Apple – A Story Of Growth & Innovation

Everybody knows what is Apple with an ‘A’. They have some of the world class laptops and tablets in the market. Here are some of the major questions one might ask about Apple.

The best Apple laptop
MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are two main products in Apple laptop range. If MacBook Pro is for people, who need a laptop with the kind of desktop powers, then MacBook Air is the more portable option especially if you are a traveller.

Latest Versions
Whenever you buy a gadget, if you have decided the brand, then you must check out for their latest version. This is especially true for Apple. Apple tends to release a new product with improved versions based on consumer feedback often. MacBook Pros have been in the market for a long time. The Retina models were released in 2013 October. MacBook Air is the most recent product revealed in April 2014. It would be sometime before they hit the market.

Which is better?
MacBook Pro is definitely more powerful than Air. The basic MacBook Air version features an Intel i5 1.4 GHz processor with dual core. It has a Turbo mode clock speed of 2.7 GHz. The CPUs are relatively efficient and they are designed to promote the battery life. However, the Pro models have higher clock speeds and the base models have a dual core 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU.

Upgrades
Both Pro as well as Air models offer upgrades but, you can go much higher than Air in case of Pro. If you can soend enough, then you can get a quad-core Intel Core i7-powered MacBook Pro. MacBook Pros come in 8GB and 16GB varieties while MacBook Air comes in 4GB and 8GB varieties.

Sizes
The MacBook Pro and Air laptops come in different sizes although there maybe some overlaps. MacBook Airs come in 11.6 and 13,3 inch versions while Pros have 13.3 inch and 15.6 inch versions. Although MacBook Pro had a 17 inch version, it was discontinued in 2012. A 13.3 inch screen is good both as a portable laptop as well as a good desktop. However the display of 11.6 inch will be too cramped. Also, 15.6 inch MacBook Pro is a little bulky for carrying around and hence not all that convenient as a portable laptop.

Lighter Air Models
As mentioned above, Pro models are slightly heavy and bulky to carry around. However, Air, as the name suggests, is a lightweight portable laptop. The 11.6 inch and 13.3 inch versions weight less than a kilo and a half at 1.08 kg and 1.35 kg respectively. Also they are among the Ultrabook style laptops which mean they are light to carry around.

Slimmer Models
While MacBook Pro is 18 mm thick, MacBook Air is 17 mm thick making MacBook Air a slimmer version though the difference is not much. The figures however tell you their thickness at the thickest points. However, in case of Air, the design is slightly tapered giving it a slimmer look. On the contrary, Pro looks bulky with a lot of weight although the difference is very little.

Battery Life
It is said that Air is Pro’s younger sibling using low power components. Also, it runs on a cooler and this gives the Air longer battery life. The battery lasts up to twelve hours unless you drive it really hard. On the other hand, the Pro battery life lasts up to nine hours. Of course, a three hour difference in case of laptop is really huge!

Conclusion
MacBook range of products was always labelled as being ‘costly and meant for the elite crowd’. However, with a shrinking market, manufacturers are struggling to meet everyday demands. They are making compelling alternatives to compete in the market. However, regardless of everything else, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro both are worth a buy. Which one should you depends highly on the use. Consider the following points:

1. Do you need to work for long hours?
2. Are you constantly on the move?
3. What is the battery life you are looking for?
4. Do you value screen quality?
5. What is your work profile? Does it involve image processing, editing, etc.?