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Who can't resist the Air?

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PDFierro

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 8, 2009
3,932
111
I was always interested in the Air at first. And I seriously considered getting a Mac again in March, but decided to wait for WWDC. Initially my focus was on getting an Air, but that shifted to the 13-inch rMBP as I saw how much better the screen really was, among other things.

I even went to the Apple store last week, mainly to see how much I preferred the 13-inch rMBP form factor over the 15-inch. And I briefly looked at the Air and saw how bad the screen was, but I had a 11-inch Air briefly before and the display looked fine to me.

Has anyone gotten used to the Air screen at home? If you had been accustomed to how a Retina screen looks? The other concern I had about the 11-inch Air was that it was kind of hard to right on due to the shortened palm rest area. Does that become easier for you over time?

The wait for the Haswell rMBP is just killing me. But if I were to get the Air, I'd want to do it because it was the better choice, and not because I couldn't wait for the updated rMBP.

I mainly want the Retina screen because I'm a writer and do a lot of that, and the text is so much crisper. I watch many HD movies/TV shows on iTunes, but I don't really do anything intensive. The 16:9 ratio on the 11-inch Air is great for that, otherwise the 16:10 is the perfect ratio.

I also greatly prefer the design and feel of the 13-inch rMBP. It just screams "Pro". But other than that and the screen, I don't do anything that requires a Pro machine.

I DQ'd the Air from consideration shortly after WWDC, but have been looking at it again. Anyone else feel that way?

Common sense tells me to wait for the rMBP, which will hopefully be out in July. And I will probably stay the course. But the Air does have its pluses when you look at it.
 
ValSalva

ValSalva

macrumors 68040
Jun 26, 2009
3,783
259
Burpelson AFB
Once you've gone retina it's hard to go back. That's what makes the wait tough for not only the new rMPB's but also for an Apple retina cinema display.

Seems like you've already essentially made up your mind: the MBA's are tempting but the new rMBP's are worth waiting for.
 
M

mouthster

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2005
298
267
The bottom line for me is that retina resolutions are pushing the boundaries of a mobile GPU. Heat, lower battery-life and jerky scrolling are all issues that would bother me more then a lower res screen.

Hopefully the tech gets to the point where we can have a MBA with 12 hours battery life and smooth scrolling retina.
 
falconeight

falconeight

Guest
Apr 6, 2010
1,866
2
mouthster said:
The bottom line for me is that retina resolutions are pushing the boundaries of a mobile GPU. Heat, lower battery-life and jerky scrolling are all issues that would bother me more then a lower res screen.

Hopefully the tech gets to the point where we can have a MBA with 12 hours battery life and smooth scrolling retina.
Click to expand...
Mine doesn't have a jerky screen. My 2013 11 air did. The battery lasts just as long as the regular MBP and its thinner.

----------
HiDEF said:
Are you planning to upgrade when the new rMBP's are announced or keeping this one for a couple of years?
Click to expand...

No I'm fine for a few years.
 
M

mouthster

macrumors 6502
Apr 22, 2005
298
267
Also so many mac apps and web assets are still non-retina. I think I can resist retina until it's mainstream for Mac OS X like it is on iOS.
 
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iloveair

macrumors member
Jun 26, 2013
41
0
I used to have a RGBLED dell 16inch and i have bought my MBA 13 i7/8gb/250gb and tbh the screen is better than what you think it is. The MBA in its current form is an amazing device and i am extremely happy with the.
 
H

humanliberty

macrumors newbie
Jul 4, 2007
19
0
I just bought a macbook air 13 for a months long trip.

Never had a retina pro, but have had all other retina iOS devices.

At first I really wanted to return it. After finding a good color profile the screen looks a lot better, but it's very far from a retina. One of the positives, though, is that it's not as reflective in the sun, which again might be nice while traveling and having to use it outside.

My reason for not retuning it and getting a retina pro now is that, like yourself, I'll wait for Haswell pros to come out. Since resale prices of Airs are very good, I'll be using a great computer with very long battery life while traveling, and swap it for a haswell pro eventually, taking a slight loss while doing so. Haswell's battery life improvement is so big that I wouldn't want to keep a retina pro of the current generation. At least, not for the $300 or so it costs more than the Air.

By the way, a lot of my irritation at the new Air was also because of Mountain Lion; I made the switch from Snow Leopard. Still can't get rid of horizontal 2 finger scrolling though.

Retina is, very obviously, the future of screens. Anyone who has used one does not want to go back to anything else. You stare at this screen for very long times, every day. I say the time for the 13" Air has passed. It should all be retina from now on.
 
P

PDFierro

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 8, 2009
3,932
111
mouthster said:
Also so many mac apps and web assets are still non-retina. I think I can resist retina until it's mainstream for Mac OS X like it is on iOS.
Click to expand...

I kind of agree with you there. My main writing software is still non-Retina, but there are alternatives.

I have pretty much made up my mind on the rMBP, but the Air is a great option for portability and battery life and I can see both sides of the coin here.
 
falconeight

falconeight

Guest
Apr 6, 2010
1,866
2
PDFierro said:
I kind of agree with you there. My main writing software is still non-Retina, but there are alternatives.

I have pretty much made up my mind on the rMBP, but the Air is a great option for portability and battery life and I can see both sides of the coin here.
Click to expand...

The retina looks better than any air with any specs running any program. Whether its retina or not. The air's screen is pixeled and washed out. I would rather have the screen from a regular MBP even though it has less pixels. The screen on the air is a trade off for portability. I have yet to see anything that looks good on it.
 
R

revisionA

macrumors 6502
May 27, 2005
283
0
I'm fine with it. My 13 is a great edition to my collection. I heard the argument for the retina screen (even got caught up in considering a return), but I'm happy to say its not hard to be happy with a cool, quiet and long enduring system.
 
S

SusanK

macrumors 68000
Oct 9, 2012
1,676
2,655
Retina is nice on any device.

I have an 11 inch MBA mid 2012 and the screen is very nice for me. I have never had a portable with retina so that may be the reason.

I wanted to wait for retina iPad mini. I finally broke down and bought the mini two months ago. The screen is OK until I look at my iPod Touch. Then the mini display looks watered down.

I realize this thread is not about iPads or last year's MBA. My point is that once your eye is seduced by a retina display you are hooked. The display is gorgeous!

If I had it to do over I would get iPad with retina. Steve was right about the size. I am crazy in love with my MBA. Everything about my MBA is perfect for me.

If you can wait for the new rMBP it may be worth it to compare MBA and rMBP side by side before you decide.

I hope you enjoy your choice!
 
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Malizzar

macrumors newbie
Jul 9, 2011
20
1
I actually love my 2012 13 air. I had been using my macbook pro 17 and still love it but it is much nicer carrying the air when I travel. I really do not see the issue with it. I like the rmbp but have not seen a reason to replace my 17 mbp yet.
 
T

torana355

macrumors 68040
Dec 8, 2009
3,609
2,676
Sydney, Australia
Another thread on this subject lol. The screen in the MBA is fine, sure its not a high end panel but when you factor in the price and battery life it is great. All this fuss over high resolution panels is crazy, the MBA 13" has a high resolution for its size, the biggest downside is the limited colour gamut but for surfing the web and answering emails you don't need accurate colour. TBH the retina panels used in the rMBP are crappy quality for the price, they are not even close to a high end panel.
 
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mac82

macrumors member
Jan 17, 2011
54
1
torana355 said:
...the biggest downside is the limited colour gamut but for surfing the web and answering emails you don't need accurate colour.
Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head. If Apple just made the Air's screen a few mm thicker by upping the gamut, the 11" would be a near perfect portable machine. Hi res is wonderful, but, for me, reasonably accurate colour is so much more important. You don't need accurate colour for surfing the web and answering emails, and you don't need an i5 either, but both would still be nice to have. :)
 
octatonic

octatonic

macrumors 6502
Mar 23, 2010
260
52
London
I'm find with the 13" MBA screen.
I like the retina but I'd rather have less weight and battery life for my portable.

Same with the iPad- I can fit the iPad Mini in my coat pocket so it wins over the iPad 4.

Portability trumps everything for me.
 
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Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,066
961
After color calibration, my Air's screen is very good, although still below retina. But, the color is very natural, no washed anymore. My screen is LG. I've compared with the retina at store. Yes, retina is better, but not at the level I dislike or uncomforted with Air screen.
 
F

Fattytail

macrumors 6502a
Apr 11, 2012
902
242
The newest Airs are fine. I splurged without waiting for the Haswell rMBP. Like OP, I don't need the power. Retina would be nice, but I think the Airs have fine screens. No they're not the best, but they're not BAD either.
 
falconeight

falconeight

Guest
Apr 6, 2010
1,866
2
My wife had also picked up the new macbook air 13 inch and just asked me to return it today. She doesn't like the heat it puts on her leg and the fan always kicks on. She is just going to keep using her 2012 13 inch air. The screen on the 2013 air also seems to be more washed out even with calibration. Too bad I was hoping she would like it.
 
D

DblEGT

macrumors member
Jun 22, 2013
38
0
Isamilis said:
After color calibration, my Air's screen is very good, although still below retina. But, the color is very natural, no washed anymore. My screen is LG. I've compared with the retina at store. Yes, retina is better, but not at the level I dislike or uncomforted with Air screen.
Click to expand...

Just did the same to my LG screen....now beautiful! Is retina nicer, yes, but the difference is NOT worth the extra $$$.
 
WhackyNinja

WhackyNinja

macrumors 68000
Jul 6, 2012
1,840
437
Kissimmee, FL
I could say that my next MacBook will be a MBA if it gets a retina display. My MBP is running pretty good so it will be a long time til I get a new MacBook.
 
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