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MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

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Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#61

Post by jonknee »

_Fil_ wrote: post #8

The only thing that stops me from buying one is the 10/100 lan adapter. I transfer every day large files between my mac and my pc or NAS and the transfer rate would kill me.

802.11n can be pretty fast and I doubt you'd notice a difference vs a 10/100 network. Many gigabytes of video files get transfered OTA every day in my office.

Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#62

Post by bergie »

masklinn wrote: post #39
bergie wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HDMI is almost the same size as the Mini DisplayPort. Apple just loves their own connectors, unfortunately. I was shocked when I noticed the VGA adapter wasn't included in the package. Luckily I realized this before my first conference presentation with the new computer ;-)

> HDMI is almost the same size as the Mini DisplayPort. Not it's not. HDMI is almost the same size as full DisplayPort (and nowhere near as good a format for computers). An HDMI Type A connector is 13.9mm x 4.45mm, a mini-DP connector is 7.4mm x 4.5mm. The mini-DP connector is half as wide. > Apple just loves their own connectors, unfortunately. You are aware mini-DP is now under VESA and has been integrated by a num…

> You are aware mini-DP is now under VESA and has been integrated by a number of laptop manufacturers right?

It is a lot easier to find screens and beamers with HDMI input than mini-DP. Before that changes it is practically "Apple's own connector"

Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#63

Post by veyron »

ScottBurson wrote: post #59

Interesting that I seem to be the only 17-inch fan here. I can see the attraction of an MBA, but I prefer having a screen big enough that I can do everything on it without an external monitor, and I don't mind lugging it around at all.

There's a difference between "I dont mind lugging it around" and "I lug it around a lot". I had a 17 inch once and realized that, even though I could move it, the weight and size made it inconvenient. It ended up sitting on the desk all day.

Needless to say I replaced it with a 27" iMac.

Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#64

Post by tortilla »

nwomack wrote: post #24

It's really too bad there is not a matte option for it. I agonized over the MBA vs MBP decision for about a year, and finally got the High-End 15" 2011 MBP model with the matte screen upgrade. Couldn't be happier. Yeah, it's a big hulking beast, but the extra real estate and matte screen are really nice. I don't think I can go back to glossy ever again...

I had a glossy 15" and now the semi-glossy 11". It's really not very glossy at all. I barely ever notice my ugly mug staring back at me. Really, the best of both worlds.

Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#65

Post by larrywright »

ScottBurson wrote: post #59

Interesting that I seem to be the only 17-inch fan here. I can see the attraction of an MBA, but I prefer having a screen big enough that I can do everything on it without an external monitor, and I don't mind lugging it around at all.

I'm 3.5 years into owning a 17" MB Pro, and my next laptop will be the 13" Air. I wanted the screen real estate when I bought it (coming from a Toshiba that could only do 1024x768). While I love the performance and all the pixels, it's just not portable. The higher resolution on the Air is good enough, and the weight is very appealing.

Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#66

Post by masklinn »

glhaynes wrote: post #46
masklinn wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> HDMI is almost the same size as the Mini DisplayPort. Not it's not. HDMI is almost the same size as full DisplayPort (and nowhere near as good a format for computers). An HDMI Type A connector is 13.9mm x 4.45mm, a mini-DP connector is 7.4mm x 4.5mm. The mini-DP connector is half as wide. > Apple just loves their own connectors, unfortunately. You are aware mini-DP is now under VESA and has been integrated by a num…

Can you say a little bit more about why DP is more suited for computers than HDMI?

* It's both internal and external, so in a laptop you can drive both the laptop's own screen and the external A/V plug with the same display interface (instead of having an internal LVDS interface and an external HDMI one for instance)

* It's backwards compatible with DVI-I (and HDMI for that matter): you can carry DVI-I or HDMI signals on a DP cable and only need a passive adapter (although that is limited to single-link on both DVI and HDMI, there aren't enough pins in the DP connector to handle dual-link DVI and HDMI via passive adapters)

* It's packet-based and includes arbitrary pure data transfers (ignoring Thunderbolt) so you don't need a separate data cable to have your screen act as a HUB (USB or 5-in-one for instance), HDMI is TDMS and has no data stream (it comes from TV analog cables)

* It includes a Direct Drive Monitor spec (allows for controller-less monitors which are directly driven off of the displayport signals, although this puts limits on the panel's resolution and color depth)

* DP 1.2 includes independent video streams (to daisy-chain multiple monitors without the need for multiple connectors or a hub), though AFAIK no monitor handles daisy-chaining so far.

* DP includes a mini-connector (mini-displayport) with roughly half the footprint of the full-size one, a boon for ultra-portables (it was developed for Apple, and Apple gifted it to VESA) available under the same royalty-free license-free terms as DP itself (mini-DP was folded into the DisplayPort 1.2 spec)

HDMI is a good A/V standard for TVs, but DP is far superior for computers (and it's driven by computer manufacturers). There is probably a future for both (that's VESA's own party line), but I'd much rather find all my computer video output available as DP first and foremost (with HDMI as an option if they want to).

Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#68

Post by pyre »

achompas wrote: post #42

My MacBook Air was $1,799 and the equivalent MacBook Pro (top of the line 15″, because why would you buy the 13″?) would cost me just over $3,200 (adding 3rd party SSD, Apple 8GB RAM and the Hi-Res screen). Man, this is disingenuous. 8GB RAM? As if you can't get it cheaper (or the MBA even offered 8GB RAM as an option)? Or as if the 15" MBP doesn't blow the Air out of the water in every other aspect? I bought a 13" P…

I think that point is that if he were buying a MBP that it would not be able to justify the purchase to himself without maxing everything out. So that price comparison is really only applicable to him.

Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#69

Post by _delirium »

ScottBurson wrote: post #59

Interesting that I seem to be the only 17-inch fan here. I can see the attraction of an MBA, but I prefer having a screen big enough that I can do everything on it without an external monitor, and I don't mind lugging it around at all.

For me it's less the lugging (though that's a factor), but more the easier ability to use the machine in cramped quarters, like at some coffee shops, and in economy-class plane seating.

Re: MacBook Air is enough for a work machine

#70

Post by pdenya »

MBAs look nice for on the go but I definitely wouldn't give up my 27" imac at home (1 20" attached to the imac too) setup at home. I have a company MBP that I use for whenever i'm out and about. I definitely don't haul it everywhere but it's no trouble to take on even an afternoon trip if there's a chance I could use it.

I'm also not sure what the problem is with switching to a different workflow on a laptop vs a desktop. I'm fine alt-tabbing between chrome and coda or xcode and ios sim but I'd prefer to not have to. All of my content stays in sync with a combination of git and dropbox so no issues there either.

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