Pro offers more bang for your buck if you don't mind some extra weight.
Though the new 15" Retina MacBook Pro has probably garnered the most attention this week, Apple did refresh its existing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines. If you're in the market for a 13" model, it can be tough to decide between the Air or Pro, especially since prices for both start at $1199.
We dug into the specs to analyze the pros and cons for each model, and came away finding that the 13" MacBook Pro still has a lot to offer for the money. If you're willing to lug around the extra pound and a half, you'll end up with a machine that's arguably a better value for the money—with potential longevity extended by future storage and RAM upgrade options. In what follows, we explore the general ramifications of the difference between the two, for those of you who can't wait for a more in-depth examination. This is only going to be part of the story, but our two lead characters reveal most other hand by their specs alone.
For much of our discussion, we'll consider the base $1199 model of Apple's latest 13" MacBook Pro and 13" MacBook Air. Both machines have additional CPU, RAM, and storage options, and we'll discuss some of those later on.
Weighing in at a welterweight 4.5 pounds, the 13" MacBook Pro traces its lineage back to the 12" Powerbook G4 released in 2003. Apple effectively eliminated the smallest of its pro-oriented laptops in the transition to Intel processors in 2006, directing users to the 13" polycarbonate MacBook. Apple later offered an aluminum unibody MacBook in late 2008, which dropped the FireWire port. Thankfully, Apple beefed up this aluminum MacBook slightly—with a FireWire 800 port and an SD card slot—and rechristened it the 13" MacBook Pro in 2009.
Since then, the basic design has remained the same, though Apple has slowly beefed up its processor and integrated graphics. Thunderbolt was added last year, and this year it now sports Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture with HD4000 integrated graphics.
The decidedly featherweight 13" MacBook Air, at 2.96 pounds, is the original MacBook Air form factor—though it has changed designs slightly since its introduction. (The 11" flyweight model was introduced in 2010). Originally introduced in 2008 as the laptop that fit in a standard manila envelope, the Air has given rise to a new class of ultraportable laptops known as "Ultrabooks."
The MacBook Air's defining feature is its trade-off between available ports and expandability and ultimate portability. Apple built the line off of what started out as custom, small-outline ultra-low-voltage Core 2 Duo processors, which powered the Air until ULV Sandy Bridge processors became available in 2011. Apple also added Thunderbolt to the Air, finally offering a high-speed port capable of running high-end RAIDs, video cards, and other devices typically relegated to desktop machines or "pro" laptops.
The latest Air features Intel's ULV dual-core Ivy Bridge processors with integrated Intel HD4000 graphics. While core clock speed is significantly lower, for most day-to-day use, the Air will on average feel about as fast as the comparable Pro.
The 13" MacBook Pro comes out strong in the processor department. The base model is equipped with a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz, and sporting 3MB of L3 cache. The 13" MacBook Air, on the other hand, must rely on the ULV variants. The base model offers a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, with Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz, also with a 3MB L3 cache.
There's no way around it—the MacBook Pro easily wins in this category, with a processor than can do more in any given second compared to its competitor.
Both machines feature Intel Core i5 processors with integrated Intel HD4000 GPUs. The core clock speed in the MacBook Pro is slightly higher, so in extreme cases it will likely outperform the Air slightly. But for all intents and purposes, it's the same GPU powering both machines, so this round is a draw.
Both base models come with 4GB of RAM, which we consider a minimum for anything more than light use. For this round, we're calling it a draw, but don't be surprised when RAM capacity comes into play in a later round.
The MacBook Air comes with a speedy SSD with what Apple claims is "4 times the performance" of a 5400RPM mechanical hard drive. The base model comes with a relatively paltry 128GB of storage space, however, which can quickly get eaten up with any serious photo, audio, or video work. You'll have to either pony up significant cash to Apple for extra internal storage, or rely on external storage.
A third-party upgrade may be forthcoming once the altered form-factor is reverse engineered, but don't bet on it being cheap, and the wait may be longer than you can handle.
The MacBook Pro, on the other hand, comes with ample 500GB of storage, though it is the relatively pokey spinning platter type. You can pay more for an optional SSD from Apple, but there are numerous options for either SSDs or larger HDDs from third parties.
This round is tougher. The Air is equipped with a much higher resolution 1440×900 pixel display, giving users more screen real estate. The LED backlighting is bright, and the screen is sharp.
The Pro comes with a noticeably lower resolution screen, with just 1280×800 pixels. But in its favor, the screen does have a significantly wider color gamut and dynamic range. For general applications, this won't matter much, but for color-critical work (like photography, graphics, and video) it will be highly advantageous.
Given that some users will weigh the importance of color accuracy over screen real estate differently, we're going to call this round a draw. But the difference is something to keep in mind when making your own choice.
The latest Air model comes equipped with the still nascent high-speed Thunderbolt port. It includes two USB 3.0 ports, an audio port, and the redesigned MagSafe 2 power connector. The 13" MacBook Air also has an SD card slot.
But the MacBook Pro offers all that and more. Go with the Pro, and you'll still get a FireWire 800 port and a gigabit Ethernet port. You can add both to the Air via new adapters from Apple, but they'll cost extra, and you can only use one at a time. Alternately, you could use the 10/100Mb Ethernet USB adapter and lose network speed. Or wait until September to buy Belkin's upcoming Thunderbolt Express hub for $400. Either way, you'll pay more and have to lug around adapters. If this doesn't appeal to you, neither will a MacBook Air.
Another slight advantage to the Pro is that it retains the older MagSafe connector. If you already have extra power supplies—I like to keep one at home and one for travel—then you won't need to buy a $10 adapter from Apple to keep using it.
This round was a fast one. The Pro still includes a built-in SuperDrive capable of burning dual-layer DVD-Rs at 8x speed, as well as CD-Rs. If you handle lots of optical media, the Pro is definitely the right choice.
You can buy the external USB SuperDrive for the MacBook Air, but it will cost you an extra $79, and, again, it's something extra to carry around. For occasional use, we think this is an acceptable alternative. The advantage here still goes to the Pro.
Both machines are from different weight classes, as we noted earlier. When it comes to toting around a portable device, less weight is always an advantage.
The 13" MacBook Air weighs just a hair under 3 pounds (2.96, Apple says), while the 13" MacBook Pro weights 4.5 pounds. Where every ounce counts, the Air takes this round easily.
The MacBook Air has a 50Whr lithium-polymer (li-po) battery, while the MacBook Pro has 63.5Whr li-po battery. That might seem to give the Pro the advantage, but the Air relies on an ultra-low-voltage processor, which uses less power. In the end, Apple rates both machines for seven hours of "wireless Web" use, which includes the screen at half brightness, WiFi on, and browsing the Internet. For average use, you should get a full day's work out of both machines on a full charge.
This overall fight has been a tough one, with several rounds ending in a draw. And looking at the various other options—FaceTime HD camera, audio port, backlit keyboard, multitouch trackpad, and more—both machines are similarly equipped.
But when you look at available CPU, RAM, and storage options, the Pro really shines. It's not just that you can outfit the Pro with a processor that can top out at 3.6GHz, or bump internal storage up to 1TB. Apple lets you configure both machines with SSDs (for a princely sum). Both can be equipped with 8GB of RAM.
What sets the Pro apart is the abundance of third-party options for RAM and internal storage. You can get RAM significantly cheaper than the stock options from Apple, and get as much as 16GB—twice the maximum Apple offers. Furthermore, the are loads of drive options in the 2.5" size with a 6Gbps SATA interface. Hard drives are available as high as 2TB, and SSDs are available up to 512GB from a variety of vendors at varying price points and performance levels.
Finally, maxing out the 13" MacBook Pro with a 2.9GHz dual-core i7 (turbo to 3.6GHz) with 512GB SSD and 8GB of RAM will run you $2399. Maxing out the 13" MacBook Air with a 2.0GHz ULV i7 (turbo to 3.2GHz), 8GB or RAM, 512GB SSD, and a SuperDrive runs $2,278. That's certainly in the same ballpark, but you can expand the Pro up to 16GB of RAM with third-party upgrades. You can also save money on the SSD by buying a third-party option and repurposing the standard HDD as an external drive in an inexpensive drive case.
These options might not mean much up front, especially if you're buying the base model in each case. But the MacBook Pro is far easier to upgrade at a later date. The MacBook Air uses DRAM chips soldered directly to the logic board, while the Pro uses standard SO-DIMMs. The Air relies on an essentially custom SSD module, while the Pro takes any standard 2.5" SATA drive. A few years down the road, you would be able to update the Pro with better and/or cheaper parts. This gives it an additional lease on life in many cases.
The Pro takes it, 5-1-4.
To remind you, we are comparing design and specifications alone, to give you a better sense of the trade-offs between the two different approaches to Apple's laptop strategy. A full review is coming later, but the above clearly shows that the two machines are directed to pointedly different purposes, sometimes with and sometimes without big ramifications. While we declared an "advantage" in each category, what you truly want and need comes down to you.
The Air did match the Pro in certain areas. The display differences are a split decision, depending on your needs, but if you do a lot of visual work, the Air's higher resolution won't make up for its limited color gamut in our experience.
The MacBook Air easily won round 8, with a 1.5 pound weight advantage—a maxed out 13" Air in particular will have an impressive performance/weight ratio.
But the Pro had advantages in five of the rounds, with clear leads in CPU performance, storage capacity, available ports, optical drive integration, and expandability and future upgradability.
The MacBook Air costs a premium for its extra portability. Considering how well it sells, plenty of customers think it is worth the extra price. For someone constantly on the go that doesn't need things like an optical drive, FireWire, Ethernet, or the widest color gamut available, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend the 13" MacBook Air.
In the end, however, the 13" MacBook Pro is the better value—you simply get more computer for your money.
On a spec sheet comparison, Apple products will almost universally lose the "better value for money comparison". Is this the criteria for properly judging laptops?
Not in all cases, no. This is a pretty specific case—13" MBA vs 13" MBP—and one we get asked about a lot. If maximum portability is the most important criteria, then we recommend the Air. In all other cases, we think the money is better spent on the Pro.
That may change a year from now—Haswell promises some pretty big performance changes for ULV parts, for instance.