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What made you choose rMBP over new iMac?
- Thread starter frocco
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Who said people had to chose one over the other?
Both are targeting different user groups and different needs...
Both are targeting different user groups and different needs...
I know, but am interested in getting the rMBP over iMac.
but money wise, the iMac is a better value.
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Are there any regrets from current rMBP owners, not getting the new iMac?
I'm waiting for my rMBP but was never even in the market for an iMac. If I was opting for a desktop i'd be waiting for a new Mac Pro or would have gotten a quadcore mac mini. Cheap and fast
rMBP because it's the most powerful laptop bar none.
iMac kind of sucks cause Windows PC's are way superior in terms of sheer value and awesome sweet barbeque chilli sauce gaming.
1. You can't really compare the iMac to the rMBP. If specs were more important to you, it's almost always more economically efficient to buy a desktop over a laptop.
2. rMBPs tend (or so I've heard) to have a lot of problems that can and do go wrong with them.
3. rMBPs are not user upgradeable (you have to buy Apple's extremely expensive hardware upgrades then and there).
4. rMBPs are a PITA to fix. Everything is soldered in, so if anything breaks, you have to ship it in to Apple (or at least go to a certified AppleCare store).
5. Other than the screen, there aren't any real benefits to the rMBP. Officially, they can hold up to 16GB RAM. But unofficially, so can the other MBPs.
6. The rMBP has no optical drive. I tend to use CDs frequently.
7. Obviously the price of the rMBP is much more expensive than other Apple laptops.
2. rMBPs tend (or so I've heard) to have a lot of problems that can and do go wrong with them.
3. rMBPs are not user upgradeable (you have to buy Apple's extremely expensive hardware upgrades then and there).
4. rMBPs are a PITA to fix. Everything is soldered in, so if anything breaks, you have to ship it in to Apple (or at least go to a certified AppleCare store).
5. Other than the screen, there aren't any real benefits to the rMBP. Officially, they can hold up to 16GB RAM. But unofficially, so can the other MBPs.
6. The rMBP has no optical drive. I tend to use CDs frequently.
7. Obviously the price of the rMBP is much more expensive than other Apple laptops.
I sold my 2010 27" iMac to purchase a new 27" iMac. I sold it right after the announcement of the new iMacs. I didn't anticipate the long waiting period so i bought a 15" rMPB to hold me over until my purchase of the 27" iMac. (I bought the rMBP in November and have until tomorrow to return, due to the holiday sales return policy) In the meantime I have played around with the 21" iMac at the Apple Store. I can say that I love my 15" rMBP! The retina is beautiful! I do recommend the 16GB of RAM. The lose of screen real estate has not been a problem for me. I love everything about my 15" rMBP...no regrets
Because I always build my own desktop PCs, that rules the iMac out for me. Haven't got the same skills for notebooks, and as I've hated using Windows notebooks and want discreet graphics I'll be getting a rMBP soon.
Except when the 21.5" iMac has specs that are almost identical or inferior to the 15" rMBP. 27" iMac is the only iMac this generation that has any real specs advantage, but only the top-end config does. It seems crazy, but the 15" rMBP, even the base model, has specs that are almost comparable to a base 27" iMac. Only lacking a little bit in CPU performance.
This I can agree with. Had a slew of problems with my rMBP.
It's the same story with the 2012 iMac, actually. There's not much you can upgrade easily on the iMac. In fact, RAM is probably the only thing that you can update on the iMac without having to pry the screen off.
The rMBP actually holds more benefits elsewhere with weight, overall device volume, cooling system, speaker system (more than 2 speakers), more Thunderbolt ports, and port placement (USB slots on either side and not just one side) compared to other MBP.
The redesigned 2012 iMac doesn't have any optical drive, either. In fact, I think the classic unibody MBP is the only Mac in 2012 that has optical drives. Looks like those are going fast.
This is actually not true. Configure a 15" MBP to the same specifications as an rMBP, and it turns out the rMBP is cheaper.
I was actually only comparing point number 1 to the iMac. All my other points I didn't intend to be comparing the rMBP to the iMac 
I think it's because Apple wants to rope people into buying rMBP. But that's not true for the 13" rMBP, so... it's up to anyone's guess, really.
You can make a cMBP have the same config as a rMBP by using aftermarket parts, but even then, the difference between them is within about $100 - $150 at most. For $100 more, you get essentially a lighter, thinner machine with a much higher resolution display and a better cooling system.
When you compare pricing, the 15" rMBP is actually a bargain.
I made the switch from imac to rMBP. I suppose I started with an imac because the laptops at the time seemed expensive and underpowered compared to an iMac.
Really I wanted the portability of a laptop and the rMBP gave me the choice at last.
What really swung it was the SSD and the retina display in the rMBP, in addition the price of a 27inch imac with a SSD was more than the rMBP.
I have been delighted with my choice so far!
Really I wanted the portability of a laptop and the rMBP gave me the choice at last.
What really swung it was the SSD and the retina display in the rMBP, in addition the price of a 27inch imac with a SSD was more than the rMBP.
I have been delighted with my choice so far!
Care to explain how the rMBP is any more portable than the regular MBP?
I honestly don't see why people say that the rMBP is so much more portable than the MBP.
I honestly don't see why people say that the rMBP is so much more portable than the MBP.
For me it's the SSD. My work laptop is a Dell and we've had to replace the hard drive four times in the last few years. My I.T dept explains it as "moving the laptop around too much." That is why I stayed away from a personal laptop until now. So, for me the portability is the SSD regardless of MBP or rMBP
Lol, no offense, but it's only a difference of like two pounds. It's HARDLY any difference in shape/size, either.
This is probably more valid of a point than the previous. Yet, I've never had a problem with regular drives. EVEN so, you can always put an SSD in a regular MBP, still saving TONS of money.
Will people please stop saying this? The cMBP has it's upgradeability. STOP basing it off of apple rip-off upgrade prices. It would have cost me about an extra $100 to get 1 TB and 8GB of RAM from Apple, compared to price I paid for the 1TB HDD and 16 GB of RAM I have now. AND I get to keep my old 500GB as external storage or backup, as well keep my original stock RAM.
I can take my rMBP to school. I can type on it in my lap, in bed, in the car, in a restaurant. It has a much better screen. I don't need to worry about attached accessories (mouse, keyboard, trackpad). It hides in a tiny little alcove where no iMAC could ever go. It doesn't die when the power blinks out in a storm. It fits in a bag. It's just as fast. It has all the same ports.
thats like saying the iPad 1 is no different to the iPad 2>
i have both cmbp and rmbp and the difference is kinda "big"
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Big(ger)? LOL. It's like half an inch in height and maybe an inch and a half in width/length. How exactly is that going to restrict its portability? Is it not going to fit between a doorway as you go from room to room?