First macbook pro purchase (retina)

[TOiam]

Hi guys,

I'm new on the forum. Since a year I am planning to switch to a mac, I waited till the release of the new macbook pro. I was really excited of buying the macbook pro retina, but now I read all these problems about scroll lag. Furthermore, Anandtech mentioned things such as:

'To be quite honest, the hardware in the rMBP isn’t enough to deliver a consistently smooth experience across all applications.'

This laptop is a lot of money, and I really want to make a good decision buying it. I was planning to go for the base model with 8GB RAM. I will use it for browsing, word, video's, photo editing, photoshop, and illustrator.

Even though there are problems, would it still be a good plan to buy the rMBP? I read that mountain lion might solve a lot of these problems?

Thanks a lot for giving me advice!

 

[leenak]

As a first time MBP owner, I'm pleased with the retina MBP. Applications will be updated but it may be a few months. I don't do photo editing, photoshop or illustrator but it looks like Adobe is working to get those updated as quickly as possible.

If you aren't sure, there is nothing wrong with getting the regular MBP. Same processor although you might want to look into getting an SSD because that will boost performance (you can install after purchase if you like).

 

[NeilSpoon]

I played around with it in the shop today and I hardly noticed the scroll lag. Maybe it is not "as smooth" as the normal MacBooks, but it would not be a deal breaker for me.

What is a deal breaker however, is that software such as Word simply look awful. It's is really blurry which is really distracting and will cause eyestrain (I used it 10 mins and it just feels like it is out of focus, causing your eyes to try and readjust.) I can't imagine working on a report for hours and hours on such a poor quality display (which of course is incredibly ironic).

I personally will wait till more programs are updated for retina (and I think that wait might be longer than I would hope, especially for Word)

 

[wiznet]

If you're talking about the lag in Safari, it has nothing to do with the hardware, and the issue is completely gone in Mountain Lion.

Upgrading to 16GB of RAM will not hurt you, and in my opinion, is definitely worth it in the long run. You may regret not doing it later, as there's no way to upgrade it in the future - I say go for it (especially considering how much the computer costs anyways).

As for blurryness & scaling issues - applications will be updated - but being an early adopter isn't for everybody. When I use my rMBP for CS6, I will be running through an external monitor, while at my workstation. When travelling I will deal with the scaling issues, or I will run at 2880x1800 resolution, as I am lucky and have good eyes.

Overall, it has its setbacks, but it's more future-proofed, and is a nicer machine. If you choose to get it, 16GB is definitely worth it.

 

[stevelam]

If you're going to be a first time Mac owner, get non-retina. Your overall experience will be far smoother. The retina MacBook is really only for early adopters who don't mind UI lagginess, lack of apps optimized for retina, and purely want the latest toy available.

I think Its just a bit sad that my 2008 aluminum MacBook has better UI
responsiveness than the RMBP.

 

[TOiam]

Thanks for the replies! I thought about taking a normal macbook pro (non-retina), but I do want an SSD since it's so much faster. The price of the normal MBP with an SSD is pretty similar to the rMBP. Since you get a better design, nicer screen, and better graphics next to the SSD I thought the rMBP would be a better choice. However, I am worried about the time it takes for applications like Word to be retina-ready. I can live to work on non-retina ready apps for a while but not for a year. The fact that the UI is not as smooth as the normal MBP is also something I have to consider. I guess I just have to go to the store again and compare both. The retina version just seems more compealing if I only look at specs/design

 

[Shaunyac]

Thanks for the replies! I thought about taking a normal macbook pro (non-retina), but I do want an SSD since it's so much faster. The price of the normal MBP with an SSD is pretty similar to the rMBP. Since you get a better design, nicer screen, and better graphics next to the SSD I thought the rMBP would be a better choice. However, I am worried about the time it takes for applications like Word to be retina-ready. I can live to work on non-retina ready apps for a while but not for a year. The fact that the UI is not as smooth as the normal MBP is also something I have to consider. I guess I just have to go to the store again and compare both. The retina version just seems more compealing if I only look at specs/design

From what I've heard however, much of the UI bugginess will be addressed with Mountain Lion released next month. Yes Word and that may take a while to be updated to become Retina ready but IMO it'll be worth the wait.