To the Summit of White Mountain Peak

2011-07-26 • SEND FEEDBACK |
Related: laptop, MacBook, peak bagging

If you’re a cyclist, see my Trek to the Summit of White Mountain Peak article (multiple pages), which will be filled out with images upon my return.

Why not a MacBook Air?

I use my 2011 MacBook Pro for downloading photos when I travel. I’ve installed Mac OS X Lion on it, and so far, so good.

There are several reasons I take a full-speed laptop on such a trip, and not a Macbook Air. At the end of the day (night), I’m very tired from a dawn-to-dusk-and-night effort, and the last thing I want to do is screw with a sluggish machine.

• No way for fast downloads from CompactFlash cards. Downloading 8GB via USB2 drains takes so long that it’s a hassle, and it also drains the battery. Firewire is nearly 3X as fast, so less hassle, lower battery drain.
• Very slow backups via USB 2 (no Firewire 800). FW800 is 3-4X faster.
• Reviewing images: 2 slower CPU cores make a quick review hopeless when it’s 10pm and getting cold, and the motel is my car or tent.
• Shiny screen: I don’t need to see what’s behind me when I’m on the computer.
• Tiny screen: too dang small on the MacBook Air. I want to be able to assess what I’ve got without consantly fighting for space with palettes, etc.

Ancient bristlecone pine on the way to White Mountain Peak