Air or Retina Pro?

[Richy23]

Hey guys,

At the moment I have a 17" Macbook Pro from 2009 and thinking it's time for an upgrade at some point in the near future! I can't decide between an Air or a low end macbook pro with Retina display.


I'm at Uni at the moment so with education discount, I think it's time I took advantage of it! I would mainly be doing essay writing, browsing web (quite a few tabs open at once normally!), photo editing and occasional 'very light' video editing.

Really can't decide between the two - storage isn't too much of a problem as I'll probably go down the route of an external hard drive anyway!

Cheers for any help!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

If the decrease in screen real estate does not bother you, any current Mac will do fine. I guess you talk about the 13" MBA and 13" rMBP?

 

[Richy23]

If the decrease in screen real estate does not bother you, any current Mac will do fine. I guess you talk about the 13" MBA and 13" rMBP?

Yeah I'm not too fussed about the real estate, I mean the screen I have now is huge and I hardly ever use all of it to be honest so more than happy to make the downgrade in that sense!

Yeah - the 13 inches look good, I'd love to have a 15 inch Retina but the prices are a little high for me really!

If I was to go for the 13 inch Air, I'd go for the higher spec on it.

Thanks

 

[53x12]

Yeah I'm not too fussed about the real estate, I mean the screen I have now is huge and I hardly ever use all of it to be honest so more than happy to make the downgrade in that sense!

Yeah - the 13 inches look good, I'd love to have a 15 inch Retina but the prices are a little high for me really!

If I was to go for the 13 inch Air, I'd go for the higher spec on it.

Thanks

I had a 15" 2009 MBP. Sold it and got a 13" MBA. Probably won't ever go back to a MBP as I love the MBA. What will you use it for? If I was you, I would get the 13" MBA and the money save from not buying the 13" rMBP I would put towards a monitor. I really don't care for the 13" rMBP. I would only consider the 15" rMBP or the regular 13" MBP.

 

[alphaod]

I know a few people who have moved from a 17" MacBook Pro to the 15" MacBook Pro with the Retina display. They seem to be pretty happy with the move seeing it's the most powerful notebook in the line up, can run the same screen resolution as the old 17" and it weighs only as much as the regular 13" MacBook Pro.

 

[designs216]

If I was you, I would get the 13" MBA and the money save from not buying the 13" rMBP I would put towards a monitor.

I agree, you'll appreciate less weight to lug and the extra real estate of an external display will help when cranking out those late night term papers.

 

[KPOM]

If you are coming from a 17" pro, I'd go for the rMBP if you can afford it and plan to have it for a while. The screen is significantly better than on the Air, and you won't notice the weight difference as much. I am a longtime MacBook Air user (since February 2008), but I recently lost my 2012 MacBook Air. It was insured, and I decided to use the proceeds to step up to the 13" rMBP. While it is noticeably heavier for me (I had the 11" so it is 1.2 lbs heavier), the screen is significantly better. It isn't just the resolution (actually the effective resolution of the rMBP is 1280x800 vs 1440x900 for the Air, though you can scale the rMBP to 1440x900 or 1650x1080). The color gamut is much better on the Pro. Even the cMBP's color gamut beats the Air.

That said, the 13" Air is also a nice machine.

 

[53x12]

I agree with AlphaOD, you'll appreciate less weight to lug and the extra real estate of an external display will help when cranking out those late night term papers.

Sure if the OP can benefit from extra power of the rMBP. But if he is the typical student college student, working on papers, online assignments, email, surfing, streaming shows/movies, a MBA could very well accomplish all of this at a lower cost. OP just needs to be honest with what he will be using the computer for.

 

[A Hebrew]

Just a side note: If you can wait till this summer (meaning your 2009 MBP is still running) the rMBPs will probably drop by $100-$200 for the starting price. You could also get a $100 gift card on top of the discount.

However, I would get the Air over the 13" any day. It is just too costly for the specs at the current time even though it is a one of a kind machine.

 

[KPOM]

Just a side note: If you can wait till this summer (meaning your 2009 MBP is still running) the rMBPs will probably drop by $100-$200 for the starting price. You could also get a $100 gift card on top of the discount.

However, I would get the Air over the 13" any day. It is just too costly for the specs at the current time even though it is a one of a kind machine.

It might not take that long before rMBPs are available refurbished. If history is any guide, it could be within a few weeks.

 

[A Hebrew]

It might not take that long before rMBPs are available refurbished. If history is any guide, it could be within a few weeks.

rMBPs are already popping up (and going away fast) on the Apple Refurb Store. I was talking 2012 cMBP

 

[KPOM]

rMBPs are already popping up (and going away fast) on the Apple Refurb Store. I was talking 2012 cMBP

I haven't seen 13" rMBPs yet. Usually it takes about 3 months after release before refurbished devices appear. Someone looking at an Air isn't likely to cross shop a 15" rMBP.

 

[Richy23]

Just woken up to see all the extra comments - Thank you all very much

A Hebrew - I had forgotten about the gift card promotion they do! I can wait a few months I'm sure so that would be handy!

I am slightly leaning towards the Retina Macbook pros, just not sure which screen size yet! I don't do an awful lot of travelling (much less than I'd like to!) so the weight isn't a major factor for me, mainly going from home to Uni most days - that said the Retina isn't a final choice yet!

Your comments have definitely got me thinking more about the real pros and cons of each of the machines!

Thanks once again, i love this place