Is the Retina display worth it for non-editors/non-professionals?

[paperrobots]

Hey! I'm kind of new to Mac (and kind of computer illiterate), so I just have a quick question. My tech-savvy friends say the new Retina is only worth it for video/music editors and professionals. Is this true? For a normal everyday user who mostly just surfs the web and watches movies, would it be worth the extra cost from the MacBook Pro?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Vctr]

Let me ask you this ... Do you think the iPad 3 is for professional use as well?

 

[GGJstudios]

Hey! I'm kind of new to Mac (and kind of computer illiterate), so I just have a quick question. My tech-savvy friends say the new Retina is only worth it for video/music editors and professionals. Is this true? For a normal everyday user who mostly just surfs the web and watches movies, would it be worth the extra cost from the MacBook Pro?

Thanks in advance!

The MBP with retina display is cheaper than the MBP without it, configured the same way. It doesn't matter if you're in any particular profession. It's worth it if you say it is, for whatever reason you choose.

 

[dsciel]

Hey! I'm kind of new to Mac (and kind of computer illiterate), so I just have a quick question. My tech-savvy friends say the new Retina is only worth it for video/music editors and professionals. Is this true? For a normal everyday user who mostly just surfs the web and watches movies, would it be worth the extra cost from the MacBook Pro?

Thanks in advance!

I would say no because no movies has made for that resolution. Therefore, it should provide you the same experience watching in a regular 15" or Retina.. by browsing the web, I would say there is difference since texts are more clear..

BUT you really have to go to the Apple store to feel the difference

 

[Hidendra]

It's an IPS display. Yes, yes, yes.

Comparing IPS to TN is like night and day (I have an IPS and TN monitor side by side) -- you don't need to be an editor to appreciate the significant difference in colour reproduction IPS has over TN.

 

[Mavrack]

Hey! I'm kind of new to Mac (and kind of computer illiterate), so I just have a quick question. My tech-savvy friends say the new Retina is only worth it for video/music editors and professionals. Is this true? For a normal everyday user who mostly just surfs the web and watches movies, would it be worth the extra cost from the MacBook Pro?

Thanks in advance!

While the Retina Display sure is stunning the difference isn't too noticeable from around 2 feet away. However as you get close the difference is certainly noticeable. It will be much more sharper and the SSD is really good due to how fast they are. ALTHOUGH the RAM and SSD are soldered to the mother board meaning that they are not upgradable and if the RAM or SSD fails, your screwed and you have to take it to Apple. It lacks a input out, ethernet and optical drive also. The extra TB port and HDMI port a a very nice welcome. So in my own opinion it is NOT worth it to buy a Retina Display MBP right now if you are not a video editor or professional as the price will most likely be much cheaper in the future updates as $ 2199 is a very hefty price... But depends on what you need and like. If you want it to be more future proof the base 15" would be better, also if you want a built in ethernet port, optical drive and audio out in the device. If you want portability, better hard drive and a better display go with the Retina Display MBP. Keep in mind you can buy SSD and 8GB of RAM for a very cheap price now a days that you can install into your base MBP, not to mention the high res screen option. All in all evaluate what you need and want and you should be able to find out what you want. I personally would just wait for the Retina Model to drop in price and gain a larger base SSD. Hope I helped

 

[Mavrack]

It's an IPS display. Yes, yes, yes.

Comparing IPS to TN is like night and day (I have an IPS and TN monitor side by side) -- you don't need to be an editor to appreciate the significant difference in colour reproduction IPS has over TN.

Really? I have a Dell U2411 which is a very good IPS pannel and a ASUS VE247 which is a TN monitor and I can barely tell the difference between the two side by side. The Dell IS better but not that noticeable and I have better vision than the average person 20/15. Although the I do notice a significant difference in the viewing angles but I hardly ever look at my computer from the side.