I'm considering switching to the Air as well. How have the first impressions been? I'm somewhat worried about using an Air for development performance-wise.
For me the big factors are that I actually use functions keys (in Emacs, mostly) and just cost. My previous Macbook Pro (2011), which is in its death throes, at the time a top-of-the-line 13", was $1200. With aftermarket 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, I managed to keep it usable for almost a decade. At the current MBP configurations, I'd almost certainly end up shelling out a mind-blowing 3-4x that much.
This gives me pause for three reasons:
- All of the soldered on crap means that I can't use aftermarket upgrades to extend the life
- It sounds like an ARM switch is in the cards in the next 1-2 years
- I just don't like having a $3000-5000 portable device. I have my laptop out with me quite often, and I don't relish the idea of having something worth > $4000 with me that may get lost or stolen.
For me the big factors are that I actually use functions keys (in Emacs, mostly) and just cost. My previous Macbook Pro (2011), which is in its death throes, at the time a top-of-the-line 13", was $1200. With aftermarket 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD, I managed to keep it usable for almost a decade. At the current MBP configurations, I'd almost certainly end up shelling out a mind-blowing 3-4x that much.
This gives me pause for three reasons:
- All of the soldered on crap means that I can't use aftermarket upgrades to extend the life
- It sounds like an ARM switch is in the cards in the next 1-2 years
- I just don't like having a $3000-5000 portable device. I have my laptop out with me quite often, and I don't relish the idea of having something worth > $4000 with me that may get lost or stolen.