I’m entering college this year as a communications major, and cannot decide which model to get. I will be using my laptop everyday for taking notes/web browsing. I also store a good amount of photos, a lot of music on my computer (around 2000 or more), and a few videos. I do have an external hard drive, but I find it inconvenient. I am worried 128gb won’t be enough…or is it? Does air tend to get slower after use over time? I will also be storing word documents, and will be downloading programs such as spotify, itunes, and office. I’ll be dorming, and biking around campus, but is the pro really that much more heavier than the air so that it’s noticebale? So, should I go for the Pro 128 gb, pro 256 gb, air 128 gb, or air 256 gb? I am considering battery life, power, speed, and durability (am planning to use this laptop for around 5-6 years, throughout college and a little longer after that). Thanks!
You can get up to 1 TB of flash storage in the Macbook Pro and up to 512 GB in the Macbook Air, but the real difference is in main memory and processing power. The Air has only 4 GB or 8 GB while the Pro has 16 GB. That usually translates into more and faster apps open.
I’d recommend the full memory, but hold the flash storage to 512 GB because of the external drive option for quantity of storage and back ups, and the substantial cost increase (+$500)
The weight difference isn’t much; almost 3 lbs for the 13" Air versus 3.5 lbs for the Pro.
The 13" Pro with retina display has only slightly less battery life than the 13" Air and more than the smaller Air.
We’ve found the 13" to be the ideal size both for note-taking as well as general desktop use. It’s also wicked fast on bootup and shutdown which is good for starting classes and catching some quick work.
It has also been very durable for us.
Today the Pro is the way to go. In the future, the MacBook might be a real winner … Air not so much.
Definitely go with the pro