Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Considering Returning my Retina MacBook Pro

Sorry to hear about your issues, I can understand why as a designer the scaling is going to have function perfectly across the applications you rely on. Even if you could live with working in the native resolution you wouldn't be able to get an accurate representation of how your content will look elsewhere.

I'm a software developer so the screen real estate is obviously a huge draw for me. I've obviously ordered an MBP retina display.

This is the concern with the new MBP r/d, in the traditional sense the MBP has always been recognised as the natural choice for the design community and as wonderful a device as the MBP r/d it clearly isn't a 'pro' machine.
 
J.L.Photography said:
Waaaa.... All you whiners are really getting old...

But best of luck on the next choice. Hopefully my thoughts differ when mine arrives.

I remember when ipad3 came out....had similar issues but were resolved soon after.

Again, best of luck on next choice.
Click to expand...

People can hate all what you're saying all they want, but you're right. I've seen thread after thread of "I'm returning my MacBook because some programs and websites look awful."

It's a freaking new tech! Website and app updates can't happen instantly.
 
I've got another 2 weeks to wait before I get my rMBP :( and I haven't seen one in-store so have no first-hand experience, but I wonder if this 'blurry' or 'fuzzy' appearance is, in part at least, an optical illusion?

Could it be that things that are retina-optimized - UI elements and photos in retina-aware apps like iPhoto and Aperture - are so pin-sharp that, by comparison, the same photo seems fuzzy in a non-retina app?

How many people have compared the same image, in the same (non-retina) app side by side on a rMBP and a non-retina MBP?

Remember, our brains can only measure relatively - e.g. whether something is hotter/colder than something else, or lighter/darker, etc. - it can't measure absolutes.

Another reason for me thinking this is an illusion is that while images are pixel-doubled horizontally and vertically, each pixel on a retina screen is half the size horizontally and vertically of a pixel on a non-retina therefore 4 retina pixels will be the same physical size on the screen as one pixel on a non-retina screen, therefore the image should be no more pixellated/fuzzy
 
dreamtenstudios said:
I agree there's nothing wrong w/the laptop. If you're merely consuming content, writing emails, etc. things are fine. However, it isn't suitable for UI designers who need pixel perfect renderings of their graphics, as the Retina upscaling of graphics causes bad pixelation compared to non retina counterparts.
Click to expand...
I agree with you here. Another big headache for web developers is that the "solution" of supplying higher resolution images for those with retina displays opens up huge potential problems with search engine optimization. With SEO you want pages to load fast. Bloating down a site with high res images for only a select few, could cause google rankings to suffer due to increased load times, etc.

This isn't an issue for Apple's own site because they already have such high content rankings that extra load times won't mean a thing. This is why they're able to update their graphics for iPad 3 and RMBP users. But the rest of us aren't so lucky, especially since there's no set standard for doing so. I'm personally going to see how it plays out before jumping right in with a RMBP or updating any of my web sites, etc.
 
jsnuff1 said:
Not exactly sure what you see as the problem. The issue lies with the fact that the laptop is so advanced very few websites have graphics that can take full advantage of the screen, not that there is anything wrong with the laptop.
Click to expand...

Bingo! Really, it's the price you pay for being on the bleeding edge. Apple's set the bar on resolutions for laptops, now it's the wait to see how fast things catch up to it.

I'll date myself here, but I remember spending crazy $ to be the first on the block to get a Pentium computer, only to have about 50% of the apps of the day either not run at all or generate "divide by zero" errors. Took a good 6 months for technology to catch up. Microsoft Vista was another good example. Wasn't that the OS was that bad, it's the fact that no one seemed to be able to make drivers for it until about the Windows 7 release timeframe.
 
It's effectively cutting edge technology and as with all 1st gen technology releases we need to be aware that there will be glitches and issues particularly in the application sphere. It'll take a while for everyone to catch up effectively.

You can bet your bottom dollar though in a few months most applications will have caught up and there will be numerous laptops out there with similar displays. In the meantime potential early adopters really need if possible to get hands on with the new device and carefully weigh up whether they can live with the undoubted limitations that will exist at the moment.
 
Ccrew said:
Bingo! Really, it's the price you pay for being on the bleeding edge. Apple's set the bar on resolutions for laptops, now it's the wait to see how fast things catch up to it.

I'll date myself here, but I remember spending crazy $ to be the first on the block to get a Pentium computer, only to have about 50% of the apps of the day either not run at all or generate "divide by zero" errors. Took a good 6 months for technology to catch up. Microsoft Vista was another good example. Wasn't that the OS was that bad, it's the fact that no one seemed to be able to make drivers for it until about the Windows 7 release timeframe.
Click to expand...
In terms of web browsing, you're right that it's not the laptop's fault, but that still doesn't change the fact that while introducing a benefit, it created a problem at the same time. It's a bit like buying a new car that doubled the gas mileage on the freeway, but drove like crap on local roads, and you're going to have to wait until they fix the roads. May never happen in some areas.

I think the difference is that the web is so vast that there are likely going to be many many web sites that NEVER update their images for a retina display.
 
This is ridiculous. Can OP please make a screenshot of what he is talking about, instead of wasting everyone's time?
 
Fortimir said:
People can hate all what you're saying all they want, but you're right. I've seen thread after thread of "I'm returning my MacBook because some programs and websites look awful."

It's a freaking new tech! Website and app updates can't happen instantly.
Click to expand...

No one is hating. Just telling it like it is. No one here hates the laptop, I personally love it. I just cannot use it for work, right now. Once the world catches up to the new RMBP and I can render, edit knowing what the end product will look like. Then I will buy one again.

I think I said this already as well as others. No one here is hating. But there is nothing wrong with the non-retina as well. Both have their benefits and drawbacks. Getting applications to work how you want is one of them on the Retina currently.
 
I really don't understand people who buy brand-new, just released laptops, without even going into a retail store to try it out themselves/see it in person, for thousands of dollars, then get upset when the week-old technology isn't literally perfect in the wild.
 
Most of you are missing the point of this thread.

This topic is about pixel-pushing designers designing content (specifically User Interfaces) for normal resolutions on a retina screen; you won't truly know what your designs will look like – on normal resolution devices – unless you actually test it on one. This isn't really an ideal workflow for designers creating pixel-oriented graphics, especially if you want the portability of a laptop!

If you're not a designer, don't fret! Keep your bloody Retina MacBook – it's a wonderful laptop!
 
There is absolutely no reason pixel pushing design software cannot be updated to show images in an *uninterpolated* scaled mode as a preview or even a full out work mode.

Which would mean the retina display is simply showing you what non retina users are seeing.

And I figure the "broken" chrome is already doing something like this.
 
I don't see it as an issue, as a web developer you should have a testing machine? Have you actually done some testing or are you just going off how images appear on the rmbp?

I'm a developer and i have an old Windows laptop that has VirtualBox running XP and 7 with installs of IE 6,7,8,9,Chrome,Firefox,Safari,etc..

Also as mentioned CSS3 is the way to go i rarely use images these days except for logo's but it's not that hard to include 2 resolutions.

i haven't actually used it yet so it may be a bigger problem than i'm anticipating.
 
macduke said:
I'm a designer and I do web, print, and photography. For web I'm going to start (at the least) upgrading my own website for retina and moving forward, I'll probably design everything in retina for clients. What I mean is I'll start with a retina PSD and downsize everything. Then if the client comes back later I can charge them for an upgrade, or I can try to up sell when writing the contract. With retina iPads being so popular it's important for us to start doing this extra work. With RMBP we can get a jump on other designers as we can see everything 1:1. If I need to test lower-res setups then I can just use an external monitor. Or use my old school iPad 2 for quick and dirty testing of non-retina stuffs. I'm also looking at getting into iOS development. So seeing iPad retina apps 1:1 while designing is also great.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this. As a web designer, I'm getting the RMBP precisely because websites look different on it. Retina is here to stay, so sooner or later any designer is going to need to design with it in mind, whether it's because a client requests that a site is retina-ready or whether it's to add extra value to the provision of services already offered.

Without the RMBP I can't do that effectively as I only have a traditional display. With the RMBP I have the option of using an external monitor to design for traditional displays and the built-in screen to check how the hi-res version appears.

It is going to make things difficult for web designers and developers while the technology gets bedded in, but retina is out there in the wild and we've got to adapt and will need to design with that in mind, if not right now then in the very near future. I'm going to make the best of it and start now, hopefully giving myself something extra I can offer clients as a result.
 
i find it funny how a so called Pro wants to go back to a display that shows colours less accurately than the new retina display. But shows the poor resolution of the photos more accurately.

Maybe you should try working on better quality photos.
 
J.L.Photography said:
Waaaa.... All you whiners are really getting old...

But best of luck on the next choice. Hopefully my thoughts differ when mine arrives.

I remember when ipad3 came out....had similar issues but were resolved soon after.

Again, best of luck on next choice.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I popped into the Apple Store to take a look 1st hand to see what all the fuss was about. Retina MBP's are sweeeeeeet! I messed with the rez settings ( all 5 ) and surfed the web, viewing photos etc.. all text was crisp, photos clear and sharp, although at the highest resolution text could be a bit of an eye strain for an old timer like me LOL.

But all in all, I'm sold on the rMBP. Get one and enjoy it ppl!
 
pandamonia said:
i find it funny how a so called Pro wants to go back to a display that shows colours less accurately than the new retina display. But shows the poor resolution of the photos more accurately.

Maybe you should try working on better quality photos.
Click to expand...
Because as a web designer, you need to see how your web site will look from the eyes of the majority of people viewing it, not just your own.
 
Same here, on paper the specs looked perfect, contrast and blacks look great, too. Problem is that photographers are reluctant to upload images with twice the resolution because their stuff gets stolen even at a smaller size already.

For people who have to use MS Office at work it is not great either right now. The text looks quite fuzzy and who knows how long it is going to take MS to release a new version. It took them almost a year to include full screen for the OSX version.

For the time being I will stick with my current unibody MBP.

iamthedudeman said:
i don't understand why are there more people on this forum complaining about the "lack of matte screen reduce image fidelity" when they completely ignore the fact that, retina screen actually shows you a very different picture than your users will see.

This is the sole reason I returned my RMBP. I had a base model and loved it, but content creation is hit or miss depending on what program you are using. And when you rely your laptop to basically run my business, waiting it out isn't a option.

Apple is ahead of the curve once again, and the world has to play catch up. Not necessary a bad thing, but a necessary evil right now.

I will repurchase in the future. No doubt. Love the laptop. It's a great machine. But then again, so is the current non-retina MBP.

I have a late 11 model, and might buy a 12 model just for the USB 3.0. I already have Apple Toshiba SSD. It is only SATA 2 but the 4K random speeds is what matters. I could not tell a difference between my late 15 MBP with 16GB of Ram and 256 SATA 2 SSD and my just returned RMBP as far as performance goes.

But I miss USB 3.0, and the display was nice. :(
Click to expand...
 
dreamtenstudios said:
Was anticipating the arrival of the new retina MacBook for over a year and ordered as soon as it was on sale. I received it Friday and I'm nearly 100% satisfied with it. It's fast, looks beautiful, and is super thin and light.

The one and only issue I have with it is how it displays images on the web. Text and any css3 rendered elements look amazing and are crystal clear, but photos and graphics look really bad... significantly worse than on regular, non-retina displays. This was a big surprise to me, I thought images and photos would rendered with more clarity, similar to how video quality is clearer on upscaled DVDs. I was wrong. Photos are pixelated and edges are jagged. Best way I can describe it is that it looks like anti aliasing has been turned off.

As a web designer, I'm not sure I can do my job properly without being able to see images as they'll appear to 99.99% of users out there. Going to try using it for a week and see if I can adjust, but without being able to see images as they ought to appear, I'm not sure if the retina macbook is right for me (or for any visual content creators out there for that matter).
Click to expand...

What's the big deal? Just buy a regular 15" MBP and mirror the displays. That way you'll be able to see both.
 
gjwfoasfsaevg said:
This is ridiculous. Can OP please make a screenshot of what he is talking about, instead of wasting everyone's time?
Click to expand...

Will try to take some pictures so people can see what I'm talking about.

Again, I must reiterate. This problem is relevant to UI designers that require pixel perfect representations of their work on non retina displays. If this does not apply to you, then keep your retina machine, it's great.

----------
Martialis said:
I really don't understand people who buy brand-new, just released laptops, without even going into a retail store to try it out themselves/see it in person, for thousands of dollars, then get upset when the week-old technology isn't literally perfect in the wild.
Click to expand...

Because a 15 minute test run in the store is not a good measure of how things will work day to day. Apple has also removed the restocking fee on their return policy, so it makes perfectly logical sense to buy before you try.

----------
Androidpwns said:
Agreed. I popped into the Apple Store to take a look 1st hand to see what all the fuss was about. Retina MBP's are sweeeeeeet! I messed with the rez settings ( all 5 ) and surfed the web, viewing photos etc.. all text was crisp, photos clear and sharp, although at the highest resolution text could be a bit of an eye strain for an old timer like me LOL.

But all in all, I'm sold on the rMBP. Get one and enjoy it ppl!
Click to expand...

You are missing the point of this thread.

For everyone who is still confused, here's a great post that articulates the problem better than I have - https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/15057933/

----------
Mak47 said:
The shock that people are expressing at the situation is ridiculous. We've been through this before. First with the iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4 transition and again with the iPad 2 to "New" iPad transition. People love to complain and find reasons to justify not buying an expensive product. It makes them feel good about themselves--this is nothing new on the web.
Click to expand...

It's not ridiculous -- this is very useful info for web designers out there that are considering the RMBP. It's also not a justification for why not to buy an expensive product, and I surely didn't post this to make me feel better about myself :eek:

----------
Mak47 said:
What is a problem--sort of--is the fact that it's doubtful that older apps will get updated for retina. People using CS5 and earlier will probably not see an update, Adobe will use this as a selling point for the new software. Don't want to upgrade? Tough luck.

Other developers will be slow to make changes as well. If retina displays are launched across the Mac lineup in the near future, we can expect them to lose business from Mac users as it becomes clear that they develop for the lowest common denominator.
Click to expand...

The point isn't that old apps look bad. Icons and fonts look pixelated -- I can live with that. Again, this is about UI designers who need pixel perfect renderings of their designs for non retina displays. This has been repeated so many times throughout this thread but the point is still being misunderstood.
 
dreamtenstudios said:
Again, I must reiterate. This problem is relevant to UI designers that require pixel perfect representations of their work on non retina displays. If this does not apply to you, then keep your retina machine, it's great.

----------

For everyone who is still confused, here's a great post that articulates the problem better than I have - https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/15057933/
Click to expand...


Ah, now I understand - sorry for adding to the noise in this thread :eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back