For the past week, I’ve been debating getting the 13″ Macbook Air to replace my 13″ Macbook (Non-Air, Non-Pro), which is a couple of years old.
My main computer is in the office, so I only use the MacBook for travel. 1 But lately, that’s been a lot. A few weeks in New York, three days in Austin, a blur of day/night in Beijing. I’ve been using it daily, and noticed it getting pokier and pokier.
The new Airs really are amazing to hold; it’s worth an Apple store visit just to admire the fit and finish.
The Air would actually have the same processor, so other than being thinner and lighter, it would be largely the same computer. But I didn’t like the keyboard as much when I tried it out in the store. And when I take my MacBook someplace, I’m mostly plopping it on a hotel desk, so it’s not especially crucial that it be lightweight.
I wasn’t eager to give up the optical drive or the ethernet connection. I often watch dailies and screeners on DVD, so it’s nice to have one always available. When I’m in a hotel room, I find it handy to share the wired internet connection with my iPad and iPhone using the Mac’s internet sharing feature. Without an ethernet port, that wouldn’t be an option. 2
In the end, I decided to keep my computer, upgrading the memory (to 4GB) and swapping the hard drive for an SSD (240GB). The process was remarkably straightforward — thank you tutorial videos — and the result feels like a new computer: snappy and quiet. Final Draft opens in one bounce, rather than five.
Plus, I still have my DVD drive and ethernet port.
All in, the upgrades ran me $580, including the special screwdrivers. The resulting computer isn’t as light as the Air ($1599) or as zippy as the newest MacBook Pros ($1499), but feels like a happy middle.
UPDATE: My friend Troy points out that I’d be getting a higher-resolution screen with the new MacBooks.