Macbook Air or Pro?

doublem1

doublem1

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I'm looking to get a used (probably 2012/2013) macbook. I have a mid 2011 iMac that I use for post processing my Raws. I'm assuming a macbook air or pro won't be able to compare in processing power, but am I wrong? I think I'd prefer an Air due to the SSD. I think I'd mainly use it to update my website, post a few pictures etc. So I wouldn't be doing a huge amount of processing on the macbook.

My budget is about £500.

Here is my iMac for comparison:

Screenshot%202015-10-22%2013.43.17.png
 
Depending on the model, the MacBook Pro could give you iMac a good run for it's money, but it does depend on getting a good bargain. MBP's tend to hold their value so you may struggle to get a 15" version at your price point. The 13" is OK , but it's a bit small for editing images etc. OK for simply posting to Facebook , but difficult to edit images on. The Air is much slower than the Pro as it's mainly designed as a notebook, and generally has limited storage .Again you may struggle to get a decent one at your price point within the age you are looking at
 
Chappers said:
Depending on the model, the MacBook Pro could give you iMac a good run for it's money, but it does depend on getting a good bargain. MBP's tend to hold their value so you may struggle to get a 15" version at your price point. The 13" is OK , but it's a bit small for editing images etc. OK for simply posting to Facebook , but difficult to edit images on. The Air is much slower than the Pro as it's mainly designed as a notebook, and generally has limited storage .Again you may struggle to get a decent one at your price point within the age you are looking at
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Forgot to mention, I don't really want a 15". The 13" would be fine for me I think. Is the Air much slower to the Pro in comparison?
 
In general the Air is slower. It does depend on the spec of the two computers.
 
If you only want to update your website and do the odd bit of editing when out and about, a 2-3 year old Air will do the job quite nicely and you should be able to find something in your price range.

Here's an article about using an Air on the road: http://www.macworld.com/article/1158047/mbaforphotographers.html

As discussed elsewhere, fitting additional RAM and an SSD to a non-Retina display MacBook Pro will make it a lot quicker.
 
My first Mac was a mid-2012 13"MBP. I bought it base spec then upgraded the RAM and SSD myself. It was really easy. It cost me well under £1000 at the time, so I'm sure it'll be within your budget now. Mine is still going strong and is my wife's main machine.
 
The Air is very limited in terms of power and storage options, and the 11" really is a tiny screen. A MBP is a much better device in my honest opinion, but as with most Apple products, they do hold their value reasonably well. You may just get a MBP for £500, but it's going to be quite a low spec, fairly old model.
 
Well here's my mbp 13" that Ive happily been using for near on 3 years now and is my main machine, done all editing of every picture on my flickr on this machine and not had a bother about it. yours vs mine :-)Screen Shot 2015-10-23 at 10.12.07 by Donnie Canning, on Flickr
 
As I won't be doing the bulk of my photo editing on a MacBook (if any) I've decided to go for a MacBook Air. It's a mid-2013 model and should arrive on Monday. Can't wait! Thanks all the help and advice.
 
doublem1 said:
As I won't be doing the bulk of my photo editing on a MacBook (if any) I've decided to go for a MacBook Air. It's a mid-2013 model and should arrive on Monday. Can't wait! Thanks all the help and advice.
Click to expand...
I've got both and the truth is they're both excellent.

If, like you, I already had an iMac, I'd definitely be getting the Air.

Enjoy :D
 
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