drive, buy an external. It costs like what? $30? Not having a CD does not justify one to go MBP. But if you need the extra horsepower to play games, edit video, encode, etc., then by all means go for the Pro. I love my 15" 
Best investment I ever made.</p>
<p>I dislike the Air. It feels too much like an Apple branded netbook, and I kinda dislike netbooks, as they are generally underpowered. A good friend of mine cannot use his Air to video chat without having it hitch and freeze. I mean, if you want to live on the cloud, why not just get an iPad with a removable bluetooth keyboard case (zagg style, or whatever). That way, you also have a handheld e-reader for textbooks (CourseSmart/Pearson both have apps). And, it’s cheaper. For actual computing, I’d say go with a MBP - they come in 13 inch, and are pretty affordable if you buy them refurbished.</p>
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<p>What type of scholarship is paying for it? Is it the type of thing where if you don’t spend the money you lose it? Otherwise, it may very well be worthwhile to be conservative with spending.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response guys! </p>
<p>and couldbeheaven, it is exactly that. If I dont spend it, its taken aesy. And I REALLY want a MacBook atleast. I just had my eye on the Air recently.</p>
<p>Away* …my phone is acting dumb.</p>