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Ask YC: MacBook Black vs. MacBook Air

5 points by sebastian ↗ HN
I have been wasting way too much time trying to decide whether I should get the Slick MacBook Air vs. a MacBook black.

I'm going to Europe in a few days and I need a portable laptop to code on the road.

I love how light (3 pounds), compact, slick and beautiful the Air is but I'm concerned about it's limitations: only 2 GB of RAM, slower processor, only one USB port, not DVD/CD-ROM, not Ethernet port.

On the other hand I could get a not so pretty, not so light (5 pounds), not so slick but more complete and powerful MacBook black. It comes with a faster processor, RAM can eventually be upgraded to 4GB, it has more USB ports, DVD/CD-ROM, battery life is supposed to be better.

What do you recommend I get?

36 comments

[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 57.6 ms ] thread
sama
MacBook Air is a truly excellent computer. It's powerful enough for all but the most intense compiling. I don't know anyone who has one and doesn't love it.
wave
Sam, do you have an email address to send you something about add-on to Loopt service? Or send to my email on profile.
dpc
I'd go with a Macbook black.
gumbah
I faced the same choice last month and went for the Macbook black. Mainly because of the better specs for a lower price.
sebastian
Has it been picking up grease like walterk mentioned?

If I go for the black I'm pretty sure I will be getting the same model you got.

gumbah
walterk does have a point... but it's pretty ok... i bought a "crumpler" keyboard protector with it, which can also be used to wipe the screen and "grease" of the surface
walterk
Dunno if the latest versions of the black MacBook still have this problem, but I had one of the first (Core Duo), and that thing picked up grease like nobody's business.

If they still have that problem (which I think they do), you're better off going with a white MacBook. But personally, if you're not going the Air route, I'd opt for a 15" MacBook Pro: it's only 0.4 lbs heavier, with more screen real estate.

sebastian
The grease issue sounds like a problem. I have been trying to look it up but all complains are from around 2 years ago. I wonder if that was solved.
ihartley
My black MacBook greased up a little bit at first, but it doesn't even pick up finger prints once I cleaned the whole thing with Brillianize. I'd say stay away from the Air until v2 or v3, the MacBooks have already had most of their issues sorted, plus you can get a sweet handle for it.
chengmi
The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser cleans all those greasy areas and makes it look like new. I use it to clean the keyboard and touchpad on my black Macbook all the time.
silencio
I just recently got the top case of my blackbook engraved and nobody pays attention to the grease marks anymore. ;) (Arguably the engraving may or may not detract from the overall beauty of the laptop, but that's a personal preference to me)

In fact, the only time anyone does pay attention to them are in my flickr photos of the engraving, because I didn't bother wiping off the laptop before taking pics. Oh well.

rms
I give Apple a lot of credit for making a product where it is really worth paying extra money for a different color. Has anyone else ever done that? I would get a Black Macbook if I was getting a Macbook.
silencio
I was so sick and tired of being able to choose between only silver (the pro laptops) and white (the iBooks) that I vowed my next Apple laptop would be a color I want (black) no matter what. Apple thankfully came out with a black MacBook when I was finally getting sick of my iBook after having sold my PowerBook G4 (it was 17" and too big). I hounded the salespeople at the local Apple store until they had one in stock.

It ended up being cheaper than a "professional" paint job (which usually doesn't include the keys) and cleaner than a paint job done by yours truly. The whole laptop is black, including the colored parts of the ports that you can see and the keyboard. I know it doesn't cost them that much to manufacture a black version, but I thought it was well worth it.

I don't think many others have been able to pull off charging for a color option, but it's not exactly unheard of (think cars and metallic paint).

stcredzero
The MacBook Air is slow. Go for Black.
axod
so slow you'll notice? :/ depends if you do lots of CPU heavy tasks.
stcredzero
From what I have heard from new Air owners, it's the CPU and the disk drive. It's pokey all around. Compactness is its primary and only virtue.
bomberstudios
looks like you've made up your heart and now you're trying to make up your mind and/or wallet.

It may seem silly, but for me the main reason to choose a computer is what I call "the regret factor" (i.e: how much you'll miss the one you didn't choose)

No amount of processing power or future expandability can compensate just a single "I wish I had bought the other computer"

Just my .02

sebastian
That's a pretty good point. I have been in love with the air since the day it was announced. I just want to make sure I won't eventually regret not having a little more flexibility.
Shadow84
A friend of mine bought a MacBook Air. It is nice if you don't have to high expectations performancewise. Another problem is, that the Air gets very warm. All the other limitations you can work around.

I would get the MacBook Black because it is more bang for the buck.

aheilbut
I have a MacBook black, and I'd go with the MacBook Pro - the more screen the better.
silencio
I have a black MacBook and unless my laptop-lugging habits change, I can't go with the Pro. I used to have a 17" aluminum PowerBook G4 and that thing dented like crazy. I see the MBPs still dent fairly easily. My MacBook Amateur tends to be a lot more cosmetic damage-resistant. :)
mdakin
If you intend to do heavy lifting in OSX and VMWare/Windows concurrently you either need "patience" or 4GB of RAM. If you only need one OS at a time 2GB should work. This advice is specific to my type of software work. Depending on your specifics the RAM issue may be the decision point or it may not be.

BTW, the RAM upgrade to 4GB right now is ~ $100 (see crucial.com).

ra
I took a macbook black around Eastern Europe last year, and it was invaluable, however - it was quite a weight to lug around.

I assume the Air is a lot lighter?

If it saved me a kilo I'd seriously consider it. Battery life is important too.

silencio
I am sorely tempted to tell you to wait just because WWDC is around the corner. Not much chance that the MacBooks will be updated, but you never know..but given your timeframes it seems you don't have a choice.

My two cents: black MacBook and get extra ram and battery for the same price as an air. The air is a nice machine, but if it's going to be your only computer on the trip, you might want to reconsider (taking into account your budget, length of travel, et cetera).

On a sidenote, I've been sorely tempted to buy an air but I've been sidetracked by the vastly cheaper ultraportables (like the eee and hp mininote 2133) that fit in my purse. Something to go between my blackbook and my iPhone. The air doesn't quite fit that niche well and I would be pretty mad if someone stole it or I lost it, while losing an eee wouldn't be as tear-inducing. They don't run (unhacked) OS X, so I can't do some development work (iphone iphone iphone ;) ), but I could do other things on there...and they all do email and web and what have you.

RyanGWU82
I have a white MacBook that's about a year old, and it's already taken quite a beating. I've been in school, and admittedly I have been pretty rough on it. But there are scratches in the white lacquer, and more disturbingly, there are some cracks in the case, near the trackpad.

Since the black MacBook doesn't have the same glossy finish, you won't have the same type of exterior scratches. But I doubt build quality is actually much different between the two. I'd be wary of buying another MacBook.

The MacBook Air is only about $300 more, but all reports indicate that the build quality is phenomenal. (Same with the MacBook Pro.) If you're going to be using the laptop on the road, and you want to keep it a few years, then I'd spend the extra money for the Air.

Plus, you're clearly more excited about the MacBook Air... so go for it! :)

silencio
The black Macbook can indeed be scratched and all, but it won't be as noticeable from personal experience (but I haven't yet seen a deep scratch...).
tienshiao
I'd try taking your MacBook to an Apple Store. The cracks are a known problem, and they may take care of you even if you're out of warranty (or maybe not).
xugglybug
I'd be reluctant to be an Air just yet as it's still so new.

If you ever use ethernet, remember, there's no port. It may be compact and light but as you mention, it doesn't have as good a spec and costs more. You're paying for style and size, and unless you travel a lot, is it worth it?

axod
weight, build quality, multi touch, backlit kb. build quality on air is even better than mb which is no mean feat.
fiaz
My rule of thumb when purchasing a computer: think about what will be most (relatively) useful 18 months from now. I always consider purchasing a new computer every 24-30 months. The 6-12 months is my "coping" period between the old computer and new computer depending upon my needs.
comforteagle
Being unsure of the specs I bought an Air at a local big box store so I could bring it back later if I was unhappy. I did. -no power-
kdl
I recently bought a MacBook and I'm very disappointed with the screen as it's vertical viewing angle is very narrow. Looking at the screen other than at exactly the right angle results in the screen appearing very washed out.

Compare it against the MacBook Air and your descision will be made easier.

cpr
MacBook Air, no question. It's fast enough.

I came to this conclusion unexpectedly, having lived with a couple of generations of MBP 17", and, tiring of slow laptop drives, got a latest-generation 24" iMac a few weeks ago. (Which is a great balance of disk/CPU speed, size and cost vs the high-end Mac Pros. I had a 30" cinema display on the MBP and found it too large, oddly enough, while the 24" size seems just exactly right, especially when paired with another 23" cinema display for serious real estate.)

Then, having passed on my latest 17" to my daughter for some serious InDesign production work (2000+-page concordance), I realized I'd need a portable machine, so got the Air as an after-thought, assuming I'd only use it on the road.

Without my realizing it, I had shifted most of my daily work to the Air (email, web browsing, Campfire, iChat, NetNewsWire, Terminal (emacs), etc.), leaving the iMac for only actual development work. (Mostly iPhone development these days.)

The Air seems just as snappy as my recent-generation MBPs, and it's a dream to pick up and carry around--more like a paper notebook than a computer. The screen is about the best you'll ever find (LED backlighting), and the CPU core shutdown problem seems to be defeated fairly easily by simply selecting Optimization: Normal in the Energy Saver system preference panel. (I don't think this particular fix is well-known. It certainly solved the YouTube-video-causes-one-core-thermal-shutdown problem for me.)

So go with your heart and you won't be sorry. ;-)

timfletcher
I think you have to be realistic about HOW LONG you will be carrying a laptop on your shoulder before you take a break. 10 minutes? Half an hour? 3 hours? Realistically? A 'standard' notebook is no problem to carry in a shoulder strap bag for up to an hour at a time I'd say. Any more (like my recent siteseeing trip around London and you'll wish you had an Air. I certainly did! Most people go for only a relatively short distance before sitting.