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Don't forget the quad-core i7 uMBP's can support up to 32GBs of RAM. Now we just gotta wait for someone to release 16GB modules. :D
 
Some of us are more than willing to open up our cMBP's and put in $200 256gb SSD/$400 512gb SSD instead of paying Apple's inflated prices. Also having the option of having up to another 1TB of regular HDD storage in the optical bay still can't be matched by the rMBP. Also, in the future a 1TB SSD will likely go for below $400 along with subsequent increases in HDD size also, whilst the rMBP is stuck with what you bought it with. 32gb of RAM is also a possibility for the cMBP. Yes, OWC will likely sell rMBP SSD upgrades, but their prices worse than Apple's!

This. The retina MBP looks awesome but I love having an SSD and 1TB HDD in the optibay - I was considering waiting for the announcement but I knew that if they made it thinner (removing superdrive) I wouldn't have the option of dual drives.
 
Definitely the one to buy. No way in hell I would buy the new retina macbook pro. The lack of upgradability and fixability, the closed system, is a huge turn off for me. I'm using my 13" MBP 2.4 i5 for as long as possible. It supports 16gb of ram and the battery is fully replaceable and so is the hard drive. I think apple really took a step in the wrong direction with this. It's bad for the consumer to not be able to replace your battery or ram.

http://www.storyofstuff.org/
 
The operator must have got a Retina Macbook Pro assuming the u is for Ultimate? or did he mean he got a pMBP?
 
Some of us are more than willing to open up our cMBP's and put in $200 256gb SSD/$400 512gb SSD instead of paying Apple's inflated prices. Also having the option of having up to another 1TB of regular HDD storage in the optical bay still can't be matched by the rMBP. Also, in the future a 1TB SSD will likely go for below $400 along with subsequent increases in HDD size also, whilst the rMBP is stuck with what you bought it with. 32gb of RAM is also a possibility for the cMBP. Yes, OWC will likely sell rMBP SSD upgrades, but their prices worse than Apple's!

But you can't put a retina screen on this.

Ever since I have iPhone 4s, the screen of my old iPhone 3G looks so pixelated. Even if the 3G has more memory, all I see is the pixelated screen.
 
But you can't put a retina screen on this.

Ever since I have iPhone 4s, the screen of my old iPhone 3G looks so pixelated. Even if the 3G has more memory, all I see is the pixelated screen.

The difference isn't as pronounced between the rmbp/cmpb-hires as you don't put your eyes as close as you do when using a tablet/smartphone.
 
What are you modeling/rendering in? I'm a designer doing a lot of light Maya work and am considering a MBP hooked up to an external display (along with several other options).

I am currently running Archicad 15, Sketchup 8 Pro, rendered via Maxwell Rendering Studio and Artlantis 4, extensively edited with Photoshop CS5 then re-touched with Aperture 3.

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If you are coming from '10 Dell XPS, of course the uMBP's screen looks great..

but look at the screen difference between iPhone 3g and iPhone 4. One you start using iPhone 4, the screen on iPhone 3g looks like crap.

Yes, RMBP are more expensive.

The '10 Studio XPS 16 has an amazing screen! The color is vivid, sharp and sometimes i thought the screen was near retina.. only at a 1cm range i could see the small pixels. But the problem is, the glossy plastic/glass display gets dirty easily and left permanent rough marks on the screen. But comparing the XPS to this AG MBP, the MBP is easier on the eyes, accurate colors and very sharp.

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The operator must have got a Retina Macbook Pro assuming the u is for Ultimate? or did he mean he got a pMBP?

P? Whats that for?
U is for Updated.. Some people call it classic (derived from the classic iPod) but updated sounds better - sounds new. But you could call the high end NON retina 15inch UUMBP Updated Ultimate MacBook Pro.

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Definitely the one to buy. No way in hell I would buy the new retina macbook pro. The lack of upgradability and fixability, the closed system, is a huge turn off for me. I'm using my 13" MBP 2.4 i5 for as long as possible. It supports 16gb of ram and the battery is fully replaceable and so is the hard drive. I think apple really took a step in the wrong direction with this. It's bad for the consumer to not be able to replace your battery or ram.

http://www.storyofstuff.org/

I believe to apple, asthetic is much important than function. I remembered the day I got my iBook G4. It came with charger & extender, Display-Out cable in the box, and the apple store also included Airport Express, Apple Mouse, carrier bag and a $50 off voucher for any third party speaker system sold at apple store..went with the JBL.

I went with the uMBP not because there were more free gifts (not at all), but the ability to upgrade. I've invested a lot into this mac, its not cheap. So it will be with me, hopefully, years to come, and that upgradability is something you should seriously consider more than just design, also 15" is perfect for tasks that I am doing.
 
I'll get the uMBP aswell when 10.8 is out. Does the CPU throttle down aswell to lower clockspeeds as soon as the GT650M takes over from the HD4000?

A german magazine claims the retina would throttle down to as low as 1.2GHZ - how is the uMBP CPU performing with the GT650M
 
Glad you're happy with your new MBP. Some people are so convinced that the other is stupid for buying the non retina or for buying the retina, but it's whatever is more useful for you- there's no one "Better" product.

I think you made a great choice getting the AG display- I absolutely loved my 2011 15'' MBP with AG display. It's so easy on your eyes, and so few people have them so your laptop is unique. The rMBP display is fantastic, but the AG display was fantastic in a different way. It's so easy on your eyes- I could work for hours on that thing and not have eye strain whatsoever.
 
I think you made a great choice getting the AG display- I absolutely loved my 2011 15'' MBP with AG display. It's so easy on your eyes, and so few people have them so your laptop is unique. The rMBP display is fantastic, but the AG display was fantastic in a different way. It's so easy on your eyes- I could work for hours on that thing and not have eye strain whatsoever.

Just curious, but are you not able to work for hours on your retina without eye strain? Do you find the retina less easy on the eyes?

FYI, currently debating (heavily) with myself whether to get the rMBP or the MBP Matte.
 
Just curious, but are you not able to work for hours on your retina without eye strain? Do you find the retina less easy on the eyes?

FYI, currently debating (heavily) with myself whether to get the rMBP or the MBP Matte.


At first, since I was so used to my MBP, I had minor eye strain with the rMBP. I didn't worry, though, because I knew it'd go away after a few days, which it did after 2. I spend way too much time in front of my computer so I think it affected me a lot more since I was so used to looking at it for hours a day. Don't think you'll suffer eye strain with the retina, and if you do, it should definitely go away quickly. Don't let that hold you back.

I've had both, go for the retina :)
 
Don't let that hold you back.

I've had both, go for the retina :)

What is really holding me back is the glare of the retina display. As someone who has had both, what are you thoughts?

I work in a room with very bright sunlight shinning throughout most of the day. I would not be able to handle staring at the actual building window all day in the reflection of my screen.

Thanks.
 
What is really holding me back is the glare of the retina display. As someone who has had both, what are you thoughts?

I work in a room with very bright sunlight shinning throughout most of the day. I would not be able to handle staring at the actual building window all day in the reflection of my screen.

Thanks.


Don't think I can really give you a definitive answer because glare bothers the hell out of some people and others not that much. I'd consider myself in the middle of those 2 kinds of people...I definitely don't like it, and I recognize it, but it's not the end of the world to me. I'd say go into an Apple Store and try one out b/c that's the only way you'll know whether it's right for you or not.

Or just buy one and you can always return it 14 days after you buy it from Apple or 30 from Best Buy.
 
When I got my MBP I put it straight into clamshell mode, and it's in a BookArc now. I used it today though in notebook form, and I noticed my screen is darker on this new one than on my 2009.

The colors on the new MBP are far richer, it looks really nice, but it is noticeably darker. Enough so that I have been tempted to change the gamma from 2.2 to 1.8, which was not necessary on my 2009 MBP. So, is this typical of these newer screens, or is mine underperforming?

I notice it more when I have the 2009 and 2012 side by side. Probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't done so. But now that I have, it has me wondering. Thought I'd ask here since we all pretty much have the same computer in this thread.
 
My 15" MacBook Pro (base 2.3GHz model with a 750GB 7200 RMP HDD and HR AG screen) came in the mail yesterday. This thing is an absolute beast! Once I upgrade to 16GB there isn't going to be much this powerhouse can't do. This bad boy can do pretty much anything the retina MBP can do.
 
My 15" MacBook Pro (base 2.3GHz model with a 750GB 7200 RMP HDD and HR AG screen) came in the mail yesterday. This thing is an absolute beast! Once I upgrade to 16GB there isn't going to be much this powerhouse can't do. This bad boy can do pretty much anything the retina MBP can do.

Exactly. The only difference is the Display. And with the Unibodies you can have that second HDD if you want.
 
What is really holding me back is the glare of the retina display. As someone who has had both, what are you thoughts?

I haven't had both, but I've seen the rMBP at Best Buy and it was just as shiny as the 15" uMBP (they don't sell the matte screen at BB). Anantech's review was pretty telling: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/4

I'm going to look at the matte screen again at the Apple store before pulling the trigger.
 
Don't think I can really give you a definitive answer because glare bothers the hell out of some people and others not that much. I'd consider myself in the middle of those 2 kinds of people...I definitely don't like it, and I recognize it, but it's not the end of the world to me. I'd say go into an Apple Store and try one out b/c that's the only way you'll know whether it's right for you or not.

Or just buy one and you can always return it 14 days after you buy it from Apple or 30 from Best Buy.

Thanks. I was already at the store, but the lighting in the Apple store is tricky, because I don't think it compares to real world experience. And they wouldn't let me compare the matte/AG screen to the retina, because didn't want to disturb their store setup (!).

Glare does bother me. I am on my matte screen, and can see a sligth reflection of myself, which kinda bothers me.

But thanks for your insights.

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I haven't had both, but I've seen the rMBP at Best Buy and it was just as shiny as the 15" uMBP (they don't sell the matte screen at BB). Anantech's review was pretty telling: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/4

I'm going to look at the matte screen again at the Apple store before pulling the trigger.

I have to disagree with you on that one. I think the retina has much less glare than the regular glossy display, which anandtech also writes in his review, and which you can also see on the pictures of the review.
 
For me the U stands for upgradable!
:D

If you are capable of using a tiny screwdriver and following YouTube video instructions your base spec uMBP can be brought up to rMBP top spec RAM and SSD level for £400 less. Upgradable is good.
 
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thought about where to post my experience after getting my base 15" uMBP 15" today :)

i went from a late 2008 to this machine, i also have a i5 desktop (rated around 6000 geekbench score)

what can i say .. this laptop is a beast ... unless you really go for it you won't notice it (fan/heat)

i played like 20 minutes of diablo 3 (connect to my external monitor), set the max frame rate to 35 and happily chopped those mobs away.. fan never went above 4k rpm and if i had it connected to my 2.1 speakers, i wouldn't notice the fans at all.

compared to a 2011 sandybridge, this is a really bold leap forward! (bluray drive, higher res standard would have been nice, but hey, can't seem to get everything all the time)

this is after 20 minutes of encoding a full hd file (99% on all 8 threads)

temps-hb.png


this is while beeing connected to a 1900x1200 screen (so running on dedicated gfx instead of hd4000)

i am very HAPPY with this machine!

shoot any questions if you have!
 
Why do you consider it such a leap over the 2011s? Isn't the IB CPU just a modest improvement (~10%) by comparison?

the problem (at least i did have) with the 2011 machines was that they would run hot and fans would speed up as soon as you did anything more than reading e-mail or visiting facebook.

this machine stays cool & quiet unless you go for raw processing power or games. and even than it stays noticeable quieter.
 
the problem (at least i did have) with the 2011 machines was that they would run hot and fans would speed up as soon as you did anything more than reading e-mail or visiting facebook.

this machine stays cool & quiet unless you go for raw processing power or games. and even than it stays noticeable quieter.

Thanks for the reply. Ah, yes, I've heard that complaint a lot. I'm curious because I'm contemplating buying a used 2011 vs going with a new 2012 non-retina. I wonder if it's really as bad as everyone says or if it's one of those complaints that is often a bit overblown (no pun intended :)).
 
all i can tell ya is that i'm kinda reliefed that i didn't go for a 2011.

decent gfx, fast'n'cool cpu, usb 3.0 .. will be happy for 2-4 years :D
 
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