Thinking about selling my rMBP 15"

[cramazing]

first off, i just want to say that this laptop is a dream machine, beautiful screen, does everything i want in a blink of an eye, by far the great computer ive ever own.

but the problem is ever since i got my iMac i havent use it at all.
Im a very basic user, I dont mess with photo or vid editing stuff, I mainly just browse the web, play with iTunes and watch videos, which is why i got the imac for the bigger screen.

with that being said, i feel like my MBP is just sitting here collecting dust and i dont really need both machines, it would be better off for me to sell it to someone who would use it more then i do.

the one thing that is preventing me from doing is the fact that I still want something portable. i was thinking of either getting a base MBA 13" or an iPad, something basic that i dont have to use all the time, but is there when i travel

thoughts? thanks

 

[ob81]

Your usage does sound like you would be better off with an iPad. It is actually better for browsing and listening to music.

You could go either way, iPad of MBA. Both ways save you about $1k. The MBA would be tough though, because it is slower than the rMBP and doesn't have the retina screen. The rMBP ruined all other laptops for me.

Sell it while you can get a decent price for it and grab a new iPad 4 or wait and get the revision when it comes out.

 

[stevemiller]

agreed ipad sounds like the best fit for your portable needs. it positively excels in the web surfing / iTunes / watching video department. only reason to consider an air would be if you plan on doing a lot of typing. i know you can get a bluetooth keyboard, but iOS really only supports it as an afterthought.

although i feel like i'd be the exact opposite given the choice between a mbp and an imac. i can never go back to a desktop computer now. my macbook pro is my daily commuter and gets hooked up to nice big monitors at home and work, and can airplay mirror to my 50" plasma to boot!

just something to consider, if you sold the imac and kept the macbook pro, you could then use the funds to buy a large external monitor + an ipad for about the price of a macbook air. in that outcome, the mbp + monitor gives you a very decent desktop experience, the mbp on its own gives you a no-compromises mobile powerhouse should you ever need it, and you still get an ipad for around the house and trips where a macbook pro would be overkill.

 

[jfriedman8]

If you're a 1 machine user, I'd go with the monitor + iPad. It's nice to have the portability, and power (if needed), any time / anywhere.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

Sell the iMac when the new Thunderbolt Display is released and pocket the difference. Then you'll have a powerhouse rMBP that can be both portable and a desktop.

The iPad is not needed in this scenario and would be overkill IMO. Just use your rMBP on the couch or on the go. If it is ever too much to check a website or two on the go, I'm sure you have an iPhone in your pocket for quick stuff. Just my 2 cents.

I have the 13" rMBP and had a 27" iMac and iPad before this. Once the new Thunderbolt Display is released, I'll have my ideal set up. To me, using an iPad with your iPhone right next to you just feels strange...especially when you get an iMessage and it pops up on both devices. You just think of your bank account and ask why you got sucked in to having a bigger version of the same device.

 

[mattcube64]

Depending on how much you're looking to get, I may be interested in your rMBP. Just fyi

 

[JeffiJers]

Sell the iMac when the new Thunderbolt Display is released and pocket the difference. Then you'll have a powerhouse rMBP that can be both portable and a desktop.

The iPad is not needed in this scenario and would be overkill IMO. Just use your rMBP on the couch or on the go. If it is ever too much to check a website or two on the go, I'm sure you have an iPhone in your pocket for quick stuff. Just my 2 cents.

I have the 13" rMBP and had a 27" iMac and iPad before this. Once the new Thunderbolt Display is released, I'll have my ideal set up. To me, using an iPad with your iPhone right next to you just feels strange...especially when you get an iMessage and it pops up on both devices. You just think of your bank account and ask why you got sucked in to having a bigger version of the same device.

exactly my thoughts.

or Imac/MBA idk ipad seems like a toy/game then a device (op maybe that is what you are looking for?)

 

[Spink10]

Sell the iMac when the new Thunderbolt Display is released and pocket the difference. Then you'll have a powerhouse rMBP that can be both portable and a desktop.

The iPad is not needed in this scenario and would be overkill IMO. Just use your rMBP on the couch or on the go. If it is ever too much to check a website or two on the go, I'm sure you have an iPhone in your pocket for quick stuff. Just my 2 cents.

I have the 13" rMBP and had a 27" iMac and iPad before this. Once the new Thunderbolt Display is released, I'll have my ideal set up. To me, using an iPad with your iPhone right next to you just feels strange...especially when you get an iMessage and it pops up on both devices. You just think of your bank account and ask why you got sucked in to having a bigger version of the same device.

This is a really good idea.

 

[NMF]

I say iPad. Don't play the waiting game. By the time the new TB displays are readily available, it'll only be a few months before we starting hearing rumblings of the "Retina" TB displays in the pipeline for 2015 (or whenever).

Sell rMBP, buy iPad 4 (or maybe a mini!), and profit. Literally. If you really want a monitor, buy this Apple copycat and call it a day. And still profit.

 

[cramazing]

some really interesting ideas guys!

I like this Dell monitor, have you use this before??

selling the iMac is now also an option
(good thing Im still within the amazon 30 days return full refund)

or i may just sell both and get an MBA and iPad

 

[PatriotInvasion]

some really interesting ideas guys!

I like this Dell monitor, have you use this before??

selling the iMac is now also an option
(good thing Im still within the amazon 30 days return full refund)

or i may just sell both and get an MBA and iPad

First of all, that Dell monitor is not an "Apple copycat". It is a cheap 23" screen made from Dell's famous creaky black plastic.

An Apple Thunderbolt Display is a high quality IPS screen, with a built in iSight HD webcam, MagSafe charger, stereo speakers, Thunderbolt connectivity, and presumably USB 3.0 on the new model. All in a gorgeous aluminum and glass enclosure that matches your MacBook Pro perfectly.

Second, you said you bought an iMac for the bigger screen and now you're contemplating an Air and an iPad? Sounds like you need to get your head out of the Apple stratosphere and figure out what exactly your priorities are in a machine. Right now you just sound like a kid in a candy store. You want it all.

 

[NMF]

First of all, that Dell monitor is not an "Apple copycat". It is a cheap 23" screen made from Dell's famous creaky black plastic..

Actually it's edge-to-edge glass, with the exception of the small bottom bezel on the 23" model I linked. The 24" and 27" drop the bottom bezel, but have larger "black space" all around. The tradeoff with the 23" is that it's nearly all screen with zero black around the picture. The stands of every model of the S-series line are made of solid aluminum (it might be aluminum-coated plastic; some reviews call it aluminum while others call it plastic, meaning it's likely impossible to distinguish anyway) and the bases are covered in a very iPhone-esque glass. The IPS screens underneath the glossy glass panels are extremely high quality with excellent color reproduction.

Educate yourselves, you fools!

If you want Thunderbolt docking functionality, get a Matrox DS1 for $249 or wait a month or two for the slightly superior Belkin model for $299. Either way you'll still spend half of what you would pay for a Thunderbolt display that is likely still 5-6 months away.

These displays ape Apple in just about every way. Including the glare!

You can have that for $200. Will a TB display slightly beat it out in color reproduction and overall beauty? Sure. Is it better enough to cost $800 more? Hell no. A S2440L + Thunderbolt Dock will top out at under $500, possibly even as low as $400 depending on the current deals. And you still get easy one-plug docking and a beautiful display.

If money is no object, obviously wait for the TB display, but if you're even somewhat price conscious, the S2440L + TB dock combo is tough to beat.

 

[cramazing]

First of all, that Dell monitor is not an "Apple copycat". It is a cheap 23" screen made from Dell's famous creaky black plastic.

An Apple Thunderbolt Display is a high quality IPS screen, with a built in iSight HD webcam, MagSafe charger, stereo speakers, Thunderbolt connectivity, and presumably USB 3.0 on the new model. All in a gorgeous aluminum and glass enclosure that matches your MacBook Pro perfectly.

Second, you said you bought an iMac for the bigger screen and now you're contemplating an Air and an iPad? Sounds like you need to get your head out of the Apple stratosphere and figure out what exactly your priorities are in a machine. Right now you just sound like a kid in a candy store. You want it all.

you are absolutely right, this is why I felt a little guilty about owning both of these, I got over my head a little bit

 

[PatriotInvasion]

The IPS screens underneath the glossy glass panels are extremely high quality with excellent color reproduction.

Good effort, but that Dell display is NOT an IPS screen, it's not 27", and it does not have a high resolution of 2560x1440. And having a separate Thunderbolt dock eating up more space on my desk adding to the clutter is not what I'd be looking for to go with my Mac.

If you want TB Display-level quality, you're looking at $849+ even from DELL!

The fact is that Apple doesn't sell a small, cheap, low quality display. If you want something equivalent to the Thunderbolt Display, you're spending almost as much. Since the OP is obviously an Apple-guy, he probably won't be into saving a few bucks on a cheaper Dell monitor just like he wasn't interested in saving a few bucks on a cheap Dell laptop.

 

[NMF]

Good effort, but that Dell display is NOT an IPS screen, it's not 27", and it does not have a high resolution of 2560x1440. And having a separate Thunderbolt dock eating up more space on my desk adding to the clutter is not what I'd be looking for to go with my Mac.

Ah, forgive me. I didn't realize the 24" was an AMVA screen. Weird that every other display in the lineup is IPS and the 24" is AMVA. Of course, that is actually preferable to IPS, depending on your needs. No IPS panel comes even remotely close to producing the contrast you get from an AMVA display. Not even Apple's.

My point was that you don't have to shell out $1000 for a quality display. You can have one for a few hundred bucks if you know what to buy, and if you want Thunderbolt docking you can have it for only a few hundred more. I dunno what kind of crappy desk you have that has no "tuck-away" space to conceal something like a Thunderbolt dock, but I feel for you. Are your external hard drives stashed out in the open for you to hear their relentless spinning during backups? I couldn't live like that.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

Ah, forgive me. I didn't realize the 24" was an AMVA screen. Weird that every other display in the lineup is IPS and the 24" is AMVA. Of course, that is actually preferable to IPS, depending on your needs. No IPS panel comes even remotely close to producing the contrast you get from an AMVA display. Not even Apple's.

My point was that you don't have to shell out $1000 for a quality display. You can have one for a few hundred bucks if you know what to buy, and if you want Thunderbolt docking you can have it for only a few hundred more. I dunno what kind of crappy desk you have that has no "tuck-away" space to conceal something like a Thunderbolt dock, but I feel for you. Are your external hard drives stashed out in the open for you to hear their relentless spinning during backups? I couldn't live like that.

I understand your point. But some people like to criticize "expensive" Apple products by comparing them to cheaper alternatives that are not fair comparisons.

And I have a very nice desk that wouldn't allow anything made by Dell on it. That's what my desk at work is for

 

[rdavis41]

Maybe slightly off topic but instead of starting a thread I'd figure I'd post this in here because it seemed slightly toward topic.

I've recently come across a deal for a rMBP 15" 8gb, 256gb, 2.3ghz quad core for $1700 and it's still under warranty. Is this still a good deal? I've asked about the screen and researched that it is in fact a Samsung screen. For my needs, I do word processing, occasional light video and photo work for the family. I have a 2009 MacBook Pro that I'm sure will need replaced in a year or two. Additionally I'm thinking that adding a monitor much like the one apple produces or yes even the Dell in the thread might be an option.

Am I crazy for not picking this thing up? What things should I possibly be concerned about other than IR?

 

[cramazing]

Maybe slightly off topic but instead of starting a thread I'd figure I'd post this in here because it seemed slightly toward topic.

I've recently come across a deal for a rMBP 15" 8gb, 256gb, 2.3ghz quad core for $1700 and it's still under warranty. Is this still a good deal? I've asked about the screen and researched that it is in fact a Samsung screen. For my needs, I do word processing, occasional light video and photo work for the family. I have a 2009 MacBook Pro that I'm sure will need replaced in a year or two. Additionally I'm thinking that adding a monitor much like the one apple produces or yes even the Dell in the thread might be an option.

Am I crazy for not picking this thing up? What things should I possibly be concerned about other than IR?

seems like a good deal, I have the 16gb and Im looking for a little more than that, ive done some research on ebay and craigslist and most prices are higher than 1700 for the base with no issues.

i guess you can ask about the battery life and how many cycles it has on it

 

[rdavis41]

Has 70 cycles on the battery. I tend to like higher RAM as well, but at that price I have to think twice. I just don't know if I'd notice a difference with what I do with computers. I'm not a gamer, I've got a ps3 for that. And future proofing, with that processor, shouldn't it last for at least 4 years and run quite well if I don't overload the computer with things like Adobe updates, etc?

 

[cramazing]

sounds like a good deal, GL with it.

update on my situation.

I have decided to return my base iMac, and keep my RMBP, and not buy a MBA.

If i had to choose 1 machine to use, it would be that, yes its a bit big and heavy to carry around all the time, but its not so bad and does everything i need it to do.

also at work there is a sales contest that i am in and the winner gets an iPad and guess whos in the lead for it

so im returning iMac and selling my crucial rams on ebay