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gpat

macrumors 68000
Mar 1, 2011
1,865
4,975
Italy
So, basically I'm left to understand that you were exaggerating in your original post about the retinas? Is there something specific that you know about why they are not good for "working"? Have you owned one?

I'm asking because I'm typing this post on a 2013 Air and I have the 2012 13" retina right beside it and the retina is faster at everything so far.
I didn't expect it to be this way based on posts like yours on the internet but having the two machines for a few days now I can't figure out why the Air is slower for most things (and this is the 2nd one).

So, if you have some specifics about why you think the retina is a poor machine from personal use, please let me know. I can still return mine.

I'm talking about value for money. Obviously the Retina is a better overall machine, it's higher-end. "Better choice" implying the lower price.
 

mmomega

macrumors demi-god
Dec 30, 2009
3,879
2,089
DFW, TX
I can't really resist the Air.

Today I picked up the latest 13" model, my 4th Air. I sell my previous after one year and usually only have to drop $100+/- on the newer models.

It is also great that new models come out right with the Back to School specials, so I've gotten the discounts + either the iPod touch or the $100 gift store cards for the last couple years. So I almost break even when upgrading.

Now I can not knock the retina books, I got my wife one at Christmas, they have gorgeous screens and are mighty little machines but since the laptop is not my primary machine and I want the lightest in portability I have been going with the Air.

The pro doesn't offer anything I personally need, which is very lightweight and excellent battery life.
I have a 64GB and 128GB USB 3 thumb drive, ATT+Verizon LTE MiFi, and any dongles I may need.

So for me... this is the perfect little machine.
 

Suraj R.

macrumors regular
Feb 17, 2013
179
1
Canada
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.

Originally I had my heart set on the 13" rMBP, because of the display. There really is no performance difference between the 13" Airs and Retina Pros (and regular Pros, in fact). I was going to wait, but then I realized that the 2013 Air had everything that I needed, and that I didn't really want to wait. I went and got the 13" Air (i5/8/128) and I'm completely satisfied.

In fact I went to the store today and saw the 13" rMBP, and next to the Air at the distance that I looked at it sure it did look better, but the Air still has a great screen for my purposes (and for anyones purposes). People make it seem like it has a 640 x 480 TFT or something, the screen is great.
 
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