I got mine a little more than a month ago. I love it. Perfect form-factor. But I only see value in the base model, anything more, might as well move up to its big brother.
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Are you happy with your 13 inch rMBP?
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No! Bad!
Let me start off by saying about a month ago I bought the 15" rMBP and absolutely loved it. I did, however, return it.
A week ago I got the 1.8GHz 13" MacBook Air with the 8GB ram upgrade.
I did so because I've never owned an Air, and figured I could return it if I didn't like it. I, too, was skeptical about the "1.8" and I thought I'd be getting a very slow, but super light machine. WRONG!
Not wanting to get a MBA because of the fact that it says "1.8" rather than "2.8" is exactly what marketing teams want you to do.
My computer before this was a 2010 MBP 13" 2.4GHz w/ 8GB ram and my new MacBook Air blows it straight out of the water, no contest.
It's easy to fall in love with a $2000 machine if you were to buy it first, but start off with the cheaper one and test your luck..see if you fall in love with it as I did mine.
The base model 13" retina is $500 more expensive than the base model 13" Air, factor in tax, and you have yourself quite a difference in money for two machines that have oddly similar specs. That money could be better spent on accessories for your new computer, nice speakers..external storage..appletv..even a high res monitor..anything. Consider the specs, try both out, and really think about what you use your computer for.
Professionals buy a 15" rMBP to do his/her work on, editing 1080p movies, producing 3D animation art, High Res Photo editing on a large scale..do you really need all that functionality for reddit/facebook/netflix/email/gameboy emulators?
Louis C.K. edited all of season 2 of his show Louie by himself on a 13" MacBook Pro. This is a show that airs on cable television.
These machines are much more powerful than people seem to give them credit for, just because there are some closer to the bottom of the overall gene pool of Apple products. But, at the end of the day, why do we love Apple so much? Have you ever purchased a new Apple product and been dissatisfied with it? Unless it was a defect or something, I doubt it.
You made very good points, however, I want something that's going to last me 5+ years. The MBA is great, for now, but spec wise, it'll be okay for maybe the next year or so. The rMBP is a computer you can have 5 years from now and still say, I have a damn good computer. I don't see that with a MBA. Regardless, you're right about trying it out first. I'm going to order the base 13 inch MBA with 8GB of RAM and see how I like it.
Awesome! I'm curious to see what you'll say about it, so do make a post once you've played with it a bit.
I see what you're saying, but I feel as though debate you're making could be made for a 15" rMBP, but I don't so much see it for the 13". The processor is clocked a wee bit faster than the MBA, but otherwise, it's got the same integrated gpu, the same SSD, and the same ram. The display is also better, but with your savings you could get a 27" monitor at 1920x1200 resolution and still have cash left over. There are a lot of variables, but I see where you're coming from.
If you're interested to see what the display of your 13" MBA can really do, check out the program QuickRes, I just found out about it today thanks to a user on these forums. It's free, just google it, but basically I'm at a 1920x1080 resolution right now on a device I believed could only handle 1440x900, and man it is awesome. So much room for activities! If you don't care about resolution, however, just ignore me
.well i just got mine today, i bought my last mac 5 years ago or something and honestly the retina screen is nice but it didn't blow my socks off and again mind you i was coming from an older computer. The thing that i'm most impressed with so far is the build quality holy smokes its nice
Although it did not blow your socks away, once you try out a different screen, that's when you'll realize how good it is...at least for me.
i chose macbook air 13 over the rMBP 13. rMBP 13 just seems too expensive for a computer with retina display, lower hard drive space, and no disc drive. if you're gonna get rMBP, you might as well buy the 15". I went over to my friends house yesterday to watch the boxing fight. and he had his 15" macbook pro retina sitting on the dining table. man the display on that thing is gorgeous.
but in the end i chose mba 13" for my needs over the rMBP 13" because of the price, i think the rMBP 13" is a ripoff for the price. plus really love how light and slim my mba 13" is.
but in the end i chose mba 13" for my needs over the rMBP 13" because of the price, i think the rMBP 13" is a ripoff for the price. plus really love how light and slim my mba 13" is.
meh maybe you're right. Now that i'm here though can what were the problems with burn in or yellow screen?? Or was that just the 15 inch?
I have a samsung (not lg) screen on my rmbp. I have no burn in issues. If you ever get one, you can easily replace it at your local apple store.
I came to post that if "mostly what you'll be doing is web surfing, email, streaming, music, light gaming e.g. Emulators for old games, and the occasional photo editing", then the Air is actually going to be the better choice for the next 5 years. But then I saw you already bought your rMBP.
FYI though, the Air will be able to do all you need and more...and leave money in the piggy bank for the next upgrade if you need to do so a little earlier. My Air is 2 years old and still handles my 5dMKII in Aperture at good speeds. If anything, the rMBP is not going to last as long as that integrated graphics card has less free power for other stuff....a 13 rMBP is essentially the "retina MBA" everyone wants, with the battery it needs.
I think its a great machine, enjoy. Depending on the budget I would honestly pick up an Air now and a retina later once batteries and GPUs have improved.
I don't see any lag whatsoever. for what I pay for my gear I would not put up with any latency in the system GUI.
fire up your two monitors on your MacBook Pro and see for yourself... oh that's right, you don't have this rig. you saw it at the store...
No I haven't bought any computer yet. I'm still deciding. Though, having an iPad 4, I think maybe getting an iMac is a better choice. I'm so indecisive. I've always wanted a MacBook since it's portable, and I love the backlit keyboard. But I don't know if it makes much sense to have a MacBook Pro and an iPad, but would make much more sense to have an iPad and an iMac.
I think Anand was spot-on when he suggested that people view the 13" Retina as an upgrade from the Air rather than a downgrade from the 15". For what you're talking about, I think the Air is a better choice but if you are ideally after the 15" for its power, buy a non-Retina or have a student friend buy and resell the Retina to you.
I'm generally satisfied, but flash performance at scaled resolutions is absolutely brutal. Running a Google Hangout and trying to do anything else is a nightmare.