Did a comparison of the MBA and Retina Pro today...

[bpd115]

I had a chance to take a look at the Retina Pro and the MBA today at the Pentagon City store. Since I can now spend my Mac Pro budget on a laptop I was deciding between the Air and the Pro.

My previous laptop was the first unibody late 2008 15" MBP. My main issue with the machine was my battery life was terrible and it was a bit large and heavy for my liking. Once the iPad hit, my laptop sat. Initially I wanted a new Mac Pro, turn my 1,1 into a server and that was that. With the recent developments and the fact I'm starting a new job on Monday, I decided to take another look at the laptop line.

First, the retina pro is a beautiful machine. A bit lighter than I thought it would be. The screen was fantastic of course but didn't blow me away like I expected. Perhaps it's due to the time I spend on my iPad 3...I'm simply used to retina. The scaling to 1920x1200 resolution was nice and everything still looked sharp.

I took a look next at the airs. The 13 was bigger in person than I remembered. The 11" size was great but the screen res and shorter battery life turned me away. The 1400x900 res on the 13" looks sharp and is what my old pro was. I made a note of opening iPhoto on both machines and looking at the text on the side. The 13 held its own. Now the machines were not side by side so I'm sure if they were it would have stood out more on the pro, but again the 13" screen is sharp.

I hit the full screen button on iPhoto and noticed a bit of a lag in the transition on the 13" air. I tried it on the Pro figuring it would be smooth, but the same jittery transition existed. Maybe something with the intel 4000?

Bottom line, both machines are great, but for me I don't need the power of the Pro (or the heat). The size of the air won me over. The screen on the Pro is beautiful, but not $700 better for me. Instead I'm going to get a thunderbolt display since my 23" alu display is dying. I'll couple that with the air and dock it at home with my 2006 pro doing the heavy lifting for me until I can replace that next year.

 

[Illusiveman88]

that jaggy stutter is a result of the images that are used. When we first launched the air with the HD3000 it had huge amounts of stutter. The 15" macbook pro and 27" iMac all had this problem as well. It's just intense imaging that doesn't run as smooth as it should. You won't experience this on your own.

 

[intervenient]

I did the same too today.

The screen on the Pro is drop dead amazing. I went from the Pro to the Air and could not get over the difference.

Unfortunately, I also don't think it's worth $850 in my case. The 13 inch Air will satisfy all my needs for the next few years

 

[KittyKatta]

I primarily do photography as my only "intensive" app and I noticed some stutter also when using the new MBP at the Apple Store. Im not slamming it, its just that sometimes Apple fans can be an echo chamber so your expectations get so high that when you step out of the reality distortion field then you fall right on your face.

The same thing happened to me with the 4S (speed) and New iPad (Retina). People talked about how fast it was but so often apps are so slow or functions lag. And with the Retina screen then people would claim its lifechanging, its like 3D or "its a glowing peice of paper" but for most functions its just a better screen.

Its not that any of these products are bad at all (in fact, they all are the best in their category), but more that people can get really carried away with bending our expectations.

 

[ixodes]

I did the same too today.

The screen on the Pro is drop dead amazing. I went from the Pro to the Air and could not get over the difference.

Unfortunately, I also don't think it's worth $850 in my case. The 13 inch Air will satisfy all my needs for the next few years

I have both. Believe me, you'll be very happy with the Air.

I've spent just over 12hrs per day on my new R-MBP. It's quite nice, but depending on the work you're doing, the retina is not as spectacular, as it is at first glance in the store.

Then there's the issue of a glued in battery, as well as the rest of it rather unserviceable. I sure wouldn't choose one as my only computer.

Conventional MBP's are far better in my opinion.