# My MacBook Air is from 2010....



## martti (Jun 24, 2015)

This is true. My dearest gadget is five years old. I got it when my MBookPro would not upgrade its OS any further and got stuck with the LR3. Or something like that, don't remember exactly. I tried iPad which was a miserable failure at the time for my purposes. 

Now I get a lot of beach ball with the 4GB only RAM that cannot be upgraded. The HD is a 256BG SSD so this is basically it. The problem is evident, LR6, Mail and Chrome just do not want to run simultaneously.
Which means I'd have to upgrade which is not surprising, five years is a long time calculated in Computer Years.

My questions are actually just to know opinions. All the better if they are based on experience and goow will.

1) Is this the time to embrace Windows? I am looking at a 1400-2000 dollar pain here. Would I get significantly more prcessing power and screen quality in the PC world? Have you heard of anybody who would have gone from Mac to PC and survived to tell the story?

2) Is the Retina screen really as good as they say? Like worth the extra money 150 dollars or something?
Is there a similar or better screen available in the PC world? I have had Apple Macs since 1989.

3) I really like the size and the form of the MBookAir. Not once did I miss the Ethernet port. I got an external BlueRayfrom Alibaba, China for 58 euros and it plays through USB no problem. I can burn DVDs if I want to. 
Never did but I could.
What would be the major argument for MBookPro against the Air?

4) I have a beautiful Samsung 27" screen next to my iMac. Is there any reason to keep the iMac if I get the MBookPro with a graphics card? I mean, could I just use all my periphericals (Wacom, Epson etc...) off the MBook Pro? Is it possible to live with just the portable?

Right now I am looking at some deals on eBay. Looks like there is choice. Before I make decision, I would like to hear some of your opinions on the subject.


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## RLPhoto (Jun 24, 2015)

I have a dell laptop from 2011 I've upgraded to 8gb of ram and two SSDs. I'm surprised how well LR6 runs on it especially with a Core M processor. :/

I wouldn't switch to windows unless your willing to relearn everything. I've switched back in 2006 and glad I did for numerous reasons, mostly as I don't like rehauling my OS every year since 10.4 tiger, then finding my software isn't supported, then I have to buy a new mac. :/


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## NancyP (Jun 24, 2015)

So far as I know, the Retina screen is the best laptop screen out there, in terms of resolution.
I am still using my mid-2010 MBPro, but it has 8 G of RAM. Still on LR4, mostly because I don't have a new camera, and the 2012 process update was the major feature to appear in LR4-5-6. I have been happy with my Macs. User of both platforms since 1990, far prefer Mac OSs.


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## bereninga (Jun 24, 2015)

I think it depends on what you want to use the laptop for. If it will be your main editing machine, I'd replace the old MBP and iMac w/ a good spec'd MBP 13" Retina. 15" is just too big to carry around IMO and the Air doesn't have enough processing power to be a main machine for photo editing.

I switched to Mac in 2001 and never turned back to Windows. Sorry I have no input on today's Windows machines. Have you looked at the 5K iMac at all? They're pretty nice if you don't really bring your laptop around.


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## Zeidora (Jun 24, 2015)

I have to work dual platforms. I also got started on a Mac Plus, so have some Mac history. I have to use Wintel boxes for running microscopes and for custom databases. However, whenever I don't have to, I run everything on my macs. Relearning everything to save a couple bucks is not worth it, IMHO. What is your time worth?

Re Mbook Pro vs. Air, unless you want to connect more stuff to it directly, I see no reason. I regularly do powerpoint lectures with Mbook Air, and a PP projector is just like an external screen. You already have the external CD/DVD drive, so that cost does not apply.

Re 27" display, I would rather use it as a dual screen set-up, though it won't be fully continuous. Then you could also use the keyboard of the Mbook. I tried that for a while, but was not terribly happy with it. However, I am using a MacPro soup can with dual 27" for heavy book layout and associated PS, Word, DB, work. It may depend on how heavy a user you are.

My 2012 1.8 GHz 4GB MBair is insufficient = painfully slow for PS batch processing several hundred RAW files from 5d2, and subsequent stacking in Zerene. Here a proper desktop still has the edge. If you just do tonal adjustments, cropping and a bit of USM on individual files, a Mbook should be fine. I use my MBair mainly for web surfing/e-mail on couch, and a bit for writing/editing Word files. I can run QuarkXPress on it when I am on the road, but it ain't fun.

Hope that helps.


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## martti (Jun 24, 2015)

*you people are great*

I was a bit worried posting here because I have seen people get flamed for no obvious reason at all.
My problem is that if I respond in kind, I will be forever excluded from the site.

The first conclusion is to stay with Mac.
The second is to get enough RAM and SSD har drive.
The third would be the Retina screen. 15" would be too big to lug around so the 13.3".

The question remaining is about i5 or i7 processors and their overdrives.
Is there somebody here who has actually withessed the generation makes in the operating speed.

I think I got the machine in my sights now....


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## sanj (Jul 4, 2015)

martti said:


> This is true. My dearest gadget is five years old. I got it when my MBookPro would not upgrade its OS any further and got stuck with the LR3. Or something like that, don't remember exactly. I tried iPad which was a miserable failure at the time for my purposes. I FEEL ONE SHOULD UPDATE COMPUTERS EVERY 5 YEARS FOR SURE. LIFE IS TOO SHORT NOT TOO.
> 
> Now I get a lot of beach ball with the 4GB only RAM that cannot be upgraded. The HD is a 256BG SSD so this is basically it. The problem is evident, LR6, Mail and Chrome just do not want to run simultaneously.
> Which means I'd have to upgrade which is not surprising, five years is a long time calculated in Computer Years. GET LATEST WITH LOTS OF RAM AND YOU WILL NOTICE COMPUTING POWER.
> ...


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## snowphotographer (Jul 4, 2015)

NancyP said:


> So far as I know, the Retina screen is the best laptop screen out there, in terms of resolution.
> I am still using my mid-2010 MBPro, but it has 8 G of RAM. Still on LR4, mostly because I don't have a new camera, and the 2012 process update was the major feature to appear in LR4-5-6. I have been happy with my Macs. User of both platforms since 1990, far prefer Mac OSs.



In terms of resolution there are many screens that beat or will match the Retina pixel density. Which is not a standard by the way. Still a Mac might have a decent screen (even though all laptop screens are trade-offs) but so do other brands. But please, why the guessing, or the "as far as I know" when a very simple search gives you

http://www.notebookcheck.net/The-Best-Notebook-Displays-As-Reviewed-By-Notebookcheck.120541.0.html

for example. (search "highest resolution laptop screen 2015")


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## snowphotographer (Jul 4, 2015)

A really nice looking machine at the moment is the Dell XPS 13

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8983/dell-xps-13-review

which I would personally get right now if I was upgrading. I wouldn't worry so much about which OS I'm using, they are both intuitive. The creative stuff is happening in your applications anyway and as long as they work on different platforms they pretty much always behaves the same way.


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## Don Haines (Jul 4, 2015)

I was wondering if anyone has tried running photoshop on the surface tablet....


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## Dugways (Jul 5, 2015)

I would say that its possible to edit strictly off of a laptop, especially if you have external monitors and input devices. However, it mostly depends on what you're using it for. Professional users may argue that the physical limitations of a laptop alone might be a deal breaker. But if photography and editing is just a hobby, then only having a laptop would probably be just fine


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## martti (Sep 13, 2015)

So now I ordered a MacBook pro with a i7 processor, a 500GB SSD and 8MB of RAM.
Meanwhile, I got an SSD for my iMac also. That will probably change the way I work remarkably.

Why not Windows? People I trust told me that for an old geezer who's been on Mac since 1989. Windows would give a bleeding ulcer. Two people who actually earn their licving from IT business told me that in the case of needing a Win application for whatever reason, they'd somehow make my Mac chew Windows data like that, no problem.

Today I learned hot to date your Canon lenses. Oops. And mine.
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Canon-Lenses/Canon-Lens-Aging.aspx
JUST TAKE PICTURES. Ok so your lens was ten years old when you bought it. Does it take pictures you like (yes).
So what is the problem? the problem is that nobody wants to buy the version 1.0 lenses when the version 2.0 has been out for a while. What to do?

–Take pictures. Like you did before. That's what the lenses are for. THough I have to admit that the next time before I buys a Canon lens on the Net I want to have the production number before I click on GayPal...


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## benique (Sep 13, 2015)

I think you made the right choice.

The price of electronics usually has a correlation with the quality. It's very difficult to compare various computers if you are not aware of all the different details you have to check.

I would not buy any device anymore without a retina screen. It's pretty clear that SSD drives are faster than traditional ones. The new MacBook Pro's for example have SSD drives with a speed of 2 GB/s. Most other SSDs nowadays have read and write speeds of around 500 MB/s.


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## Tinky (Sep 14, 2015)

Haha!

My Macbook Pro is from 2006, fitted an SSD and upgraded to OS.10.6.8 a couple of years back and it works great as an offline editor for video and can handle moderate PS chores, maxed out at 2GB ram, so would probably creak rather loudly with anything more recent that my 7D, but as a word / browser / tetherer / fcp7 offline i'll keep using it if it keeps working.

My macmini is from 2004 (I think) and has a quiet retirement as my music streamer connected to the TV. 

My desktop is a 2009 Quad-i7 and is working away fine. At the point where I'm thinking of either maxing the RAM out to 32gb, replacing the internal HDD with an SSD and the optical drive with a second SSD (fastest connection is FW800, internal is SATAII, fast enough for me) or going for a hackintosh.. or shock horror, just a plain old pc.

I love the screen on my imac, and it is still doing the job...

Part of me thinks about buying a refurn late macpro tower and using the extra bays for some fast and large raided drives. Put an SSD for the system in the spare optical bay and software raiding 2x 2x3tb for fast scratches.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Sep 14, 2015)

I currently use windows, most of the laptops are more flexible in that you can upgrade memory by a limited amount, and you can upgrade hard drives. However, you still reach the point where the processor is too slow and the screen is obsolete.

If you want to edit photos on a laptop, a IPS screen is a huge advantage, since tilting the screen does not change the apparent contrast or colors.

Just figure on 5-7 years before upgrading. Macs have been slow to adapt new processors, so you can be 1-2 years out of date at the start.


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## Hjalmarg1 (Sep 14, 2015)

martti said:


> So now I ordered a MacBook pro with a i7 processor, a 500GB SSD and 8MB of RAM.
> Meanwhile, I got an SSD for my iMac also. That will probably change the way I work remarkably.
> 
> Why not Windows? People I trust told me that for an old geezer who's been on Mac since 1989. Windows would give a bleeding ulcer. Two people who actually earn their licving from IT business told me that in the case of needing a Win application for whatever reason, they'd somehow make my Mac chew Windows data like that, no problem.
> ...


I think you did a great choice. I revamped my MacBook Pro 2012 with 2x8GB RAM memory and new SSD 500Gb and it rocks...


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## martti (Dec 24, 2015)

Yeah, the machinery is all very fine but nothing beats the portability of the MBook Air.
With the experience I have now, I woud have gotten the MBA with lesser specs.


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## awair (Jan 18, 2018)

Just debating the latest offer from B&H - save $1000 off the top retina MBP (admittedly 2016 model), 2TB SSD & 16GB Ram...

... but I already have this in my 2011 MBP17! I would only gain the faster CPU, and knowledge of a 3-year warranty. I bought this machine as an Apple refurb in 2013, before the last of the 17s disappeared. I would not trade the 17 for a retina 15, if I had a choice (old pair of eyes).

I've upgrade the HDD 3 times for a new SSD (480, 1TB, 2TB), and the optical swapped out for another 1TB HDD.

I'll try and keep it going for another two years? But still twitching at that offer...


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## neuroanatomist (Jan 18, 2018)

awair said:


> Just debating the latest offer from B&H - save $1000 off the top retina MBP (admittedly 2016 model), 2TB SSD & 16GB Ram...
> 
> ... but I already have this in my 2011 MBP17! I would only gain the faster CPU, and knowledge of a 3-year warranty. I bought this machine as an Apple refurb in 2013, before the last of the 17s disappeared. I would not trade the 17 for a retina 15, if I had a choice (old pair of eyes).
> 
> ...



I'm also still using a 2011 MBP 17, with a 1 TB SSD – still running fine. 

I also have a mid-2017 15" retina MBP (almost identical to the late-2016, just slightly upgraded processor and architecture). The latter is definitely a nice machine, honestly, for my typical uses there's just not a huge difference.


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## slclick (Jan 19, 2018)

I love my late 2013 15" MBP Retina, 2.3 i7 with 16GB RAM & Intel Iris Pro 1536 MB but boy, when I run LR, it sure gets toasty. Speed isn't affected but I have a feeling something is going to fry one day.


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