Is there any reason to buy a MacBook Pro over a MacBook Air?
Ive owned a 15 inch Pro, a 13 inch Air, and a 13 inch Pro. I'm going to assume that money isn't an issue.Screen SizeThis is personal preference and you'll need to think about how YOU develop. For example, i always do web development with an editor and terminal on the right half and a browser on left. 13 inches are enough for me. Do you need more software for your work?I notice that you didn't mention the 13" Pro as an option - do you not think 13 is enough? If you don't think you'd be happy without 15 inches then it's a no-brainer - get the Pro.Performance Both will be equal for most performance-related issues. Web and mobile development aren't particularly taxing on youe machine.One place that performance will matter is with mobile game development. The iOS simulator is your best friend and struggled to keep up at 30fps on my 13 inch air. It does much better on my pro.PortabilityThis one is very subjective. The air just feels portable. You can pick it up and set it down like you would a pad of paper. I find myself being very careful when I maneuver my pro because of its weight - which may be a good thing! I miss how light my air was.So which one?The pro and air are both fantastic machines. If your web and mobile work arent taxing on your video card (lots of WebGL and OpenGL?) then get an air. The Pro exists as a portable powerhouse - you gain considerable aesthetic advantage when you give up that unnecessary power.
Is a MacBook Pro worth the money when I can buy the same configuration for half of the price? Why?
Macbook Pros are far cheaper than any Windows computer, if you do the math right. Compared to my Windows-bound co-workers:I reboot my machine about once a month instead of once a day.I can shut the lid any time I want to without fearing my OS will freeze.I spend zero hours a year battling viruses and malware.I spend zero hours a year installing device drivers and dealing with hardware issues.My laptop freezes only about once a year.When I need to kill an application. It dies. First time, every time.Switching between applications is significantly faster.This saves me per year, about 20 hours in productivity.The average revenue per employee in a software company is about $200k in the USA. Number of hours worked per year is 2000. So each employee, on average, needs to generate $100 per hour in revenue. Even for an average employee the Macbook Pro saves about $2000 a year in productivity. A Macbook Pro will last 3-4 years, giving you a $6-8k saving. If you are a senior software engineer you are probably looking at $10-20k. Subtract that from the purchase price and it actually saves the company way more than it costs when compared to a Windows laptop.In my position I estimate the cost of my MacBook Pro to be $4000-5000, and a Windows laptop would cost the company $20,000 to $55,000.
What you think about using a MacBook 2009 in 2018?
Macs are not just built to sell.They are designed with many things and longevity is one among them.I use Macbook 2010.Few changes made on the mac over the yearsupgraded it up until Mavericks. [beyond that i was doubtful though apple recommends]upgraded RAM to 10 GB [though apple says 8 GB is max]Clean and Backup the drive often. Recommend having CleanMyMac or similarI try to keep more than 20% disk free. not sure if its a mustDo not put too many applications uninstall completely when you stop using them. I have stopped experimenting with apps on this mac I use them on other mac and install on this once I am happy with app I do install new apps but recently some of the apps recommend a recent macOS to be installed. :(Original HDD still works! I have used this more for browsing, music and low processing apps in the last two years and as backup where I can remotely access work. If you want more out of it Recommend you to upgrade to SSD.I have bought 3 chargers these dont last long unfortunately :( [or was i using them wrong ;), same is the case with iOS devices chargers]NOTE- i do not do graphics or video editing.Macbook sure works!!
Macbook Pro Vs. Macbook Air?
I'm planning on getting a new computer for my 16th birthday. The quality of the computer I own plays a huge role in my everyday life. I'm taking 9 classes this school year, I'm always going to big and small social events on the weekends AND I already have a job teaching a dance class. I'm extremely sick and tired of my Crappy HP laptop with stupid a$$ windows vista. I swear to God, there's always something wrong with it. All I want to do is be able to type my papers and be able to facebook and do my damn research on the internet without out getting a motherf*cking virus. It's always overheating, shutting down, updating and crashing. I've lost all of my pictures and documents before and I don't want it to happen again. So I've made the decision to switch to Mac. 1st question.. Are Macbooks really worth the price?? And will a macbook last longer than 2 years without it sh!tting all over me? Secondly, The new macbook air literally just came out today, and it's cheaper than the macbook pro (13 inch) . Considering my lifestyle, do you think I should purchase a macbook pro or a macbook air? Much thanks for reading all of this :-) Feedback is much appreciated.
How long can a Macbook Air last?
A macbook laptop lasts many days. its depends on how carefully you use it. Its a powerful laptop. I am using my Macbook Air for the last 3 years and it is still running fine.If you follow these simple pieces of advice that are good for any macbook laptop, it can last until you get bored of it: - Avoid dusty surfaces. Avoid any liquid going into the MacBook. - Avoid stopping the vents on the sides (the slits where the air goes in), depending on the model, they can be on the sides or on the back under the display. Macoboks are true laptops, meaning you can put them on your lap because there're no vents underside. BUT DON'T USE YOUR LAPTOP ON A BED OR ANYTHING THAT STOPS THE VENTS, OVERHEATING WILL STRESS COMPONENTS but won't seriously damage the mac, it'll shut down itself if it overheats.More details macbook won't turn on
Does intensively using a Macbook Pro daily as a main PC drastically reduce its expected lifespan? Will it still last 5 years well?
I’ve been using my late 2008 MacBook Pro as my main computer for around 9 years, plan to keep doing it for at least 3 more.I bought it when I was in programming (Java and Obj-C, mostly) but have been used a lot as music production mac since 2010, occasionally also on stage.Notable things that happened to it during the years…The left fan started being increasingly noisy in mid 2012, peaking at ludicrous levels in 2013. The replacement at the time was quite expensive. Eventually I disassembled the computer, took apart the fan, found when it was slightly bent and mechanically put it in a better position. Oiled the fan mechanism and it still works quite silently today.The original HD started failing in 2013. I replaced it with a faster one.The sub started to produce distortions in 2015. I mostly use external speakers these days.The audio out became increasingly loose. I’ve switched to using mostly external audio interfaces since the end of 2013.The DVD drive stopped working. Not sure when, as I never used it.In mid 2016 I moved from the original maximum of 4GB of ram to the now unofficially supported 8Gb.In early 2016 I moved the HD in place of the not working DVD drive and replaced it with a brand SSD. Big speed boost.That speed boost gave me confidence in updating to Sierra. The computer is not officially supported by anything past El Capitan, but Sierra works really well with minimal patching. I see that High Sierra seems to work well the same but I've decided to skip this release, for the moment.Keep in mind: this computer has been used really heavily for 9 years now, I bought it thinking that I would need a new one after around 5, based on my previous ones, glad I was wrong. Intel Mac portables have proven to be incredibly resilient and this in particular has exceeded all expectations.As an addendum, my live computer since 2015, used regularly on stage, is a 2006 entry level MacBook fitted with a cheap SSD. Costed around 60€ all included, great value for the price!
How long do MacBooks last?
I have a 2005 13″ MacBook and 2006 17" and 15" MacBook Pro all chugging along. The MacBook battery is dead, and I upgraded the disk drive on the 17" Pro about three years ago to 1.5tb. Everything's working just fine.P.s., I drove my car over my 17" MacBook Pro in 2009, it survived. I did have to replace the screen and DVD drive. It was an accident, nothing to do with my opinion of the hardware. Curiously, Apple didn't chose to share my story as a testimonial.Update: 8/2016. My 2006 17″ MacBook Pro, which has been turned on 24/7 for much of the past 5 years, is starting to have hard disk errors. Fortunately, I have my photos and music redundantly backed up. I'm moving to an 27″ iMac with an external drive system for archive, etc. The other 2006 MacBook Pro and 2005 MacBook are still chugging away. I use and iPad or iPhone for most of my former laptop stuff. Probably won't replace the laptops anytime soon.Update 6/2017: All three MacBooks are still working. The occasional disk errors on the 17″ continue, but the CPU and screen are still hanging in there. They are 11 and 12 years old.Update 1/2018 : the hard disk errors on the 17" required a reformat. Works better after rebooting.Regarding Apple.Frankly, I liked the 17″ screen. I want a 17″ display. Also, the prices charged by Apple for their 13 and 15″ pro systems as of 2016 are way too much for my taste. The 15″ is priced about the same as what I paid for the 17″ in 2006. These prices should be coming down, Apple! I also so dislike the trend toward less connectors and configuration options. I can live without a DVD drive. A thin form factor is sexy, but that's what iPads are for, IMHO.I ALSO WANT PORTS!!!!If I need a high-powered laptop, I'll probably look PC in the future. I used PCs for 20 years, moving to Mac in 2005 when I got sick and tired of PC class systems inability to manage video, etc, predictably, out of the box (2004–6 or so). The macs “just worked” and I loved them. No futzing.