13' Retina MacBook Pro just doesn't have enough going for it

[Still100]

It may just be me, but does anyone else agree that even with the recent price drop, the 13 rMBP just doesn't have enough to justify it over the 13 Air.

Retina is okay but the Air screen is not too bad, battery life isn't better, there's no quad-core but feels a lot chunkier in comparison.

What do you guys think?

 

[thejadedmonkey]

If you need power, you need a quad-core with dedicated video card. If you don't need the power, a dual core with intel graphics and a few hundred less does the job just as well.

I don't see a reason for a 13" rMBP either. At least the 13" MBP has a DVD drive for the college kids.

 

[JonathanK81]

It may just be me, but does anyone else agree that even with the recent price drop, the 13 rMBP just doesn't have enough to justify it over the 13 Air.

Retina is okay but the Air screen is not too bad, battery life isn't better, there's no quad-core but feels a lot chunkier in comparison.

What do you guys think?

I just sold my Air to get the rMBP. The Air screen isn't bad, the resolution is good, but I prefer the screen on the rMBP or even the cMBP.

 

[jclardy]

I bought refurb, so the price difference was a bit less (15% or so). The weight difference is negligible, and I prefer the flat bottom over the wedge of the air (I used to have an 11".)

The main difference is getting to change resolutions while still looking great - 1680x1050, 1440x900, or 1280x800, depending on what you are doing (smallest is best for reading, highest if you need more screen space.)

The other thing is having extra ports - mainly HDMI. I have a thunderbolt - ethernet adapter to get the fastest connection to my NAS. On my Air I was stuck because I could only hook up my external monitor or the thunderbolt->ethernet adapter.

There is a small speed difference having the mobile processor at 2.5Ghz over ULV at 1.8, but it isn't that noticeable. Also the base config on the 13" Pro comes with 8GB of RAM which you would have to upgrade the Air to match.

Overall if you don't need the extra connections and extra resolution you will be better off with the air.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to note, with the 2012 Air you could get a USB3->gigabit ethernet adapter. But I still prefer having the option of a MDP display plus thunderbolt peripheral.

 

[KPOM]

It's worth it to me. For $100 more than the i7 Air, you get HDMI, a 2nd Thunderbolt port, and a much better screen with scaling options for 1650x1080 if you need more real estate. The color gamut is also significantly better. Although it is thicker and heavier than the 13" Air, it has a smaller footprint and so is better on an airline tray. I used to think the Air screen wasn't bad. However, that was before I used the rMBP screen. Now I don't think I can go back to a non-Retina screen. Once the MBA goes Retina I may switch back. Not before.

Retina is the future. Even Google realizes it.

 

[Sean76]

It may just be me, but does anyone else agree that even with the recent price drop, the 13 rMBP just doesn't have enough to justify it over the 13 Air.

Retina is okay but the Air screen is not too bad, battery life isn't better, there's no quad-core but feels a lot chunkier in comparison.

What do you guys think?

I've owned both and prefer the 13 inch rMBP...The screen is beautiful and for what I use it for it has more then enough power.

 

[switon]

13' Retina MacBook Pro just doesn't have enough going for it

Wow, a thirteen foot retina screen! What more can you ask for? This would have plenty going for it in my book...

hee...hee...

Okay, I know, typos are the bane of my existence also. But I just could not pass up a good teasing.

Sorry,
Switon