With my new job I'm gonna need to do a lot of router emulation to mock up customer networks. It is a given that a *nix based OS runs cisco router emulation better than a windows based OS, and I like macOS and applecare support.

So, I'm down to a 13" MBP with SSD or a 13" MBA. Price is pretty much a wash with similar specs. I guess it comes down to weight/portability vs. upgrade/ease of servicing. And a built in superdrive vs external.

So, thoughts and justifications? I'm kinda thinking MBP at this point, I'm used to carrying a brick of an old dell 510 on travel, so either will be lighter/smaller.

 

The 13" MBA is an awesome machine, the only downside is 4gb of RAM. If you can get by with that then I'd go for the MBA. The 13" pro is pretty lame for the price, the screen res sucks, the specs are mediocre, and it's still pretty hefty. Considering the 13" MBA is just about as fast as the 13" pro I just don't see what market there is for the pro.

I'm holding out for a 15" MBA myself.

 

Is that ALL you're going to do with it? MBP is a much more powerful machine which can tackle stuff like final cut pro and photoshop. Air is much lighter. As far as upgrading stuff, the Air is pretty much unupgradable from what ive been told. MBP also has a backlit keyboard and that is always super helpful in my opinion.

EDIT didnt realize you were talking 13 inch pro. I've heard those are like macbooks with a cool name. In that case I'd go with the air.

 

MBA for sure if that is all you will use it for.

 

To clarify, running 10-15 virtualized routers and probably a server or 2 on one box will run the CPU 100% constant and actively consume upwards of 3g of memory. So when you guys ask if thats all I'll be doing, what I want to do requires real horsepower. I really wish the MBA had a quad core, or that the 13" MBP did as well.

Otherwise it'll be doing desktop duty. Visio, word, excel, web browsing, etc... But no gaming. There will almost always be a VM running for visio.

Screen size really isn't a huge consideration. I have a 15" MBP now (that my wife has taken over as hers) and I think it's actually a bit big for travel.

 

It's not so much the size, but the resolution. The 13" MBP has a 1280x800 res display, pretty much unusable for any real work. The 13" MBA has a 1440x900 display, the same as the standard res 15" MBP and much more usable.

Sounds like you'd be a better candidate for a 15" quad core pro, as any machine is going to get sluggish when being maxed out all the time.

 

It's fine to have the processor maxed, when running GNS you're basically doing text interface (command line for the routers). It's funny you say 1280x800 is unusable for any real work. My work is 75% command line and 25% visio, I've been using 1024x768 for the last 3 years and passed my IE using it, lol! It's pretty amusing to me as a hardcore geek that home systems have come so far, but the infrastructure for the internet and huge businesses runs on the hardware it does and is configured with a black background and white text.

15" MBP, I have one now. I like it as a desktop replacement but for travel it's really pushing being convenient for the backpack/airports. Or maybe I just need a bigger backpack.

 

1024x768!?! How?

I lug around a 17" MBP, for the most part it's worth it for the screen res. I had to get a better backpack, but I barely notice it now.

 

If it's for work I'd go with a 15" and a bigger backpack

 

Because my work is mostly this:



Anyway, I'm gonna go to the mac store and check out all of my options in person. I gotta move first, I'll probably reclaim my current '08 MBP for the first month or 2.