I really, really doubt the rMBP will be updated this summer.. so.. 13" Air or rMBP?

[Mr. RPG]

This will be my first Mac machine.. I need it for college (entering as a freshman) and for programming. The MacBook Air 13" is finally only $1,099 with a 128GB SSD or I could get the current rMBP 13" for a bit more.. $1049 would be the student discount for Air; $1399 for rMBP.

I'm not sure, which one do you think I should get it? I really doubt a Retina MacBook Pro will be announced this summer. Probably won't until the fall, unfortunately. Problem is, I love the Air's form factor, but its display (from what I've heard) is absolutely garbage. Not only do most phones now-a-days have a higher resolution than the Air.. but it has a much better screen overall from what people are saying.

 

[B...]

I have to say Air. The battery life in unbeatable, unless you REALLY want that amazing screen. I do, so I am waiting.

 

[Mr. RPG]

I have to say Air. The battery life in unbeatable, unless you REALLY want that amazing screen. I do, so I am waiting.

Is 12 hours really that good for laptops? I wouldn't know, I've never had one before.

I'm leaning towards Air.. but I think I only will get one as a last resort.

When will the Back To School promo go on? I feel bad for anyone buying their macs now before the promo went on..

 

[Jesla]

I have both the 11.6 air and 13" rMBP…..

…in your shoes I would go for the new chip and battery life on the new MBA models.

 

[Mr. RPG]

I have both the 11.6 air and 13" rMBP…..

…in your shoes I would go for the new chip and battery life on the new MBA models.

What about the display? Do you agree with what people say that the display sucks?

Displays are important to me, but I don't want to get last year's model rMBP.

Honestly, I don't see why they couldn't have slapped on a haswell cpu and gpu like the one Air just got..

 

[B...]

12 hours is great for a laptop. But the display is still not great.

 

[keramidas]

I too was waiting for an update to Pro 13 retina to buy one but what can you do.

I did a quick comparison of the two and here are the specs.

new Air 13:
i7 1.7Ghz turbo to 3.3Ghz
8GB ram
256GB flash
12 hours battery
$1479 education price

retina pro 13:
i5 2.6Ghz turbo to 3.2Ghz
8GB ram
256GB flash
7 hours battery
$1599 education price.

so the retina display, the extra thunderbolt is worth $120... some might say worth it. personally i have a 15 retina and the display is miles above the normal one. but still you never know when the retina 13 will be updated so if you cannot wait....

 

[Jesla]

The GPU has been upgraded with the new chipset so the display should look better. The rMBP is great for reading and other text based functions as for video I don't really see a difference.

The rMBP while is no heavy weight it is still no light weight. My rMBP has become my desktop and I travel with the MBA…...

 

[B...]

The GPU has been upgraded with the new chipset so the display should look better. The rMBP is great for reading and other text based functions as for video I don't really see a difference.

The rMBP while is no heavy weight it is still no light weight. My rMBP has become my desktop and I travel with the MBA…...

What? The screen won't look better because of a better GPU.

 

[JSalig]

It's a difficult decision. I still love my 2011 MBA but it sucks having to choose between color accuracy and contrast. The added battery life would have been well worth it back in 2011 or 2012 but I couldn't justify it now - especially if I were looking to hold on to it for 2 or 3 years.

 

[Jesla]

It should look better than the current Generation…..but it still won't be as good as the retina.

As for the thunderbolt port….if you don't have any TB devices then it's not an issue.

 

[B...]

It'll should look better than the current Generation…..but it still won't be as good as the retina.

As for the thunderbolt port….if you don't have any TB devices then it's not an issue.

How would a better GPU make the screen look better? In terms of what?

 

[Jesla]

In the same way as upgrading the graphics card in a desktop….it may have a higher resolution as well……..
…but we won't know for sure 'til they hit the selves.

 

[Mr. RPG]

How would a better GPU make the screen look better? In terms of what?

Hey b, do you think the Haswell processor in the Air will perform any better than the 2012 Ivy Bridge air? Kinda strange to see the new one is only clocked at... 1.3 GHz... but I know clock speeds aren't everything, but it is still pretty low.

 

[B...]

Hey b, do you think the Haswell processor in the Air will perform any better than the 2012 Ivy Bridge air? Kinda strange to see the new one is only clocked at... 1.3 GHz... but I know clock speeds aren't everything, but it is still pretty low.

I don't think by much, but it would be because of the 5000 graphics. The clock is low, but it does have Turbo up the 2.6, which incidently is the same as a retina 13" base. While graphics are better, the CPU is likely worse.

 

[Mr. RPG]

I don't think by much, but it would be because of the 5000 graphics. The clock is low, but it does have Turbo up the 2.6, which incidently is the same as a retina 13" base. While graphics are better, the CPU is likely worse.

Ouch.. If the CPU is worse in the 2013 model, this really makes it hard to decide.

Air has too many compromises despite a good battery life.

rMBP isn't even updated..

 

[B...]

Ouch.. If the CPU is worse in the 2013 model, this really makes it hard to decide.

Air has too many compromises despite a good battery life.

rMBP isn't even updated..

It is maybe worse compared to the rMBP. Compared to the 2012 Air, it is probably slightly better due to the 5000.

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In the same way as upgrading the graphics card in a desktop….it may have a higher resolution as well……..
…but we won't know for sure 'til they hit the selves.

No. Updating the graphics doesn't make the screen look better. And the Air still has a 1440x900 res. Look on their website.

 

[Mr. RPG]

It is maybe worse compared to the rMBP. Compared to the 2012 Air, it is probably slightly better due to the 5000.

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No. Updating the graphics doesn't make the screen look better. And the Air still has a 1440x900 res. Look on their website.

I'm talking about CPU, not GPU here. o: