At the moment reports of IR on recent models are purely anecdotal. Certainly not on the level of the trackpad/keyboard issue.
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Am I a fool not to buy rMBP 13" over MBA 13"?
- Thread starter dabuls
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At the moment reports of IR on recent models are purely anecdotal. Certainly not on the level of the trackpad/keyboard issue.
Just tossing in some second-hand experience in favor of the mba:
Coworker that is a web developer uses a maxed 13" for work, music production, etc. He is quite happy with it. Sounds about like yor case, if I understand it right.
If you need a laptop now, and you don't see a value add in the rmbp, get the air. If you want one, but think you can squeeze ~8 more months out of it, there's always next refresh. If you want the rmbp and the cost is worthwhile, why not.
Coworker that is a web developer uses a maxed 13" for work, music production, etc. He is quite happy with it. Sounds about like yor case, if I understand it right.
If you need a laptop now, and you don't see a value add in the rmbp, get the air. If you want one, but think you can squeeze ~8 more months out of it, there's always next refresh. If you want the rmbp and the cost is worthwhile, why not.
The lack of an Ethernet port is something that annoys me in newer Macbooks. I'd be ok if the TBolt-Ethernet adapter could be daisy chainable, though.
That is, if you use your laptop as a desktop at work, with external mouse, keyboard, cable network and an external display you'll have to buy docks and hubs, something that older MBPs wouldn't need. Everything could be solved with a daisy-chainable Thunderbolt ethernet adapter.
That is, if you use your laptop as a desktop at work, with external mouse, keyboard, cable network and an external display you'll have to buy docks and hubs, something that older MBPs wouldn't need. Everything could be solved with a daisy-chainable Thunderbolt ethernet adapter.
USB3 GigE if you don't want a full docking solution, keeps your TB ports free.
What do you need to connect to over Thunderbolt besides Ethernet and a monitor?
MBAs big bezel makes rMBP a more attractive form factor. the only thing MBA has going for it is being half a pound lighter. It's not really.. all that.
The big thing about MBA is the insane battery. you need MBA if 15 hours of battery is what you need. I dont think half a pound makes the difference.
rMBP is much more subtle. it doesnt have the apple logo on the front which is nice. it feels like there is more travel on the keys to me, and you also get much, much better sound. plus you sound like a guy who keeps his electronics for a long time. MBA will feel much more sluggish much faster than rMBP due to stronger hardware. Get the rMBP. It's all last years model, wasn't.
The big thing about MBA is the insane battery. you need MBA if 15 hours of battery is what you need. I dont think half a pound makes the difference.
rMBP is much more subtle. it doesnt have the apple logo on the front which is nice. it feels like there is more travel on the keys to me, and you also get much, much better sound. plus you sound like a guy who keeps his electronics for a long time. MBA will feel much more sluggish much faster than rMBP due to stronger hardware. Get the rMBP. It's all last years model, wasn't.
I purchased the MBA 13" but a few days later went to Best Buy who had the rMBP's. I was shocked at how much better the display was. I went home boxed up my MBA and did an exchange. Glad I did this within the exchange/return window. Couldn't be happier with my decision.
This isn't really even a decision... just get the rMBP!
This isn't really even a decision... just get the rMBP!
I bought a 13" MBP in 2010, then I switched to a 13" MBA in 2012 and this year I switched to a 13" rMBP. The biggest difference I've noticed is the Pro line has a much better colour gamut. Even the 2010 MBP had better colours than my 2012 MBA. And the Pro line feels a little more solid than the MBA (I'm guessing this is because it is a uniform thickness rather than wedge shaped). But I will say the MBA was way better for portability compared to my 2010 MBP (I haven't had my rMBP long enough to comment on portability).
Nothing... sorry, only MBA 13" doesn't have dual Thunderbolt ports. So I'd be fine with a rMBP 13".
Thanks everyone for your opinions! It seems that the overwhelming majority advocate for rMBP and I am starting to lean towards it, too. I played around with both Pro and MBA at a store today (paying closer attention to the screen quality) and retina is indeed noticeably better.
I don't think this is such a silly comparison. Here are reasons why a MBA would be a more compelling option for some people.
If the raw processing power isn't important to you, (and it isn't for 95% of users).. probably the -only- benefit of the rMBP is the LCD quality and a extra port.
On the other hand, the MBA has pretty much all-day battery life, charges faster, lighter/slimmer, has a smaller power adapter to carry around, and generates less heat. The tapered design really makes the size/weight difference more noticeable than it does on paper.
On the retina's display side, it's not "all good" and "no bad"; the mba shows less glare, doesn't have image retention problems, has a nicer working resolution of 1440x900 vs 1280x800, and isn't really a bad display to begin with.
Despite having a faster cpu(and now gpu), remember that it's working harder to bring you all that retina goodness. I'm not sure how much the newer rMBP improves on the previous generation, but my experience with the previous generation 13" rMBP was that it's not as smooth/fluid as a 2011 MBA. System-wide animations such as the app-launcher and basic scrolling/zooming was noticeably more choppier than what I was used to on the MBA.
If the raw processing power isn't important to you, (and it isn't for 95% of users).. probably the -only- benefit of the rMBP is the LCD quality and a extra port.
On the other hand, the MBA has pretty much all-day battery life, charges faster, lighter/slimmer, has a smaller power adapter to carry around, and generates less heat. The tapered design really makes the size/weight difference more noticeable than it does on paper.
On the retina's display side, it's not "all good" and "no bad"; the mba shows less glare, doesn't have image retention problems, has a nicer working resolution of 1440x900 vs 1280x800, and isn't really a bad display to begin with.
Despite having a faster cpu(and now gpu), remember that it's working harder to bring you all that retina goodness. I'm not sure how much the newer rMBP improves on the previous generation, but my experience with the previous generation 13" rMBP was that it's not as smooth/fluid as a 2011 MBA. System-wide animations such as the app-launcher and basic scrolling/zooming was noticeably more choppier than what I was used to on the MBA.
Very well said... Helping me lean toward keeping the Air and returning the rMBP. Part of the issue is that everyone wants the "newest/greatest" thing...
MBA is one damn nice computer...
MBA is one damn nice computer...
Do not base yourself on the base clocks of the processors. Compare them at their maximum turbo-boost frequencies to have a good idea of their processing potential.
The top of the line i7 in the MBA is faster then the lower-end processors in the 13" rMBP and a hair slower than the top end 2.8.
The chips in the MBA ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS THE CHIPS IN THE 13 rMBP but with additional power saving features like lower base clocks and power states.
The only advantage rMBP can offer is screen and 1TB hd. The scaling required by the Iris gpu in the rMBP to display on the retina screen negates any potential graphical advantage the machine could of had over the MBA.
I came to the conclusion that the MBA is the better machine and bought one even though if love the retina screen dearly. I compile code and run virtual machines all day on my machines. The MBA is no slouch.
The top of the line i7 in the MBA is faster then the lower-end processors in the 13" rMBP and a hair slower than the top end 2.8.
The chips in the MBA ARE ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS THE CHIPS IN THE 13 rMBP but with additional power saving features like lower base clocks and power states.
The only advantage rMBP can offer is screen and 1TB hd. The scaling required by the Iris gpu in the rMBP to display on the retina screen negates any potential graphical advantage the machine could of had over the MBA.
I came to the conclusion that the MBA is the better machine and bought one even though if love the retina screen dearly. I compile code and run virtual machines all day on my machines. The MBA is no slouch.
Think about it
Think about it in terms of getting an iPad. If you could get an iPad with an a7 processor and only pay $50 more for a retina screen, wouldn't you? What's the point of getting a non retina device anymore? As far as the battery life, you get 9-10 hrs with the 13 rMBP which is more than you'll ever use at a time.
Think about it in terms of getting an iPad. If you could get an iPad with an a7 processor and only pay $50 more for a retina screen, wouldn't you? What's the point of getting a non retina device anymore? As far as the battery life, you get 9-10 hrs with the 13 rMBP which is more than you'll ever use at a time.
Yea, seriously, 12 hrs vs 10 hrs is MOOT. No one will ever use more than 10 hours in a day, and if anyone does, mba vs rmbp is the least of their problems.
rmbp > mba. all day, every day.
Where are you getting 10 hrs from? Apple advertises the 13" mbp retina as having 9hrs of battery life and the 13" mba as having 12hrs (and around 15hrs with mavericks). So the real battery life between the rMBP and MBA is 9hrs vs 15hrs.
Regarding the weight between the two laptops, while lying down in bed and having the front edge of the laptop balanced on my chest, I find both laptops to be light enough to be easy balance/use.
As to the screen quality, retina/high res is very very nice. I am not that impressed with 1080p movies vs dvds or even vcds, but text on a retina laptop screen is super nice.
The only thing making me want to return my retina mbp is the possibility of getting image retention issues.
Dude, how can you compare Apple QUOTED 9 hours (rMBP) to mavericks OBSERVED 15 hours (MBA) and say that is the final comparison? Completely biased. To be consistent, you must compare mavericks observed rMBP battery life as well, which many review sites have quoted 10-11 hours of battery life. So, its really 11 hours vs 15 (if 15 hrs is even a fair number)?
Edit* okay, I just realized in my previous post i did the same thing that I accused you of doing. that means, i win... at being an idiot.
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I don't even see how portability is really an issue in this day and age. Any laptop you buy especially from apple is plenty portable. Especially comparing the MBA to the 13" MBP.
Personally I wouldn't by the AIR until it has Retina display, nor would I recommend it to anyone until it did, mostly because it so close to getting one that it seems like a wash to buy one.
I know that many argue that MBP vs MBA is mostly a portability issue, but in my mind its also a design issue. If the MBA could provide a retina screen, I would go for the MBA every time.
It looks so good, and the design is so beautiful that it`s really a no brainer.
Power-wise, its potato tomato.. I´m not a heavy user at all.
It looks so good, and the design is so beautiful that it`s really a no brainer.
Power-wise, its potato tomato.. I´m not a heavy user at all.
MBA is so good, if the screen wasn't TN but IPS like on retina, I would stick with mine. It's i7/8GB/256 and god, for an Air, its so fast!
I'm a software developer, running vierualized enviroment and development tools and MBA works great. Disk I/O is so blazing fast, CPU does not slow down my work at all (when I compare it to my Windows desktop with i5 in it, it's faster in pretty most everything I do).
Besides gaming. But to my suprise, I can play World of Warcraft without problems on medium / high on native res (I play in windowed mode on external display most of the time, casual gaming).
And the battery life, god, you could play WoW 4 hours on battery. Without playing, it's pretty much all day machine for software development. I can take it away with me to meetings or flight and forget about charges. Real quality of life change.
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I'm currently awaiting my BTO maxed-out 15", but beeing honest, I don't need it, could use MBA without problems. I just want to play Blizzard games with maxed out details and only 15" allows me to do so
I'm a software developer, running vierualized enviroment and development tools and MBA works great. Disk I/O is so blazing fast, CPU does not slow down my work at all (when I compare it to my Windows desktop with i5 in it, it's faster in pretty most everything I do).
Besides gaming. But to my suprise, I can play World of Warcraft without problems on medium / high on native res (I play in windowed mode on external display most of the time, casual gaming).
And the battery life, god, you could play WoW 4 hours on battery. Without playing, it's pretty much all day machine for software development. I can take it away with me to meetings or flight and forget about charges. Real quality of life change.
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I'm currently awaiting my BTO maxed-out 15", but beeing honest, I don't need it, could use MBA without problems. I just want to play Blizzard games with maxed out details and only 15" allows me to do so
Perhaps I should have said 'ultra portable'. You wouldn't want to carry a 13" in a large handbag all day. And you certainly couldn't do that with the 15".