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Are there any rMBP owners who will consider switching to the 12-inch rMBA?

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macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 8, 2009
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I just want to know if I'm stupid for considering this or if there are others who are going to be doing the same. If you currently have the rMBP, does the rumored/upcoming 12-inch rMBA at all? Or are you staying put and sticking with the Pro line in the future?

I have a maxed-out 13" rMBP. Best laptop I've ever owned. I'm in love with the form factor, it's the perfect size/weight for a 13-inch laptop. 13 inches has also been my favorite screen size for laptops for the longest time.

Like many of you who waited the long time for the release of the Haswell rMBP, I switched from the Air to Pro line mainly for the Retina screen. I'm a writer and deal with lots of text, so I appreciate the sharpness. I just couldn't put up with the Air's screen any longer. I also came from the 11" Air and wanted a little bigger screen.

I post this in the Pro forum because I know there were others who only got the Pro because of the Retina screen. Maybe it's too late for some people to go back and switch, but once the rMBA comes out I'm going to take one look at it and if it impresses me enough...I'm going back to the Air line.

Many say they go with the Air for portability/size/weight...for me those things have never been an issue with the 13" rMBP. I never considered the 15". I've used the rMBP on planes, trains, buses, etc. I'd say about 10% of the time I wished it was a little smaller, but it's always been great. Especially with how much power it has.

On the other hand, I think I can get away with switching from the Pro to the Air because I don't really use the power of the Pro. Kind of a waste, actually. I mostly do writing and a few other medium-intensive tasks. The idea of a 12" fanless laptop in the size of the current 11" Air intrigues me. I'm not really concerned about the lack of rumored ports because I don't connect my Mac to anything.

I guess my main concern would be going from a 13" to 12" screen, but it shouldn't make a huge difference. I also have a 1TB SSD, and the one in the rMBP is blazing fast. Presently the Air line only goes up to 512GB. But I think the new MBA could meet my needs a little better, plus I like the idea of a little smaller laptop. We'll have to wait and see what it's actually like, though. So I'm not making any decisions until I actually see the damn thing.

Anyone else?
 
If it ends up using core M, then its basically an iPad with a keyboard. Core M is iPad-level speeds and tdp. So, its really an iPad competitor in my mind.

It would also mean that the macbook air is faster, making it all the more confusing that it doesn't have a retina screen yet.
 
I'm a professional writer/journalist and I sold my 13" mba for a laptop replacement, the samsung note pro 12.2" tablet that has a great ms word clone. I used it extensively as a satellite to my desktop mac. I have a samsung bluetooth kb and mouse. All in all a slick, fast thin and light combo. But i just recently bought a used mid 2010 mbp and it's soooo fast and great to use with ms word fo mac 2011. You should look into the samsung for writing.
 
If it wasn't a first gen. I would be interested.

Give it a year or two for problems to arise and Apple to address them.

Look how long it took before Apple put 8 gigs of ram standard in the 13" rmbp.
 
I wouldn't consider it at the moment. I have a 13" cMBP for the (relative) heavy lifting of my 650GB photo library and work usage. An 11" MBA when I need to go light for work travel (I don't need the photo library for work), and when the 11" is still too much I use the iPad Mini + Logitech keyboard.

A 12" looks like a compromise from my current setup, would be worth it if it genuinely replaced the MBA + MBP but then I use the extremes of each, a compromise would lose the edge features I enjoy the use of (capacity on the MBP - 1.2TB installed), and lightness of the 11" MBA.
 
I'd get it to complement my rMPB. I still use my 2011 MBA when I want to travel light & being able to sling a computer I can barely feel in my travel bag is a godsend.

If it's going to be Core-M powered then I'm not interested.
 
Whatever the case, Samsung won't have as good UI as Macs.

Yes I will consider it. I have a 13" MBPr that I love dearly.

But if the 12" MBAr has a big enough screen and similar power but better battery and lighter etc I'll get one.
 
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Not a chance - I'm even considering moving up to a 15" rMBP in the future.

What I'd like to see in the next 13" rMBP is Iris Pro graphics ie. eDRAM. There's a possibility I think that Broadwell might provide this, and if Apple asks for it Intel will surely build it for them.

I had a 13" MBA previously - I don't need/want smaller/lighter, the 13.3" screen is the perfect form factor, I just want a bit more power in the 13" rMBP.
 
I have a first generation MacBook Air which is now getting too old and is no longer powerful enough as well as being rather slow. I would certainly consider getting a Retina MacBook Air but I'm leaning far more towards a 13" Retina MacBook Pro. I like the extra connections on it especially the built in HDMI connection. I don't really need the smaller size and lighter weight of the MacBook Air as I don't do too much travelling and when I do I'm more inclined to take my iPad Air 2. The laptop would be direct replacement for my MacBook Air and 2011 Mac Mini combined.
 
Probably not, but not because I don't like the idea of a rMBA. Mainly it's because I'm a student, and I try to stretch my laptop upgrade cycles as long as possible. You might remember that I was waiting for the Haswell rMBP (that I ended up getting) because my original mid-2009 MBP was having problems that Apple couldn't resolve. I got four years out of it as a daily driver, and it's still going as a desktop replacement. I hope my late-2013 rMBP will last as long if not longer :)

My other things are the current form factor of the MBA. I don't like the wedge since I like to use my rMBP in bed propped up by my knees. The wedge would cut into my stomach and probably not be comfortable. The rumored lack of ports is also concerning for me since my movie collection is on an external hard drive since I got the 256gb SSD. I also need to use a flash drive for school files and back up to my external desktop HDD for Time Machine. Not to mention that I don't like the idea of having to choose between connecting a peripheral and charging.

But if you like it when it comes out, go for it :) Not everyone has the same use cases, and you should buy what suits you.
 
KUguardgrl13 said:
Probably not, but not because I don't like the idea of a rMBA. Mainly it's because I'm a student, and I try to stretch my laptop upgrade cycles as long as possible. You might remember that I was waiting for the Haswell rMBP (that I ended up getting) because my original mid-2009 MBP was having problems that Apple couldn't resolve. I got four years out of it as a daily driver, and it's still going as a desktop replacement. I hope my late-2013 rMBP will last as long if not longer :)

My other things are the current form factor of the MBA. I don't like the wedge since I like to use my rMBP in bed propped up by my knees. The wedge would cut into my stomach and probably not be comfortable. The rumored lack of ports is also concerning for me since my movie collection is on an external hard drive since I got the 256gb SSD. I also need to use a flash drive for school files and back up to my external desktop HDD for Time Machine. Not to mention that I don't like the idea of having to choose between connecting a peripheral and charging.

But if you like it when it comes out, go for it :) Not everyone has the same use cases, and you should buy what suits you.
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These are all pretty good points. I agree that upgrading every time a new computer comes out only makes sense if you have tons and tons of money. Even then, you could find better ways to spend it because a 1 year old MBPr is as good as new.

The ports is definitely going to be a big issue. If they only have a 1 USB or a USB OR power charger then I'm not sure how that will work unless the battery lasts 2 days.
 
without know the specs its hard to say, but its a range - so its not going to be better equipped than the pro, so no.
 
KUguardgrl13 said:
Probably not, but not because I don't like the idea of a rMBA. Mainly it's because I'm a student, and I try to stretch my laptop upgrade cycles as long as possible. You might remember that I was waiting for the Haswell rMBP (that I ended up getting) because my original mid-2009 MBP was having problems that Apple couldn't resolve. I got four years out of it as a daily driver, and it's still going as a desktop replacement. I hope my late-2013 rMBP will last as long if not longer :)

My other things are the current form factor of the MBA. I don't like the wedge since I like to use my rMBP in bed propped up by my knees. The wedge would cut into my stomach and probably not be comfortable. The rumored lack of ports is also concerning for me since my movie collection is on an external hard drive since I got the 256gb SSD. I also need to use a flash drive for school files and back up to my external desktop HDD for Time Machine. Not to mention that I don't like the idea of having to choose between connecting a peripheral and charging.

But if you like it when it comes out, go for it :) Not everyone has the same use cases, and you should buy what suits you.
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Hey KU, nice to see you still around on here. Waiting for Haswell was crazy. I'm definitely not upgrading just to upgrade, I would probably keep my rMBP for a few more years otherwise. But if I think the rMBA suits me better, then I'll definitely do it. But I definitely agree with you on the design, I love how the Pro is flat...I don't really like the wedge that the Air has. I find that the design of the rMBP is much more suitable for using in bed also typing in general.
 
Queen6 said:
As a backup when I am traveling, but much depends on the specification and ports. We could do with a surprise or two from Apple, however am not "holding my breath"

Q-6
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Yeah, this. There's a lot we don't know. I'm open to considering it - but I want to see what actually gets delivered, and since this is sort of a Gen 1 product, I will probably let other people do the final beta testing. ;)
 
newellj said:
Yeah, this. There's a lot we don't know. I'm open to considering it - but I want to see what actually gets delivered, and since this is sort of a Gen 1 product, I will probably let other people do the final beta testing. ;)
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Same, just need to see what Apple delivers having a backup system while working abroad is highly beneficial, equally carrying two MBPr`s can be a real hassle. What I am hoping for is a better aspect ratio than the present 11" Air, as the narrow vertical plane just turns the Notebook into a "scroll monster" and the TN display is lacklustre at best.

I would love to see something on the lines of Lenovo`s Yoga, which would be super useful in a 12" format, unfortunately Apple are pretty much "stuck in the mould" with their Notebooks, with the focus being slim & light with little to no innovation in any other direction so I don't expect anything like this.

All totally depends on who Apple`s target audience is, and if the 12" is an ultra portable business Notebook or a bridge to "iToys"...

Q-6
 
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I'm using a 13 inch cMBP most of the time and sometimes I'm looking with envy at the lightweight MBA 13 inch with it's long battery life and some of the Ultrabooks are getting quite nice these days.

Then I remember I also run a VM or two and sometimes use a lot of USB ports. From what we have heard about the 12 inch rMBA, it probably isn't going to be right for me.
 
Oddly as much as I harp on how much I love the 15" form factor and how much I love my 2012 rMBP (I still think its the best laptop I've owned). I picked up a Surface Pro 3 at the beginning of the year.

Not quite the same animal, but the display size is. Some (not all) of the reasons for this purchase - Portability, this thing is like carrying an iPad, but has the power of a MBA. I like Windows's scaling ability. Perhaps I don't leverage OSX's but I can scale the images up to 200% Quite useful. I need windows for work and other tasks so that's the final major reason to get the SP3. I still have the rMBP and it gets used quite often, so I'm not down on the rMBP.

When I travel, I can bring what amounts to a tablet with me, rather then a laptop.

This more or less breaks down when comparing the 12" MBA that is rumored, i.e., the 12" display is one factor, but its still a laptop. I'm concerned about a couple of the rumors with the 12" MBA.
First if it doesn't have any ports, I do like my USB ports, secondly though at this point I think this rumor has been largely dismissed, it being an ARM based laptop. This in of itself would kill off any hope of being tempted for me.
 
Queen6 said:
What I am hoping for is a better aspect ratio than the present 11" Air, as the narrow vertical plane just turns the Notebook into a "scroll monster" and the TN display is lacklustre at best.

Q-6
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The scroll issue is a bigger issue to me than for most. I agree with you.
 
did the reverse

went from a 2012 MBA to a 2014 13' rMBP - couldn't be happier. Best computer I've ever owned.

13 rMBP's are a bit underpowered compared to 15's, yes. For my needs, I prefer the small size of the 13. But I only own my computers for 2.5 years, tops (depreciation curve starts dipping sharply after that point), and dual-core for most applications outside of gaming/virtual machines is adequate. I'm in Xcode quite a bit and I prefer the battery savings w/dual core, and my compile times are pretty reasonable.
 
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