Am thinking of switching from PC to Macbook Air. Anyone using the Air and have you had any problems?
Since RAM cannot be upgraded in MacBook Air after purchase, suggest 4 GB models.
Apple has refurbished 2011 models => http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_air
Noticed 11" MacBook Air with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD for $ 999 while 13" MacBook Air with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD is $ 1,099
Recent thread => Advice re:MacBook Air may be worthwhile to read.
Keep Smiling [:)]
Hi Ron,
I just made the switch myself last week.
I am running a MBA, 13" with an i5 processor, 4GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. My desktop is a PC (spec below in footer).
All in all I am delighted with the switch. Lion has taken a little getting use to, but I have found the switch far easier than I expected. I have only had to visit the help guide on a couple of occasions (I struggled to view the hidden application files in my library). The MBA boots incredibly quickly and almost immediately activates following sleep mode. Lion is really pleasant to use. Gestures on the trackpad are fantastically intuitive. The keyboard is fantastic, even for fairly serious typing (i.e. over four hours in one uninterrupted sitting). The overall impression is one of high build quality and class. Also, it is incredibly light. Not quite as light as air, but still, light light.
It runs (even L4) very, very cool. Occasionally it will heat to the touch top left of the unit (near the housing for the maglead, power in). Even at its worst, the heat is within acceptable limits. As it heats, the fan really kicks in and it is audible. It does not happen often and I do not find it a problem. In fact it just gives me the opportunity to crank up iTunes.
Overall, I am mightily impressed (just in case it wasn't obvious).
With regards to L4, I am incredibly surprised.
I consider my PC to be fairly high power. I am able to do serious video editing and it will run Crysis 2 on the highest settings. However, I would say that the MBA runs L4 faster than my PC. Startup is very quick. Searches are, at the very least, the equal of my desktop. The passage guide (customised) populates in seconds. Most surprisingly, the performance of notes and clippings is very responsive and snappy (far more so than the PC).
Although it is, I guess, a matter of opinion, I prefer the look of the UI on the Mac. It appears crisper and better defined (with hard edges to panels, opposed the soft focus prevalent in the PC version). It may be my imagination, but the text seems to render more crisply on the MBA (although the resolution of my PC monitors is comparable). I suppose I would need to run the MBA through those same monitors in order to confirm whether I am imagining this or not.
Moreover, Lion works really well with L4. I am able to set up numerous desktops enabling me to have a series of L4 windows open which can then be navigated with a four finger swipe. I guess this mimics multiple displays (my desktop has two large monitors). Because of this, I do not feel at a disadvantage working on a small 13" screen.
Plus, I can work in bed with the MBA. My wife would, I suspect, object to me lugging the PC tower, wired keyboard, mouse, 5:1 surround sound speakers and two monitors in there.
Just to balance this, I am still new to Mac and could well encounter problems with L4 as I begin to do serious work away from my PC. The indexing did take twice as long as I expected (10 hours+). I presume this is down to the performance of the dual core verses the quad on my PC. I am also aware that the Mac has not yet reached parity with the PC version (I would check this out to check than none of the omissions are deal breakers). Also, it is my perception that there are more users on the Mac side who appear to have serious issues with L4. I am aware that some report unacceptable performance from L4. I am less aware of this being a problem with PC users (though this is just my perception from frequenting the forums).
Notwithstanding this, I am delighted that I made the leap and am silently praying that a calamitous error/accident befalls my desktop so that I can replace it with a shiny new iMac.
If you want any further (or more specific) info, let me know.
God bless,
Andy
The indexing did take twice as long as I expected (10 hours+).
Concur Logos 4 Mac indexing is slow; posted in Mac Beta forum => Logos 4.5 Beta 12 Library Indexing Speed Regression - Mac is Slow
I am also aware that the Mac has not yet reached parity with the PC version (I would check this out to check than none of the omissions are deal breakers).
Wiki has Mac and PC User Interface Differences => Feature Parity that includes many Logos 4.5 Beta improvements; looking forward to some bug fixes and stable release.
Apple has refurbished 27" iMac's => http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/imac/27
Hi Ron!
I fairly recently made the switch to Mac from PC as well (back in May of last year), and I have to say, that I would agree with every point (except for one) that Andy has said in his post in reference to my own Macbook Air (which is, I believe, one generation earlier than his). The only exception to Andy's experience on my machine was that downloading and indexing took much less time than that... I was shocked! I expected worse than even Andy reported, as it had taken me a full 24 hours to download all of my resources on my PC laptop, and another (almost) 24 to index... and that laptop was a heavy hitter. But it took a fraction of the time on my Macbook Air. (I do have a pretty sizable library... Platinum and thousands of additional added sets and individual titles... , but I'm way, way behind Matthew and Rosie's and a lot of the other hard core Logos addicts here [;)] ).
I have absolutely no complaints with the Air or the performance of L4 on the Air (well, I do have trouble with the lousy Internet service here... half the speed or less of dial up most of the time... but that isn't the AIr's fault or L4's... and it only affects me when trying to connect for updates. Fortunately, I did my downloading before I left the US, or now I go into a nearby town that has great Internet service if I need to do an update/download resources... and boy, then my Air and L4 just sings!).
And I have to admit, that I now HATE going back to using my wife's PC laptop (which is also a very good machine). Everything seems such a mess... much more complicated to operate and much more prone to bogging down, having conflicts, crashes, etc. Macs just WORK. I have to confess that I always was pretty anti-Mac in the past, because I tend to have this inexplicable internal negative reaction to anything that is a "fad" or hyped by fanboys (which makes me glad I got into Logos before some of the fanboys jumped on the wagon, because I might not have tried Logos otherwise!!!). But for me, the Air is the real deal, and has made my life TONS easier. As far as a portable solution goes, for me, the Air is the best choice. I had actually wanted to get an iPad when the iPad 2 came out, as I really, really need the portability, but I couldn't get one due to the demand, and since I was leaving for overseas, the salesman at the Apple store guided me to the Air... and I'm sure glad he did. The iPad is a great machine, but isn't a substitute for a laptop, for L4 or other programs, and I would have been very disappointed. Now, I can't find any real reason to justify an iPad. The Air is almost as portable, and a Kindle is a better reading experience. The iPad 3 may change that assessment from me, but for now, the Air is the best solution for my needs. It has the computing power of a hefty desktop, and the portability of almost an iPad. And L4 runs great on my Air. (I do have the 4 GB and the SSD, which I think is what really makes the difference with L4. PERSONALLY, I wouldn't get a laptop now without a SSD, due to L4. They're pricey for the amount of storage you get, but I use it strictly for operating purposes, and leave my saving of files to an external USB drive, which is also very quick).
BTW... I always really appreciate KS4J's links... really helped me in my Air purchase... saved me some significant dollars, too. (Thanks KS4J!!!)
Hope this helps. Have fun, and best wishes!
I don't notice any appreciable difference in Logos performance between my desktop and my MBA. (I suppose what I lose on the processor-speed swings I gain on the SSD roundabouts.)
However, I do use them for quite different purposes. My MBA I use for academic work involving fairly complex searches. My iMac I use for preparing Bible studies and sermons.
FYI I moved from a Toshiba PC Tablet running Libronix - aka Logos 3 - to my MBA.
[H] [:D]
I expected worse than even Andy reported [...] But it took a fraction of the time on my Macbook Air.
Thanks for this information, Emile. It seems that we have pretty comparable libraries (I am just over 5,000 resources) and I am surprised at the disparity in indexing time. Thinking it through, the indexing did fail at around 6% the first time through. I wonder, therefore, whether there was an issue peculiar to myself which resulted in longer than expected indexing time...?
Thankfully, indexing is an uncommon event.
I always really appreciate KS4J's links... really helped me in my Air purchase... saved me some significant dollars, too. (Thanks KS4J!!!)
I absolutely agree. KS4J's posts are always a pleasure to read: kind, thoughtful and exceedingly helpful. Thank you, KS4J.
Having said this, this:
is too cruel [:'(].
You have convinced me... Now I just need to convince the good Mrs Evans [:|] [:S] [:O]
I always really appreciate KS4J's links... really helped me in my Air purchase... saved me some significant dollars, too. (Thanks KS4J!!!) I absolutely agree. KS4J's posts are always a pleasure to read: kind, thoughtful and exceedingly helpful. Thank you, KS4J.
Rejoice in the Lord always. [:D] Thankful God can use talent He has given me to help. [:D]
Having said this, this: Apple has refurbished 27" iMac's => http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/imac/27 is too cruel .
is too cruel .
Looking at a Buyer's Guide => http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ noticed recommendation to wait for iMac purchase since last refresh was May 2011. When Apple refreshes Mac models, price for previous generation refurbished model(s) typically drops.
Comfort Ye... Comfort Ye, my people.... read KS4J's post!
Andy, you have an interesting point. I have been very, very surprised at how fast my machine has been indexing. I recall LOOOOONNNGG indexing times for my PC laptop, so when I see my machine indexing, I always settle in for long indexing times... and I have always been very very surprised to look up really only 15 minutes or so later and find that its done... it isn't consistent, of course... it will take longer, for example, from 30-40%, and then fly through the rest. I have never actually seen indexing end because I've never been expecting it to end so soon. Even after the Christmas sale, which added more than 300 titles to my library count (some of them quite substantial in size), indexing on my machine was over fairly rapidly. And everything is working normally. As you say, indexing IS a relatively rare issue, so I wouldn't let that stop me from getting an Air... and an Air certainly shouldn't be any slower, in any case, than other options (I'd actually think Air should be faster than other machines in this area due to the SSD). Now, if I could only get a good Internet connection!!!!!
I switched from a PC to a MacBook Air in April. I went to the Air based on a recommendation by Michael Hyatt. Basically he said that the Air was the best computer he ever owned. I concur. I was worried about the performance with the lower amount of RAM. My PC had 8 and my Air has 4. Also the smaller hard drive concerned me. I've put my iTunes library on an external hard drive. Performance has been tremendous. The solid state drive has been incredible with my Logos. Unlike some other posts, indexing has gone smoothly. I love my Air and Logos!
I got a Macbook Air last summer and use it almost exclusively for church. I do the Sunday school lesson with it. I recently bought a little access point from Clear as our little church has no internet but it worked fine offline. I have a number of computers including an older PC laptop with XP that i recently loaded Logos on just because... I could. I mostly use the new iMac I got the same day as the Air. If you find portability to be a big thing, you might want to either go with the Air or wait a few months. The Macbook Pro is a bit long in the tooth and from what I hear, a new one is coming out. I really like the Air, and it runs Logos just fine. The 128 gig SSD is very quick to get it there and 4 gigs of ram is quite fine. My only complaint about it is that after less than 6 months of using it mostly once a week, the battery is getting a bit soft. It just doesn't hold up nearly as well as it did new. I did get the Applecare on it for the very reason that it is a sealed unit and thus disposable. The battery is not user serviceable nor is anything else, for that matter. Had I to do it over again and knew about the new Pro coming out, I would have waited or just got an iPad to get me through for a year or so. All this being said, the Air will do it just fine. Beware of Lion, though. It is a new beast. Older software like Office 2004 won't run on it. They gutted Rosetta out of it and slammed that door on the past. Some hardware might not work if it doesn't translate to 64 bit drivers. Thought it is nice, I have heard people say that they appear to favor Snow Leopard over Lion just because of the anomalies. I have found that Virtual Box is your best friend. Load up Snow Leopard in one VM and Windoze XP in another just in case you have a program or two that requires one or the other to run right.
If portability isn't a huge deal, I highly recommend the iMac. I got the top end 21.5 inch model as I found the 27 to be just too big. It has a beautiful screen and loaded up with 12 gigs of ram, I usually have between 512 megs and 1 gig free most days. I run a LOT of windows and programs at once. 64 bit systems eat memory for lunch. It works the same way on the PC side too. I give you a big thumbs up on the choice of PC to Mac, though. Windows 8 is going to be a real train wreck. Turn away from the Dark Side and come over to the land of MAC! :-) If you do get an iMac, don't let them upgrade the ram... it's one or two screws holding in a panel on the bottom. Their price, 200 bucks.... shop around a bit and 8 gigs of ram is about 50 bucks. There are four slots and two are filled.
The Macbook Pro is a bit long in the tooth and from what I hear, a new one is coming out.
MacRumors has a buyer's guide => http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ that includes rumors about 15" MacBook Air possibility and refresh later this year with faster processors.
When Apple refreshes models, prices for previous generation models tend to drop => http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
just got an iPad to get me through for a year or so
Apple has many refurbished iPad models available => http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad
Logos (and Vyrso) iOS apps on iPad has less features than Logos 4, but is easier to use in a church pew than a laptop.
