2013 13 inches Air vs Oct 2013 13 inches rMBP

[parmeet]

last week i bought:-
Macbook air 2013, 8 GB RAM, i7 Processor, 256 SSD. for 1549.
i loved the performance, running java IDE and ubuntu in virtualization and mongo db on ubuntu without any hiccup.
but i did not like the display, it looks somehow washed out, text was not that crisp on eclipse IDE and browser though good on some apps.
though after maverick update it started to look better somehow and i think now i am may be adapted to it.

now just yesterday they launched relatively lighter macbook pro 13 inches, the config similar in performance to air is :-
Macbook pro 13 inches Oct 2013:-
2.4 ghz i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 SSD is for exactly 1549.
(i don't think i require to go to i7 with this, macbook air is low powered thats why i did for that)
but it has a retina pro display.
pro battery life is sufficient for me and weight difference is not much.

question is
should i return my macbook air and get retina as that seems to be a better deal or should i stick to macbook air, it is hard for me to send it back i started liking it. . but i want to make a rational decision.

i am a programmer and macbook will be my evening and weekend companion.

 

[Steve121178]

The rMBP is not much heavier and is a better machine so I personally would swap it.

 

[jmgregory1]

last week i bought:-
Macbook air 2013, 8 GB RAM, i7 Processor, 256 SSD. for 1549.
i loved the performance, running java IDE and ubuntu in virtualization and mongo db on ubuntu without any hiccup.
but i did not like the display, it looks somehow washed out, text was not that crisp on eclipse IDE and browser though good on some apps.
though after maverick update it started to look better somehow and i think now i am may be adapted to it.

now just yesterday they launched relatively lighter macbook pro 13 inches, the config similar in performance to air is :-
Macbook pro 13 inches Oct 2013:-
2.4 ghz i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 SSD is for exactly 1549.
(i don't think i require to go to i7 with this, macbook air is low powered thats why i did for that)
but it has a retina pro display.
pro battery life is sufficient for me and weight difference is not much.

question is
should i return my macbook air and get retina as that seems to be a better deal or should i stick to macbook air, it is hard for me to send it back i started liking it. . but i want to make a rational decision.

i am a programmer and macbook will be my evening and weekend companion.

I've got an older '11 13" air, but an employee of mine is running an early '13 15" rmbp (that he loves), but I can't get over how you need to push the screen brightness up to almost the max in order to have it be comparable to the air at 50% brightness. And doing so, of course negatively impacts battery life. The retina screen also seems to have more reflectivity issues - but I honestly haven't spent that much time working on it.

I'm really tempted to get a new air because the thought of making it through a day without looking for a charger is really appealing. I could leave the iPad at the office and get similar performance from the air instead. I'm not doing any photo or video work, so the retina screen really doesn't mean anything - other than of course look good, like the iPhone and iPad I'm already running.

 

[balcon2]

Question about specs

I too am debating between these 2 models. Most of the time my MacBook will be hooked up to a big external monitor. It seems that on the benchmarks the 13" rmbp and the air come out about the same. But the processor on the rmbp is significantly stronger. Are the benchmarks similar because most of the processing power in the rmbp is used to drive the retina screen? I'd so, does that suggest that if attached to an external monitor and not running the retina screen, the rmbp will be a faster machine? Thanks to anyone who has knowledge about this.

 

[halledise]

question is
should i return my macbook air and get retina as that seems to be a better deal or should i stick to macbook air, it is hard for me to send it back i started liking it. . but i want to make a rational decision.

simplest answer is to go to an Apple Store/Reseller and play with both side by side.
you'll make your decision in about 5 minutes, I reckon.
good luck

 

[ZBoater]

You can configure the rMBP 13" with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD. Yum.

 

[qawsed]

I went with the Air. Prefer the design and the better battery life.

 

[calvol]

Go Retina just for the resolution and don't look back. Otherwise, wait for the 2014 12" with IGZO display....