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How many will consider 13" rMBP if next MBA doesn't have upgraded display?
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Despite the fact I have a 15" MBPr, I still find my mid 2012 MBA one of my absolute favorites. Sadly Apple got cheap and installed a bargain basement display which is rather dreary.
If the upcoming MBA has a high resolution display which reflects Apple's claim as a premium maker, then I will buy one immediately. If not, I will pass.
My 15" MBPr is so thin, light and free of bulk that I routinely carry it without a second thought.
It's choices I enjoy and the two of them serve that preference very nicely.
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Yes sadly it's pretty ugly, dull lifeless, and in no way up to Apple's usual quality standard. They got cheap, made tons of money, and that's what Apple values most of all.
Then explain this?
"I still find my mid 2012 MBA one of my absolute favorites."
The 15" rMBP is over $1,000 more expensive (2x the price of a entry MBA) so of course it is going to look and perform better..
There's nothing to explain. I'm willing to put up with the inferior display as the rest of the laptop is quite nice. I greatly prefer OS X and am unwilling to buy anything else.
I was _NOT_ comparing the two laptops, you were. Price is not on my radar. Being a long time Apple customer I expect to pay a hefty price for their stuff and buy what I want.
I simply offered some comments and shared my perspective as an owner of these two models. Finally they are two very distinctly different machines, both of which I have very specific uses for.
When it first came out, it wasn't as good as the Pro's but better than most other laptops that it competes with. Since then though, the competition has upped the anti as far as displays are concerned while the MBA has remained stagnant.
Air: coffee shops, on the road, porting it back and forth to school, some power but not lots
15" rMBP: power, desktop replacement for some, gaming, engineering, some portability but not tons (better than many though)
I travel internationally for business. My preference is to carry as much as possible within reason, in my carry on bag. The slim 13" MBA is ideal. I also bought an 11" but found it required too much scrolling due to the 16:9 aspect ratio, and overall small display size. My 13" Mid 2012 via it's 16:10 display is an ideal size for my usage.
For work in the engineering lab, the resource intense software, and nature of what I do requires a maxed out 15" MBPr. While there are many times I use an external display, there are a nearly equal number of times I'm in a clients environment and must do with just the laptop. Therefore I find the MBPr just right.
Finally I spend so much time on a computer for work and personal I like to have choices. Having a few different Mac laptops, fills that preference.
Too late picked it up already.....whatever is coming is nothing I needed. On sale too. Display looks fine, I don't game or photo shop. Just needed the Air for work and portability was #1 for me. Perfect.
rMBP for sure. I was in the same boat, having to decide between the 13" Air and the 13" rMBP. I've chosen to get the rMBP because of the superior screen, HDMI port, more base RAM, etc. Do yourself a favor and compare the displays side by side. I think your mind will be made up in a few seconds.
It's looking more and more like a 13" rMBP is in my future. Very few rumors surrounding MBA other than dual mics and it being anounced at WWDC, which is just a few days away, doesn't bode well for it having any significant changes short of the obvious (Haswell processor)
There have been very few, if any, actually physical leaks for anything related to this WWDC. It's mostly analysts predictions. The only real suggestive thing we have to go on is supply constraints.
Feature wise I remain optimistic that Apple will release something new for their ultra-mobile market other than dual mics.
Most likely close. I don't expect a new product, just more of an update.
For me and my uses an improved battery life would be a major improvement. That's quite probable with Haswell. Maybe a slightly better resolution.
My dream set of improvements would be a smaller bezel, slightly thinner, better battery, better graphics, and an SD card slot / 1080p screen on the 11 inch.
All possible if not probable. So I'll remain hopeful.
I can see Haswell, dual mics, and upgraded wifi as being all we get though.
For me and my uses an improved battery life would be a major improvement. That's quite probable with Haswell. Maybe a slightly better resolution.
My dream set of improvements would be a smaller bezel, slightly thinner, better battery, better graphics, and an SD card slot / 1080p screen on the 11 inch.
All possible if not probable. So I'll remain hopeful.
I can see Haswell, dual mics, and upgraded wifi as being all we get though.
Agreed.
It pains me because I love the **** out of my Air's portability. We just have to hope Apple's slimming down of the rMBP shaves off at least half a pound on the weight. Anything else would be gravy. Of course, that hope is a pipe dream in itself, I'm trying to temper my own expectations.
Maybe I'm just easily pleased but I have no issue with my MBA display after calibrating it (which I had to do with my 13" MBP screen too). The old plastic white macbooks and the first generation aluminum macbook had crappy screens. The MBA is perfectly acceptable. My only complaint would be that the reds could be a little brighter but resolution and viewing angle wise it is very nice.
I know everyone has their own opinion on the matter but I went to see the rMBPs at the Apple store and I couldn't see anything about the display that would make me give up the battery life and software compatibility I enjoy with my computer now. It is completely different from say the iPad mini vs iPad 4 display where there is a very large and noticeable improvement to having the retina display.
Thank you for your analysis on that. He was 'anti-retina' assuming that, since he didn't want it or find it useful, nobody else should.
Let me put this way: it was a good display when the current generation MBA was released, back in 2010. But then IPS displays were only available in the iPhone and in the iPad, and only the iPhone was retina. Time has passed.
Now, look at the offerings. Several ultrabooks in the Windows world which sell for a lower price than the MBA have IPS displays with higher resolutions. And these ultrabooks will adopt retina-like resolutions in the following months, following the release of Haswell.
If Apple keeps the current displays in the MBAs, they'll be poor quality by the end of the year. They'll only be matched by budget Windows laptops. It's not a display for a US$ 999+ machine anymore.
I see Amazon UK are hastily selling off their existing stock of MBA's and MBP's, with £150 to £300 reductions.
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