marclafountain.com

marco:

Even though I have fast desktops at home and work, I use a laptop almost every day on the train to browse the web, develop for the iPhone, and program web apps. I currently use a first-generation base-model MacBook Air, and I love its extremely light weight. But I’m really pushing the limits of its hardware, and I could really use a bigger screen.

Option 1: Keep the MacBook Air

• Pros: Cheaper (since I already own it), lighter weight (3.0 lbs.)
• Cons: Small screen, very slow, very limited

Option 2: 13” MacBook

• Pros: Not much heavier (4.5 lbs.), fast, not very limited
• Cons: Small screen

Option 3: 15” MacBook Pro

• Pros: Biggest screen, fastest, least limited
• Cons: Heaviest (5.5 lbs.)

The problem is that the cons are fairly severe, for the most part. Each con is something that I’m likely to regret almost every day.

I have no idea what to do. </whitewhine>

I faced this same dilemma (though I doubt I pushed the limits of the Air’s hardware as much as you do). I went with the 13-inch MacBook for these reasons:

• The Air was feeling too sluggish and I wanted something with more power.
• I hate the bulk and weight of 15-inch laptops.
• The MacBook is $400 to $1,000 cheaper than the 15-inch MacBook Pro. (You could get Tiff something really nice with an extra $1,000.)
• I don’t need a higher screen resolution than what the MacBook supports. (I understand you do.)
• The extra features on the MacBook Pro aren’t worth it for me, especially since I got the higher-end MacBook. I don’t need Firewire, an ExpressCard slot, or a better graphics card. (Maybe you do, though.)
• The resale value of original Airs is probably going to drop off pretty quickly so I wanted to make a move.

I’ll be interested to hear what you choose!