rMBP 13'' vs MBA 13''

Both have very similar performance. I had the i7 11.6" MBA and replaced it with a 13" rMBP (base). The screen is a lot nicer on the rMBP, and you do have the option of scaling up to 1650x1080, though the native resolution looks like 1280x800 vs. the Air's 1440x900.

Is the 15" rMBP an option? If so, the quad-core CPU and discrete GPU would be a big boost for AutoCAD.

RE: AutoCAD...Mac OS...Windows...

Hi KevMYKim,

Are you planning on running AutoCAD on your laptop?

The reason I ask is because for many engineering schools, serious work with various engineering programs, such as AutoCAD, Splice, MATLAB, finite-element, fluid dynamics, etc., can be run by students on the engineering department's workstations (much more powerful than your laptop), so your laptop is simply a "window" into the workstation that is actually running the program. If this is your situation, then either the 13" rMBP or the 13" MBA would be equally fine.

If you wish to run AutoCAD and other engineering programs on your laptop, then the question is whether you wish to run AutoCAD under the Mac OS X or under Windows via Bootcamp or a VM? AutoCAD LT 2013 for Mac OS X is expensive and is not an "upgrade" to AutoCAD LT 2012, thus if you had bought AutoCAD LT 2012 and wanted to upgrade to the latest version of AutoCAD LT, then you would have to purchase AutoCAD LT 2013. This means that it might be better to actually run the AutoCAD program under Windows via a VM or Bootcamp, as Autodesk's upgrade policy under Windows appears to be slightly more lenient than under the Mac OS.

Good luck in engineering,
Switon