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Anyone having to fight off Retina MBP mojo?

when it first came out I was thinking about the rMBP, glad I waited after hearing about all the issues....lag, image retention, chasis creaks and noises. Bought the 13" Ultimate Air instead. Will wait for the next generation rMBP... by then the software and hardware should catch up.
 
Yeah. But I'm in the over 40 bifocal wearin' crowd, and that darned sharp display sure sounds nice when dealing with documents while at the house...or at least, it SHOULD be if they update word processing apps with some retina goodness.

I'm all about the freakin' displays....love my 27" 2011 iMac at my office with a couple of decent 25" lcd's for looking at multiple documents.

I've also been diagnosed with Fuch's* syndrome, and am trying to reduce eyestrain all I can. I just don't want to be raped outright for the privilege while upgrading.

And I've also heard about the issues, and how the next two chipsets from Intel should work better with the display. That's what the shredded wheat side keeps telling me to keep me from ripping open the box like a four year old at Christmas.



*Which sounds suspiciously similar to what I repeatedly cried out when I was first told of the diagnosis.
 
clyde2801 said:
Honestly, I'm a little peeved that no one's even remotely interested in my 2011. Maybe the market's already saturated with Airs.
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Whereabouts are you? As that can make a big difference. I'm in Nova Scotia, Canada where Craigslist isn't that big, but Kijiji is pretty decent. There are only a few Airs advertised, but most are either the 11" or older 13" models. Luckily I was the only 13" 2011 Ultimate so that gave me an edge. Looking at Montreal's ads, prices are definitely down due to a high supply of used Airs.
 
norrismantooth said:
TL;DR: Retina MacBooks are featureless pieces of crap.

Having the opportunity to purchase a rMBP when they first released (I had just purchased a 17" MBP 2 weeks before rMBP debuted), I stopped by my store to look at them.

Not too impressed.

Upon further review, the RAM and HD are soldered. That was the deal breaker.

Also, as a designer, most of the applications I use (Adobe Master Collection) aren't suited for the retina displays (yet).

Enjoy a 17" for another 5 years, or switch to a rMBP and lose mobile functionality for 5 years? The decision was a no-brainer.
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Yes, very disappointed with the soldering of two items that I would probably upgrade a year down the road... Hope they change the design to allow for better customisability....
 
amoda said:
Whereabouts are you? As that can make a big difference. I'm in Nova Scotia, Canada where Craigslist isn't that big, but Kijiji is pretty decent. There are only a few Airs advertised, but most are either the 11" or older 13" models. Luckily I was the only 13" 2011 Ultimate so that gave me an edge. Looking at Montreal's ads, prices are definitely down due to a high supply of used Airs.
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Oklahoma City. CL is pretty popular down here, hence my never having heard of Kijiji.

Gah, $875 on Gazelle?!? 1/2 off after one year? If I can get $1K for it, I'll probably sell it, which is 66% of the MSRP. $300 from Best Buy is just damned insulting.
 
clyde2801 said:
$300 from Best Buy is just damned insulting.
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And they'll turn around and sell it for $1,000 to add salt to the wound.


I thought I'd pitch in some thoughts since I was in your position just a few hours ago to help you decide.

1. The screen is gorgeous (duh #1). In the store it seemed like it was great, but I didn't get what everyone was talking about. Using it at home is when I really saw it shine.

2. It's faster than the air (duh #2). In several way I don't really see much of a difference from the air, as I'm probably not pushing it that hard, but playing around in iMovie and some games makes the difference much more visible.

3. I always used a 15" MBP, except for a 1yr flint with a 17", then the 13" air for a year. Coming back to the 15" is a very big change, the screen seems HUGE in comparison. The lighter package of the rMBP makes the difference more subtle though when it comes to picking up a laptop and running out, or using it on the couch.

4. It's quieter than the 13" Air ultimate.

4. Am I sold on the rMBP? I'm iffy. It's beautiful, sleek and powerful...but it's overkill. If you found the Air able to meet your needs then you're not really missing much minus the screen for the rMBP. I'm going to continue using it for a week before I decide completely what to do with it, but I am considering going back to the air. Eventually the retina screen will make it to the air, or at the very least the price of the retina 15" will go down next year.
 
MBA fits my needs ( software engineer ) perfectly. Compared both MBA to rMBP for quite a while and rMBP just doesn't makes sense for me ( having a sharper 1440x900 display is something I can really live without )... the GPU is nice, but I plan on not playing games too much and for the game development I do, a powerful GPU is not needed ( mobile / tablets / web based games ).

It all comes down to needs...
Budget was ( is ) not a problem, I am happy with my decision.

Maybe the next rMBP model / refresh will make more sense, but the current one is something that really brings no benefits to my table...
 
1 week

I had the macbook retina for one week, the "ahhhh" period ended real fast after realizing it was just too big for my needs. The screen is nice but a lot of programs weren't updated which was annoying, yeah I know it will later on.


I figured I could save money and get a MBA ultimate and get same speed with the graphics card and screen. Overall no regrets ! I love my new Air! :):cool:
 
Barna Biro said:
MBA fits my needs ( software engineer ) perfectly. Compared both MBA to rMBP for quite a while and rMBP just doesn't makes sense for me ( having a sharper 1440x900 display is something I can really live without )... the GPU is nice, but I plan on not playing games too much and for the game development I do, a powerful GPU is not needed ( mobile / tablets / web based games ).

It all comes down to needs...
Budget was ( is ) not a problem, I am happy with my decision.

Maybe the next rMBP model / refresh will make more sense, but the current one is something that really brings no benefits to my table...
Click to expand...

So what could Apple do with the "refresh " that would "bring benefits to your table"?
 
Nope. While the 15" rMBP is a terrific machine, its just too big for my needs. I much prefer my 11" MBA.

Now if Apple ever figures out how to shoehorn a quad core processor and dedicated graphics into an 11" or 13" package with decent battery life like a MBA, I'll be taking a serious look.
 
Yeah its all hype and just a higher resolution sceeen that all software/web developers will have to adjust their apps/sites to accomadate the new resolution.
 
DVD9 said:
So what could Apple do with the "refresh " that would "bring benefits to your table"?
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Haswell and after that Broadwell, are supposedly bringing ever more powerful and energy efficient processors and integrated graphics to the table in 2013 and 14. So theoretically, later versions could be faster, have better battery life and be less prone to the scrolling and other graphics issues being complained of the the other subforum. (Anantech also mentioned these issues under 10.7 and even 10.8 in his otherwise glowing review of the device.)

The improved integrated graphics may be powerful enough to ensure a satisfactory user experience for using the HD screen without a discrete GPU. This, along with enough manufacturers getting on the retina bandwagon and bringing economies of scale to production costs and availability, could be the tipping point in getting 13 rMBP's and more importantly, rMBA's.

My old school Mac friend also reminded me that I was violating what he calls his First Mac Commandment: "Thou shalt NOT buy a version A!"

This, and not a single nibble on CL...not even ridiculous lowball inquiries. I'm starting to think the smart thing to do is take the rMBP back for a refund and get a couple more years of use out of my 'unwanted' 2011 Air until they bring some retina goodness to that product line. Guess I could hook it up to a decent external display for when I need to work on documents at home.

And, just out of spite, I may wait until the sale at BB on the rMBP is over before I bring it back. $300, my big white :censored:!
 
numbersyx said:
Yes, very disappointed with the soldering of two items that I would probably upgrade a year down the road... Hope they change the design to allow for better customisability....
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Only the RAM is soldered in. The SSD can easily be replaced, that is whenever OWC comes up with the new connectors.
 
I only glanced at the rMBP at the store the other day - what I saw was nice... the lower glare on the screen was noticeable to me, as was the higher res.

The difference moving to the 13" Air was huge to me - i could see the difference. As i'm not in the market for the 13" air, I moved to the 11" and felt the difference wasn't as great.

So the biggest problem with the rMBP was that it was.... big. :eek: But heck, I think the 13" Air is "huge" too, so that isn't saying much! :eek:
 
clyde2801 said:
This, and not a single nibble on CL...not even ridiculous lowball inquiries. I'm starting to think the smart thing to do is take the rMBP back for a refund and get a couple more years of use out of my 'unwanted' 2011 Air until they bring some retina goodness to that product line. Guess I could hook it up to a decent external display for when I need to work on documents at home.
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This surprises me somewhat. There should still be demand for the 2011 Airs, as they are a nice option for those who don't need USB 3.0. Perhaps try the Marketplace here, or eBay.
 
I have to say.... when I went shopping for a laptop I was really wanting a 13" retina. Obviously I knew that wasn't an option.... so I didn't know what i would end with, but I needed one now. I looked at 15" rmbp, but I was under impressed. While the screen was better... it wasn't a must have for me. Also, the lack of retina support for microsoft office was a big draw back. I ended up getting the 13" air thinking that I may very well sell it later to upgrade to a 13" retina if one is released. Well, now that I have my MB Air, I can't imagine why I would need anything else! This i such a great laptop and fits my needs well. I know this will not be the case for everyone, but I just have to say this is a great laptop. I may go to retina somewhere in the future, but I think it will be years down the line when kinks are worked out and I am ready for an upgrade anyway.
 
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The retina macbook pro is definitely overrated. Still very heavy despite being thinner and well...I hope you dont mind ghosting.
 
clyde2801 said:
Have a 2011 13" ultimate MBA. Stupidly, I walked into the apple store and played around with one of the new 2012 rMBP's after reading all of the glowing reviews on it. Gorgeous screen, (though my 13" ain't too shabby), lightning quick (ditto for my existing one), etc., etc.

I'm trying to listen to my mature 'shredded wheat' side of my personality, and hold fast with my current setup. But the 'frosting' side isn't giving up the fight easily: "Look at that gorgeous screen! You can work on documents all day on that without eyestrain! It's so fast....!"

Honestly, am I the only one pondering putting my almost new Air up on Craiglist and trying to defray the cost of the rMBP? If not, how are yall getting your inner child to shut the hell up?

Thanks!
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I went and sold not only my 2011 MBA but also my iPad 3 in order to buy the retina MBP. I do miss my iPad but every time i look at this screen I'm glad I made the switch! It also helped that I had a Best Buy coupon and reward zone bucks to lessen the out of pocket cost.
 
Greg M said:
I went and sold not only my 2011 MBA but also my iPad 3 in order to buy the retina MBP. I do miss my iPad but every time i look at this screen I'm glad I made the switch! It also helped that I had a Best Buy coupon and reward zone bucks to lessen the out of pocket cost.
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Wow. 2 things for 1.
 
Two days left and I still can't decide.

Yep, the rMBP got me too. Had it for 12 days now, change my mind at least once a day. We have a 2011 11" and 13" Air in the house as well so I've been able to use all three. It didn't make the decision any easier, I like all three notebooks.

I've found the rMBP's screen really nice, crisp, clear, larger easy to read font's, zero eyestrain for sure, no lag issue's, none of the problems reported here, other than waiting for software to catch up. It's a computer with an incredible screen, very fast, very quiet, cool, I really don't have any complaints. Other than the size itself, the footprint is bigger and it's a little heavier than I'd like.

If I had of posted last night I'd of said I was going to keep it. Now today, I'm sitting outside on my deck typing on my 13" Air and I'm having second thought's again. My 13" Air's screen is also very good, clear, easy to read text, it's light, easy to carry everywhere ... man, why I'm not just going and getting a 2012 13" i7/8/512 I have no idea.

Yesterday I used the rMBP all day, loved the screen, still not so much the footprint or extra weight. Then last night I switched from the rMBP to the 11" Air for a few hours, wow, did the fonts seem small and very hard to read, took my eyes a while to adjust ... they did eventually ... but I certainly noticed eye strain where I didn't with the rMBP at all. Before I used the rMBP all day I didn't find the fonts on the 11" so small it bothered my eyes. Guess the 15" screen and retina spoil me so much going the 11" is too drastic a change.

Then I tried the 13" and did notice that for my eyes the fonts where easier to read and less straining than on the 11".

Today I'm using the 13" Air, it has what the 11" doesn't, larger, better resolution screen ... and ... it has what the rMBP doesn't, smaller footprint, lighter weight …

If I was going to use the rMBP as a desktop replacement I may be better off instead using a TBD with my Air, then I've got a 'real' gain in screen real estate and am working from one computer instead of two.

But the rMBP is so appealing because I don't like to work from a desk or one location, that's why I decided to try the rMBP to begin with … to have the best possible mobile screen.

I'm looking at a computer screen 6 - 12 hours a day and for that the 15" size and retina is nice. It's just a matter if I'll be happy with the size/weight using it for so many hours often on my lap and not often on a desk or table.

What to do?
 
clyde2801 said:
Honestly, I'm a little peeved that no one's even remotely interested in my 2011. Maybe the market's already saturated with Airs.
Click to expand...

I only got $850 for my 2011 MBA 13" 4gb 128gb with over 2 years left on AppleCare.
 
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