MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro

[BGM]

Hey, so i am still trying to decide on which 13" MacBook to get for work, should i need to go for a MacBook Pro (w. touchbar), or maybe can 'get away with' a MacBook Air??

 

Right now, my workload as a developer/consultant is outlook, office, aws, azure portal, c#, python, etc in visual studio code, apache spark (python/scala), you get the picture - i don't much heavy lifting right now, but i probably will want to run parallels, and also maybe do a bit of hobby iOS app development somewhere along the line.. a lot of my workload is browser based, or in 'the cloud' which is why i'm considering the Air at all..

 

In Dec '18, I bought a cheap 2015 rMBP (w/ 16Gb RAM, 512Gb HDD, and 2.9GHz CPU) as a bit of a test of how i liked macOS.. and performance wise it has been excellent. It's more than capable for what i need/want and apart from the slightly bad (old) battery is a solid performer, although I've not actually tried the iOS app dev bit to be honest.

 

So, I am looking at either:-

• 13" MBP w/ touchbar - 2.4 GHz quad-core i5, 16Gb RAM, 512Gb HDD @ £2129.00
• 13" MBA - 1.6 GHz dual‑core i5, 16Gb RAM, 512Gb HDD @ £1779.00

 

What do people think i should do considering my workload.. i am not a 'creative', but certainly am a pro. I spent about 10-12h a day in front of a screen either at home or work, and this probably needs to last 4+ years.. i do appreciate though that there is only £350 between them, so over the time period of ownership that's negligible.. so, maybe I've already answered my own question

 

If i were interested in the 15" model, this would be a no-brainer.. but i *think* it's a bit big really for my travel needs, and when at a desk i am always docked anyway - going to run down to the apple store this evening after work and check out the 15" though just to be sure!!

 

Thoughts?

[adrynalyne]

You don’t want to be running parallels on an Air. 

 

Think of it this way. At the price point Apple weighs in at, do you really want to just squeeze by, knowing you didn’t pick the right tool for the job, having to pay more later because it wasn’t sufficient to grow with?

 

Eat the cost once, not (potentially) twice. 

Edited June 12, 2019 by adrynalyne

[RadishTM Veteran]

I'd stick with the 2015 rMBP that you have now to be honest, it's a solid design/spec with all the I/O ports and the last model where the keyboard is brilliant compared to the reliability of the 2016-2019 models. You could always get a battery replacement through Apple and it will last a good few years yet.

[BGM]

curveball @RadishTM, i had waited for the new MBP to be released.. i like the shiny shiny and was disappointed with the lack of redesign.

 

maybe you are right, just work with what i have right now.. hmm!!!!

[Brandon H Supervisor]

I agree with Radish; just replace the battery in your current MBP and it should treat you well for another few years or so.

 

if you're adamant on upgrading though I'd stick with the MBP range if you wish to be running parallels. A dual-core will struggle a bit with any kind of virtualization.

[tsupersonic]

+1 for keeping the 2015 MBP. 

[+Fahim S. MVC]

From my point of view, it was worth getting an MBA over an MBP because they used to be significantly thinner and lighter.  Now the Pro is thinner than the fattest part of an MBA, and only weighs 120g or so more than the Air.

 

Unless you are desperate to save the money (£250, which does get you a worse spec), or that 120g makes a difference to you, there is virtually no good reason for choosing the Air now.

[BGM]

given the chat in here, i think i am going to continue with the rMBP 2015 for the moment.. and see how that goes. i wanted a new machine as it was fully covered by my employer.. but honestly it doesn't feel like the sensible thing to do..

 

we all know there will be a new MBP design in a year or so, and with the 2015 model, i can certainly wait..

 

thanks for making me see the logic