
How to choose: 13-inch MacBook Air vs. 13-inch retina MacBook Pro - shawndumas
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/11/how-to-choose-13-inch-macbook-air-vs-13-inch-retina-macbook-pro/
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cpleppert
The considerably smaller amount of maximum RAM(8GB on the Air vs 16GB for the
Pro) and lack of a retina display combined with poor integrated graphics make
the 13-inch Pro an easy choice in my opinion. The only thing you give up is
about half a pound in weight which isn't a big deal. It isn't like you are
going from 1.5 pounds to a pound on the ipad; it is a laptop and I doubt you
would notice the extra weight in a bag. The processor is also faster(I don't
know what is going on with the benchmarks here)

If weight and size matter the 11-inch air actually makes much more sense. You
save money and drop a full pound compared to the 13-inch Pro.

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lostlogin
Its funny how different the 11 and 13 are. Our house has one of each, and they
are very different machines. The 11 is used more like an iPad. It's usually
found balanced somewhere, poked into the bookcase, down the side of a couch
cushion etc. The 13 is much more grunty (it's way higher spec) but its form
factors is also much bigger and more traditionally laptopish. It doesn't seem
right putting it in strange places or lugging it around the house. I'm that
guy - I'd like a 12 inch Air.

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thejosh
What's the noise difference?

First time buying Mac hardware (running Lubuntu), the silence of the air blows
my mind.

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cpleppert
I owned both the 2012 Air and the 2010 unibody and to be honest the air was a
lot more noticeable as any type of processor workload would cause the fan to
kick in.

