Macbook Air or Pro?

[onablackcloud]

I am about to make the jump from Windows to a Mac, but I'm having trouble deciding what to go with. For example a Mac Air is small, thin and light so portability wise is great but I don't know if it has enough capability for my needs. Unfortunately I will have to run Windows in Parallel as some of my work relies on Microsoft software(!) so would a Pro be better?

Any suggestions?

Thanks in Advance.

I'd say a pro is better then. Mainly because of the disk. If you have to run Windows in Parallels then you will soon find that a small flash drive like you'd get in a Macbook Air is not enough.

That said you could pair it with an external disk but then it negates the sexiness of the Air.

niceguy, as you're here can I ask a quick question - what's the difference between Parallels and Bootcamp?

Allow moi. Bootcamp is devised by Apple and allows you to run Windows on your Mac but to do so you have to reboot it, so you can run it either in Windows or Mac OSX, but not both at the same time. Parallels (and Fusion, a competing product) allow you to run Mac OS X and Windows at the same time, so it's like having two computers on the same screen, using the same hard drive, which is way more useful than Bootcamp. But you have to pay for Parallels. While I'm on the subject there's a clever product for Macs called Crossover, which allows you to run Windows programs without running Windows (yes honestly) and is quite a good option if you have just one Windows program (like an accounting program, maybe) that you need to use but don't want the full glorious Windows experience just to run it.

Incidentally I am writing this on a MacBook Air which runs Parallels. I keep all my iTunes stuff, most of my photos and all movies on a separate drive, and have no space problems.

I opted for pro due to the fact the Air doesn't have a DVD drive and has fewer USB slots. It depends if you want to carry around a lot. The pro is very heavy but I can see the advantages of the Air if you just want to slot it in a handbag and jump on the train.

Ah, right, so Bootcamp is a bootloader whereas Parallels does virtualisation. That makes sense. Presumably, then, Windows can run natively on Mac hardware otherwise Bootcamp wouldn't work. So I assume you could wipe OSX entirely and just install Windows on a Mac. Hmm.

The reason I asked is that I've been looking for a small, light laptop for use at work and the choice has boiled down to either a Sony Vaio or an Macbook Air. I'd rather not have to use OSX on an Air while all my other PCs run Windows so if I could run Windows natively on the Airbook it would really annoy the Mac fans in my office solve the problem quite neatly.

Thanks!

It would be interesting to see what would happen if you tried to get your money back for Mac OS X, if you only want to run Windows on your Mac. You can do this with Windows- if you look carefully when you boot your new PC up for the first time there's a legal bit that says if you don't agree to the licence terms you should take the software (ie Windows) back to the vendor and ask for a refund. And they are obliged to give you one, though it is of course not straightforward. You may know that already. I wonder what would happen if you tried the same thing at the Apple Store?

Would love to be a "fly on the wall" if someone did... Somehow I don't think they'd know and if you were at a store before 1600 doubt Cupertino would be open for advice from someone senior in HQ...

Pro - would find the lack of disk drive on the Air quite annoying..

And also the fact that the Apple guy told us the Pro was better

I have a pro and hate the bloody thing. I find it really hard to find my documents etc so only use it now for surfing the net.

DH bought ds one for Xmas as well and he doesn't like it either.

Hmmm I am still on the fence on this one, great to hear Parallels can be run on the Mac Air though still wondering if I need more power. Have also been to the Apple shop to check out the new MacBooks out now and they are slimmer and lighter, but no DVD drive and costs quite a bit more.
I am also baffled by the merits of flash storage - can anyone explain to me how this works?

Why don't you just get a new operating system instead of an over priced computer thats just slightly more shiny then the rest.

For laptops there are three main benefits to flash versus conventional hard disks:

1. it's noticeably faster
2. it uses less power so longer battery life
3. hard disks are a certain size and shape. Flash can be made in a variety of sizes and shapes to fit into available space, so the laptop can be smaller.

The disadvantages are:

1. per gigabyte of storage, it's a lot more expensive which means...
2. you will get fewer gigabytes of storage with flash than you do with a disk

If you have tons of photos, music and videos you want to store then the greater capacity of a hard disk might be the deciding factor.

I've used Parallels for quite some time. Now I use VMWare Fusion which is a competitive product.

Both are very very good. You cant run games or anything demanding. Even Photoshop is a bit choppy. But for general applications it's fine.

I do hate Finder though which is the mac equivalent of Windows Explorer. It really does suck but I have learned to live with it.

I have both, a 17" Pro an a 13 air,and an iPad. DH has a pro 17, DS has a pro, The Air goes on holiday with us, DD just had a new 11" Air, after having a pro, neither of us have used the separate disc drive, it is't necessary.

I downloaded Microsoft office directly in about 2 minutes.

Thanks for all the comments - and Snorbs for the tutorial on flash, I have now been enlightened!
I am leaning towards a pro mainly because I think I would need more memory. I would love the Air as it's so compact but space is more important.

Have to agree with Ryoko - unless there's a business case for buying a Mac, it seems to me like a strong case of wasting money.

It's your money, of course, and maybe I just don't get the 'brand' thing but I don't understand how a pretty badge can make people come over all 'HURRRR'.