Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Future Proof MBA or rMBP
- Thread starter whoknows87
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You can get more RAM configured in certain models of rMBP, and higher capacity SSD. also: Additional thunderbolt port and built in HDMI out.
If you're asking what the advantages of getting a rMBP over a MBA with regards of future proofing my answer will be that nothing makes a rMBP more future proof than the MBA.
Of course, the much better display, faster processor and the availability of more ports make the rMBP more appealing. Whichever you get it will feel old in 3 years' time. Just look at the laptops of 3 or 5 years ago and judge how they compare to the nowadays' technology. If your work is writing documents (a writer, journalist or something) you will be good with whichever laptop. If you're a photographer or involved with music production the rMBP is the better choice.
Of course, the much better display, faster processor and the availability of more ports make the rMBP more appealing. Whichever you get it will feel old in 3 years' time. Just look at the laptops of 3 or 5 years ago and judge how they compare to the nowadays' technology. If your work is writing documents (a writer, journalist or something) you will be good with whichever laptop. If you're a photographer or involved with music production the rMBP is the better choice.
It depends on what you want.
If you want a laptop that can go all day and do basic things, then get the MBA.
If you want a laptop that has some 'juice' but don't need a lot, then get the rMBP13.
If you want a laptop that has plenty of 'juice', then get the rMBP15.
Personally I think that if you want both, do:
rMBP13 - (weak mobility, non-future proof juice)
OR
(new)MBA + MP/MBP/iMac - strong mobility, strong juice
It just depends on if you want juice or not, and if you want one machine or not.
I think that Haswell made the MBA have much greater battery life. I think that for the rMBP13, Haswell will increase the power by >20 percent instead (it all depends on what Apple is interested in, they rightly focused on battery for Air, but will want power for rMBP). Since the MBP15 has discrete GPU, I expect Haswell to only increase power by <10 percent or less.
Jon
If you want a laptop that can go all day and do basic things, then get the MBA.
If you want a laptop that has some 'juice' but don't need a lot, then get the rMBP13.
If you want a laptop that has plenty of 'juice', then get the rMBP15.
Personally I think that if you want both, do:
rMBP13 - (weak mobility, non-future proof juice)
OR
(new)MBA + MP/MBP/iMac - strong mobility, strong juice
It just depends on if you want juice or not, and if you want one machine or not.
I think that Haswell made the MBA have much greater battery life. I think that for the rMBP13, Haswell will increase the power by >20 percent instead (it all depends on what Apple is interested in, they rightly focused on battery for Air, but will want power for rMBP). Since the MBP15 has discrete GPU, I expect Haswell to only increase power by <10 percent or less.
Jon
Last edited:
Thanks for the reply, I currently own a 2012 Air my uses are pretty casual nothing too heavy , I might not need the new MBA After all, I might wait and see how Mavericks operates on this MBA
One thing to also keep note of is the 5000 vs 4000 intel graphics. The 5000 is a considerable upgrade of the 4000 and is pushing a much smaller resolution than the rMBP. That being said if gaming or video editing are of concern you're better off going with an i7 MBA. The stress of the rMBP resolution coupled with the weak GPU aren't the best combo.
Both of them are not upgradeable. It's only matters of few grams difference and compelling reason you want to spend extra $$ for retina.
I would agree with this one. The high resolution of the rMBP does not go well with the graphics card. You can always bump the resolution down in-game.
the current-gen 13" rMBP is about the least future-proof computer (a lot of) money can buy at the moment. The refresh is bound to come after the summer break and the current version doesn't have enough graphics power to drive the high-res screen. As soon as the Haswell version of this thing comes out, the current-gen will be a long forgotten dream (or night-mare).
If you want future-proof at the moment, go with the MBA. Or wait another 2-3 months until the 13" rMBP receives a massive refresh. I added a 2013 MBA to my already existing 15" rMBP (which is fast as heck but only because it has a dedicated GPU) and I'm planning on selling both for a maxed out 13" rMBP as soon as the next version becomes available (if it's actually faster, that is, of course
Why would it have trouble running the next version of OSX? That machine will still be on sale refurbished when 10.9 debuts. Computing needs aren't accelerating that greatly at the moment, and a 2012 vs 2013 would mainly be the difference of more powerful gpu + possibly better battery life. The x86 differences are inconsequential.
That is complete nonsense. Why would you say weak mobility?
It's this.
Height: 0.75 inch (1.9 cm)
Width: 12.35 inches (31.4 cm)
Depth: 8.62 inches (21.9 cm)
Weight: 3.57 pounds (1.62 kg)
compared to this
Height: 0.11-0.68 inch (0.3-1.7 cm)
Width: 12.8 inches (32.5 cm)
Depth: 8.94 inches (22.7 cm)
Weight: 2.96 pounds (1.35 kg)
If you think that compromises mobility, you are out of your mind. Neither fits in your pocket. Your phone is more mobile. Between these you are splitting hairs.
The macbook air just saw a boost in battery due to haswell. The rMBP was still fine. No one is away from an outlet all day, and if you're near one, may as well conserve cycles. When the rMBP is updated, it too will see a boost in battery life. Much of intel's hype was on power management that went beyond the cpu level.