Hey guys, trying to decide between the base models 13" Air and rMBP. With discounts and tax from Bestbuy, I can get the Air for $725 and the rMBP for $1100. I will be using the laptop primarily for browsing and writing papers, nothing intensive. First impressions are that I love the size and weight of the Air, the wedge design makes typing a joy. Only downside is the screen compared to the rMBP. But realistically, is the retina screen worth $375 more? If the air had a retina screen I wouldn't have this decision. Should I go with the Air for cheap, and sell it when the retina Air comes out for not much of a loss(hopefully)?
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Air vs rMBP for student
- Thread starter Rhyno152
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I was in the same boat as you, and went with the MBA. I am going to wait until the 2nd-3rd gen rMBA though to upgrade, just because 1st gen is always a little more expensive and glitchy. Used ones are currently selling for no less than $800 on ebay, so I think the resale value will hold.
I personally think the 13" rMBP is the best computer currently available from Apple, but I couldn't pass up a MBA for $700.
save your money get the air, sure the screen won't be as nice but its not an awful screen to use and you'll be glad you saved the cash not to mention having great battery life
I highly recommend the 13" MacBook Air. It can handle everything you mentioned you need it for, and more. It's super lightweight, quiet, and has a nice, bright screen. It performs really well too... everything is super smooth, large videos play without stutter, scrolling is very smooth too. It's great. It also has amazing battery life, you can go an entire work day on a full charge.
The display on the rMBP is superior with better color saturation and viewing angles, but the MacBook Air isn't bad. As for Retina, that just depends on how far away you are from the screen. At the distance at which I sit, I really can't tell the sharpness between an rMPB or an MBA.
If you can get a MacBook Air at that price too, I would go for it.
The display on the rMBP is superior with better color saturation and viewing angles, but the MacBook Air isn't bad. As for Retina, that just depends on how far away you are from the screen. At the distance at which I sit, I really can't tell the sharpness between an rMPB or an MBA.
If you can get a MacBook Air at that price too, I would go for it.
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For what you'll be using the computer for, go for the Macbook Air, hands down. Yeah, the Retina display is really pretty, but the savings is quite nice if you opt for the MBA. I purchased one myself with the same deal you're looking at, and selling my iPad Mini to offset the cost, the deal is just too good. The cool thing about the MBA is that you'll probably be able to sell it for around what you paid for after the discounts, or maybe a slight profit depending on the market, and then upgrade to something else if you ever want more features.
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