Considering selling rMBP for rMB - good idea?

[osnola ibax]

Hi folks,

I have two mbp's, a classic with 16gb ram and 500gb ssd. This is mostly connected to an external monitor and I use it for video editing, some programming and a course I am doing at the moment. It's a powerful computer for my needs.

About 6 months ago, I sold a MacBook Air for half nothing to my father because he was in need of a computer and he loves it. I used this mostly for watching movies and browsing in bed and I really miss the form factor.

When I went to replace it, I looked at the professional reviews of the new rMB and figured it wasn't ready yet and needed a revision but I wanted a retina screen so bought the rMBP 256gb, force touch etc.

Now I am wondering if I should have bought the small computer because I know I would love the form factor. Has anyone here tried the rMB and would you recommend it over the rMBP?

I am asking the question here because the rMB thread is too skewed in favour of it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[keysofanxiety]

I've tried the Retina MacBook and it's worth bearing in mind that the main reason to buy it is form factor/lightness/thinness. Personally if you've come from a MacBook Pro I think you'd find the rMB quite limited with regards to ports and hardware specs. In that regard, the rMBP offers far more for the money, and IMO you should only seriously consider the rMB if portability or its form factor is the most important thing to you.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Hi folks,

I have two mbp's, a classic with 16gb ram and 500gb ssd. This is mostly connected to an external monitor and I use it for video editing, some programming and a course I am doing at the moment. It's a powerful computer for my needs.

About 6 months ago, I sold a MacBook Air for half nothing to my father because he was in need of a computer and he loves it. I used this mostly for watching movies and browsing in bed and I really miss the form factor.

When I went to replace it, I looked at the professional reviews of the new rMB and figured it wasn't ready yet and needed a revision but I wanted a retina screen so bought the rMBP 256gb, force touch etc.

Now I am wondering if I should have bought the small computer because I know I would love the form factor. Has anyone here tried the rMB and would you recommend it over the rMBP?

I am asking the question here because the rMB thread is too skewed in favour of it.

Thanks in advance.

For that use case I'd get an ipad pro....

 

[Matthew.H]

For that use case I'd get an ipad pro....

Its an idea but I've use an ipad pro in the Apple Store and they are rather heavy. I wouldn't want to be holding one for long periods. The retina macbook is a similar price, runs os x and has a full keyboard if you want to do more than just consume media content.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Its an idea but I've use an ipad pro in the Apple Store and they are rather heavy. I wouldn't want to be holding one for long periods. The retina macbook is a similar price, runs os x and has a full keyboard if you want to do more than just consume media content.

I advised based on stated usage, browsing and watching movies, the ipad pro is the best on weight and screen for that usage.

 

[Closingracer]

I was considering it but after trying it out at Bestbuy I found the Keyboard to be horrible using pages. I typed around 98% accuracy but it felt like i was typing on nothing really and preferred the older typical keyboards which feels "normal". Otherwise I think it is a great device can't fathom how thin and light it still is lol.

 

[David58117]

You should be asking this in the rMB section..

I had one, and absolutely loved it.

The reports of it being underpowered are severely exaggerated. There are even videos of it editing 4k videos, and I used mine for light music production with Logic Pro X. I never had any slow down or lag issues during use, which includes streaming with Chrome.

Activity monitor said I had low 90%-high 80% idle CPU with: Skim with 3 large PDFs, MS word editing a document, Safari with 3 tabs, Essential Anatomy modeling muscle systems and me zooming in/out, and Sibelius 7 playing a MIDI I'm working on - all with no lag or slow downs.

I went in expecting it to barely be able to play a youtube video based on comments I read here, - and found that not to be the case, at all.

The keyboard took a few days to get used to, but after awhile it felt tight and controlled. Don't judge it based off a brief use at a store..

All together, it really is a great computer.

 

[thesimplelogic]

You should be asking this in the rMB section..

I had one, and absolutely loved it.

The reports of it being underpowered are severely exaggerated. There are even videos of it editing 4k videos, and I used mine for light music production with Logic Pro X. I never had any slow down or lag issues during use, which includes streaming with Chrome.

Activity monitor said I had low 90%-high 80% idle CPU with: Skim with 3 large PDFs, MS word editing a document, Safari with 3 tabs, Essential Anatomy modeling muscle systems and me zooming in/out, and Sibelius 7 playing a MIDI I'm working on - all with no lag or slow downs.

I went in expecting it to barely be able to play a youtube video based on comments I read here, - and found that not to be the case, at all.

The keyboard took a few days to get used to, but after awhile it felt tight and controlled. Don't judge it based off a brief use at a store..

All together, it really is a great computer.

Do you still have your rMB? How do you think it compares to other Macs in terms of performance on Sibelius?

 

[xtcvvv]

I like the rMB better for a secondary machine. Opening webpages is not as snappy as in the rMBP but the lightness and form factor more than make up for the slight performance decrease if you are using it as a secondary machine.

 

[Steve121178]

would you recommend it over the rMBP?

No.

If you want to save a little weight, want a much worse typing experience, a small cramped screen & many other frustrations then go ahead.

For me, the MacBook compliments a MacBook Pro/desktop computer. The MacBook is something I could use when I'm travelling or when I am out & about. To use it at home or on a desk instead of a MBP? No, why would anyone?

I'd wait for the Skylake version anyway. The Broadwell one should be avoided, especially when we're just 8-10 weeks away from a refresh.

 

[maxsix]

Hi folks,

I have two mbp's, a classic with 16gb ram and 500gb ssd. This is mostly connected to an external monitor and I use it for video editing, some programming and a course I am doing at the moment. It's a powerful computer for my needs.

About 6 months ago, I sold a MacBook Air for half nothing to my father because he was in need of a computer and he loves it. I used this mostly for watching movies and browsing in bed and I really miss the form factor.

When I went to replace it, I looked at the professional reviews of the new rMB and figured it wasn't ready yet and needed a revision but I wanted a retina screen so bought the rMBP 256gb, force touch etc.

Now I am wondering if I should have bought the small computer because I know I would love the form factor. Has anyone here tried the rMB and would you recommend it over the rMBP?

I am asking the question here because the rMB thread is too skewed in favour of it.

Thanks in advance.

I have both, a new 15" MPBr and MBr. The smaller laptop is quite good yet I cannot suggest it over the MBPr. Even taking into consideration the tasks they were each designed for. That said I found the keyboard easy to acclimate to, but it's still limited due to the shallow key travel and less than fast response keys. But I should note that you might not notice as much since I just happen to type unusually fast. For casual input it's fine.

Battery life is less than what I expected since I've had lots of Apple laptops over the years and have a good point of reference as to what is average for the brand.

Overall it's a decent machine that serves my travel needs well, I just can't imagine it being my only computer.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

If you replace a retina MacBook Pro with a retina MacBook, sumthin' tells me you are NOT going to happy with the overall performance of the replacement...

 

[Closingracer]

I have both, a new 15" MPBr and MBr. The smaller laptop is quite good yet I cannot suggest it over the MBPr. Even taking into consideration the tasks they were each designed for. That said I found the keyboard easy to acclimate to, but it's still limited due to the shallow key travel and less than fast response keys. But I should note that you might not notice as much since I just happen to type unusually fast. For casual input it's fine.

Battery life is less than what I expected since I've had lots of Apple laptops over the years and have a good point of reference as to what is average for the brand.

Overall it's a decent machine that serves my travel needs well, I just can't imagine it being my only computer.

I've tried the keyboard and it killed my idea of getting it. Typing was accurate but the feel was way off and with it being a secondary device I don't want to touch type on two completely different keyboards which in of itself is different with Windows and OS x