Buying Guide: MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which Apple 13-incher should you buy?

batteryfast.co.uk
July 26, 2011
Buying Guide: MacBook Air vs. MacBook
Pro: Which Apple 13-incher should you
buy?
Buying Guide: MacBook Air vs. MacBook
Pro used to be considered thin, but it's-relatively-
Pro: Which Apple 13-incher should you
thick at 1 inch, and weighs over 4 pounds. The Pro
buy?
offers better specs, while the Air, which has just
been recently updated, leans toward light weight
and quick booting as its advantages.
There's more to consider, though: the 2011 13-inch
MacBook Pro and new 13-inch MacBook Air have
become more similar than they've ever been before,
for several reasons-performance, battery life, and

a Thunderbolt port.
Just a few short months ago (in March, to be exact),
Two 13-inch MacBooks: which do you
we wrote about an odd glut in Apple's otherwise
choose?
streamlined lineup of products: instead of one or
even two 13-inch laptops to choose from, Apple was
Let's put them side by side and compare. (Note:
offering three. The white MacBook, the MacBook
For additional price-based consideration, we're
Air, and the MacBook Pro each had a slightly dif-
throwing the higher-end 11-inch Air into the chart
ferent value equation in terms of design, features,
comparison, since its $1,199 price matches the entry-
and price.
level 13-inch MacBook Pro.)


Related links
Size: How quickly things change: in March, the
*Review: 13-inch MacBook Air
2011 MacBook Pro was the newest laptop in Apple's
* Review: 13-inch MacBook Pro
stable. Now, it's the oldest. It's obviously far hea-
*Review: 11-inch MacBook Air
vier than the 13-inch Air, by over a pound and a
*Can the MacBook Air replace the White Mac-
half. Edge: Air.
Book?
*MacBook Air: What's still missing
Performance: Last time, we recommended the
entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro as the best all-

around Apple 13-incher in terms of price, design,
and performance. The MacBook Air has caught up
That glut's been lessened a little now that the white
fast. Its price and base RAM/storage specs are still
print
joli MacBook has been discontinued. The MacBook Air
the same, but the new Air has a dramatically faster
and the MacBook Pro are the only two MacBook
second-gen Core i5 CPU that makes for a far better
product lines left, and they represent two different
computer. Benchmark results are so close they're
solutions to same problem. The unibody aluminum
practically indistinguishable: despite the Air having
t
ed with
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batteryfast.co.uk
July 26, 2011
Buying Guide: MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which Apple 13-incher should you
buy?
a lower-speed CPU, it performs nearly identically
affect your purchasing decision? Alternatively, pe-
to the Pro. The 11-inch Air's no slouch either, and
rhaps consider the $499 iPad, or a Windows laptop.
it's nearly as good, its performance lag likely being
due to having less RAM and a .1GHz slower proces-
Money is no object, best computer: Air. We would
sor. Edge: Tie.
have said the 13-inch Pro a year ago, but you might
as well consider splurging on a 256GB 13-inch Air
Battery life: Again, nearly the same. The MacBook
with an upgraded 1.8GHz Core i7 processor, and
Air lost the battle in the spring, but the new, more
get a Thunderbolt-connected storage array along
power-efficientsecond-genIntelCore i5 CPU has
with a Thunderbolt Display to dock with. It'll cost
evened the comparison. Both 13-inchers netted
a fortune, but you said you were rich, right?
around 6 hours and 40 minutes. Edge: Tie.
Executive with expense account: Air. See above.
Extras: The 13-inch Pro wins on features, but it's a
TheMacBookAirisfinallyasfastasthe13-inchPro,
narrower win than you'd expect. A larger hard drive
sothere'slessofasacrificebetweensizeandspeed.
and a DVD-burning optical drive are the larger Pro's
advantages, along with an HD Webcam. Port-wise,
Conclusion: Very tough call. Now it's a split. We
the Pro adds a FireWire port and an Ethernet jack,
give it to the 13-inch Pro on a technicality, for now,
and that's it. However, the Air has a higher-resolu-
for the average person looking to replace an eve-
tion 1,440x900-pixel display, while the Pro, oddly
ryday laptop. The 13-inch Pro still a bit more of a
enough, has a 1,280x800-pixel screen. Edge: Pro.
value, even though the Air is arguably a better pure
portable Mac. The Air did earn an Editors' Choice
And now, case by case:
Award, while the 13-inch Pro didn't, but that's also
a matter of accomplishment for its size class: the
Best value for the money: Pro. Unless you truly
13-inch Air is the best thin MacBook, while the 15-
value size and weight above all else, the 13-inch Pro
inch Pro is technically the better larger-form Mac-
offers more features, ports, and hard-drive space,
Book. Even though Apple's Web site suggests that
along with an optical drive. The advantage is narrow,
new users start with the MacBook Air, technically,
though; narrower than it's ever been.
if you're considering a 13-incher, you should start
with the $100-cheaper 13-inch Pro.
For the coffee-shopper and frequent traveler:
Air. Obviously, size is key. The Air's tiny, and now it
Are an optical drive and extra hard-drive space
also has improved battery life. Some people, though,
worth the added weight? With networked hard
might prefer the even smaller 11-inch Air, although
drives, external peripherals, and cloud-based sto-
it doesn't last as long on a charge.
rage, is the 13-inch Air more your style? Sound off
below, let us know what you'd prefer.
Student who wants to save money: Pro. Last time,
we said to get the white MacBook, the king of va-
Other Business News:
lue. You're out of luck on deals this time. The $999
11-inchAiristhecheapest,butsacrificesvaluable

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joli storage space. The $1,199 Pro's technically a good
value, but more expensive. Educational discounts
CloudTag: Buying Guide , MacBook Air , MacBook
currently have the entry-level Pro at $1,099 and the
Pro , Apple 13-incher , Dell 6400 laptop battery , Dell
entry-level Air at $1,249. Does a difference of $150
t
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batteryfast.co.uk
July 26, 2011
Buying Guide: MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which Apple 13-incher should you
buy?
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