I am going to buy a MacBook for iOS development as its main use, though I will also use Photoshop some for image processing.
I am choosing between the new mid-2011 Macbook Air and the early-2011 Macbook Pro.
Both 13" for portability, when at home/office the idea is to use it with an external monitor.
These are the configurations:
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13-inch MacBook Pro
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2.7GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
128GB Solid State Drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
$1,899.00
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2.3GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
128GB Solid State Drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
$1,649.00
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MacBook Air, 13-inch
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1.8GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
256GB flash storage
$1,699.00
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1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM
256GB flash storage
$1,599.00
Last thing, based on Apple's product cycles, buying MBP now could be something I may regret because we are half passed its cycle. So buying MBA will assure I wont buy a new laptop which in a few months could become "old". And I need it by the end of August.
That said, any advice would be great.
UPDATE
Battery life is the same in both, MBA wights: 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg) and MBP: 4.5 pounds (2.04 kg)