MacBook Pro 13 with or without Retina?

[Erasmus]

Don't self hard drive upgrades, let alone Optibay ones, void AppleCare? This is what they told me over the phone in any case.

OP, I love my 15" rMBP and my 13" cMBP but the 13" rMBP seems a bit neither here nor there. Obviously à chacun son gout but I think 15" is your best bet (and value proposition) for Retina, and the MBA, followed by the MBP, for a 13" notebook.

Hard drive upgrades do not void Applecare (Except on Retina MBPs), as the instructions to do so, like upgrading RAM, are outlined in the computer user's manual. Optibay conversions will likely result in refusal of Applecare repairs until the computer has been returned to factory conditions.

OP, unrelated FYI, everyone has a Cochlea, it's part of the ear. A Cochlear Implant replaces the function of the Cochlea.

I guess "Cochlea Speakers" have been available for decades now, as pretty much any speaker is capable of reproducing sound far more accurately than our ears can hear it, especially if they are calibrated. Come to think of it, I've never heard of anyone calibrating their speakers, even though it should be a pretty easy thing to do.

 

[blaake]

1 partition is correct.

Thanks. everything went perfectly after that

 

[ScholarsInk]

That's what I thought, and then the AppleCare person on the phone told me otherwise. It's somewhat embarrassing that the warranty call center doesn't know the warranty's terms.

 

[willcapellaro]

When you say cochlea speaker, do you mean they will send sound directly to the implant?

No, sorry to confuse with absurd comments. I was inventing Apple's pseudo-terminology for premium audio. Something akin to "Retina" display.

AFAIK, Cocchlea is a part of the ear that is roughly equivalent to the Retina.

I wasn't being at all serious, but your interpretation is not a bad idea. I know that ipads and iphones are huge with the blind and low vision crowd, not sure about the deaf / cocchlear implant crowd. Bypassing the ambient air and going straight to the implant makes sense.

 

[Hpye]

once you go retina you will never go back. It looks amazing

 

[AirThis]

If I were getting a 13", I'd get the classic. The 13" rMBP is much too expensive IMHO. For a little bit more money you can get the 15" with a dgpu and a quad-core processor. The 13" rMBP isn't competitive pricewise versus the classic 13" either.

 

[Barna Biro]

The 13" rMBP isn't competitive pricewise versus the classic 13" either.

That's not really true. A 13" cMBP with the same config is $200 cheaper than the base 13" rMBP. I think it's quite competitive... for $200 more, you get a better display, better thermal management ( so far at least, it runs significantly cooler than previous models ), a smaller footprint, a lighter machine, an additional TB port, an HDMI port ( the USB port positioned on the right is also more handy than having both on the left... but let's say this is subjective ) and slightly higher clocked graphics.

Sure, although you gain the above, you lose: Ethernet Port, FireWire, Kensington Lock and Superdrive. Maybe more important to some: You lose the ability to upgrade it yourself ( adding 16GB of memory if you really feel the need for it or a bigger capacity SSD later down the road ).

So, it really comes down to preferences and needs. If you're a system administrator and you find yourself quite often on the field, needing to connect via Ethernet to other stuff, then either get an adapter for the rMBP, or if you hate that, get the cMBP. Also, do you want an IPS screen or not ( I won't say "retina", cause that doesn't matter that much to me... what does matter is the quality of the screen and viewing angles )? Do you still use CDs / DVDs often? I for one ( and I'd risk guessing that: "the majority of people" ) don't... but I did get the USB Superdrive, "just in case" ( it might happen that I need to extremely rarely install something from a DVD ).

Anyway... $200 difference and the things you get by going with the 13" rMBP compared to the 13" cMBP are IMO, well worth the price IF you don't mind loosing user-upgradeability, Ethernet, FireWire, the Superdrive ( but you can still use adapters if you want... so you're not really loosing those ports "forever" ) and the Kensington Lock.

PS: I did not mind losing user-upgradeability because by the time the notebook gets so slow that it can't handle the stuff I throw at it, no amount of RAM or SSD will make a "life-changing difference" ( considering I already have an SSD and 8GB RAM is quite enough if one doesn't do any video encoding, 3D rendering, running a ton of VMs simultaneously and similar ). When that time comes, it will be replaced with the newest model I can find that suits my needs.

 

[Naimfan]

That's not really true.

Yes it is.

A 13" cMBP with the same config is $200 cheaper than the base 13" rMBP.

Only if you're dumb enough to order it that way from Apple. A 256 GB SSD is between $150-200; 8 GB of RAM is around $40. So for $200, plus $1099 for the computer, you're looking at a price difference of $600 compared to the rMBP (assuming gov't/military or student discount).

The screen is very nice, but it's not worth $600 over the cMBP. And there are many of us out there who need ethernet (and refuse to use an adapter - defeats the purpose of an all-in-one laptop) and, gasp, need an optical drive. Ever try to transfer classified material? Can't use a thumb drive!

 

[Barna Biro]

$600 difference... sure, good luck with that ( BTW, watch your language bud ).
The majority of buyers don't sit on Macrumors, nor do they upgrade stuff themselves.
... but whatever you say, as long as you and your wallet are both happy.

 

[blaake]

1 partition is correct.

The ram finally came yesterday and install was easy and everything is running great (I think). Every time i start my mbp, it makes a mechanical sound and it comes from underneath the upper right corner of the keyboard (pretty sure its just the optical drive checking for a disk but not 100%) is that normal?


also, sometime when i open the lid my screen is faint a line of bars appear at the middle bottom of my screen that look like the level bars when youre raising the sound, brightness, etc. Have you ever had this happen?

 

[T5BRICK]

The ram finally came yesterday and install was easy and everything is running great (I think). Every time i start my mbp, it makes a mechanical sound and it comes from underneath the upper right corner of the keyboard (pretty sure its just the optical drive checking for a disk but not 100%) is that normal?

You're correct, it's the optical drive.

also, sometime when i open the lid my screen is faint a line of bars appear at the middle bottom of my screen that look like the level bars when youre raising the sound, brightness, etc. Have you ever had this happen?

I'm not sure what you're seeing, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it.

 

[MOKHAN]

What's the difference between the keyboards on the rMBP and cMBP?

 

[T5BRICK]

What's the difference between the keyboards on the rMBP and cMBP?

Some people prefer the feel of the keyboards on the cMBP. I couldn't notice a difference when I used a rMBP at the Apple store.

 

[iScreamSanWitch]

Some people prefer the feel of the keyboards on the cMBP. I couldn't notice a difference when I used a rMBP at the Apple store.

There is some difference in feel, but you get used to is very quickly.. it's really not an issue..

 

[T5BRICK]

There is some difference in feel, but you get used to is very quickly.. it's really not an issue..

They both felt fine to me, if there was a difference I couldn't tell. It certainly wouldn't deter me from a rMBP(the price would though).

 

[iScreamSanWitch]

They both felt fine to me, if there was a difference I couldn't tell. It certainly wouldn't deter me from a rMBP(the price would though).

Yeah, the only way I was able to tell is to try typing on gfs 13 inch cMBP just before trying the retina one.. otherwise I probably wouldn't have noticed..

 

[blaake]

You're correct, it's the optical drive.



I'm not sure what you're seeing, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it.

When i open my laptop and at the same time as the optical drive is doing its thing, my screen is somewhat faint, it has like a white layer over it and its trying to load something and bars show at the bottom of the screen in a loading sequence.

 

[ISKOTB]

I really hope so so I don't run in to this

From what you've written, go with the cMBP 13". As others have said, you can upgrade the RAM and storage in the cMBP but not the rMBP (without voiding the Apple warranty). The cMBP is also much less expensive.

 

[Naimfan]

There is some difference in feel, but you get used to is very quickly.. it's really not an issue for me..

There. Fixed it for you.

There is a difference, and it's not something you "get used to." It's part of the reason I dislike the Air - it feels almost flimsy.

 

[T5BRICK]

When i open my laptop and at the same time as the optical drive is doing its thing, my screen is somewhat faint, it has like a white layer over it and its trying to load something and bars show at the bottom of the screen in a loading sequence.

I believe that is "deep sleep." When it completely powers down and moves the contents of the RAM onto the HDD/SSD. When you open your laptop and the screen looks washed out, it is loading the data from your HDD/SSD back onto your RAM.

I actually disabled this function on my laptop.

 

[cire1244]

That's not really true. A 13" cMBP with the same config is $200 cheaper than the base 13" rMBP. I think it's quite competitive... for $200 more, you get a better display, better thermal management ( so far at least, it runs significantly cooler than previous models ), a smaller footprint, a lighter machine, an additional TB port, an HDMI port ( the USB port positioned on the right is also more handy than having both on the left... but let's say this is subjective ) and slightly higher clocked graphics.

I'm sorry but I am sick of this argument. Why are you taking Apple's word for what is fair pricing? If they charged you $1000 for a 128GB SSD would you tell me that the retina MBP is a steal because it's actually CHEAPER than an upgraded cMBP?

You're referring to:
Base cMBP (i5) = 1199
8GB RAM upgrade = +100
128 GB SSD = +200
---------------
1499 - $200 difference bw upgraded cMBP and base rMBP

But let's check actual market pricing shall we? For simplicity I'll use Cricual's prices (though you can probably find even cheaper)
Base cMBP (i5) = 1199
8GB RAM upgrade = +44
128 GB SSD = +85
---------------
1328 - $371 difference bw upgraded cMBP and base rMBP

OR, another Crucial upgrade:
Base cMBP (i5) = 1199
8GB RAM upgrade = +44
256 GB SSD = +159
---------------
1402 - $597 difference bw upgraded cMBP and top rMBP

Now when you consider that a 128GB storage drive is somewhat unacceptable for many people, most are looking at a nearly $600 upcharge for a fancy 13" monitor, and some lost weight (not to mention the absorbed cost of having to buy an external DVD-RW). That's over a 40% increase in price!!

Just can't make the argument that the rMBP is a cost-effective machine.

EDIT: Base cMBP pricing corrected, thanks Naimfan.

 

[Naimfan]

@ cire1244 -

I agree with you, but unless I missed something the base uMBP is $1199, not $1299 - which makes the price differences even larger.

 

[cire1244]

@ cire1244 -

I agree with you, but unless I missed something the base uMBP is $1199, not $1299 - which makes the price differences even larger.

My mistake. Thanks for catching that. Corrected.

 

[NewishMacGuy]

Just can't make the argument that the rMBP is a cost-effective machine.

Don't worry. You're not alone in that camp. After playing with them in the store, I'd swear that the screen isn't as drastic an upgrade from the cMBP as it is on the 15" version. And they were all running awfully hot compared to the cMBP-13s on display.

 

[blaake]

I believe that is "deep sleep." When it completely powers down and moves the contents of the RAM onto the HDD/SSD. When you open your laptop and the screen looks washed out, it is loading the data from your HDD/SSD back onto your RAM.

I actually disabled this function on my laptop.

i think i found it. is it the "put hard disks to sleep when possible"?

if so, what are the advantages/disadvantages of this?