To Air is human, but is Pro divine?

And, it is, on many levels. BUT, for his purposes, it wasn’t a good replacement for the 2011 MacBook Air. iSensei’s always felt the Air was a tremendously sweet piece of machinery, a perfect balance of performance and comfort. Jobs knows the first one (2008) was a bit anemic when it came to RAM and processing power. But still, the beautiful form factor and amazingly light construction encouraged one to upgrade with the release of the 2010 iteration. The improvements introduced in the two years between versions souped-up the Air performance enough to allay many people’s fears about it being under-powered, and then the 2011 model was noticeably even better! Felt like a no-compromise machine. iSensei loved his MBAir BUT when we all heard the specs on the new MacBook Pro, especially the more-Air like form factor and a Retina Display level screen, what was an Enlightened One to do?! iSensei’s love of the iPad 3 (there, it was said: 3!) was largely based on its truly beautiful display. So the thought of a 15″ superscreen on a sleek yet more powerful laptop… Well, sign us up!

But, as we’re sure you know, iSensei is not an Apple Zombie, eating everything Cupertino dishes out. Yes? No? Well, you can take our word for it, for we are emphatically not. 95%+ maybe… but NOT everything! SO, the new MacBook Pro arrives, resplendent in its smaller, Air-inspired case and sporting a very delightful screen.

Trouble in the Air

All’s well and good… except iSensei realizes he doesn’t really need all this power since the 2011 Air was handling everything he was throwing at it (understand, there’s a 2011 iMac sitting in iSensei HQ also for heavy lifting). And, even though it was lighter than the last MBPro owned some 5 years ago or so, it’s still noticeably heavier than the Air. You see, iSensei actually uses his laptop mostly on his lap, sitting in his comfy throne, I mean chair. A couple of hours (which is a short stint for the Wise One) with the new MBProdigging into his tender thighs, things got a might uncomfortable. iSensei is a delicate flower, as anyone who knows him can attest (NOT!).

Also, in terms of physical adjustments, after 4 years of 13″ MBAirs (perfect size, I’d say), the 15″ MBPro felt huge. Awkward even. Jobs knows it has nothing on the “Battleship”, the former MacBook Pro 17″, but it’s amazing what a difference the two additional inches make (that’s what she–SHUT UP, YOU).

So, we (The Royal One) sat back and contemplated this dilemma: does iSensei keep the new MBPro JUST so he can say he has the latest and greatest OR will he accept it’s just not right for his current lotus-position sitting lifestyle? In no time at all, a brilliant resolution was achieved. Huzzah! We’ll send back the new MBPro and instead get the new 2012 MacBook Air! Saves money AND helps the environment! (wait! you can’t use that everywhere. Be careful).

No Go Pro

Happily, this approach has worked out just peachy keen. iSensei thinks that unless you’re doing some really heavy-duty computing, like plotting the flight plan for the next Explorer headed towards Uranus (sorry!) or video-editing some sucky major motion picture, the MBPro is great but overkill for most folks. Save yourself some real bucks and invest in the new Air. That is if you can live without the Retina Display. iSensei can, long as no one takes away his new iPad!

If you HAVE to have an external disk drive (a DVD SuperDrive) –and there’s only been a few times one was needed in the last 4 drive-less MacBook Air years — you can buy one separately and still save hundred$. Other recommendations: try to spring for 8 megs of RAM (instead of the standard 4) as they’re soldered into place, making upgrades like impossible AND buy the biggest internal Solid State Drive you can afford (256 gigs aren’t too pricey and is a good deal of space). The RAM and SSD are where you really get a speed advantage you can feel.

So, there you have it — How iSensei stopped worrying (about the Pro) and learned to love the Air (it’s the “bomb”, as nobody says anymore). Hope this helps you all. Please be sure to write in and share YOUR thoughts on the topic!