5 ms·

To me, the main limitation of the MBA is that it can only have 4 Gigs of memory. If it wasn't for that, it would be the perfect laptop. Relatively inexpensive e

To me, the main limitation of the MBA is that it can only have 4 Gigs of memory. If it wasn't for that, it would be the perfect laptop. Relatively inexpensive even, as the article points out. However, I require 8 Gigs (for running VMs) and OSX (because I have trouble tolerating anything else), a ~250 Gig SSD and at least some 1400x800 pixels. That leaves me with a crazy expensive Macbook Pro 15". If it wasn't for the screen resolution, I'd go with the 13" MBP. If it wasn't for the memory constraint, I'd go with the 13" MBA. And, well the OSX requirement constrains me to Macs, obviously. If I do this, this will set me back some 2700 bucks. I wonder if that is just bad luck in my requirements or actually carefully planned by Apple Inc. I also wonder what the same machine would cost if it were not from Apple. (I'd add: 5-7h battery life, Sandy Bridge processor)

jbooth 15y ago
I've got a lenovo T520 with the 9-cell battery, 8GB ram, sandy bridge processor plus an nvidia mobile graphics card (i can use that or switch to the intel 3000 if i want to save power), cost me about 1200 bucks all said an done. Got an HDD instead of SSD, so add a few hundred for a more pure comparison if you want.
hackoder 15y ago
I recently picked up a ThinkPad T420 with a dock for around $1000. Adding in an mSata 80 gb ssd for $200. i5-2540, 1600x900, 8 gb ram, 2 batteries (9 cell for 9-10 hrs working in a VM, 6 cell gives around 5-6 hours). Like you, I enjoyed OS X and the fact that everything worked so well. But it came to a point where MBP's hardware limitations just got too much (no dock so I had to plug and unplug peripherals 2-3 times a day, battery not swappable so 5-6 hrs was the maximum I could get, no way to have two hard drives (SSD + HDD) without voiding the warranty etc) and I decided to switch. So far so good, the flexibility and build quality are great. Lets see how long before Windows 7/Debian start to become annoying though ;)
- Derbasti 15y ago
  I have been working on a hackintoshed Dell for the last year or so. Initially, I tried to work with Windows 7. It really is not bad at all, but my brain seems to be hardwired to use a Unix command line (and Vim) at this point, so after a while, I had enough and sought refuge in Linux-land. It didn't last long though. After fiddling with the Nvidia drivers for a while to get a multi-monitor setup working, I decided that I could just as well invest that time in getting it hackintoshed. Amazingly, that worked flawlessly (nearly: network and sound didn't work. A USB-ethernet adapter and a USB sound card did the trick, though). Then came Lion and that broke my App Store on the hackintosh. So it's back to a genuine Mac for me. It nearly worked, though. I wish you the best of luck.
  - Teckla 15y ago
    "Initially, I tried to work with Windows 7. It really is not bad at all, but my brain seems to be hardwired to use a Unix command line (and Vim) at this point, so after a while, I had enough and sought refuge in Linux-land." Have you tried Cygwin? I've been using it for years, with no problems. Unix command line goodness in Windows. Also, you can install vim from the Cygwin packages, or install native Windows vim. Both solutions work well.
    - Derbasti 15y ago
      I have used Cygwin for a while, yes. However, I found it to be slow and just... alien, from a Windows perspective. My main gripe with it was a different thing though: Its package management is atrocious. Packages are outdated and there is no simple way to fix them. Also, it installs its own versions of common software, that are only usable from within Cygwin, but not from CMD. Honestly though, I never bothered to investigate further after being annoyed by it a few times, and just used a Linux VM instead. Gvim works fine on Windows, though. Also, ViEmu has had my love for many months. It's not like you can't work productively in Windows. It's just that I am more comfortable elsewhere.
- ebiester 15y ago
  I suggest running a VM in Linux when developing. It kills battery, but not as bad as you'd think unless you're doing intensive work. It has been the best of both worlds for me on my home projects.
swombat 15y ago
> To me, the main limitation of the MBA is that it can only have 4 Gigs of memory. If it wasn't for that, it would be the perfect laptop. Relatively inexpensive even, as the article points out. Couldn't resist pointing out that I have a 4GB MBA, and I have yet to encounter any memory issues whatsoever. I have run some hefty software on there - e.g. photoshop + iWork + Pages all at once. Granted, it's not the same as VMs, but it seems that the ultra-fast SSD makes swapping a non-issue. Maybe someone who does run VMs on an MBA can chime in?
- Derbasti 15y ago
  Run a Windows VM with Visual Studio. That will need at least 1.5 Gigs. Then run some heavy stuff on OSX too and it will become slow. If you have an SSD, it won't become unbearably slow, but clearly straining. Which is to say, 4 Gigs are fine for a VM every now and then, but not for everyday use. At least not for me.
  - swombat 15y ago
    Aah, I hadn't really considered the case where you're actually using the VM for something more than browser testing...
ashishgandhi 15y ago
To me too, OS X is very important. The way it works and everything else that is not objective and deals with "taste". On the objective side of things, I like the ability to be in *nix environment, run proprietary software (such as Adobe CS, a reasonable Skype, iTunes, MS Office or iWork - I definitely don't like OOo or forks, etc.) amongst other things. On the middle ground of objective and subjective, I like the fact that my OS doesn't keep slowing down with time - this can be measured but I'm not aware if someone has.
- Derbasti 15y ago
  Agreed: The best thing about OSX is that it combines a great graphical interface and support for commercial software with a Unix command line. You can achieve something similar with Windows 7 and a Linux VM and some file system mirroring tool (VMWare sharing or Dropbox or something). But nothing beats OSX for slickness.
- hackoder 15y ago
  I'm often surprised that the value of OSX and its built in conveniences is not factored into a comparison. Preview, built in file extraction, TimeMachine (which does not really have any comparable alternative on windows IMO), Calendar, Mail etc. Some of these apps are built into windows (but not with the same modern feature set) and most are available for free, but OSX seems to have hit a good selection of apps that you can use out of the box. Edit: Also that I upgraded/time machined from my 2008 white MacBook to my current generation MBP on Lion without loosing any performance, apps or data was a remarkable time saver.

jbooth 15y ago

I've got a lenovo T520 with the 9-cell battery, 8GB ram, sandy bridge processor plus an nvidia mobile graphics card (i can use that or switch to the intel 3000 if i want to save power), cost me about 1200 bucks all said an done. Got an HDD instead of SSD, so add a few hundred for a more pure comparison if you want.

hackoder 15y ago

I recently picked up a ThinkPad T420 with a dock for around $1000. Adding in an mSata 80 gb ssd for $200. i5-2540, 1600x900, 8 gb ram, 2 batteries (9 cell for 9-10 hrs working in a VM, 6 cell gives around 5-6 hours). Like you, I enjoyed OS X and the fact that everything worked so well. But it came to a point where MBP's hardware limitations just got too much (no dock so I had to plug and unplug peripherals 2-3 times a day, battery not swappable so 5-6 hrs was the maximum I could get, no way to have two hard drives (SSD + HDD) without voiding the warranty etc) and I decided to switch. So far so good, the flexibility and build quality are great. Lets see how long before Windows 7/Debian start to become annoying though ;)

Derbasti 15y ago
I have been working on a hackintoshed Dell for the last year or so. Initially, I tried to work with Windows 7. It really is not bad at all, but my brain seems to be hardwired to use a Unix command line (and Vim) at this point, so after a while, I had enough and sought refuge in Linux-land. It didn't last long though. After fiddling with the Nvidia drivers for a while to get a multi-monitor setup working, I decided that I could just as well invest that time in getting it hackintoshed. Amazingly, that worked flawlessly (nearly: network and sound didn't work. A USB-ethernet adapter and a USB sound card did the trick, though). Then came Lion and that broke my App Store on the hackintosh. So it's back to a genuine Mac for me. It nearly worked, though. I wish you the best of luck.
- Teckla 15y ago
  "Initially, I tried to work with Windows 7. It really is not bad at all, but my brain seems to be hardwired to use a Unix command line (and Vim) at this point, so after a while, I had enough and sought refuge in Linux-land." Have you tried Cygwin? I've been using it for years, with no problems. Unix command line goodness in Windows. Also, you can install vim from the Cygwin packages, or install native Windows vim. Both solutions work well.
  - Derbasti 15y ago
    I have used Cygwin for a while, yes. However, I found it to be slow and just... alien, from a Windows perspective. My main gripe with it was a different thing though: Its package management is atrocious. Packages are outdated and there is no simple way to fix them. Also, it installs its own versions of common software, that are only usable from within Cygwin, but not from CMD. Honestly though, I never bothered to investigate further after being annoyed by it a few times, and just used a Linux VM instead. Gvim works fine on Windows, though. Also, ViEmu has had my love for many months. It's not like you can't work productively in Windows. It's just that I am more comfortable elsewhere.
ebiester 15y ago
I suggest running a VM in Linux when developing. It kills battery, but not as bad as you'd think unless you're doing intensive work. It has been the best of both worlds for me on my home projects.

swombat 15y ago

> To me, the main limitation of the MBA is that it can only have 4 Gigs of memory. If it wasn't for that, it would be the perfect laptop. Relatively inexpensive even, as the article points out. Couldn't resist pointing out that I have a 4GB MBA, and I have yet to encounter any memory issues whatsoever. I have run some hefty software on there - e.g. photoshop + iWork + Pages all at once. Granted, it's not the same as VMs, but it seems that the ultra-fast SSD makes swapping a non-issue. Maybe someone who does run VMs on an MBA can chime in?

Derbasti 15y ago
Run a Windows VM with Visual Studio. That will need at least 1.5 Gigs. Then run some heavy stuff on OSX too and it will become slow. If you have an SSD, it won't become unbearably slow, but clearly straining. Which is to say, 4 Gigs are fine for a VM every now and then, but not for everyday use. At least not for me.
- swombat 15y ago
  Aah, I hadn't really considered the case where you're actually using the VM for something more than browser testing...

ashishgandhi 15y ago

To me too, OS X is very important. The way it works and everything else that is not objective and deals with "taste". On the objective side of things, I like the ability to be in *nix environment, run proprietary software (such as Adobe CS, a reasonable Skype, iTunes, MS Office or iWork - I definitely don't like OOo or forks, etc.) amongst other things. On the middle ground of objective and subjective, I like the fact that my OS doesn't keep slowing down with time - this can be measured but I'm not aware if someone has.

Derbasti 15y ago
Agreed: The best thing about OSX is that it combines a great graphical interface and support for commercial software with a Unix command line. You can achieve something similar with Windows 7 and a Linux VM and some file system mirroring tool (VMWare sharing or Dropbox or something). But nothing beats OSX for slickness.
hackoder 15y ago
I'm often surprised that the value of OSX and its built in conveniences is not factored into a comparison. Preview, built in file extraction, TimeMachine (which does not really have any comparable alternative on windows IMO), Calendar, Mail etc. Some of these apps are built into windows (but not with the same modern feature set) and most are available for free, but OSX seems to have hit a good selection of apps that you can use out of the box. Edit: Also that I upgraded/time machined from my 2008 white MacBook to my current generation MBP on Lion without loosing any performance, apps or data was a remarkable time saver.