The included 128GB of SSD storage at $1,199 is fine for basic use, but it won't do for locally storing large libraries of music, movies, or photos. The MacBook Air has a new 512GB SSD storage option, but upgrading will pump the price to nearly $2,000. Yes, the Pro has more features, but not by a wide margin.

A separate USB-to-Ethernet dongle for the Air can provide direct line-in Internet access, and you can always buy a USB-connected DVD burner. The MacBook Pro has more ports: an added FireWire 800 port and a dedicated Ethernet port, plus a slot-loading DVD drive. In higher-end Pro configurations, a faster Core i7 processor and an SSD upgrade should provide greater separation, but those extras will add up.and no 13-inch Pro comes close to the offerings of the 15-inch Pro (quad-core CPU, Nvidia graphics), leaving it sitting awkwardly in the middle.

The Pro led by seconds in our tests, but the Air's boot times are far faster. In the entry-level $1,199 configurations I reviewed, the 13-inch Air and Pro performed incredibly closely. The Pro's keys are taller, with more travel the Air's are shallower.

The Air and the Pro share a large, excellent multitouch clickpad.

Macbook pro user guide 2012