Have any MBA buyers recently wished they'd gone MB Pro instead?

entatlrg said:

I have a 11 and 13" Air, used Air's since the first 13" was introduced and have the recent models now. Also have the 13" rMBP, my wife has the 15" rMBP.

I chose the rMBP. It's leaps and bounds better, the display is incredible and MUCH better than the Air's. Can't understand the comments about headaches and heat on the rMBP.

The Air's screen gave both my wife and I eye strain, for me it's not suitable for hours of use. My 13" runs very cool and extremely quiet. Plus the smaller form factor, far better keyboard, spec's etc ... get the retina, you'll be glad you did.

You may get more suggesting the Air since since this is the Air sub forum, ask the same question in the MacBook Pro forum and it'll probably tilt the other way... I own both and have no bias except for the appreciation of good displays - after all it's what we spend hours staring at...

I had last years retina 13" and just received my new i7, 16, 1TB 13" retina. My 13" Air isn't being used, it's for sale and I'll keep my 11" because I like it's super small size.

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I also own both machines.

Yes the Retina screen is much better. But there are trade offs.

If you want the most battery life avail. The Air gives you that. The performance of the Air vs the Pro is about equal. Weight the same. Price the same almost if you get the i7.

Battery life is not the same. I just bought 30 2013 13 inch macbook pros with the 2.6 i5 for my business for my employees. I had a few left over and kept one for my self. I also have a Air with the i7, 8GB 256.

I need the most battery life I can get, the Air gives me that. I travel alot and most of the time I cannot charge the Air when I am traveling due to time constraints. It is powerfull enough to get my work done easily. I go from home to flight to destination(hotel) on a single charge and even have spare battery to do some work before I plug it in at the hotel.

I run and operate a marketing firm with 60 employees and run my business from my Air. Typing is more comfortable on the air.

I have been using the Macbook pro 13 lately and get around 10 hours of battery when I am traveling. Not bad at all. But I am getting over 14hrs with the Air. Big difference. I am doing the same on each. Yes the display is nice, but it does eat up the battery more so than some would admit. Also taking a hit is the GPU.

If I am getting 14hrs, you might get longer. Mileage will vary.

The Air has no such problems. But get the i7, it is a no brainer. Large difference over the i5. Contrary to what others have told you. The i7 in the Air most likely will outperform in single core performance the i5 2.6 in the pro. They will be about equal when dual core performace is concerned because of the thermal headroom in the Pro.

The one thing I don't see mentioned here. The gloss and reflections on the Retina is worse than the Air. When I am on the plane I can't really see the screen on the Retina. The Air has some reflectoins, but nearly as bad.

Something to think about.

Cons of the Air. Only one thunderbolt port. My only concern that I might wear it out pluging it in all the time to my display at home. I have a 27 imac for heavy lifting at the office. Display not as sharp as the Pro.

Cons of the pro. Less battery life than the Air. Heavier than the Air.Thats it. it is a fine machine.

The difference between the screens are not great when using the two. Yes if you look close up at the Retina yes you can tell the difference. Yes the screen is better. Does the reduced battery life make up for it. Not to me it doesn't.

Your opinion might differ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFU3QACskxE

No. I'll just wait for a Retina Air next year.

Both my MBA and retina equipped MBP are excellent. Being two very different laptops, each serves it's purpose. It's no different than it's ever been, determine your true needs and choose accordingly.

All too often it's the impulse buyers that end up with the wrong laptop.

Mine have paid for themselves many times over.

iamthedudeman said:

The difference between the screens are not great when using the two. Yes if you look close up at the Retina yes you can tell the difference. Yes the screen is better. Does the reduced battery life make up for it. Not to me it doesn't.

Your opinion might differ.

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The retina on my fully loaded , BTO 2013 15" MPH is stunning. The low-res display on my BTO 2013 13" MBA is rather dreadful, but I knew that in advance so I collapsed my expectations to compensate.

Being extremely active, fit and strong, weight doesn't matter to me, I carry either with ease. Even when traversing the largest airport terminals I frequent, I often choose to carry my rMBP. So thin and free of bulk it's easy.

PDFierro said:

Yeah, because that half pound would totally break your back.

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Of course it wouldn't break my back - but it's my preference not to carry it when I don't have to. Portability is a key criteria for me. YMMV.

jojoba said:

Of course it wouldn't break my back - but it's my preference not to carry it when I don't have to. Portability is a key criteria for me. YMMV.

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Portability is key for me, too. I'll be traveling like crazy with the rMBP. But I'd rather take on the minimal extra weight for a much better machine.

tooobe said:

You've carried your 2013 MBA for two years? That's impressive, are you a time traveller?

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yes sir. yes i am.


i meant 2011 =p

PDFierro said:

But I'd rather take on the minimal extra weight for a much better machine.

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That's the thing, for me the rMBP was not a much better machine when I was choosing between the two. The only advantage you are looking at really is the retina screen. This for some is of course a definitive factor, for me it wasn't. As far as performance goes, for the kind of tasks you'd be using a base rMBP (well, I was comparing the i5/8GB/256 to identically specced MBA, the 4GB rMBP is a joke really), the difference in performance is negligible. I went for the form factor/battery life against the retina screen.

The story is entirely different if you need a workhorse and are getting a high-end retina. But then you wouldn't be looking at this thread anyway.

stayley said:

That's the thing, for me the rMBP was not a much better machine when I was choosing between the two. The only advantage you are looking at really is the retina screen. This for some is of course a definitive factor, for me it wasn't. As far as performance goes, for the kind of tasks you'd be using a base rMBP (well, I was comparing the i5/8GB/256 to identically specced MBA, the 4GB rMBP is a joke really), the difference in performance is negligible. I went for the form factor/battery life against the retina screen.

The story is entirely different if you need a workhorse and are getting a high-end retina. But then you wouldn't be looking at this thread anyway.

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I agree.

Last year I bought the last 15" MBP 2.6Ghz i7 mid 2012 model with slot cd drive and quickly slapped 16GB of ram into it. Over the years all my Mac laptops have been as powerful as I could afford thinking that is the best way to go.

But my partner has been hanging out for the rMBP to be updated and not wanting to spend over $3k for what that particular model offers was disappointed with the lack of features the $2500 15" model has. So I suggested that I purchase a Macbook Air and my partner takes my MBP.

I'm quite happy with my decision. I've ordered the i7/256GB/8GB and have sold my iPad. For my needs (including PS and web design) I'm sure it'll suit me just fine.

I read people moaning about the Air not having retina display, but to have that means battery power sacrifice and I guess if or when Apple do decide to offer it people will complain about the Air having less battery time than it use to

I've had both. I currently have and love my 13" MBA. I even gave my iPad to my son since I use my MBA for everything.

No regrets! It just depends on what you need. I have back and neck pain issues and needed something light to travel with for work. If battery life + portability are essential, you can't go wrong with an Air. Probably depends on your line of work as well. As a Sys Admin, I spend 80% of my time in front of a Linux terminal. I don't need a discrete GPU and the best screen for that.

iLuvMyMacToo said:

I read people moaning about the Air not having retina display, but to have that means battery power sacrifice and I guess if or when Apple do decide to offer it people will complain about the Air having less battery time than it use to

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Tbh, I think that Apple is just ******* around with the screen on the MBA. I am getting around 14h on my unit. I'd happily trade it for 11h or 10h if I could have a decent screen on it. If a reasonable 1080p is out of the way I mean, because that would make most sense in this machine.

I smell keeping the margins rather than boasting ultimate battery life. I'm sure in their tests with Mavericks they could get 12h out of a retina MBA and claim it in their press releases. But the laptop would have to sell for approximately the same price to remain competitive (and not be cannibalised by the rMBP), slashing the margins accordingly. What nasty global corporation likes that?

w00d said:

If the 13" rMBP had 1440x900 native resolution, I would consider it. I think the retina screen is nice to look at. But I'm not a fan of 1280x800. It would also be more appealing if it had a quad core cpu. I wish I liked the rMBP better, it is a nice machine, but currently the MBA is the best fit for me.

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Bingo...if the 13" retina offered a quad-core proc and especially a slight bump in it's standard "retina" resolution, at least to the same default res of the current 13" Airs it would dominate.

Retina is nice but I don't like dealing with performance issued in a scaled resolution which I noticed on my test 13" RMBP the other week. The 15 isnt nearly as bad but it was quite obvious with the 13. No technical reason not to slip a quad-core chip in there either, Apple just doesn't want to cannibalize the 15" model sales. Weak.

Nope, I love my Air.

PDFierro said:

Portability is key for me, too. I'll be traveling like crazy with the rMBP. But I'd rather take on the minimal extra weight for a much better machine.

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That's your choice, but it's not mine. I really don't understand why you're going on about this. The OP asked if anyone has wished they'd gone MB Pro instead of Air. I stated that I didn't because I prefer the mobility of the Air. That's my preference. Why you feel a need to argue about my preference, I have no idea.

I have a 2013 Mid Air, and now I want a high standard 15' rMBP !

dizmonk said:

I've had both and I'm leaning toward keeping the Air... The retina is nice but not overwhelming....

I like the Air due to better typing on the keyboard, battery life, weight and speed...

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But after looking at the retina, the MBA screen is underwhelming.

dizmonk said:

I've had both and I'm leaning toward keeping the Air... The retina is nice but not overwhelming....

I like the Air due to better typing on the keyboard, battery life, weight and speed...

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What's the issue with typing on the rMBP ?

drsox said:

What's the issue with typing on the rMBP ?

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No issue, I just personally (and I suppose dizmonk too) feel that the MBA has a superior keyboard. Especially in terms of feedback. In fact, the keyboard on the Air is the best keyboard I have ever used on a laptop and it was one of the major factors that made me choose it over the competition.

stayley said:

No issue, I just personally (and I suppose dizmonk too) feel that the MBA has a superior keyboard. Especially in terms of feedback. In fact, the keyboard on the Air is the best keyboard I have ever used on a laptop and it was one of the major factors that made me choose it over the competition.

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OK. I just have an MBA and am looking to get a rMBP as well, but I do agree about the keyboard on the MBA. Is the absence of the slope on the rMBP a problem for resting the hands. Is the rMBP keyboard a different keyboard then ?

jojoba said:

That's your choice, but it's not mine. I really don't understand why you're going on about this. The OP asked if anyone has wished they'd gone MB Pro instead of Air. I stated that I didn't because I prefer the mobility of the Air. That's my preference. Why you feel a need to argue about my preference, I have no idea.

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Wasn't arguing at all. But you are completely right, everyone will have their preference.

drsox said:

OK. I just have an MBA and am looking to get a rMBP as well, but I do agree about the keyboard on the MBA. Is the absence of the slope on the rMBP a problem for resting the hands. Is the rMBP keyboard a different keyboard then ?

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I was talking about the keyboard itself. The one on the MBA seems to be carved out for my fingers, writing is seamless and a pure pleasure (and I often produce tens of pages a day so it's extremely important to me). It seems to have better key feedback, is less shallow, just feels right. Not to say the one on the rMBP is bad, but for the MBA it feels like it is a strong selling point.

I did prefer the keyboard on the Air.. but I'm getting close to 8 hours of battery life on the rMBP and I'm thrilled.

I wish I had purchased a 15" rMBP over my 13" MBA, though at the time the 13" MBA was a much better purchase for what I needed.

With that said I am more than happy with the battery life and portability I wouldn't have with the rMBP, I do miss 16GB and a dGPU