let’s say i want really lightweight and small. but i want to type on a full sized keyboard. i need both wifi and 3g. i need this to work everywhere in the world.
i’m guessing my best option is an ipad with wifi and 3g, use it as a monitor and cpu only, connecting one of those foldable, fungible keypads. is this about it? if so, is that the best apple-os option?
Macbook Air
.
Macbook Air
x2 (And I’m a PC/Android guy…)
.
Another vote for the macbook air. Nothing else comes close. Plus the thing starts up in about 5 seconds since its all flashdrive.
MacBook Air X4
.
here’s my problem with macbook air and i’m sure you guys can solve it. if i need a 3g connection, i can’t get it outside the u.s. unless i pay roaming charges. i can get a data plan for my iphone that’ll work in europe, but, i can’t tether with it. so i’m stuck using the iphone, and i can’t do that.
i can get an ipad with 3g built in. can i get a macbook air with 3g built in? if so, then i can spitcan the data plan altogether on my iphone, or at least spitcan tethering, which gives me a better data option for my iphone. but i’d need a built-in 3g for my laptop. tell me how you guys do that.
Stunning. We have ST consensus.
(You will have to add a 3G dongle to a MacBook Air to meet your stated requirements, though.)
EDIT: I just saw your post above. 3G dongles are available from most wireless carriers, tied to their plans. Just plug it into your USB port and you’re off.)
so, what are you guys getting? 11"? or 13"? can you really type on the 11"?
so, what are you guys getting? 11"? or 13"? can you really type on the 11"?
I got my daughter an 11". The keyboard is “full sized” on both units. IMO, display size vs portability is the tradeoff between the 11 and 13.
Another possibility, perhaps cheaper in the long run, would be to buy a GSM hotspot, like a MiFi.
This way, rather than getting a dongle from foreign wireless carriers, you just get a SIM card (with a data plan) from them. You then use the hotspot for connecting with whatever sort of laptop or tablet you like. An additional advantage is that a traveling companion (or four) could share your 3G connection on their own WiFi devices.
I’ll admit that I’ve never actually tried this sort of thing . . . but I’m a big fan of getting native SIM cards for our own phones (including a cheap Android phone) when I’m out of the country.
No that’s not it. Asus makes a highy functional tablet that you can attach a keyboard and make into a notebook. It’s less expensive than the iPad and much less expensive than the iMac. The Asus Transformer. It’s an Android product. I saw another passenger using it and was impressed with it’s ability to function both as a tablet and a laptop. It is both 3g and Wifi. Comes with Google docs, gmail, etc.
But it comes down to what you perfer. Apple, Windows, or Android. You do have choices.
For my laptop I use my phone as a hotspot. I have a mytouch 4g from tmobile. Doesnt cost me anything extra to do it and I do it constantly. Its the only reason I dont have an iphone.
I believe Chromebooks have 3g and wifi too. but know nothing else about them.
might be another option.
I went from a 15" macbook pro i7, to a 13" macbook air i7 and for day to day stuff, there are no performance hits.
I would not go smaller than 13 though.
If you are buying now, I would go macbook air (ultimate build) i7 with 256 ssd.
I have a Macbook Air i7 11" and I LOVE IT! I use my iPhone to tether as a wifi hotspot and it works great. I have always had a 15" MBP or Powerbook for years, I haven’t missed it once.
Sony Vaio Z series. 13 inch, same weight as MacBook air - WAY more powerful intel i7. Solid state hard drives. Magnesium case. Carbon fiber lid. BUILT IN 3G (Verizon or Sprint). Full size keyboard. Switchable graphics chip and up to 1920 x 1080 res (full HD), HDMI out. The list goes on.
I also have a MacBook Air (first gen) and I like the Sony much better. Only issue is price since it is almost 1K more than an air - you want the best, right? I have run to work 3 days/week with this bouncing around my backpack, seeing patients all day on and working all night on it. Never a hitch in 15 months. MacBook air hinge went, went through 2 of the damn mag power cords (1 on my MacBook Pro as well and just received the class action lawsuit notice against Apple for it).
Out of curiosity - why would I move from a MacBook Pro to a MacBook Air? It seems like the specs are better on the MacBook Pro.
My wife’s macbook pro was dying, so I gave her mine it was less than a year old i7. I got the Air as an in-between laptop till the Pro’s are updated to a new form factor, or the 15" Air comes out, but now that I have it, I like it. Rumors are reporting the "15 Air will be 2 quarter 2012, or its a redesigned Pro, either way. =]
I’m a complete mac whore
Mac Pro at work (SSD drives 18GB Ram, 27" Apple Display, 23" Apple Display)
Macbook Pro (wife’s)
Macbook Air (mine)
Mac mini server edition (hooked up to the TV in living room)
and other misc stuff around the house.
What is better about the MacBook Air? I am uncertain why anyone would want to Air over the Pro.
I have a 13" MacBook Pro (so does the wifey) and a 27" iMac. Love them. But, not sure what the appeal is of the Air, given that the specs seems better on the Pro.
For me, I use my notebook while watching TV etc, I could never put a Pro on my lap because it gets WAY to hot to use as a LAPtop.
Never had a 13" pro, but if your asking why an Air over a 13" pro, it’s mostly a personal preference thing, I didn’t need the interfaces that are in the 13" pro and I wanted something light weight, but has a keyboard, the air to me is a crossover between the pro and an iPad.
YMMV.