Help me pick - stuck for weeks!

[rhino89]

Hoping you guys can help me pick between MBA and rMBP, been stuck for weeks. Definitely going with 8gb RAM, and 128-256 GB SSD:


I want a 13" laptop that will last me at least 3-5 years. I'm the kind of person who has 15 tabs open in chrome, iTunes playing music, I'm downloading things in the background, transferring/using multiple documents and files with finder, streaming shows, and also emailing/messaging. Lots of multitasking, but not sure if necessarily power-hungry multitasking (I definitely don't video edit or photo edit, but I do sometimes work with just transferring large photos). Here's why I'm stuck:


MBA: love the portability and battery life, but portability isn't a must-have since I won't be carrying it around. Screen on these will probably be considered "subpar" within 1-2 years. But they're so light-weight very convenient even at home.


rMBP: retina screen will probably become the "standard" within 1-2 years. Battery life I'm seeing some quotes between 7-9 hours, which is okay but 12 hours on MBA would have been nice (but not a deal breaker). At the same time, this is a performance beast that will be future-proofed for the next 3-5 years. Heavier than MBA, but retina and performance and a "tighter package" (it seems like it's more compact, slightly smaller on all sides) are a plus and I have no worries it'll be able to handle my multitasking.


Price-wise, it breaks down to this list of deals I can choose from (all 13"):
1.4 MBA 8gb 256 gb: $1035
1.4 MBA 8 gb 128gb: $845
1.7 MBA 8gb 128gb: $1075
1.7 MBA 8gb 256gb: $1178
2.6 rMBP 8gb 128gb: $1030
2.6 rMBP 8gb 256gb: $1180

Money isn't tight, but I want a good value for the pricetag, definitely a 5-year "investment" in this computer.

All input is very much appreciated!!!

 

[sarthak]

1.7 MBA 8gb 256gb: $1178
2.6 rMBP 8gb 256gb: $1180

It's a tough choice but, I'd say it boils down to the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

With the MacBook Air any battery wear on a 12 hour charge would be negligible (say it lasts 7 hours by that time) whereas, wear is a lot worse on the rMBP units (around 3-5 hours). These are estimates for solid use over 3 to 5 years.

However, since you don't plan on carrying it around all that often. The MacBook Pro with Retina display should be plentiful both in power, display being on-par with what has become fairly standard and battery life as sufficient (due to less wear, say around 7 hours).

Storage usage only increases (unless you plan on jumping to the cloud) so a $150 investment in a 256gb model now would suffice any future demand.

You should also consider getting Apple Care perhaps, not right away but, within the 1 year period to extend the warranty for another 2 years (if in North America).

 

[wct097]

I'd go with the Retina screen Pro unless you really think the weight of the Air is going to make a dramatic difference for you.

Money isn't tight, but I want a good value for the pricetag, definitely a 5-year "investment" in this computer.

You should also consider getting Apple Care perhaps, not right away but, within the 1 year period to extend the warranty for another 2 years (if in North America).

Agreed completely. Especially if you want to have it for 5 years. Apple builds great stuff, but they don't build it to last. The longest I've had a MBP last is 2.5 years before major problems (logic board this time, screen last time). The longest I've had a magsafe charger last is 1.5 years. I'm not sure I'll buy another premium priced, but low quality Apple laptop again, but if I do, it'll definitely have Apple Care.

 

[rhino89]

I'd go with the Retina screen Pro unless you really think the weight of the Air is going to make a dramatic difference for you.





Agreed completely. Especially if you want to have it for 5 years. Apple builds great stuff, but they don't build it to last. The longest I've had a MBP last is 2.5 years before major problems (logic board this time, screen last time). The longest I've had a magsafe charger last is 1.5 years. I'm not sure I'll buy another premium priced, but low quality Apple laptop again, but if I do, it'll definitely have Apple Care.

What do you mean by low quality? Like getting a base model vs one with some upgrades?

 

[racer1441]

Retina, Retina, Retina, Retina...never buy anything with out the retina screen.

 

[wct097]

What do you mean by low quality? Like getting a base model vs one with some upgrades?

I mean that I think that Apple laptops are low quality (based on my repeated experiences of hardware failures) at a premium price. I'm kind of a "disgruntled fan" of their machines. I like to use them, but I hate Apple for putting out junk that they barely support.