Like the subject says – first MacBook after years and years with Windows (and using Linux as primary OS for job/career).

As with many here, I took a long long time to decide between MBA13 and MBP14. The general consensus – inasmuch as there can possibly be one – was that there’s no real right or wrong answer, just depends on which one values more: lightweight/portability, or power/capability.

One thing I did see over and over again, however, was something along these lines: “MBA is great, so is MBP. But if you’re going to get the MBA, buy either the entry-level spec or upgrade the SSD to 512GB to avoid the 1-nand speed issue. If you tack on options to the MBA, the price gets too close to the MBP and then you should just get the MBP.”

Well… I get the point, but I wound up purchasing an MBA and nearly decked-out with 24GB RAM and 1TB SSD. It was definitely more expensive, and absolutely scraped up against entry-level MBP pricing.

And yet… to me this is the best of both worlds. This MBA is impossibly thin, incredibly light, fanless so no need to worry about accidentally blocking vents… and yet has more than enough RAM to handle Logic, Final Cut, multiple VMs, and so forth. I wanted that power and that storage – but didn’t want the extra thickness, extra weight, and fans of the MBP. MBP’ish-level pricing or not, the 24G/1T MBA13 is just the ticket – I love it! It’s that combination of the power of the jacked-up RAM and SSD inside the thin/light chassis that gets me every time – like a wolf in sheep’s clothing in the best way.

All respect for the MBP14, and of course the screen is better, more ports, can do 8K video editing, etc. But for any IT engineers/pros out there on the fence between these two laptops and who doesn’t do that aforementioned 8K video editing… I can tell you the decked-out MBA13 is a total winner. No regrets here after 4 months or so now with it, and the battery life is unbelievable, lasting the whole day the majority of days. Ignore those folks who say “entry-level MBA or just go MBP” – they’re not wrong about the price comparison, but there’s a legit beauty to having the sheer capabilities of 24G and 1T or 2T in such a thin/lightweight form factor.