So having happened upon a lump of cash from Mr. Taxman, I think it's about time to replace my white mid-2007 MacBook. I like the 13" screen size, but am undecided as to whether I should opt for an Air or a Pro, so thought someone here may be able to lob some opinions my way.

This will be my only computer, and I'll be doing bits of photowork, dev stuff and web-browsing on it. It's unlikely to be connected to an external display for at least the foreseeable future. The key differences between the two models are, as I see it (and in roughly decreasing order of concern) the following:

1. Screen resolution - The MBP has the same resolution as my current MacBook, which whilst fine for browsing and working in bash/vim, it's a bit crowded for Lightroom or using an IDE. In the past I've had a 20" display attached, but that's not an option at present.
2. RAM - Whilst 4GB RAM may be enough for now, I definitely see myself wanting at least 8GB at some point in the future, so with the MBA that will have to be spec'd now. The MBP can also take more RAM (16GB) than the MBA (8GB)
3. CPU - The MBP has faster CPUs. I'm undecided on whether or not this is significant.
4. Storage - The 200GB drive in Polly is big enough, although I do keep my photos on an external at present (And now I have the piPhone space is rapidly being freed up as I clear my podcasts backlog). An SSD really appeals, and I think I could quite happily live in 250GB. If I get the MBP I could always re-jig things by replacing the optical drive, but I doubt I'll need to do that.
5. Portability - Although primarily used at home, portability is always nice with a laptop. Having said that, my MacBook weighs 2.4Kg (apparently) and the HDD is quite full so that may add a bit too. The MBA is obviously very light (1.34Kg), but even the MBP is lighter (2.0Kg)
6. Connectivity - I tend to connect to my backup drive via Firewire. I could use USB, or use a Thunderbold -> Firewire adaptor, so this isn't a big issue really. The optical drive makes next-to-no difference.

Does anybody have any guiding thoughts? I'll post examples of the configured systems I'm thinking about when I get home...

Only that I've got a 13" MBA and it's been fine for pretty much everything I need to use it for. I've not tried to do any 'heavy lifting' on it though. The screen feels bigger than it actually is, if you know what I mean.

There's a rumour that on 23rd October, Apple will announce a new 13" Macbook Pro with Retina Screen - might be worth waiting for that?

That might appeal to me once they resume the 17" version.

Looks like I've got to wait for a little bit anyhoo (I'd rather purchase on credit card, but there's been a bit of a delay getting my new one), so that could throw a cat amongst the pigeons. Also hoping they silently upgrade MBA to offer 16GB RAM. That'd reassure me somewhat.

I think that particular upgrade isn't very likely. They do want to differentiate the MBA from the MBP and RAM is one of the ways they do it. 8GB is plenty for the kind of things the MBA is designed to do, and to be honest if you're doing things that need 16GB of RAM, the CPU & GPU in the MBA is going to really chug.

8GB will certainly be more than enough for now. It's 4 or so years down the line where I don't want to be in a similar position as I am now, although with SSDs maybe it matters less anyhoo.

I borrowed a 13" MBP while waiting for my 165" to be delivered and I found the screen isn't big enough. Not used the air but we don't use them for main machines here just loaners.

I think that most people will want a machine that fits their needs. A MBA is great if you need portability without the need for power. Though I think that the retina MBP are looking very appealing to me. Shame there is no 17" MBP.

Going from 165" to 13" was always going to be a disappointment

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I do find my current 13" limiting but usable, but I really would want at least the MBA increased resolution from my next machine. Maybe keep saving for an rMBP...