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I've personally used the 13" retina and it was sluggish, even for some of the most basic tasks. PC's shouldn't come dual-core anymore, it should be quad-core processor standard.

The 15" is perfect. It's not too big, you get much more real-estate and better specs.

Dual core is absolutely fine. The 13" rMBP's biggest problem is the integrated HD 4000 graphics.

The CPU is most definitely not the bottleneck.
 
Yeah, I don't see the argument for dual-core not being enough anymore. What we need is the Intel HD 5100 in the new 13-inch rMBP.
 
Many people get the 15" not because they are going to take advantage at the current present of the extra cores, dGPU and RAM, but they think or forsee they will need it in a future, and that is a big mistake which means waste of money... It is not worth to pay $800 more if you won't benefit from the extra power. If you want more real estate screen then get an external display.
The up coming haswell 13" rMBP core duo with hyperthreading (i.e. 4 virtual processors) can handle without problem LR and Photoshop. I just hope Apple will offer it with 16GB option...
 
Many people get the 15" not because they are going to take advantage at the current present of the extra cores, dGPU and RAM, but they think or forsee they will need it in a future, and that is a big mistake which means waste of money... It is not worth to pay $800 more if you won't benefit from the extra power. If you want more real estate screen then get an external display.
The up coming haswell 13" rMBP core duo with hyperthreading (i.e. 4 virtual processors) can handle without problem LR and Photoshop. I just hope Apple will offer it with 16GB option...

FYI, the current 13" rMBP also has hyperthreading and runs Lightroom and Photoshop just fine.
 
FYI, the current 13" rMBP also has hyperthreading and runs Lightroom and Photoshop just fine.

I know, but the upcoming GPU (probably Iris 5100) is better than HD4000. For those willing to get the 13" rMBP, I think it is worth to be patient :)
 
I disagree. The 13" is perfectly suited to all those tasks with an external display. The 15" might be more powerful but photo and video editing are great on both.
Video editing? Quad-core, especially once you get into the re-encoding part.

I've done that with dual-core, but it is not fun.
 
Update: I have decided to go with the 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro for sure, because I think that the 13 inch is just a little too small and not powerful enough for me. Maybe I will consider the 13 inch when it gets Haswell.

I am waiting just a few more days because Apple is starting it's Back To School promotion and that could mean a silent refresh of the Retina MacBook Pro. Even if nothing happens, I will buy it and sell it when the Haswell models come out.

Also, coming from a 2011 Airport Extreme, I am considering buying a new Airport Time Capsule but for a 802.11n device, does the Airport Time Capsule offer more speed and range even for 802.11n devices?
 
well i've upgraded from the cmbp13" late 2011 with 8gb ram and 2.8ghz i7
i do video editing as well as music production and aperture for my photography.
The 13 inch used to handle up stuff but the fans would spin up terribly fast and it would take time to render a file or export or apply an effect in aperture. I cant say if its due to the hdd.
On the 15inch 2.7 16/gb/512 gb hd retina it just does it in a matter of seconds.
the macbook stays cool. I thot with the increased screen size it should be heavy but i was blown away when my bag felt lighter then with the 13 inch cmbp being in it.
About screen size and its real estate i have not used the 13inch retina, but the difference would be found if you set the display resolution other then best for retina.
id suggest you get the 13inch use it if your not happy return it in 14 days and go for 15 inch.
 
Update 2: I ordered my 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB of Flash Storage.Arrives Tuesday! Going to be an amazing machine! I am so glad I went for the 15 inch! I am keeping it until the Haswell models come out because those will be even better!

Best laptop I can get!
 
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Update 2: I ordered my 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB of Flash Storage.Arrives Tuesday! Going to be an amazing machine! I am so glad I went for the 15 inch! I am keeping it until the Haswell models come out because those will be even better!



Best laptop I can get!

Do you plan on reselling it when haswell comes out? How much do you think you can resell this particular MacBook Pro for?
 
Update 2: I ordered my 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB of Flash Storage.Arrives Tuesday! Going to be an amazing machine! I am so glad I went for the 15 inch! I am keeping it until the Haswell models come out because those will be even better!

Best laptop I can get!

Congrats. I'm close to giving in, and would do what you are when Haswell comes out if I bought now. 13-inch for me, though. I just found the 15 to be too big.
 
Update 2: I ordered my 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB of Flash Storage.Arrives Tuesday! Going to be an amazing machine! I am so glad I went for the 15 inch! I am keeping it until the Haswell models come out because those will be even better!

Best laptop I can get!

I think, your has make a good decission.
even haswell come tommorow, I'm not sure that's haswell have a mature for macbook, maybe 2nd generation of haswell will be better and it will be take a long time :D
 
Update 2: I ordered my 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB of Flash Storage.Arrives Tuesday! Going to be an amazing machine! I am so glad I went for the 15 inch! I am keeping it until the Haswell models come out because those will be even better!

Best laptop I can get!

Great choice :)
Honestly though, I wouldn't go from 2012 MBP Retina 15-inch to a 2013 MBPr version, because, unless you are traveling for more than 7 hours without any available power sources, you won't be needing it.
I myself just bought the base model retina 15" because Hasswel won't be a big of a deal for me. :p
 
Update 2: I ordered my 15 inch Retina MacBook Pro 2.7GHz processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB of Flash Storage.Arrives Tuesday! Going to be an amazing machine! I am so glad I went for the 15 inch! I am keeping it until the Haswell models come out because those will be even better!

Best laptop I can get!

Excellent choice! You will not regret it
 
...and rMBP 13" is way underpowerd when you compare with 15"

Not for what you're going to be doing. None of that is heavy lifting - you'd actually be fine with an MBA. I am making the assumption that you're a hobbyist photo/movie person given the software you plan to use.

The thing I'd be concerned about is the lack-of/expense-of internal storage space on the rMBP platform.

Your usage profile is pretty much the same as my wife's. The photo storage and movie editing can eat up a lot of hard drive space. While you can (and will) use external storage, it's nice to have a really big internal drive to make your computing experience truly - you know - portable. Otherwise you might as well get an iMac.

My wife needs a minimum 750GB drive to port around the family photos & movies and work on them wherever (and whenever) the children deign to give her the chance. The 750GB drive is an additional $900 on the rMBP platform. That's awfully steep. So until that price comes down significantly, she's "making-do" with a base 2011 uMBP-13 that's been upgraded with an additional 4GB and a 750GB hybrid drive, and she loves it. Total cost was less than just the upgrade charge for the big drive on the rMBP.


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Not for what you're going to be doing. None of that is heavy lifting - you'd actually be fine with an MBA. I am making the assumption that you're a hobbyist photo/movie person given the software you plan to use.

The thing I'd be concerned about is the lack-of/expense-of internal storage space on the rMBP platform.

Your usage profile is pretty much the same as my wife's. The photo storage and movie editing can eat up a lot of hard drive space. While you can (and will) use external storage, it's nice to have a really big internal drive to make your computing experience truly - you know - portable. Otherwise you might as well get an iMac.

My wife needs a minimum 750GB drive to port around the family photos & movies and work on them wherever (and whenever) the children deign to give her the chance. The 750GB drive is an additional $900 on the rMBP platform. That's awfully steep. So until that price comes down significantly, she's "making-do" with a base 2011 uMBP-13 that's been upgraded with an additional 4GB and a 750GB hybrid drive, and she loves it. Total cost was less than just the upgrade charge for the big drive on the rMBP.


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A WD 2.5" 2TB USB3 HDD costs less than $170 shipped.
 
A WD 2.5" 2TB USB3 HDD costs less than $170 shipped.

Yes, but it's not internal storage. Having to rely on external storage for a laptop ruins the point. Takes me back to my old IBM Thinkpad with a bag full of drives and accessories. Ugh!


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MBPR
power adapter
2TB USB HDD + short cable
Bluetooth mouse

yep, a lot of gear... not.
 
I think you made a good choice as well. I just pulled the trigger on a refurbished 15" retina mbp today myself, it should be delivered by Tuesday as well. It's the 2012 2.6Ghz / 16gb / 256gb model. I don't think I would be happy with the 13" coming from a 15" 2008 unibody mbp. I do plan on keeping this thing for as long as I have had my previous macbook so I sprung for 16gb of ram. I gave the 13" retina a look at the Apple Store here in Chicago and felt that the screen was just too small for me. Since I am going back to school I do have some concerns about lugging the 15" rMBP around but since I have already lugged around a regular 15" macbook I think the reduced size and weight will be welcome.
 
If I could deal with the size I would have bought a 15. I like the compactness of the 13 too much though.
 
MBPR
power adapter
2TB USB HDD + short cable
Bluetooth mouse

yep, a lot of gear... not.


Like I said, a bag full of accessories and drives is so 2000:

Thinkpad
power adapter
spare battery
Zip drive

Powerful and advanced laptops should eliminate external gadget creep, not enhance it. For those who need storage space, the rMPB takes a step in the wrong direction in this regard. Paying $2500 for a laptop that won't even hold all your stuff, or $3500 just so that it will, makes little sense to me.


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On the other side of the fence, I don't trust cloud storage enough to put my life and work up there. No internet connection and the stuff you need is all stored online? You're SOL.

I can rip the ODD out of the latest revision of cMBP, replace existing storage with a pair of 1TB HDDs, put a 128GB SDXC into the SD card slot... and it is still not enough storage. I'd rather have an external HDD than bring a Torx screwdriver set in case that cMBP starts acting up and I have to disassemble it to recover files.
 
Yeah, I don't see the argument for dual-core not being enough anymore. What we need is the Intel HD 5100 in the new 13-inch rMBP.

Agreed and there is a high chance of that since they are the less powerful 5200 cards I hope the do put the hd 5100 on the 13 inch ones
 
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