161–170 of 197 posts
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The i7 is going to use less power for a given workload because it will be asleep more.
Is this true? For the same workload, would the i7 processor shorten or lengthen battery life? If it's the same or better, $100 for the \i7 upgrade seems like a no-brainer. Or am I missing something?
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Seems most people are interested in the 13". Does anyone have any comments on the 11"? The only downside I can see is that only 1 external monitor is supported. After all, when you're traveling, the smaller the better.
I use the maxed out 11" as my primary computer. My usage is about 60% at desk, plugged into external, keyboard, closed clamshell, and 40% portable. The only complaint is the smaller 128 ssd, but it just forced me to get rid of stuff I really didn't need. The less glossy screen is great and the smaller size when I'm portable forces me to focus more. My typical software usage is Photoshop, Illustrator, TextMate, Termin…
Have you had problems with HD Flash/Netflix?
It looks like they got rid of the white plastic MacBook, too. Now the product line is even more focused.
Wow. I am genuinely shocked that they decided to kill off the white MacBook. All the development costs were already recouped, and I was under the impression that white MacBooks were the majority of laptops sold. It takes a very brave company to kill off a cash machine like that.(The $70B in the bank probably helps.)
Almost as good as a Vaio Z12. It just needs an 8GB RAM option and 13" 1080p.
I'm typing this on a year-old Z11, which you can pick up used now for about the cost of a MBA, with:
* Core i5 520m
* 8GB RAM
* 256GB SSD
* DVD+RW
* Switchable graphics w/ GeForce GT 330M (1GB)
* 1600x900 13" matte display
* HDMI out
* VGA out
* Gigabit ethernet
* 3 USB 2.0 ports
* Fingerprint reader
* Expresscard 34
* 3 lbs
* swappable 4 hr standard battery, 7 hr extended battery
If you need everything in a thin-and-light, the last generation of Sony Z was pretty unbeatable. I heartily recommend a used model to devs I meet. Even still, I was seriously considering getting the new MBA, as the Sony is flimsy with so much crammed into it, the trackpad is tiny, much of my dev work targets *nix, and I'd like to get into some iOS projects. But 4GB max? If they'd offered 8GB RAM, I might have pulled the trigger.
I'm going to be purchasing the 13" MBA, and I'm trying to decide between the baseline version and the maxed out version. I would pay the $100 to upgrade to the i7, but one can only do so by also paying $300 for the 256GB of memory. Honestly, the 256GB memory vs 128GB isn't important to me (most of my stuff is small files or in the cloud), so I'm finding it hard to justify $400 for the better processor. Any advice fro…
HD video cameras, backlit keyboard, i5 upgradable to i7 - pretty decent upgrade. Curses, 3 month old MacBook Air.
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I use the maxed out 11" as my primary computer. My usage is about 60% at desk, plugged into external, keyboard, closed clamshell, and 40% portable. The only complaint is the smaller 128 ssd, but it just forced me to get rid of stuff I really didn't need. The less glossy screen is great and the smaller size when I'm portable forces me to focus more. My typical software usage is Photoshop, Illustrator, TextMate, Termin…
re: Flash content: I was playing with an last-gen 11" MBA in the Apple Store a couple months ago, and saw that it wasn't capable of playing the YouTube video of All of the Lights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAfFfqiYLp0> ; at 1080p without dropping frames. Obviously this is completely arbitrary because the MBA can't display 1080p , but I was a little concerned about it. Have you had problems with HD Flash/Netfli…
I just bought the maxed out 13 inch air in October, and it's been a great dev machine (rails, ios) someone please talk me out getting the newest shiniest for no good reason
i bought the maxed out 13" last year as well. pulling out my credit card...
Fight the power :)
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Interesting point. Anybody?
I had a 2GB 11" Air that was swapping out around 350Mb with my workload and it was noticeable although not a deal breaker - think slight switching delays and rare mouse freezes for split second - obviously much better than if the swap was on 5400RPM rotating disk. I ended up returning it anyway - 2GB isn't nearly enough for anything other than just browsing.
You'll feel like James Bond when on-the-go.
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I had a 2GB 11" Air that was swapping out around 350Mb with my workload and it was noticeable although not a deal breaker - think slight switching delays and rare mouse freezes for split second - obviously much better than if the swap was on 5400RPM rotating disk. I ended up returning it anyway - 2GB isn't nearly enough for anything other than just browsing.
The last part isn't true. I've got the bottom priced 11" and being an entrepreneur I use it heavily for design. My only issue is the memory. After CS5 and a couple other programs I was down to 10gb.I'm 80% in front of a big cinema display but even working on the go its great. Photoshop too. My usual is itunes, mail, 5-10 safari windows, Photoshop, Illustrator and no spinning wheel of death. My experience of Apple is…
What does your swap usage show (Activity Monitor - page outs with all that workload?
However with 4GB it shouldn't be that much of an issue for this workload. So I might just bite the bullet given the Sandy Bridge and TB upgrades!