Should I get a MacBook Pro or a gaming laptop?
Depends on your needs.You said that you want the “MacBook pro (2016 cuz it’ll be cheaper when 2017 comes out)”. Macbook Pros are never cheap unless they are 2+ years old and used. If you need to save money, go Windows.However, if money is not your concern, then you have more options. If you are willing to sacrifice game framerate/quality for a lighter machine, and your games are available on macOS, go buy the MacBook Pro. I am writing this on a 15″ MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar (super expensive), and games run well on Bootcamp, but at resolutions/framerates nowhere near gaming laptops of the same price (most games will run at 1080p60 or 1800p30 on the Mac with high settings and no AA, but $3k gaming laptops will do 1440p with 100+ fps at ultra with 4xAA+).Programming is different, though. If you want to develop for any iOS device, you need a Mac. You just have more options for development. The keyboard is great on the MacBook Pro (once you get used to it), and the Retina screen gives you lots of screen space (at native resolution).There are other reasons to buy a certain type of machine.Since you have a MacBook Air, data transfer will be easier to do to a Mac.Bootcamp works well, but most fancy Mac-only features, such as GPU switching, Force Touch, and Touch bar support beyond Fn keys are broken or missing.If you have an iOS device as a phone or tablet, the two devices can be connected to work together (Handoff/Continuity).If you need a lot of internal storage space and don’t have deep pockets, go Windows. I shouldn’t have to pay $600 for 1TB of storage on a $2,400 machine.Customer service - ‘nuff said.
For development purposes, should I buy a 13" or 15" MacBook Pro?
This just depends on two things. Budget and if you need to do a lot of GPU stuff like 3D.At work, I have 13" i7, it does everything I want, vmware, coding, compiling and whatever else. Does it very well. At home I have a 15" i7, and it is just fantastic.Over 90% of my time, I would not know which one I was using, as most of my time is in some coding editor. For 9% of the time left, I would be sceptical, on which computer I was using. But for the 1% of the time, only private time, with gaming on like Civ 4 and civ 5 and racing games you do notice. The 13" is useless for those kind of operations.So this is pretty much just a question of budget. How much money and perhaps how much travel you do. I lug the 15" around between countries, and have no issues with it. Many others would rather lug around the 13", it is lighter.But keep in mind, both of these computers are blistering fast. They run circles around a top of the line desktop gaming computer a few years ago.It is perhaps better to take the 13" as you could swap computers at a faster rate due to price.At work, I have 2x 22" monitors. It would feel cramped to do xcode coding on the 13". At home I can easily just use the 15" screen, never feel cramped. But then again, I also have a 27" cinema display, which is just awesome. So if you are like me, use mostly external displays, it does not matter which computer you buy. Just be sure you get 16GB memory. That is absolute minimum. And don't get the Air. It is under powered and the display is just not nearly good enough compared to the MBP.
Is buying a 13-inch MacBook Air better than a high end HP Laptop running Windows for a student?
Thank you for the A2A.The 2016 MacBook Pros were unveiled a few days back, and I have a mixed opinion about the same.Coming to your question, the 13-inch MacBook Air was refreshed by Apple around July, and this version has 8GB RAM in its base model.The specifications are:13.3-inch display8GB RAM, Core i5 clocked at 1.6GHz, turbo boost upto 2.7GHz with 3MB shared L3 cache.Built-in 54‑watt‑hour lithium‑polymer batteryIntel HD Graphics 6000Two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)Thunderbolt 2 port (up to 20 Gbps)MagSafe 2 power portSDXC card slot3.5 mm headphone jack802.11ac Wi-FiBluetooth 4.0 wireless technologyThe specifications may sound underpowered compared to a high end Windows laptop of the same price, but macOS is what makes all the difference.If you want to switch to windows, you can do so by dual booting your Mac. You don’t have that kind of luxury on a Windows machine. Also, if you own any other Apple device, the sync and end to end integrated use is incredibly awesome.I personally use a mid-2013 MacBook Air with 4GB RAM and Intel HD 5000 graphics, and it works like magic, running macOS Sierra. I use it for coding, web development, content writing, basic graphics and every other normal day to day tasks. I haven't faced as much as a glitch in the three years I’ve used it. I’ve never ever installed an antivirus on my Mac, unlike what I would've done had I owned a Windows laptop.Battery life is terrific, and even after 3 years, I get about 8–10 hours of battery life. When it was new, I used to get 12–13 hours of battery usage, just like what Apple advertised.Storage is a bit of a problem here, but you can always use external devices. 128GB SSDs are not sufficient in today’s world, I agree to the fact.Portability is superb, and it also adds to a social status.With 8GB RAM in the 2016 model, things are going to fly. For Rs.65,000 you should go for a Mac. That is my opinion.The benefits are many. A MacBook Air is the deal here.Amazon is currently selling the 2016 MacBook Air for Rs.62,000. You can use the Rs.3000 you save here on your external drives. Link to the Amazon page - Apple MacBook Air MMGF2HN/A 13.3-inch Laptop (Core i5/8GB/128GB/Mac OS X/Integrated Graphics)I hope this solves your query.For the latest Apple news, leaks, deals, rumours and reviews, visit Codename Apple - Everything Apple and subscribe!
Which laptop? macbook pro or air?
Pro. Best laptop you could possibly get. Fastest EVERYTHING. The Air has the slowest everything. How did you think they fit it all in there?
How is the MacBook Air 13" as a primary laptop for programming? Any suggestions for what laptop to get instead?
Tl;dr, the basic model with 4GB memory and 10.9 or later will do fine, especially as compared to the HP. There are a few things that should be said. First I would wonder why you need to watch movies, edit graphics, and program in two IDEs at the same time, but I understand you're probably just providing an extreme use case for point of discussion. In reality smart management of resources is encouraged on portable devices.Second, I say Mavericks is an important part of this, because 10.9 has some very important modifications involving energy and memory management that will help you a lot. The bottom line is that you can have as many applications or tabs open as you want, and the computer will handle it by dynamically putting those that aren't in use into sleep mode. Even with 4 gigs of memory, the flash storage and virtual memory management introduced in 10.9 does wonders.Here's my personal experience. I have the 2011 13" with 4 GB memory and the i7 processor (10.11 beta). When doing web development late at night, I set up the "command center" using three or four virtual desktops at once. I regularly have dozens of tabs open in 2-3 web browsers, as well as Photoshop and Dreamweaver. Add in Mail, iTunes, IRC, Messages, an additional editor, and a slew of mods that are always running, and you end up with a gigantic virtual memory. But it still runs smoothly without any hangs.Also, code on a mac is much prettier than on a PC thanks to better text rendering.However, the Macbook Air is not for any applications that constantly max out the processor, such as gaming or video mixdowns. I mean, it can do it, but you might fry the motherboard in the process. Also, don't use Xcode unless you're doing development for an Apple platform. It's a very heavy app.Lastly, let me say that for your use the extra $100 for the 8 gigs of memory is worth it, so I would suggest adding that to your budget.Otherwise, I think you'll enjoy the MBA and all the little details Apple puts into the macs for developers.Edit: Let me also point out Mark Zuckerberg's desk at Facebook. As you can see, his primary computer appears to be a Macbook Air!
How efficient is a MacBook Pro for gaming?
Friends don’t let friends game on Apple.MacBooks are not intended for gaming! Furthermore, in any real sense they can’t be upgraded to be gaming machines. Not while remaining portable.Just like a lot of MBP’s, you have a pretty nice machine there… except for that lame, wimpy, cheapass onboard excuse for a real graphics card. But that should be ok, because you have plenty of RAM - and gee whiz, it’s an infinitely superior magical WozniApple! Right?I have actually seen “logic” like this on forums.The thing is… for gaming, the GPU is life or death. Apple engineers are some of the most brilliant in the world. They know this!!! Apparently they don’t care. Apple simply does not make gaming machines - at least not yet. The entire world knows this.The only real hope there is for serious gaming on your Macbook is relatively new product - an external GPU, or eGPU. But hold onto your wallet - it ain’t gonna be cheap. Or portable.You will need to boot camp Windows, I highly recommend Win 10. You’ll also need a decent external monitor, an eGPU will not power your laptop screen. And you’ll want a gaming mouse, and keyboard, and speakers… Might need an external HD pretty soon… Getting my drift here? You are essentially turning your Apple laptop - into a PC desktop!FWIW, with what you will spend doing this, you could get about 2/3 of the way to a real PC gaming tower.Of course using an eGPU, you can disconnect everything and have an actual portable laptop - but it still won’t game when you get there.
Macbook 12" Inch or Macbook Pro 13" Inch Retina?
So I am torn between buying the 12 inch Macbook or the 13 inch Macbook Pro. Both are released this year and both have retina display. Both base models have the same retail price. The new Macbook is even thinner and lighter than the Air but it is a very minimalistic design. The Macbook Pro is heavier but has more power. The MBP13 has all the superior specs I'm looking for but there is something satisfying about typing on that MB12's keyboard. However it lacks all the usb ports which are what I'm used to, which they tell me I would have to buy a dongle that costs an extra $79 for all the usb ports and headphones. I usually don't mind the portability, I just want more power. The new Macbook looks cool and sexier and offers a brilliant display nearly as good as the pro but I usually don't travel too often, I often keep my laptop at home 3/4 of my time. I plan to play some games like Diablo 3, or Dota 2, other than those just some light gaming for the rest.
Macbook Pro 13 inch or Macbook Pro 15v inch?
The Core i5 processor in the entry-level 15" MacBook Pro model is significantly faster than the Core 2 Duo in the 13" MacBook Pro models. The graphics processor is faster as well. For those who do a lot of gaming or high-end graphics work, a 15" model would be a better choice. However, for your needs -- document creation, music, photos and the like -- a 13" model would work well and it's your decision whether or not the larger display and extra performance is worth the extra money to you. An objective comparison also can be useful for more details: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/macbook-pro-unibody-faq/differences-between-macbook-pro-13-15-17-inch-mid-2010.html For performance, specifically, this additionally can be worthwhile: http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/macbook-pro-unibody-faq/macbook-pro-13-15-17-mid-2010-speed-performance-comparison.html Hope this helps!
Is the Mac-book air 11.6 for me?
A lot of people look at the tiny MacBook Air for the wrong reasons. It is half the weight of most laptops, has a full-sized keyboard and boots in a flash (thanks to its solid-state (flash) storage. Its low cost vs. the MacBook Pro, however, is what attracts many people. Saving money is great, but you have to accept the limitations. The screen is small (though the resolution is better than most laptops of this size.) There is no optical drive (but you can "borrow" another computers drive, or use an external $50 drive.) That lack of an optical drive will affect you if you play games where the CD/DVD must be in the drive, and if will make installing Windows a pain. Again, you can use an external drive to install Windows. Personally, I would want a larger screen for both gaming and programming. Minecraft will work fine on an Air. If I was heading off to college, I would want a 15" MacBook Pro. The difference in price, of course, is several hundred dollars.