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Are Retina Displays Worth It?

overrated IMO

the distance that i use my laptop at (and most people), you can't even distinguish the pixels on the screen. so i still can't see what the hype is. everything is already crisp as it is.

and yes i've used plenty of retina macbooks (at friends' house, not the store)

(inb4 apple fanboys go crazy and get mad)
 
I have the MacBook Pro 17-inch Hi-Res model and I really don't see a difference between it and a Retina model.

Personally, I'm clinging to my heavy 17-inch until Apple starts making MacBook Pro's more user upgradeable or until I literally cannot find parts or upgrade OS anymore. I really dislike how the Mac laptops have become so unfixable. The hi-res should last me a long time.
 
acfusion29 said:
you can't even distinguish the pixels on the screen. so i still can't see what the hype is.
Click to expand...

I thought that aswell, this is coming from a 1080p display 15" laptop, but the difference going back is pretty big, things are just sharper, everything is clearer. And it is not just about pixels, the screen has awesome viewing angles, lovely blacks and contrast, 100% sRGB, one of the best panels out. And Scaling works really well, I hated MBPs for a long time cause the price to get just a 1680*1050 display in the 15" was crazy, now I can have a 1200p scaled res, meaning I can be much more productive.
 
Are Retina Displays Worth It?

I'd say it is. I had a 2012 15" Hi-Res glossy MBP and recently got a late 2013 13" MPBr and am amazed how much better the screen is. The best part is that the glare is significantly reduced in the retina models. The retina is definitely worth the extra $.
 
wingsabr said:
I have had a 2010 17in MBP, traded it in for a 2011 13in MBA, and now have a 15in rMBP. While my tasks are certainly light on the CPU, the biggest difference is the screen of the rMBP. It's just beautiful and is the only reason I switched to it from my otherwise functioning MBA. The color gamut and clarity are levels above anything else I've seen on a laptop and they lighter and thinner than years passed.

TLDR; Retina is worth it!
Click to expand...

Where do you trade in Macbooks?
 
Retina is definitely the way to go, money well spent. Colors and text are just an absolute joy to look at compared to a cMBP or MBA. After a while you'll come across an older model without Retina and wouldn't look back at all.
 
Not at all. I prefer non-LED backlit displays, and don't understand why a high-DPI screen makes a computer a "joy" to use. It's a tool to get a job done, not something to oogle at.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Not at all. I prefer non-LED backlit displays, and don't understand why a high-DPI screen makes a computer a "joy" to use. It's a tool to get a job done, not something to oogle at.
Click to expand...

In other words you don't have a MacBook Pro with retina?

You do nothing but stare at the screen when you work. I couldn't go back and I am really waiting on Apple to release their 4K thunderbolt2 display, so I can ditch the ACD 23" 1920 x 1200 displays I have.
 
yjchua95 said:
Nice one. The ones who bash or dumb down retina are the ones who:
1. Can't afford one.
2. Never tried comparing retina and non-retina side by side.
Click to expand...
That's not strictly true. I have compared them side by side. The standard MBP screen is already fantastic, the retina is better of course but worth the extra ? Ditto on the iPad. I will get an iPad Air to replace my iPad1 primarily as I want the processor improvements and the support for iOS7 and beyond, the screen isn't the driving factor. If I got another laptop it would be an MBA (ditched my MacBook when I got the iPad), ideally with retina but if that's not available I'd take the MBA over an rMBP as the other advantages of the MBA outweigh the retina for me.

So to answer the original question, yes the retina is worth paying for but it's not a critical feature for me.
 
yjchua95 said:
Nice one. The ones who bash or dumb down retina are the ones who:
1. Can't afford one.
2. Never tried comparing retina and non-retina side by side.
Click to expand...

Not at all, there is just no denying that the screen IS better.

You wouldn't opt for the iPad 2 over the iPad 3, 4 or Air either, would you?
 
yjchua95 said:
Nice one. The ones who bash or dumb down retina are the ones who:
1. Can't afford one.
2. Never tried comparing retina and non-retina side by side.
Click to expand...

Wrong.

I own both, and prefer the HR-AG screen on my 2011 17".
 
Naimfan said:
Wrong.

I own both, and prefer the HR-AG screen on my 2011 17".
Click to expand...

I believe you are reading his reply (to me) out of context.

I'm just saying the retina screen is fantastic when reading and not comparing it to the HR-AG screen (I never had one).
 
The retina screen is absolutely worth it. I love it on my 15 inch rMBP. It also looks much brighter and more vivid compared to the other 1080p monitors I have.
 
I used a 13 inch MBA for 2 years before getting a rMBP 13 a few months ago.

I used to think the screen on my old MBA was decent, and even compared the screens of the retina vs non-retina macbooks in store, and was not impressed. Until I got my new rMBP that is. Now the MBA's screen is like all blurry and text just comes off as pixelated.

Its just something you don't realise until you can spend an extended amount of time with retina and non-retina screens IMO.
 
Pressure said:
In other words you don't have a MacBook Pro with retina?

You do nothing but stare at the screen when you work. I couldn't go back and I am really waiting on Apple to release their 4K thunderbolt2 display, so I can ditch the ACD 23" 1920 x 1200 displays I have.
Click to expand...

My girlfriend does. I prefer my white MacBook from circa 2009. The screen isn't as harsh on my eyes, and I can't stand the black boarder on the rMBP.
 
Pressure said:
I believe you are reading his reply (to me) out of context.

I'm just saying the retina screen is fantastic when reading and not comparing it to the HR-AG screen (I never had one).
Click to expand...

Apologies!

I just find it tiresome when people start ad hominems against a group of people who have a different preference. Personally, I think the "retina" idea is overly hyped, and I say that as the owner of a 15"/16/768 model. The screen on my 17" is "better" to me (and, incidentally, to anyone looking at them side by side) than the screen on the (even more expensive) retina model.
 
There is more to consider to the retina macbooks than just the screen.
Keep in mind that they are a reworked design generally. No CD/DVD drive, no network cable connection, different upgrading possibilities, thinner etc.

I can only give my experience and impressions with the 13".
It suffers from serious performance issues and is simply not really strong enough to drive the pixels it has. Above that there is a design issue that leads to the screens burning grime and dirt into themselves under normal using circumstances(see the thread in this forum).

However, the formfactor is very nice and the 13" is very, very quiet. Images look very,very nice on the retina screen too!

Hope this helps.
 
13" Retna = Nice Toy Gadget!!!

I can deal with out an optical drive, maybe even the soldered on memory. However, the screen resolution on a 13" screen is useless. I use a 55" LED TV as a computer monitor. Even with a screen that size, that resolution is ridiculous. Not to mention Retna displays are a performance hog.

Unfortunately, that is the trend we are going to be forced into if we want a new Macbook. After a while the only Mac I will have is a Mini if this trend keeps going!
 
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