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Yup, the 13" rMBP is a bit of a conundrum. It doesn't have a real video card that pros need and isn't feather light like the MBA which is what consumers want. Pro end up with the 15" rMBP and consumers with the 13" MBA.

I've always felt the 13" retina was a stop-gap machine until the technology caught up and allowed for retina display Airs. When that day happens, I'm guessing they'll either kill off the 13" rMBP and rebrand the entire line as "MacBook" (or if we're lucky, PowerBook), or give the 13" a discrete GPU.
 
When you're reselling your device, additional options don't necessarily drive a higher sales price. When you're initially buying your device, the value of the additional options seems greater despite the higher price.

I always buy low end iPhone and iPad with cellular models that I resell within 1 year (before new models are announced). I try to always buy the highest config Mac models I can afford because I don't replace them annually; I replace my Macs every 4-5 years.

If nothing more, this should dispel the notions that Macs hold their value and that it makes sense to "max out" RAM and SSD options. The refurb price sets the ceiling for resale value, and that's a 25% drop in 4 months for the base, and a 33% drop for the 256GB version. The higher SSD capacity versions have lost even more.
 
We are in 2013, but apple insist on staying in 2012 (or even 2011).
8GB is the MINIMUM today, 16GB is just normal configuration and should have the option to upgrade to 32GB (Yes, I know it's laptop).
Regarding the QuadCore this is a joke!

It has been consistently proven that you can do about the same with 8GB memory in a Mac as you can with 16GB in a PC. I have an 8GB Windows PC in my office that struggles every day with tasks that I was doing with my Air with 4GB with ease. So comparing spec for spec with a PC as some others are doing does not make any sense.

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I know very little about Geekbench but I ran that on my MacbookPro Retina 10,2 2.6GHz I bought yesterday. It is the standard $1699 version with 256GB storage. I ran the test in 32bit mode since the unlicensed version will only let you run that. My scores was 6985 if that helps anyone who was asking about the geekbench marks
 
+1 I would buy a rmbp in a heartbeat if it came with a non-glossy option.

as much as i agree with this... i just switched (due to a warranty replacement) from a 2010 antiglare 15" to the 15" rMBP... I was OCD about the glare and am the biggest advocate for the anti-glare machine you'll find on this side of the 49th parallel... I was concerned when first consdiering the retina, but now after using it for a while... its as good as the anti-glare in 99% of scenarios. I wouldn't go back ever now.
 
When you're reselling your device, additional options don't necessarily drive a higher sales price. When you're initially buying your device, the value of the additional options seems greater despite the higher price.

I always buy low end iPhone and iPad with cellular models that I resell within 1 year (before new models are announced). I try to always buy the highest config Mac models I can afford because I don't replace them annually; I replace my Macs every 4-5 years.

Exactly. I recommend that people buy what they need based on how long they plan to use it. 5 years from now, no one will care whether it's a 2.5GHz Ivy Bridge Core i5 or a 3.0GHz Ivy Bridge Core i7. All they'll care about is that it is Ivy Bridge and not Skymont.
 
We are in 2013, but apple insist on staying in 2012 (or even 2011).
8GB is the MINIMUM today, 16GB is just normal configuration and should have the option to upgrade to 32GB

I'm on 8GB RAM now (2010 iMac). This iMac has, in this single session, been powered on since Sunday evening. I'm a web/mobile app developer, so run some reasonably resource hungry applications. My RAM is still sitting at 3.6GB FREE (not including the 680MB currently inactive).

Please tell us again how you definitely utilise 16GB+ of RAM on a daily basis. :cool:
 
So every college student on campus has the retina 13? You must have them confused with the regular 13. Two different devices. I think I'm the only one on campus that has a 15 retina.

I'm with you rockyroad55. I'm the only one I've seen on campus with a 15" retina... I have yet to see a 13 at my school. Its not exactly a school budget machine. Yes I understand there will be some who 'need' it but overall this will cause a push towards the airs for the academic market.
 
I've always felt the 13" retina was a stop-gap machine until the technology caught up and allowed for retina display Airs. When that day happens, I'm guessing they'll either kill off the 13" rMBP and rebrand the entire line as "MacBook" (or if we're lucky, PowerBook), or give the 13" a discrete GPU.

Yes and no. 13" is where there has always been overlap. At one point, they had 3 lines with 13" models (MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro). 11.6" has been only the MacBook Air in the Intel era (though we did have the 12" PowerBook in the PowerPC era). 15" has been exclusively Pro. 13" is a popular size, so there may always be an audience for a slightly more expensive version with more ports and a full voltage CPU. I'm treating the current 13" rMBP as my "Retina MBA," though. If they release an 11.6" Haswell rMBA, I may jump back.
 
I know very little about Geekbench but I ran that on my MacbookPro Retina 10,2 2.6GHz I bought yesterday. It is the standard $1699 version with 256GB storage. I ran the test in 32bit mode since the unlicensed version will only let you run that. My scores was 6985 if that helps anyone who was asking about the geekbench marks

Hmm. That's almost as low as my 2010 iMac (Score: 6826).

I realise there's supposed to be a performance difference between MBPs and iMacs...but ~3 years worth?
 
Ok. Then show me my options (weblinks please). I'm looking for a small light laptop in the vein of rMBP 13" with more then just Intel HD 4000.

Minimum requirements:

2.6GHz dual-core (or better) Ivy Bridge Core i7
2560x1600 IPS LED-backlit display
8 gig ram (or more)
256 gig SSD (or larger)
USB 3
Bluetooth 4.0 + 802.11n
(prefer Win7, but i'll take Win8 and just reformat / install)

I'm assuming 25x16 13" displays are uncommon, therefore i'd look at 19x12, but nothing lower. Graphics wise, Nvidia / ATI doesn't matter, but at least 1gig VRAM.

I do find value in Mac OS X so i'm willing to pay around $300 premium over the bare parts alone (is that still the retail cost of Win7 / Win8, or has MS dropped that?).

This is the part of your post that I replied to:

Do you want to save money and use a 1366x768 Windows laptop with their crappy 3rd party system utilities and drivers? Be my guest.

There are many Windows based laptops with resolution better than that. Now you have a list of requirements, one of which the 13" rMBP doesn't even meet.
 
Well, damn. I just received my 13 retina from macmall Tuesday! I haven't even opened it yet. Now apple.com is $300 less and macmall will not refund the difference. What a pain to return and reorder from apple, oh well.
 
Is it worth waiting for Haswell for the 15-inch rMBP, or is the benefit more on the 13-inch for its weaker gfx and smaller battery?

my 2008 core 2 duo macbook is just dying for an upgrade..
 
Is it worth waiting for Haswell for the 15-inch rMBP, or is the benefit more on the 13-inch for its weaker gfx and smaller battery?

my 2008 core 2 duo macbook is just dying for an upgrade..

I too would love to get an answer to this. Truth is, no-one can say for definite :(
 
Hmm. That's almost as low as my 2010 iMac (Score: 6826).

I realise there's supposed to be a performance difference between MBPs and iMacs...but ~3 years worth?

Well I guess if you want to pick up your iMac and carry it with you to meetings with a generator, you would be best served not buying one of these. Myself, I prefer the portability, the Retina screen, Thunderbolt for my external drive, the SSD..... ok, ill stop.
 
I'm in a rather unique situation....

To make the long story short, I am now typing on a 15" rMBP bought (from an Apple authorised dealer) on 7th Feb 13 in Malaysia, paid by my bro-in-law, receipt made to my name. I unboxed and registered it on the 9th.

The reason I bought mine in Malaysia: My 5 year old BlackBook died just before I left UK, and I wanted a rMBP with US keyboard, with UK plug, and it was available off the shelf in Malaysia.

I am leaving for London, UK (where I live) on Sunday 17th and will be arriving just before midnight. I can go to the Apple Store in Kingston (where I teach) on 18th Feb (11 days after date of purchase).

Will Apple UK exchange my existing with a new one? I can't seem to find an appropriate email address to write to Apple, just want to have something in writing...

Thanks in advance for any input.

You'd be best of calling them - if you bought it through Apple online they won't exchange in a store.

Find the number for the country where it was bought - they allow extra time providing they're aware of the situation.
 
This is the part of your post that I replied to:

Do you want to save money and use a 1366x768 Windows laptop with their crappy 3rd party system utilities and drivers? Be my guest.

There are many Windows based laptops with resolution better than that.
Sure, but which match or are close to the rMBP specs? It's one thing to state that Windows laptops exist with 19x12, 25x16, or 28x18 displays. It's another to also include equivalent processor, memory, and SSD in final price of said laptops. Otherwise it's apples to oranges.

As I said, i'm willing to pay $300, possibly more, because I want OS X over Windows and no Windows laptop can install OS X. Additionally, few Windows laptops offer an attractive looking aluminum exterior, a light weight, high battery life, and thunderbolt.

Unless, all you were saying was that simply Windows laptops exist with displays above 13x7. In that case, it's a pretty dumb thing to say.

Now you have a list of requirements, one of which the 13" rMBP doesn't even meet.
Which is why i'm asking if such a Windows based laptop exists and what it's price would be -- that is personally what I am looking for. You seem to be mentioning that Mac customers seem to be unaware. A dedicated graphics card in a 13" laptop similar to the rMBP doesn't seem like an egregious request.
 
So every college student on campus has the retina 13? You must have them confused with the regular 13. Two different devices. I think I'm the only one on campus that has a 15 retina.

You're misquoting or misremembering my original sentiment, which was that of the newer MBP's, more than 50% of them are the rMBP's. Also, I am aware of the differences between the retina and non-retina models. The thickness and optical drives kind of make them quite easy to differentiate.
 
So it looks like Apple going to go for twice-a-year update cycle. First update of the year is major update and second update of the year is a components improvement update. It makes more sense for those people who buy their product late in the updating cycle, and fairer for the price too. Therefore, more sales:D. Perhaps now they started with their high-end line and then they will apply it to all their products.

Anyway…

Those who say they're waiting for Haswell. Is it really worth the wait? How much difference do you think you would benefit from it? It is still going to be quad-core and the same size of cache, and it won't be DDR4 anyway. Don't expect it'll come with HD5000/GT3 graphic. It will not! If Apple gonna lunch it in WWDC then sorry no, because HD5000 is kinda something of 2013Q3 time span. IMO, the Ivy Bridge Intel 2.70Ghz i7-3820QM which come with the 15" rMBP is more than enough, not to mention Apple offer configuration to the top-of-the-line Ivy Bridge 2.80Ghz i7-3840QM (not to compare with the i7 Extreme series, that's another story) for extra $250.

And those who want a matte screen. Why not just get a matte screen protector/filter/cover/whatever-you-call-it and apply it on the glossy screen? At the end of the day, if you don't feel like you want matte screen anymore, you can just easily remove the screen protector off. On the flip side, if your Macbook come with a matte screen, you wouldn't be able to apply (glossy) screen protector on it since matte screen couldn't hold the screen protector layer. I think that's why Apple drop their matte screen option away.
You may find the matte screen protector here in Apple Online Store

I have been saving up for a self-configured 15" rMBP, with 16GB of RAM, and 2.70Ghz i7-3820 CPU options, but not the 768GB storage since $500 is so not worth the extra 256GB and I will mostly store my file on an external LaCie 5big TB anyway (mostly RAW photographs, since I am a photographer). And now Apple offer i7-3820QM and 16GB in their stock-standard configuration, so it'll cost a little less money for me, I just need to configure it to a 2.80Ghz i7-3840QM (just considering though. $250 for just 100Mhz of clock speed difference, same cache size, same features. hmmm… :rolleyes: ). Hopefully they have fixed the screen burn-in issue in this update (or mini-update, should I say?). I feel slightly dissatisfied though, nVidia GT 675M or 680M would make rMBP the best portable computer ever in the history of mankind.

Cheers!
 
If nothing more, this should dispel the notions that Macs hold their value and that it makes sense to "max out" RAM and SSD options. The refurb price sets the ceiling for resale value, and that's a 25% drop in 4 months for the base, and a 33% drop for the 256GB version. The higher SSD capacity versions have lost even more.

Macs used to have high resale value because they had tiny market share, so the supply of secondhand Macs was tiny.

Now that they have a significant chunk of the market, there's a glut of secondhand machines, so they don't retain their value nearly as well.
 
Sure, but which match or are close to the rMBP specs? It's one thing to state that Windows laptops exist with 19x12, 25x16, or 28x18 displays. It's another to also include equivalent processor, memory, and SSD in final price of said laptops. Otherwise it's apples to oranges.

As I said, i'm willing to pay $300, possibly more, because I want OS X over Windows and no Windows laptop can install OS X. Additionally, few Windows laptops offer an attractive looking aluminum exterior, a light weight, high battery life, and thunderbolt.

Unless, all you were saying was that simply Windows laptops exist with displays above 13x7. In that case, it's a pretty dumb thing to say.

Which is why i'm asking if such a Windows based laptop exists and what it's price would be -- that is personally what I am looking for. You seem to be mentioning that Mac customers seem to be unaware. A dedicated graphics card in a 13" laptop similar to the rMBP doesn't seem like an egregious request.

I responded to what I bolded. Twist it any way you like. You made a list of requirements in your second post. Your rMBP does not have discrete graphics. If my reply to your statement was dumb, what does that indicate about your statement?
 
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