I broke my MB pro - I'm sad. Couple questions...

[Sandy08]

I bought it in mid '11. So can someone cheer me up by telling me why the new Mackbook Pro "13 is better than it was in 2011?

Also, I connect my laptop to a monitor... so must I rule out getting the ultra light Macbook? Anyone know what kind of adapter I would need if I went with the Macbook? I run windows on my macbook for business purposes, is the Macbook too slow for this?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I bought it in mid '11. So can someone cheer me up by telling me why the new Mackbook Pro "13 is better than it was in 2011?

Also, I connect my laptop to a monitor... so must I rule out getting the ultra light Macbook? Anyone know what kind of adapter I would need if I went with the Macbook? I run windows on my macbook for business purposes, is the Macbook too slow for this?

There are a few adapters out there you need one to usb C with a miniDP port (or HDMI). There is currently one on kickstarter that looks great but isn't widely available yet.

The MacBook will run windows as well as any Core M laptop or hybrid (probably better as apple uses faster chips).

The new rMBp is much better it's thinner and much lighter and slightly smaller, with great performance, much better integrated graphics, USB 3, Bluetooth 4.0, AC wifi, Thunderbolt 2, support for 4K monitors at 60hz, HDMI, force trackpad and most importantly a retina screen that your eyes will love you for.

 

[Bending Pixels]

Well....if your 2011 MBP is broken and doesn't work....a new one will. If you're looking at the 13" rMBP, then you're getting a faster CPU, faster RAM, SSD vs. a spinning hard disk, better screen, etc. The new 12" MacBook is somewhat underpowered, and might not be the best choice.

Run that inferior OS under something like VMWare or Parallels and avoid using Boot Camp.

 

[maflynn]

Also, I connect my laptop to a monitor... so must I rule out getting the ultra light Macbook? Anyone know what kind of adapter I would need if I went with the Macbook? I run windows on my macbook for business purposes, is the Macbook too slow for this?

If your display uses the mini-display connector you're all set, if it uses another interface then you'll need a connector. As for windows, it will run it fine. You can run it natively via bootcamp or through virtualization by way of Vmware. Its really personal preference on which one you want, i.e., boot out of OSX or run windows inside OS X.

 

[zhenya]

I bought it in mid '11. So can someone cheer me up by telling me why the new Mackbook Pro "13 is better than it was in 2011?

Also, I connect my laptop to a monitor... so must I rule out getting the ultra light Macbook? Anyone know what kind of adapter I would need if I went with the Macbook? I run windows on my macbook for business purposes, is the Macbook too slow for this?

What kind of monitor do you want to connect to? Apple makes adapters for the new Macbook - one with VGA and one with HDMI (likely the one you want). So long as you don't want to connect to a 4k monitor at 60hz, there is no problem connecting a monitor to the Macbook. Can you clarify what kinds of programs you run? For a typical office or business purposes, it will likely be just fine.

 

[Mr. Chewbacca]

If you do not need the absolute newest be sure to check out the referb section in the apple store. Their referb units are scrutinized by Apple to an even higher standard than new.

I would suggest that you avoid the non-retna MBP, they are cheaper but not much faster or better than a 2011.

 

[T5BRICK]

So can someone cheer me up by telling me why the new Mackbook Pro "13 is better than it was in 2011?

The 2015 retina MBP has a better screen, faster CPU, GPU, SSD and RAM. The battery life will also be improved.

If you're considering buying the standard MBP, it's not much better than the one you have. Go with the retina model.

Also, I connect my laptop to a monitor... so must I rule out getting the ultra light Macbook? Anyone know what kind of adapter I would need if I went with the Macbook? I run windows on my macbook for business purposes, is the Macbook too slow for this?

What do you need to run on it? The retina MB is a great computer, it's just not as fast as the retina MBP.

 

[T5BRICK]

Run that inferior OS under something like VMWare or Parallels and avoid using Boot Camp.

Windows is a great operating system. Running natively via boot camp is the best way to optimum performance in both OSX and Windows.

 

[Sandy08]

I need to run windows - I have been using VirtualBox with no problems.

 

[Sandy08]

So I'm guessing the MBP is going to best for me instead of the new Macbook? I love the thin design though. Can someone link me to one of the adapters? And since this is the 1st generation of the new Macbook, should I just totally avoid it anyway?

 

[Sandy08]

The 2015 retina MBP has a better screen, faster CPU, GPU, SSD and RAM. The battery life will also be improved.

If you're considering buying the standard MBP, it's not much better than the one you have. Go with the retina model.



What do you need to run on it? The retina MB is a great computer, it's just not as fast as the retina MBP.

The 2015 MBP retina has better CPU, GPU, SSD and RAM compared to the 2015 MBP without retina? I don't actually know what most of that is I definitely want a laptop that operates quickly though.

 

[zhenya]

So I'm guessing the MBP is going to best for me instead of the new Macbook? I love the thin design though. Can someone link me to one of the adapters? And since this is the 1st generation of the new Macbook, should I just totally avoid it anyway?

Well, you don't say enough about what you want to do with this computer for us to definitively state whether the MacBook will be suitable. This is the Apple adapter for the MacBook that provides a power connection, a usb connection, and an hdmi connection. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter

There is nothing to believe that there is anything wrong with this first generation MacBook. The only real limitations people are likely to run up against is that it can drive a 4k screen only at 30hz and that the usb-c accessory market is in its infancy right now.

 

[T5BRICK]

The 2015 MBP retina has better CPU, GPU, SSD and RAM compared to the 2015 MBP without retina? I don't actually know what most of that is I definitely want a laptop that operates quickly though.

There is no non-retina 2015 MBP. The current non-retina MBP that Apple sells is the same model that they released in 2012.

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs/

 

[Cergman]

Absolutely do not buy the non retina MacBook Pro under any circumstance. I do not understand why Apple still sells it, but if you're on a budget, you can get a similar, if not more substantial discount on the retina models by checking out the official refurbished store.

 

[z31fanatic]

If budget is an issue, it's better to get an Air than the overpriced turd from 2012 that Apple still sells.
If I were you and had a $1500 budget, I'd get the 13" rMBP with the i5/8/256.

 

[Sandy08]

Absolutely do not buy the non retina MacBook Pro under any circumstance. I do not understand why Apple still sells it, but if you're on a budget, you can get a similar, if not more substantial discount on the retina models by checking out the official refurbished store.

Why exactly? The CPU, GPU, SSD and RAM like T5BRICK said? What is all that?

 

[Dark Void]

It's a 2012 model being sold today at the same starting price.

 

[jlc1978]

What did you break? If it's the screen, there are repair options much cheaper than getting it fixed by Apple. For example, if it's just the glass and not the LCD, you can fix it yourself for less than $25 or get it done professionally by Rossman for a very fair price. I fixed a broken screen by buying a replacement glass for $25 on aliexpress and followed the directions I found on Google. You basically heat the perimeter to loosen the glue and lift off the old screen. The replacement isn't Apple quality glass rather it is plexiglass; but it works fine and my 2010 MBP is now quite servicable. OTOH, the 2015 rMBP that replaced it is very nice. It all depends on how much you want to spend and what is broken.

http://www.rossmanngroup.com

 

[ApolloBoy]

The replacement isn't Apple quality glass rather it is plexiglass

Wouldn't that attract scratches like crazy though?

 

[Rhinoevans]

Absolutely do not buy the non retina MacBook Pro under any circumstance. I do not understand why Apple still sells it, but if you're on a budget, you can get a similar, if not more substantial discount on the retina models by checking out the official refurbished store.

Bad advice. Nothing wrong with the non retina MBP. Retina highly overrated. Just look at all the screens that have been replace since they were released in 2012. Class action lawsuit if I remember correctly. I purchased a non retina, upgraded ram to 16 and installed a Samsung Ssd. Great computer and to me the screen is great.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

OP

The things that people are saying are far better on the retina (the CPU GPU SSD speeds etc) are the chips and storage that determine the speed and processing power of the machine. Basically they are saying it is blisteringly fast and will cope with most computing demands thrown at it with ease.

The reason we don't recommend the non retina is because it is expensive for a computer released in 2012, if you want to go this route just buy one second hand for half the price.

 

[jlc1978]

Wouldn't that attract scratches like crazy though?

I haven't had mine on that long but I doubt it would be much of an issue as you normally don't drag things across the screen. Plexiglass would be more susceptible but in this application it's not that exposed to scratching. For me, it was a cost decision as the MBP was a second one not in daily use for work.

 

[oldmacs]

Absolutely do not buy the non retina MacBook Pro under any circumstance. I do not understand why Apple still sells it, but if you're on a budget, you can get a similar, if not more substantial discount on the retina models by checking out the official refurbished store.

I bought one 2 weeks ago due to my very specific requirements (well its actually a long story, my original 2012 was replaced under warranty with a Retina pro that didn't match my needs). The i7 model is about equal to the baseline Retina Pros in geekbench, but the retina pro has better graphics (though the retina screen probably does drain that a bit).

The retina pro also has a much better battery, though the non retina isn't *that* bad.

Essentially for those who want optical drives, certain ports, an IR sensor and the ability to expand the non retina pro is still a good machine, albeit an ageing one.

Apple still sells it because its a big seller. On Amazon UK its number 4 or something in laptops, ahead of the retina pro. In the US, its only one position behind the retina pro.

For my case the non retina pro works out. I was very happy with my basic 2012 model (I5) and now I have an i7 with a 1 TB SSD, and I'll be going to 16GB of ram in due course. Plus I have the optical drive and ports I need plus other niceties such as the IR sensor, the battery light indicator, sleep light and a NON touch force trackpad.

 

[Sandy08]

What did you break? If it's the screen, there are repair options much cheaper than getting it fixed by Apple. For example, if it's just the glass and not the LCD, you can fix it yourself for less than $25 or get it done professionally by Rossman for a very fair price. I fixed a broken screen by buying a replacement glass for $25 on aliexpress and followed the directions I found on Google. You basically heat the perimeter to loosen the glue and lift off the old screen. The replacement isn't Apple quality glass rather it is plexiglass; but it works fine and my 2010 MBP is now quite servicable. OTOH, the 2015 rMBP that replaced it is very nice. It all depends on how much you want to spend and what is broken.

http://www.rossmanngroup.com

spilt water on it