12" rMB, 13" MBA or 13" rMBP

[sebruzdrm]

I've been using a regular laptop of 4 years with Windows and have decided to switch to MacBook, but I have hard time deciding which.

I need to carry the laptop with me, and my current 2,1 kgs with 10 mins of battery life isn't helping, so I'm considering MBAir.

I want to upgrade it to i7 and 8GBs of RAM, because I use the PC with Photoshop CS6, iTunes and up to 150 tabs, all at once, with which my 2.6 gHz i5 laptop with 4GBs of RAM as a lot of problems.

But I've read that i7 shrinks the battery life considerably, which makes me reluctant.

Again, I watch a lot of movies and use Photoshop frequently, so I'd appreciate a Retina display, but I'm doing okay with my current 1366x768 with AMD Radeon, so yet again I'm reluctant.

An Apple Store employee suggested a rMBP for my technical needs, but yet again, since I can only afford the low-end model, I'm not quite sure about the performance, not to mention the 1,6 kgs.

12" rMB is winking at me with her Retina display, 0.9 kg and 13.1 mms, but I'm afraid the lack of ports (even 3 USB ports don't suffice at times!) would drive me crazy.

Besides, despite the lack of reviews, 12" rMB seems to be notorious for her performance.

In my local Apple store, 12" rMB, 13" MBA with i7 and 8GB and 13" rMBP all have the same price tags, in case that's relevant.

 

[zhenya]

Given your use, I would suggest the rMBP. It sounds like you are a pretty heavy user, and even though the Pro is a bit heavier than the Air, it has a much better screen and is actually a smaller overall footprint than the 13" Air.

Further, the Pro uses a more powerful series of processors, so even the low end model should outperform the more powerful Airs.

 

[AFEPPL]

if you want portability go for the rMB if you want raw power go for the rMBP.
i5 should be enough, but if you have the spare money go for it. i have both the i5s and the i7, the RAM makes more difference, so it should be fine going for the lower end as you called it.

Ports on the rMB i believe lots of options are now out there for multiple connections, so i wouldn't see this as an issue either.

You could also fix the issue with a new windows laptop - 4 years is old.. and heavy.

 

[Naimfan]

Get a refurbed 13" rMBP with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. You'll appreciate the power and the screen.

 

[Wahlstrm]

I have an i7 8GB 13" Air and besides being slow as h*ell doing batch editing the screen really sucks. Get the rMBP, it won't be much faster but the screen is so much better for working with images. 4mpix screen vs. 1,3mpix screen