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Apple Introduces 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display
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A fine looking machine but way overpriced. There's really very little difference to the 15-inch; as with the 15, the SSD upgrade prices are ridiculous; and not even an option for 16GB RAM.
Certainly in the educational channel, the sweet spot appears to be a base 15 inch with an external third-party drive. And I suppose grudgingly putting up with Apple's absurd up-charge for 16GB, seeing as it's non-upgradable. $500 ought to be the total price for a 512GB, not the upgrade cost from 256. Divide the SSD upgrade and RAM upgrade prices in half and you might be closer to the mark.
Certainly in the educational channel, the sweet spot appears to be a base 15 inch with an external third-party drive. And I suppose grudgingly putting up with Apple's absurd up-charge for 16GB, seeing as it's non-upgradable. $500 ought to be the total price for a 512GB, not the upgrade cost from 256. Divide the SSD upgrade and RAM upgrade prices in half and you might be closer to the mark.
same.
couldn't agree more.
as far as bang for buck goes - the 15" is a sweet machine and worth the $.
as for the pricing on the 13" rMBP - Apple products have always been that, expensive.
Man, I was really looking forward to buying this for a work computer but the lack of any 16 MB RAM option and Quad Core I7 option (not even BTO) at all has me rethinking. The lack of integrated graphics figures in there too, but that I was already prepared for.
So now I am sort of questioning the value equation for this machine in its current form. You can already get a MacBook Air with 8 MB of RAM and a Dual Core processor (albeit I5 only, and with a lower clock). With that machine, you give up a Thunderbolt port, but that is not a huge problem given the daisy-chain-ability. You also give up HDMI for easy projector connectivity, but that can be solved with an adapter if you really need it. And of course there is the obvious lack of Retina display. However, crucially for my purposes, both machines can drive two Apple Thunderbolt Displays.
True, configured similarly (equivalent RAM and SSD, fastest MBA processor, slowest rMBP processor) the two are only $300 apart. So, this makes the Pro look a little sweeter. However, the form factor and sub-3lb weight of the MBA arguably puts it into a whole different league as far as portability, even compared to the new sleeker, lighter enclosure of the new Retina Pro. This is especially true when you consider that you can go down to the 11" MBA and not lose a thing (other than screen size, oh and the SD reader - NBD) vs. its 13" sibling. Now you have a barely 2lb device that really is not that much less powerful than a 13" rMBP.
If you could get the 13" rMBP Pro with the same processor and RAM (and GPU, really) as its 15" sibling (similar to how the 11" MBA can be spec'd up to match its 13" sibling, as I mention above), it would make the machine much more attractive. But, as it stands now, I am sort of thinking I will either step up to the 15" rMBP, or just go with a loaded-up 11" MBA. The mid-sizers don't give me the right capability-to-portability ratio.
(Oh, and just to be fair I'll mention one more thing the 13" rMBP can do that the MBA can't - it can run two low cost ~$350 Korean 2560x1440 displays (I believe) due to it's two Thunderbolt ports. But I am really loath to take that gamble.)
So now I am sort of questioning the value equation for this machine in its current form. You can already get a MacBook Air with 8 MB of RAM and a Dual Core processor (albeit I5 only, and with a lower clock). With that machine, you give up a Thunderbolt port, but that is not a huge problem given the daisy-chain-ability. You also give up HDMI for easy projector connectivity, but that can be solved with an adapter if you really need it. And of course there is the obvious lack of Retina display. However, crucially for my purposes, both machines can drive two Apple Thunderbolt Displays.
True, configured similarly (equivalent RAM and SSD, fastest MBA processor, slowest rMBP processor) the two are only $300 apart. So, this makes the Pro look a little sweeter. However, the form factor and sub-3lb weight of the MBA arguably puts it into a whole different league as far as portability, even compared to the new sleeker, lighter enclosure of the new Retina Pro. This is especially true when you consider that you can go down to the 11" MBA and not lose a thing (other than screen size, oh and the SD reader - NBD) vs. its 13" sibling. Now you have a barely 2lb device that really is not that much less powerful than a 13" rMBP.
If you could get the 13" rMBP Pro with the same processor and RAM (and GPU, really) as its 15" sibling (similar to how the 11" MBA can be spec'd up to match its 13" sibling, as I mention above), it would make the machine much more attractive. But, as it stands now, I am sort of thinking I will either step up to the 15" rMBP, or just go with a loaded-up 11" MBA. The mid-sizers don't give me the right capability-to-portability ratio.
(Oh, and just to be fair I'll mention one more thing the 13" rMBP can do that the MBA can't - it can run two low cost ~$350 Korean 2560x1440 displays (I believe) due to it's two Thunderbolt ports. But I am really loath to take that gamble.)
Wow, with educational discount, it's cheaper to get a 256 GB 15 inch MBPr than a 13 inch MBPr. The pricing of this laptop for the specs they gave are ridiculous.
Can this edit hd videos (like those from dSLR) smoothly?
Would like this answered as well, just recieved a hdslr and would like to edit videos, not a pro by any means, but want capability. Should I keep it moving or is this fine for me?
Also would upgrading to 2.9 Ghz make any difference for what I am trying to do?
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Why are there two configurations? The only difference is HD capacity and both can be upgraded the same. Why bother with 2 models?
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This should be able to handle it but not as well as a 15" or a desktop. And to answer your question, YES, ABSOLUTELY. Hyper Threading is extremely helpful for video editing. ESPECIALLY since these are dual core processors.
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This should be able to handle it but not as well as a 15" or a desktop. And to answer your question, YES, ABSOLUTELY. Hyper Threading is extremely helpful for video editing. ESPECIALLY since these are dual core processors.
I ve been waiting for this announcement for a long time, so dissapointed
I know we Apple owners pay for premium but this is just too much way to much. Wish people realize this and dont buy it so they can lower the price, is the only way.
I know we Apple owners pay for premium but this is just too much way to much. Wish people realize this and dont buy it so they can lower the price, is the only way.
One of the advantages of at least the pro line vs. the ULV chips on the MBA is the usage of full-voltage CPU's. The ULV Haswell is only 15-30% faster than HD4000 on ivy bridge. The full voltage Haswell HD5000 is around 100% faster. There's also the potential that the 2nd gen rMBP 13 will get a quad core.
Apple obviously has monopoly power in this market niche as of now. The price is just right for them, but not right for consumers. $-200 will be nice.
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I bet you do not quite understand what HD4000 can handle
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technology is always advancing, so it is more about budget constraint and how much you want it
I just placed an order, and will compare with my 15' rMBP and see it I will keep the 13'. 15' is alright, sometimes it is a little bulky.
Aye, but it is still within the capability of the machine. Heck, the HD3000 on my MBA can drive (effectively) that resolution.
Disappointed
I was hoping for my holy grail... Quad core i7, discrete graphics, and bto 16 gb ram option.
Gonna pass for now, I think apple has some price adjustments to make on this. But I don't think they will.
They deserved the stock price hit today, I hope they get the message.
I was hoping for my holy grail... Quad core i7, discrete graphics, and bto 16 gb ram option.
Gonna pass for now, I think apple has some price adjustments to make on this. But I don't think they will.
They deserved the stock price hit today, I hope they get the message.
I bet many people are just talking what they "hear" about HD4000, thinking it is an integrated chip made 10 years ago.
Apple is charging because they can, & you can't fault them for a tradition they set long ago. It's a premier "retina" model.
It is very true, especially when apple fans are all religious about the brand.
Nothing wrong with Apple, this just reflects the greediness of corporate America.
But many people on this post are wrong about HD4000, it is perfectly capable of processing non-3D graphics processing applications. Yes a dedicated graphic chip will be nice, but do you really need it? Same argument goes for the 8G memory. Therefore only bummer is price really.
It's up to the consumers to get the message. Apple is positioned as the premier company. They are simply charging accordingly.
If it is for basic use, I will say my 5 year old X61s thinkpad still runs fine. And it is almost same price as an rMBP.