You obviously haven't read the posts you were quoting or didn't take enough time to understand them, because the points you are making have already been discussed. I'd say in quite an unbiased way.
You obviously didn't read my first sentence in which I said that the CONTINUOUS bickering was stupid. I have read every word and have presented my opinion on the matters as such. Similarly, I welcome your opinion, despite it being similarly worthless to the topic, which was already worthless to begin with.
As far as CPU power goes, I hope you know benchmark results are idiotic and rarely have anything to do with real world use.
Okay pal, I'm gonna stop you right there. I've been working with computers, both Mac and PC, for nearly three decades. You needn't talk down to me because I DO know what I'm talking about.
That being said, I'm not talking about benchmarks. I'm talking about a faster integrated graphics processor (on an OS that boasts drastically improved OpenCL performance on integrated graphics processors) and a processor that is 1.1GHz faster on one model than the other. I know that clock speed differences aren't what they used to be; 300MHz isn't much, but even 1.1GHz even in today's machines is pronounced and you cannot deny that. Then there's Thunderbolt 2, which, I'm sorry, is superior to Thunderbolt 1 and USB 3; period. Great if you don't use it or care; some of us do.
Those are just numbers for discussion boards fiends to feel hot to. The truth is that neither the rMBP 13" or the MBA is a "pro" machine. Whatever the name they put on it. Who cares if there's a few points difference between the two in such a case.
I don't recall calling either machine a Pro machine. We were comparing one to the other and I'm sorry, one is faster than the other. One has a minimum of a 1.3GHz Haswell Core i5, one has a minimum of a 2.4GHz Haswell Core i5. The latter has better graphics. Therefore, even if the margin is small, the latter one is better. I'm pretty sure that's all I was trying to say. But whatevs.
I am by no means trying to defend the MBA, because in all honesty I could not care less. I chose it over the rMBP for my own good reasons, I'm not entirely happy with it at all and I'm sure I wouldn't be with the rMBP either. The point is, don't try to prove to others they made a mistake in their purchase.
You should actually read comments before making assumptions about them. I even stated that I'm not trying to make MBA buyers feel bad about their purchases, just to poke necessary holes in their logic that one machine is superior to the other. Again, reread before making assumptions.
It's just silly. I made a very well informed decision, played around with both of these machines enough, had the money at the time and went with the MBA. The reasons for my decision haven't changed. As far as that goes, I am getting exactly what I hoped for (it's the other little things that made me a little disappointed with the MBA). I feel no regret for not getting the rMBP and frankly I would be an idiot if I did.
I believe that falls under the "good for you" category. Again, I never said anything to belittle those who picked one machine over the other. Given the lack of retina-ready versions of software that I use, I probably would go with the Air over the retina Pro myself.
Do you think Apple made a design mistake by creating a laptop with a 12 hour battery? Do you think it is useless to have a battery that lasts longer than 8 hours?
Where did I ever say that it was a mistake? I don't think it's useless to have a 12-hour battery life, nor did I ever say that. I said that after 8 hours, additional time becomes NEEDLESS because it's extremely rare that one will go THAT long without a charger. Useless vs. Needless; two different words with two different meanings.