Is it a good time to get the rmbp?

robvas said:

Too close to refresh IMO - don't buy unless you really, really need it and can't wait.

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Nothing has been announced though. We're assuming that the next refresh will be with Haswell chips, which are due 4 months from now. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was 3 months after that that Haswell based Macs ship, so, 6-7 months at the earliest? That's not THAT close.

I suppose a little though, but, I think you could drive yourself crazy waiting on Apple.

I love mine and have no issues with non-Retina enabled apps. I also run at the 1680x1050 scaled resolution and it's looks fine.

I recommend this computer to anyone looking to buy a MacBook Pro.

Anytime you need a new computer and want a rMBP is a good time to buy--I got mine in October and love it each and every day.

And nobody here has the image retention issues?

Neither on mine nor the wife's.

opsuisppn said:

Hi Arcsylver,

How do you like the non-retina apps on your rmbp? Do you regret not having 16GB/512GB?

Jony

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So far I haven't found any non retina apps that were really all that bad. they just look similar to what they looked like on my old 2006 MBP really. Nothing horrible by any means.

Most of the "problems" people report with blurry screens when viewing non retina apps pretty much boil down to the app looking like it does on a non retina screen is all. If you absolutely cant stand seeing non retina graphics etc. then it might be bad. But I personally haven't had any problems switching between retina and non retina apps and I am on my computer pretty much all the time, or some other screen based device such as my iPhone 5 or my iPad mini.

As for the RAM. I dont regret not getting 16 GB at all. I do Aperture for my photos and I have my system set up to load iTunes, Safari, Mail, and Messages every time at startup as well as mounting a remote disc on my Airport Extreme. I very often run multiple tabs in safari as well as run games like Second Life and Eve Online simultaneously both set to ultra graphics with only minimal occasional video lag, and even then only momentary during loading of new areas etc.

I am not a power user by any stretch but I do use my machine heavier than a lot of people out there and it hasn't been an issue yet for me to "only" have 8 GB Memory.

My Retina Macbook runs more stable and less glitchy than my partners Asus G75 Republic of Gamers Laptop with similar specs but better RAM and Graphics to give you an Idea.

2contagious said:

And nobody here has the image retention issues?

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Why go look for issues that won't affect your daily usage?

haswell MBP batter life predictions?

Will Haswell extend battery life of a non-retina MBP?
Do you think it will come in the non-retina?

I've been waiting what seems like a year for haswell when I saw the intel graph that shows lower voltage in haswell.

I even bought a Surface RT to hold me over (which no one here probably cares about, but I love it).

tkjazzer said:

I even bought a Surface RT to hold me over (which no one here probably cares about, but I love it).

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I want the Surface, but I want the x86 version.

The people who say some apps don't look good must be super anal-retentitve. I'm very picky and I think everything looks freaking fantastic. If it weren't for the occasional IR issue popping up on the new displays I'd say these laptops are the best ever made and an almost impossible leap in technology - heck even the keyboards and trackpads feel better made. Even things that aren't optimized still look amazing compared to how they look on any other laptop. Maybe some people are using apps that have fuzzy text, or maybe some are seeing this when they use the scaling options so I don't want to discount those possibilities. When using "best for retina" however, I've seen nothing but amazing results from everything I've used. All my major apps are retinized now too also.

robvas said:

Too close to refresh IMO - don't buy unless you really, really need it and can't wait.

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From your keyboard to Gods ears. I bought my 15" MBP in 2009, but I think it's a 2008 model as it was on sale. It's driving me nuts at this point. I was getting the black screens and the Apple Genius told me I needed a new graphic card, but the problem magically went away when I reinstalled Mountain Lion. But it's become pretty slow and I get constant rainbow of death. And I need to restart it twice a day or it performs really bad. I want the 15" rMBP real bad but I refuse to buy 1st generation anything. Waiting. But July is soooo far away

torana355 said:

My Sister owns one which i have used many times, it has serious ui lag where the FPS drops. Don't try to justify your purchase by calling me a liar. My MBA and Imac run much smoother.

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sister... that's rich

I own a MBPr and there is an ui lag especially if you use an other browser like chrome. Now with the new chrome beta the scrolling has improved a lot. Now eclipse needs to be much smoother and im happy. But anyways i love the machine.

w00tini said:

sister... that's rich

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Look ive explained my experience with a rMBP, just because it does not match up with yours does not make it wrong. The OP can buy whatever they feel but i felt like they should know there is ui lag on these machines. Some people....

Don't want to hijack the thread, but my rMBP is set to deliver tomorrow. When's the next update expected for these things (spec bump or major) besides the June-ish date for the haswell update?

Krauser said:

Don't want to hijack the thread, but my rMBP is set to deliver tomorrow. When's the next update expected for these things (spec bump or major) besides the June-ish date for the haswell update?

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Erm, June-ish???

Erasmus said:

Erm, June-ish???

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Well I was expecting that. Just wondering if there was going to be a minor spec bump soon in the mean time before then partially because if there's something coming in a month or so I'll just return mine and wait a month. I only ask because I'm not really willing to wait for June to get a haswell update (as I needed a computer) but going one month would be something I'd be more willing to do.

Krauser said:

Well I was expecting that. Just wondering if there was going to be a minor spec bump soon in the mean time before then partially because if there's something coming in a month or so I'll just return mine and wait a month. I only ask because I'm not really willing to wait for June to get a haswell update (as I needed a computer) but going one month would be something I'd be more willing to do.

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Unlikely.

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QUOTE=Arcsylver;16585983]

As for the RAM. I dont regret not getting 16 GB at all. I do Aperture for my photos and I have my system set up to load iTunes, Safari, Mail, and Messages every time at startup as well as mounting a remote disc on my Airport Extreme. I very often run multiple tabs in safari as well as run games like Second Life and Eve Online simultaneously both set to ultra graphics with only minimal occasional video lag, and even then only momentary during loading of new areas etc.

I am not a power user by any stretch but I do use my machine heavier than a lot of people out there and it hasn't been an issue yet for me to "only" ha

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ve 8 GB Memory.


I'm no expert, but I believe the question really isn't is 8 gb enough for now for a non power user, the question is will you run into problems/shortages in the future. We have no idea how much ram the operating systems of the future are going to eat up. And since Apple has been kind enough to make the most expensive laptops ever non upgradable, and sines many of us can not afford to buy a new computer every other year, it's better to be safe than sorry. Spend the extra $200 and never think about it again for the life of the machine.

Is it a good time to get the rmbp?

I think ANY major purchase is the same, if you DO need it/ having it will MAKE you Money, then Just Go and BUY it.. and likely more so for such items as Computers which 'update with obsolescence in mind' seemingly:

Need It..

Buy It..

Use It..

Like It..

** With a MBP you Repeat every 2-3 years as necessary..

What about broadwell? Hold out for 2014!! No wait.. Skydale! 2015 is gonna be guud.


All electronics are outdated when they are released! It's a losing battle paying to get the newest!!

IMO it's also a question of inputs. Like anandtech talked about the thunderbolt drive guves room for stuff like gigabit, storage, displays.. Almost like a laptop dock!

RMbp has little storage thanks to ssd. To me this makes external and cloud solutions more important. For example I don't want my music on my laptop anymore. I need to drive it off another drive!

The retina MBP is probably one of the best laptops on the market right now. The UI lag is greatly exaggerated. Yes, some badly coded applications will have some lag when resizing their windows (like the App Store) and some image-heavy complex websites can stutter a bit (solvable by using latest alpha browser version), and there is a visual delay when using mission control on a desktop with 30 or so windows... but thats about it.

luffytubby said:

RMbp has little storage thanks to ssd. To me this makes external and cloud solutions more important. For example I don't want my music on my laptop anymore. I need to drive it off another drive!

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rMBP can be had with 768gb SSD, which is enough for a fair bit. And for a similar price to the Sony Z series with a much poorer screen, trackpad, and only 256Gb SSD. For backup and less common storage I run a 9Tb NAS.

tillsbury said:

rMBP can be had with 768gb SSD, which is enough for a fair bit. And for a similar price to the Sony Z series with a much poorer screen, trackpad, and only 256Gb SSD. For backup and less common storage I run a 9Tb NAS.

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768 SSD has an incredible high price. Not a convincing argument. And the comparison to Sony Vaio Z is strange. Different product.


And FYI, the Vaio Z screen is very good. 96% Adobe RGB color gamut is no slouch. It has good viewing angles as well.

luffytubby said:

768 SSD has an incredible high price. Not a convincing argument. And the comparison to Sony Vaio Z is strange. Different product.

And FYI, the Vaio Z screen is very good. 96% Adobe RGB color gamut is no slouch. It has good viewing angles as well.

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Different product? It's a top of the line ultra slim i7 portable with exclusively SSD and no optical drive. It happens to run Windows instead of OSX but otherwise is one of the obvious alternatives. The 768 SSD may be expensive, but still makes the 13" MBPr cheaper than the Sony:

Sony Z: i7, 8Gb RAM, 256 SSD: NZ$4999 (in New Zealand)
rMBP13, 8Gb RAM, 768 SSD: NZ$4789
rMBP15, 8Gb RAM, 768 SSD: NZ$5099

Obviously the 15" rMBP adds a discrete graphics processor too, and both of the MBP's have very much better screens. The Sony one is very good, I agree, by the standards set before the Retina display, but that's no longer where it's at.

Apples are cheap.