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My general rule of thumb for Macbooks: If you want to do anything other thank browse facebook and write word docs, and want the machine to last you for more tha

My general rule of thumb for Macbooks: If you want to do anything other thank browse facebook and write word docs, and want the machine to last you for more than 3 years - get a Pro. Vote with your wallet, if you can replace the Macbook experiment* with a Pro or some other computer, go for it. As it stands, Apple has no incentive to make it better since they have your money anyway unless enough users skip the product * I'm convinced "the new Macbook" was born because someone lost a bet and had to answer "how bad can we make a computer and still make people buy it?"

puranjay 10y ago
My wife wants a Mac. She's a teacher and uses it mostly to write documents, watch movies, and read PDFs. Would an Air be good enough for her?
- watmough 10y ago
  It sounds like an Air would be fine, but she might want to also consider a Chromebook.
  - puranjay 10y ago
    Thanks, hadn't thought of that. She actually has a Nexus and isn't really tied into the Apple ecosystem so this might actually be a good idea
    - kps 10y ago
      If she has favourite or familiar Android apps, the list of Chromebooks that can run them may be valuable: https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-supporting-android-apps https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-suppo... (disclaimer: I used to work on chromebook software)
    - keithpeter 10y ago
      https://www.neverware.com https://www.neverware.com You could (both) try out ChromeOS on a Windows laptop before traipsing down to the shop to test keyboards. Needs an 8Gb USB stick that you can erase.
      - puranjay 10y ago
        This is great. Thanks for sharing. I'm downloading it right now and taking it out for a spin on my computer first. Never used ChromeOS before!
        keithpeter 10y ago
        You can dd the bin file to a USB stick (bin file is 5Gb so 8Gb stick needed) and just run a 'live' session without installing. Watch out for the installer screens when you boot from the stick!! I used the product for the same reason: to see what ChromeOS was like.
pinneycolton 10y ago
I second this. I'm writing this on a late 2011 MBP w/8GB RAM and an after-market 1TB SSD. I use it primarily for developing and testing data-driven applications (big data, medium data, small data). I occasionally run Windows and Linux VMs when my development work demands it. This "old" MBP is my primary machine. I don't have any major performance issues to this date, at least not for my primary use of this machine. I typically run Netflix, Hulu, or some other media while I code, and I actually have more issues with Flash video running in the browser than anything else. This is generally tied to Spotlight reindexing. Killing the index and allowing the machine to rebuild it from scratch usually resolves my issue. But, I digress... Take the time to understand how your work utilizes machine resources and buy the best machine to get the work done. It might not even be a MBP.

puranjay 10y ago

My wife wants a Mac. She's a teacher and uses it mostly to write documents, watch movies, and read PDFs. Would an Air be good enough for her?

watmough 10y ago
It sounds like an Air would be fine, but she might want to also consider a Chromebook.
- puranjay 10y ago
  Thanks, hadn't thought of that. She actually has a Nexus and isn't really tied into the Apple ecosystem so this might actually be a good idea
  - kps 10y ago
    If she has favourite or familiar Android apps, the list of Chromebooks that can run them may be valuable: https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-supporting-android-apps https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-suppo... (disclaimer: I used to work on chromebook software)
  - keithpeter 10y ago
    https://www.neverware.com https://www.neverware.com You could (both) try out ChromeOS on a Windows laptop before traipsing down to the shop to test keyboards. Needs an 8Gb USB stick that you can erase.
    - puranjay 10y ago
      This is great. Thanks for sharing. I'm downloading it right now and taking it out for a spin on my computer first. Never used ChromeOS before!
      - keithpeter 10y ago
        You can dd the bin file to a USB stick (bin file is 5Gb so 8Gb stick needed) and just run a 'live' session without installing. Watch out for the installer screens when you boot from the stick!! I used the product for the same reason: to see what ChromeOS was like.

pinneycolton 10y ago

I second this. I'm writing this on a late 2011 MBP w/8GB RAM and an after-market 1TB SSD. I use it primarily for developing and testing data-driven applications (big data, medium data, small data). I occasionally run Windows and Linux VMs when my development work demands it. This "old" MBP is my primary machine. I don't have any major performance issues to this date, at least not for my primary use of this machine. I typically run Netflix, Hulu, or some other media while I code, and I actually have more issues with Flash video running in the browser than anything else. This is generally tied to Spotlight reindexing. Killing the index and allowing the machine to rebuild it from scratch usually resolves my issue. But, I digress... Take the time to understand how your work utilizes machine resources and buy the best machine to get the work done. It might not even be a MBP.