MacBook air as primary photo computer?

I own a 13" mid-2011 (**** must be old now :p as we are conditioned to believe every 6 mo) Macbook air, SSD, 1.7ghz i5, 4gb DDR3 as my primary computer.

I use it for Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Illustrator, and the occasional gaming.. I plug it into an external 23" monitor when I feel the need to expand my desktop and or watch movies/youtube/stream videos on the other monitor.
Frankly it was as fast and in some ways faster than my previous unibody macbook pro. I can run both screens, multiple programs, and do large batches or open 1gb Photoshop images in no difference to my 2010 Macbook Pro.

The benefit of this Air was the 13" screen which had the 1440x900 resolution of the previous 15" Macbook Pro's, meaning the screen was a nicer density, obviously since Apple introduced the Retina Pro's that's all irrelevant now.

The thing with processor speeds and such, is the newer the architecture, despite the 'lower' offering, you may be better off.

Solid state drive also gives a huge jump in loading programs, files etc. This is the longest i've owned a Mac laptop, just because I feel no need to upgrade yet.

--Probably retina Air will be my next purchase. I love the weight, size, and thinness of the Air, I don't see myself ever going back to a PRO. Cause Apple dropped the regular Macbook, everyone need's a freakin' Pro now. Haha.
 
After much consideration, I have decided to go with the 13" Air. I'm getting the 2.0 i7, 8gb ram, and 256gb ssd. I'm pretty sure it will serve my photo editing needs and be very easy to travel and work in the field with.

Thanks for all your input. It was very helpful.
 
I have a 13" MBA with both Lightroom 4 and Photoshop CS6. The MBA handles both very well for almost all of my photographic needs. However, it does bog down in PS with big .tiff files like my MF high resolution scans.
 
I have a MacBook I bought in 2006 and it still works just fine.

Use external USB powered hard drives to store photos and other stuff.

My main challenge is the internet as some web sites say I need to upgrade. Usually it's social media web sites or others who have web developers who are young.

I don't have any any such messages from the bank or stock trading web sites, the primary web sites I use.

I use PS CS4 on this computer with Bridge and it works just fine.

Also have an IBM computer, purchased long time ago, with Windows 95 at start up and have quick books and MS Office and they work just fine. I can make a pot of coffee whilst it boots up!

What's the big deal?

The money is better jingling around in my pockets or invested in money returning stocks rather than having the latest gizmo to tell someone at a cocktail party. Compound interest is the first wonder of the world.

Monte nicknamed me, "Cheapie!" But I've been saving over 45 years. Hope you're doing the same!

Moral of the story, whatever you decide to buy keep your stuff for a long, long time as you don't need the most current and up to date products! Save your money and when you get old, like me, then you can write goofy responses like mine here!

Hope this helps you.

Just my thoughts.
 
I have 2012 macbook air basic 11" with 2GB ram 1.6GHz i5 64GB SSD. For using photoshop, it's all you need. It loads photoshop a lot faster than my main computer with 8GB ram and quad core i7. With SSD, 2GB ram is well enough for photoshop, as long as you aren't handling 8000*6000 RAW file. Even then, you can edit it one by one with no lag.

However, make sure you either have a main desktop, or an external monitor. Looking at that 11" screen all day long can get your eyes pretty tired.
 
I'm sure others have said it, but if you get the Air, get the 8GB one, it cannot be upgraded at a later date. I have a 4GB Mac,and it's NOT enough, for day-to-day stuff, fine, but if you are working with big files, it'll be an exercise in frustration. Thankfully my Mac can be upgraded, just haven't got around to it yet.

It's a matter of opinion, but I think the Retina isn't worth the money or the stress it puts on the machine (i.e. battery life), it's a marketing ploy, and I say this as a Mac fan/developer.
 
I get about 6-7 hours of battery life in mine.

They are pricey which is the biggest drawback, but the form factor and SSD do make this more than a marketing ploy for me.

Honestly, the pixel count of the screen isn't why I bought it, I just wanted a thinner Mac with an SSD so it packs easier and goes fast and has all the Pro features. Screen is a bonus.

I think the other version is going away so I'd pick up the old, non Retina, Macbook Pro now if you want one.

mugent said:
It's a matter of opinion, but I think the Retina isn't worth the money or the stress it puts on the machine (i.e. battery life), it's a marketing ploy, and I say this as a Mac fan/developer.
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