2012 MBP 15" anti-glare

[HBOC]

In 2011, Apple replaced my old 2008 MBP with the then new mid 2011 2.2GHZ and it had the anti-glare hi resolution screen. I sold it a little while later and bought the mid 2011 21.5" iMac i am using to this day.

My iMac runs great, HOWEVER i am wanting to buy a MBP again and will probably sell my iMac.
After research, it seems 2012 was the last year the HDD and RAM was user replaceable - and also the last year with the anti-glare screen.

I am a photographer, and the glare kills me on the iMac (and on the MBP). I also have several LaCie D2 drives that i use that have firewire. Seems that the anti-glare (matte) has FW, but the retina display doesn't. USB 3.0 will be helpful as well, as my iMac doesn't have that (but my external drives do).

Going to get one this week, but am wondering if the retina screens have the glare issue? I will upgrade the HDD and RAM on the "new to me" MBP and will have to get an IPS monitor for editing.


thanks for any advice

 

[MacInTO]

As a photographer also, yes, the retina has the glare and will thoroughly annoy you!

The 2012 cMBP has two versions of the high resolution screen. One matte, which you're used to and a glossy version of the high resolution screen.

I had a 2012 retina until I sold it just recently. I applied a matte screen protector on it and it was as good, if not better, than the traditional matte screen.

I'm currently using a 2012 13" MBP, but I find there's not enough screen real estate so I might go back to the 15". I'm considering the matte version from 2012.

Here's a thread about the matte screen protector,

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-15-retina-screen-protector-recommendations.1792747/

 

[HBOC]

thanks for the info. As i was diving more into the research between the different models of the MBPs, it seems that ALL the retina MBPs are not user upgradable, so seems my decision is made up for me - guess it makes it that much easier

 

[MacInTO]

np. Yes, all of the rMBP are glossy. You'll have to use a screen protector or get a 2012 cMBP if you want a matte screen.

 

[HBOC]

so i am still debating this, and I don't want to rush into a purchase.
The pros of buying the 2012 "Hi-res" machine means I can replace battery, RAM, and HDDs myself. Also it has firewire and USB3.

Cons are that it is still 4 years old. Mine is 5 years old. Chances are nothing will happen to it, but it is a roll of the dice.

Now i find myself looking at 2013 retina 15" machines on eBay. I will have an external monitor, and this will be my main machine. The glare i have been dealing with for 5 years, and i suppose if i was mobile i could just switch chairs if glare was bad...

Ideally i don't want to spend more than $1200... 2013 was a good year right?

 

[JTToft]

2013 was a good year right?

- If you get Late 2013, yes. It's far superior to Early 2013 due to several technology revisions.

 

[HBOC]

thanks. Now i find myself scratching the mid 2012 totally and now am looking at either late 2013 or 2014s. Seems like the SSD can be swapped out, but more expensive than the 2013s.

 

[MacInTO]

thanks. Now i find myself scratching the mid 2012 totally and now am looking at either late 2013 or 2014s. Seems like the SSD can be swapped out, but more expensive than the 2013s.

I think if you go with a retina MBP, go with the largest SSD available. There are a few other threads that have been popping up lately about upgrading the PCIe SSD and they're not cheap ($800 on eBay for 1TB). Plus you wouldn't get any warrant for that. There are aftermarket SSDs from OWC, but apparently the do not support trim.

I find people are crazy about the processor speed etc. of the machine. I'm still on a 2012 and it seems fine to me. Even after I downgraded from a 15" 2012 rMBP i7 2.7/16/768 to a 13" cMBP i5 2.5/16/1tb Samsung 850 PRO SSD the speed doesn't seem to affect me. I use Aperture and Photoshop mostly.

I like the 2012 cMBP because I can add SSD storage as needed and I don't have to deal with an external drive.

ps. The link about the non-glare screen film above, I can't recommend anymore. I purchase another one for the 13" MBP and it's not the same quality as the one on the 15" rMBP. I'm considering finding a 2012 cMBP with a matte screen now.

 

[HBOC]

well my iMac is an i5 2.5. so i am sure anything will be an upgrade at this point. not that my iMac is not performing. best computer i have ever owned, hands down!