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I'm at the Apple Store and...
- Thread starter adam9c1
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Why? The rMB is a great little computer. Depending on what the respective buyers usage is, it will probably serve them well. Personally, I would never buy the MBA because I can't stand its screen and the massive bezels around it.
Why are you bothered that someone might prefer a MacBook over a MacBook Air?
Bezels? bezels bother you? maybe see a doctor about that. the screen? I agree. I have a 2014 base mba 11". Love it but the screen sucks and so do my eyes. So I just bought a base rmb mainly for the screen and I got it for a great price below that greedy $1299 plus tax. But I'm also keep the Amba.
It's a question of preference. Either you get a poor display but better specs, either you get poor connectivity but better screen and much lighter computer.
Nothing poor about the connectivity of the RMB. It has a USB port, two USB-C ports, and an HDMI port.
Apple has merely allowed the user to remove the ports for the ultimate in slim/light design the 90% of the time they aren't needed.
BJ
What a strange thing to be hurt by. Any particular reason you wish to share?
No, you didn't. You just didn't understand its purpose. It's not an "oops, we at Apple forgot to put ports on the RMB" mistake. Instead it's what enables it's amazingly small size, light weight, and paper-thin dimensions. It's not a detriment; it's a huge benefit. Notebooks need ports when they are sitting still in an office, not when they are on-the-go. You don't carry around a bottle of ketchup 24/7 for the two days a week you need it; you keep it in the fridge and whip it out only when necessary. The RMB leaves its ports behind, connected to its peripherals which aren't needed when you're not at your desk.
BJ
Or maybe he just forgot about it...
I DID in fact forget about the thing. I knew it existed, but eventually forgot about it. No need to get mad AF over a small mistake.
You mad bro? I'd rather have the retina screen anyday for work. Maybe not the best laptop for games but definitely work.
I agree. It was the first Apple notebook that actually makes sense for my use - small and light but with the retina display.
That said, I do have an iMac to use at home. If I was only going to have one Mac it would be an rMBP but if having two I might as well get the best possible ones for each purpose.
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Nothing poor about the connectivity of the RMB. It has a USB port, two USB-C ports, and an HDMI port.
Apple has merely allowed the user to remove the ports for the ultimate in slim/light design the 90% of the time they aren't needed.
BJ
Not as standard it doesn't.
You have to pay extra for the dongle to enable the extra connectivity and it still only gives you one USB-C port as the dongle is plugged into the first one.
Why does it hurt. The rMB is more portable, has a better screen and performance is very good. I don't see how the MBA could be better (other then budget wise).
It is more powerful, has better battery life, and has far better specifications.
Actually, at the moment, the rMB reminds me of nothing so much as the original MBA which was unveiled back in 2008. It was stunning computer visually, and super-portable. However, it was also under-powered and over-priced. It took Apple several iterations, or generations, to get it right, and they finally managed it with the MBA of 2013 which is an outstanding computer in every way - power, battery, memory - with the possible exception of a screen that is no longer the best in its class.
I have no doubt that the rMB will follow a similar development path and that in a few years, after a couple of generations, it will be a stunning computer. However, for now, for what they offer, it strikes me as over-priced and under-powered.
I won't deny that it has better battery life, but how much slower is the rMB over the MBA? Overall, I think if performance is a requirement, then neither laptops are a good option, but rather a MBP. Both the MBA and the rMB are first and foremost a laptop designed for mobility and travel. The rMB is superior in a number of ways that makes it more popular imo.
I think at this point the MBAs may be a dead end product. When apple rolled this computer out as a MacBook and not a MacBook Air, the writing was on the wall. There's no need to keep two ultra thin, laptop lines going, that's diluting the brand too much.
Well, my 13" MBA (a 2013 CTO, admittedly) has 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD and 8-10 hours of battery life. The 11" MBA is a superlative computer, as well, with a terrific form factor, and I have used one when travelling.
I don't doubt for a minute that - long term - Apple will probably discontinue the MBA line (or merge it with the MB); the MB is clearly aimed at the 'sweet spot' that all of those who longed for the old 12" Powerbook yearned for. But that moment hasn't come quite yet, as - to my mind - what the rMB offers is not yet sufficient - especially when compared to what the MBA already has.
However, it is still not the computer the MBA is. The original MBA had one port - which was a huge inconvenience, although it looked great, and was an underpowered computer with insufficient memory.
In 2008, when I first saw one, and held it, and admired it, I promised myself that I would buy one, but only when they improved the specs. At that time, the memory of the MBA was either 80GB (the old HDD) or 64 GB SSD, and the RAM was confined to a spec of 2 RAM that could not be upgraded. The specs had improved quite a bit by 2010, when I bought my first MBA, but the real transformation happened as late as 2013.
My point is that this changed, over time and over generations; by 2013, Apple had made the MBA into a portable powerhouse, - a serious computer with enough power and memory to perform whatever you asked of it - and MBAs from 2013 and later are stunning computers, unrecognisable from those which preceded them in terms of performance and power and battery, but still stunning looking and exceedingly portable.
When it does the same with the rMB - which will be inevitable, if at a considerably higher price for optional extras - then the MB will offer a form of competition to the MBA that the MBA cannot match.
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Performance is not only about slowness. I will skip the explanation part as you know it very well yourself. Being objective and realistic you would never compare an Intel Core M to Intel Core i5 especially in case of longer, resourceful processes.
Is it superior in a number of ways? Will you be so kind to be more specific? (Screen is obvious).
Is it more popular? More popular based on what, you have sales numbers? Care to share the comparison?
It is very much a matter of personal taste. I don't see the difference between retina and non retina. It's just the way my aging eyes are. I prefer the Air for battery life and portability - for now.
Screen - no brainer. Use of USB-C (though only being a single port negates much of the advantage), full keyboard. Force touch trackpad, fanless design.
This is my personal opinion based on what I've seen, am I wrong, possibly, but I think overall Apple is pushing the MB over the MBA and they're willing to sell those over the MBA. Between being newer, options with colors, superior features. Its my belief it is more popular.
I think the rMB has a lot going for it, but its not a perfect laptop, I think its over priced and will invariably cannibalize sales of the MBA. I've been critical of the MBA at times, but I think overall despite some its negatives, its great computer.
In all these years I have never ever wanted an Air because of the quality of the display.
I think the rep in the Apple store was right to recommend the MacBook.
I had one of those early MBAs - it was a dog, from day one. I now have the rMB and it is anything but - it's perfectly capable for what I use a laptop for, and a college student will appreciate the portability, carrying it to/from lectures, coupled with the much nicer screen (which is also meaningfully larger). The battery life is plenty for a student day; the ports are simply not going to be an issue, and if they are, an adapter will fix that. The power is not an issue for most people either - yes it's slower on paper, but in real world use that translates to slightly slower app load times and not much more.
Yes, it will get more powerful, because laptops do - but for a college student, as with most non-artist professionals, the rMB is a great machine and in many ways a better choice than the MBA11. Lucky student is all I say.
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Nothing poor about the connectivity of the RMB. It has a USB port, two USB-C ports, and an HDMI port.
Apple has merely allowed the user to remove the ports for the ultimate in slim/light design the 90% of the time they aren't needed.
Where is the second usable USB-C port that you speak of? Once you plug in the dongle there is still only one USB-C port that is usable.