3 ms·

I think the entry level macbook pro is better buy than this. For $100, the CPU is much better, and very likely the build quality too. And everything else includ

I think the entry level macbook pro is better buy than this. For $100, the CPU is much better, and very likely the build quality too. And everything else including weight, keyboard, ports, battery life etc. mostly the same.

pentae 8y ago
The thermals on the entry level Macbook pro (non touchbar) is atrocious. It has one less fan than the touchbar model and runs hotter and unless you're in an icy cold room it's guaranteed to make your palms sweaty like a teenager on prom night. I would imagine that the new power-sipping i5 they've put in the MBA will run much cooler.
- asdff 8y ago
  Every aluminum Macbook makes your palms sweaty, the aluminum body is designed to shed heat. Even a charging iPhone can get very hot just browsing HN. I don't think Apple has ever produced a machine that runs cool to the touch.
  - pentae 8y ago
    They have made one - the original Macbook Air
enraged_camel 8y ago
The new MBA has touch ID though, whereas the entry level MBP doesn't. The convenience IS a lot of value for some people.
- 2color 8y ago
  Do you think it's worth it over the entry level MBP considering the difference in the CPU?
  - gumby 8y ago
    I'm glad to have the thumb sensor on my MBP but in buying again I wouldn't pay extra for it. It is nice to use Apple Pay from my Mac -- the twice I've done so. I could always have opened the page on my phone and use its sensor instead. Other than that, moving my hand up to the corner isn't much faster, if at all, then simply typing my Mac password which is pretty well wired into my fingers anyway. In fact I had made a small config mod to use the touch sensor to authorise sudo, and in the end I undid it because typing was faster. And my watch unlocks my Mac most of the time. So a nice to have, sure, but not as revolutionary as it was on the phone.

3 ms·

I think the entry level macbook pro is better buy than this. For $100, the CPU is much better, and very likely the build quality too. And everything else includ

by YetAnotherNick 8y ago

pentae 8y ago
The thermals on the entry level Macbook pro (non touchbar) is atrocious. It has one less fan than the touchbar model and runs hotter and unless you're in an icy cold room it's guaranteed to make your palms sweaty like a teenager on prom night. I would imagine that the new power-sipping i5 they've put in the MBA will run much cooler.
- asdff 8y ago
  Every aluminum Macbook makes your palms sweaty, the aluminum body is designed to shed heat. Even a charging iPhone can get very hot just browsing HN. I don't think Apple has ever produced a machine that runs cool to the touch.
  - pentae 8y ago
    They have made one - the original Macbook Air
enraged_camel 8y ago
The new MBA has touch ID though, whereas the entry level MBP doesn't. The convenience IS a lot of value for some people.
- 2color 8y ago
  Do you think it's worth it over the entry level MBP considering the difference in the CPU?
  - gumby 8y ago
    I'm glad to have the thumb sensor on my MBP but in buying again I wouldn't pay extra for it. It is nice to use Apple Pay from my Mac -- the twice I've done so. I could always have opened the page on my phone and use its sensor instead. Other than that, moving my hand up to the corner isn't much faster, if at all, then simply typing my Mac password which is pretty well wired into my fingers anyway. In fact I had made a small config mod to use the touch sensor to authorise sudo, and in the end I undid it because typing was faster. And my watch unlocks my Mac most of the time. So a nice to have, sure, but not as revolutionary as it was on the phone.