13 & 15inch rMBP: $437 Price Difference

[HappyDude20]

Guys, I've been waiting to purchase a rMBP 13inch for months now, but am not happy with the lack of a dedicated graphics card, or that small 128GB space.

I've been reading the threads in this MBP forum all day and continue to see that most people that were in my situation decided to go for the 15inch rMBP considering its doubling in space, graphics and other personal reasons. I continue to see people saying in the threads that the difference is only $200, but having attempted to check out of the Apple Store online twice, 13inch and 15inch rMBP, respecitively, I see the difference is $437. Am I missing something here?

I'm indeed using my education discount, but the name of the game for me is price. This will be my 3rd MacBook product and the previous two have each lasted me a full 3 years. I expect nothing less from the new rMBP i'll end up purchasing, I just don't know which one i'll settle on. I've always had a 13inch MacBook, but lack of certain features and space is devastating. The 15inch offers better options and i'll feel more content in the longrun, but price is of some concern. Iono, freaking Apple.

Ahhh!!

(I would love the 15inch rMBP if it was only $200-ish bucks more, considering the upgrades it comes with)

 

[yanksrock100]

I am in the same situation. However, I can't justify spending $500~ more on the 15 inch when I have always been set on 13. 15 is too big for me. I think I will just get the 13 rMBP, and live with the small amount of space. The Intel 4000 doesn't really bother me much, as it isn't as bad as everyone says it is.

I really have to use it alot at the store to see how I like it, the speeds, ect.

My next choice would be the MBA, and I really want a retina screen...

 

[Mdwall]

Tax added maybe?

I appreciate that alot get the student discount but I don't really see why it comes into discussion at all honestly. Unless you're a student it has no bearing on the price you pay unless I'm missing an angle...

 

[HappyDude20]

I am in the same situation. However, I can't justify spending $500~ more on the 15 inch when I have always been set on 13. 15 is too big for me. I think I will just get the 13 rMBP, and live with the small amount of space. The Intel 4000 doesn't really bother me much, as it isn't as bad as everyone says it is.

My next choice would be the MBA, and I really want a retina screen...

Took the words right outta my mouth. I know the 4000 isn't thar bad, but I'm also thinking longterm. As am I when it comes to the 128GB-256GB SSD. It's Retina and I love it; I don't wanna go back to regular... which is why I've become hesitant to the Air, though I do like it as well.

I'm a very portable person and always have my MacBook with me. Always, on a date...anything, lol. I would love the 15inch screen real estate, but it is bigger... but it does include better extras that should come standard in the 13in rMBP. ******** Apple... making me think too much about all this.

----------

Tax added maybe?

I appreciate that alot get the student discount but I don't really see why it comes into discussion at all honestly. Unless you're a student it has no bearing on the price you pay unless I'm missing an angle...

Well yeah its only $100-$200. The tax does seem to add up in Southern California though.

The thing is, I feel with the options in front of me that at the very least I wanna feel like I had my cake and can eat it too.

 

[omgitscro]

Guys, I've been waiting to purchase a rMBP 13inch for months now, but am not happy with the lack of a dedicated graphics card, or that small 128GB space.

I've been reading the threads in this MBP forum all day and continue to see that most people that were in my situation decided to go for the 15inch rMBP considering its doubling in space, graphics and other personal reasons. I continue to see people saying in the threads that the difference is only $200, but having attempted to check out of the Apple Store online twice, 13inch and 15inch rMBP, respecitively, I see the difference is $437. Am I missing something here?

I'm indeed using my education discount, but the name of the game for me is price. This will be my 3rd MacBook product and the previous two have each lasted me a full 3 years. I expect nothing less from the new rMBP i'll end up purchasing, I just don't know which one i'll settle on. I've always had a 13inch MacBook, but lack of certain features and space is devastating. The 15inch offers better options and i'll feel more content in the longrun, but price is of some concern. Iono, freaking Apple.

Ahhh!!

(I would love the 15inch rMBP if it was only $200-ish bucks more, considering the upgrades it comes with)

When people say that, they're just trying to sound justified in claiming that the Retina 13" is somehow a lousy laptop or a bad deal. The truth is, the Retina 13" costs $500 less than the 15" ($400 less if you compare their education prices), just as Phil Schiller had said. $200 comes from comparing the 256GB 13" MBP to the base model 15".

 

[HappyDude20]

When people say that, they're just trying to sound justified in claiming that the Retina 13" is somehow a lousy laptop or a bad deal. The truth is, the Retina 13" costs $500 less than the 15" ($400 less if you compare their education prices), just as Phil Schiller had said. $200 comes from comparing the 256GB 13" MBP to the base model 15".

I don't think its a lousy laptop, but I do want the best that I can have. Even if I was to get the rMBP 13inch I would still be better off than whatever 3 year old MBP I used to have... but admittedly, I want to have the best laptop I can get to last me at university and a few years down the line without worries about lack of certain specifications I could've decided on now.

 

[Irock619]

Guys, I've been waiting to purchase a rMBP 13inch for months now, but am not happy with the lack of a dedicated graphics card, or that small 128GB space.

I've been reading the threads in this MBP forum all day and continue to see that most people that were in my situation decided to go for the 15inch rMBP considering its doubling in space, graphics and other personal reasons. I continue to see people saying in the threads that the difference is only $200, but having attempted to check out of the Apple Store online twice, 13inch and 15inch rMBP, respecitively, I see the difference is $437. Am I missing something here?

The high-end 13" model is only $200 cheaper than the base 15" model... The 13" is way too expensive considering the 15" model has a faster processor, dedicated graphics chip, more screen realstate, and more ram. All for an extra $200. Apple messed this up big time, as well with the iPad mini.

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/

 

[MaxPower72]

it's a no brainer go for the 15" or wait another 8 months.

This retina 13" feels like something put together in a rush with whatever was already available and the price unfortunately is outrageous. Again, go for the 15" if you can't leave with a Retina display.

 

[yanksrock100]

I think once we start getting reviews in, we can have a clear picture on whether the 13 rMBP is worth it or not....right now I am in between...

 

[omgitscro]

The high-end 13" model is only $200 cheaper than the base 15" model... The 13" is way too expensive considering the 15" model has a faster processor, dedicated graphics chip, more screen realstate, and more ram. All for an extra $200. Apple messed this up big time, as well with the iPad mini.

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/

So it's suddenly fair to compare the high-end 13" (which is $300 more expensive) to the low-end 15"? I don't think the 13" Retina is such a bad deal. I mean, the low-end 13" Retina is "only $200 more expensive than the high end regular 13"."

 

[bob24]

So it's suddenly fair to compare the high-end 13" (which is $300 more expensive) to the low-end 15"? I don't think the 13" Retina is such a bad deal. I mean, the low-end 13" Retina is "only $200 more expensive than the high end regular 13"."

Here is a suggestion to make it fair: instead of comparing the high-end 13" Retina to the low-end 15" Retina, you can compare the 256GB 13" Retina to the 256GB 15" Retina.

 

[MrNutt]

15 wins for me.

 

[BeachChair]

Giving such a premium machine only 128GB storage is a bit offending.

 

[terraphantm]

So it's suddenly fair to compare the high-end 13" (which is $300 more expensive) to the low-end 15"? I don't think the 13" Retina is such a bad deal. I mean, the low-end 13" Retina is "only $200 more expensive than the high end regular 13"."

Yes it is a fair comparison since the high-end 13 still has inferior specs to the low-end 15.

 

[phinsup]

In my case it's ore like a $200 differemce as I can't get by with a 128gb drive.

 

[alyshehata]

So you don't want to spend 500$ more and get a dedicated graphics card, 128 gb more of SSD, double the processor, and a bigger screen (for viewing movies and gaming). You either don't care about the money (because obviously the macbook pro 13" is way overpriced)... or you're a 80 year old who can't handle the weight of the 15".

I say go for the 15".. 500 more but you get a laptop that is much much much better than this 128GB thing.

 

[HappyDude20]

So you don't want to spend 500$ more and get a dedicated graphics card, 128 gb more of SSD, double the processor, and a bigger screen (for viewing movies and gaming). You either don't care about the money (because obviously the macbook pro 13" is way overpriced)... or you're a 80 year old who can't handle the weight of the 15".

I say go for the 15".. 500 more but you get a laptop that is much much much better than this 128GB thing.

Truer words have never been spoken.

I was feeling nostalgic, thinking about my last two MacBooks and their coresponding weight:

2006 late white MacBook 13inch - 5.2lbs
2009 Unibody MacBook Pro 13inch - 4.5lbs

Even the current 15inch Retina would continue the reduction in weight trend:

2012 13inch rMBP: 3.57lbs
2012 15inch rMBP: 4.46lbs

So I don't think I can say weight would be the issue, considering i've trekked and carried my previous MacBooks in other countries climbing mountains and the Great Wall. I love and would be at ease knowing what is inside my rMBP would be of great quality and caliber; not to mention double the SSD space... and honestly, above all... the bigger retina screen size. I can't help but think how kick-asss it would be watching high quality films on that screen.

I truly believe my decision on either rMBP will be made in the moment and in person when I visit the Apple Store tomorrow (Thursday) evening.

 

[chris2k5]

Yeah I was excited to trade up to the new 13" RMBP but 128GB SSD is a joke. So is the HD4000 graphics...

Apple got a lot wrong with this previous keynote...

13" RMBP overpriced, underpowered
iPad Mini overpriced, underpowered
Mac Mini is just ok...
iMac looks pretty good

25% success = bad for Apple.

 

[magbarn]

If you want to know how today's rMBP 13 buyers feel when the haswell rMBP 13 comes out next year with hd5000 gpu (2x as fast), quad core and 16gb ram option and standard 256gb SSD just ask today's ipad 3 owners. If the rMBP 13 at least came as a quad CPU and 16gb ram option it would be a decent buy but apple really cheaped out on this stop gap model.

 

[Elijen]

Yeah I was excited to trade up to the new 13" RMBP but 128GB SSD is a joke. So is the HD4000 graphics...

Apple got a lot wrong with this previous keynote...

13" RMBP overpriced, underpowered
iPad Mini overpriced, underpowered
Mac Mini is just ok...
iMac looks pretty good

25% success = bad for Apple.

The point is people will still buy the overpriced and underpowered devices and Apple knows ...

 

[talmy]

All the rMBPs give poor cost/performance -- you are paying a premium for the Retina display and the compact design. And the 13" MBP has always had lower performance than the 15". There's just not enough room in the package.

IMHO, if you can live without Retina and are willing to carry an extra pound, the best performance comes from the 15" MBP with the i7. I've got a personal preference for the HighRes option. Then buy third party RAM and disk upgrades. If you don't need the optical drive (not in the rMBPs anyway) you can add a SSD to the standard 750GB 7200RPM drive and get both performance and capacity.

The rMBP today is where the 1st generation MBA was when it came out. If you must, just wait a year for the second generation version.

 

[chris2k5]

The point is people will still buy the overpriced and underpowered devices and Apple knows ...

I knew that. I am one of those Apple fanboys that does buy their stuff but this time they lowballed us by a lot.

How can they price a iPad Mini at $329 while the Nexus 7 is priced comfortably at $200-$250!?

 

[alyshehata]

Truer words have never been spoken.

I was feeling nostalgic, thinking about my last two MacBooks and their coresponding weight:

2006 late white MacBook 13inch - 5.2lbs
2009 Unibody MacBook Pro 13inch - 4.5lbs

Even the current 15inch Retina would continue the reduction in weight trend:

2012 13inch rMBP: 3.57lbs
2012 15inch rMBP: 4.46lbs

So I don't think I can say weight would be the issue, considering i've trekked and carried my previous MacBooks in other countries climbing mountains and the Great Wall. I love and would be at ease knowing what is inside my rMBP would be of great quality and caliber; not to mention double the SSD space... and honestly, above all... the bigger retina screen size. I can't help but think how kick-asss it would be watching high quality films on that screen.

I truly believe my decision on either rMBP will be made in the moment and in person when I visit the Apple Store tomorrow (Thursday) evening.

I truly believe you will go for the 15"

I have it and it is just a beast. The best laptop money can buy. Comapare the difference in speakers, ssd space, graphics card, and most importantly the screen.

Pretty sure the HD movies on both will look beautiful, nevertheless, bigger is always better when it comes to movies. And the weight difference is really minimal. Let us know what you decided on and good luck

 

[mrsir2009]

Personally I wouldn't buy the first gen of a product. Remember the first MacBook Air? It was underpowered and overpriced, but over time Apple slashed the price significantly and improved performance by a lot. I expect Apple will do the same with the Retina MacBook Pro

 

[talmy]

How can they price a iPad Mini at $329 while the Nexus 7 is priced comfortably at $200-$250!?

This question is asked repeatedly, but then I wonder how they could price it at (say) $249 when the iPod Touch is $299? Shouldn't the iPad Mini carry a premium over the iPod Touch.

IMHO, the iPod Touch should have come out at the $199 price, then there would have been room for the Mini at $249.