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Is this worth 300 more?

D

davidwes

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 28, 2004
307
141
Hi,

I was looking at the laptops on apple's site and saw:

Macbook Air
1.3 i5
128gb drive
8gb ram
for 1199

Retina Macbook Pro
2.5 i5
128gb drive
8gb ram
for 1499

both machines were 13 inch screens. So, am I paying 300 simply for the increase in cpu and improved screen, or am I missing some other difference?
 
The screen alone is worth $300, extra Thunderbolt port, HDMI out and faster processor make it a no brainer.

That is just my opinion though. Honestly the 2013 Airs are nice and you can't wrong with them. Do you really value the Retina display?
 
tgi said:
The screen alone is worth $300, extra Thunderbolt port, HDMI out and faster processor make it a no brainer.

That is just my opinion though. Honestly the 2013 Airs are nice and you can't wrong with them. Do you really value the Retina display?
Click to expand...

I agree, for all but the screen. I would pay extra for TB, HDMI, and faster processor. NOT A RETINA FAN!
 
davidwes said:
both machines were 13 inch screens. So, am I paying 300 simply for the increase in cpu and improved screen, or am I missing some other difference?
Click to expand...
You're getting an all day battery in the MBA in a thinner/lighter enclosure. The MBP you're getting a better screen more ports and a faster CPU.

What's more important, size/weight or better screen/faster computer.

I love the MBA but I will say my 15" rMBP is the best laptop I ever bought in part because of the retina screen
 
Just go to a store and look at both, there are 2 very different machines performance wise and also on their weight. I would vote for the 13 inch retina based on better specs and screen, but as said by others if battery life and portability is a concern to you then maybe the MBA is the way to go.
 
Yes it is worth it to me. But what are your uses for the computer (do you need a 12 hour battery)?
 
The screen quality alone makes the purchase of MBA not so attractive as far as I'm concerned. I take photos for hobby and I like the colours of the retina display, the MBA's colours look distorted and the screen is washed out when scrolling.

The MBA is an entry-level laptop which has its uses (especially if you have another computer @ your home or if you have an external monitor) but even though my needs are not demanding I'd pick the rMBP (or cMBP) over the MBA any day.
 
Just a note, I've seen several 13" rMBPs in the 1200 dollar range- either open box or refurb, both of which carry a full warranty. If you're going to get one, especially this late in the product cycle, I'd look into those.

And yes, it's worth the money if you're using it for anything other than all-day mobile use. The Air is one of the most portable full-featured computers available, possibly the best ultraportable on the entire market (and 12 hours is certainly very rare for even the best Ultrabooks) but IMO it's really only the absolute best choice if you're a road warrior.

That said, neither is a bad choice.
 
davidwes said:
Is this worth 300 more?
Click to expand...
No one can tell you if something is worth it to you or not. You have to determine which is a better fit for you. There's no one answer to your question for everyone out there. Otherwise everyone would use one and not the other.

davidwes said:
or am I missing some other difference?
Click to expand...
Full specs are on Apple's site for both options but other differences are mentioned above.
 
I would buy non of the above and go straight for a classic MacBook Pro that allows you even to add a second harddrive by removing the slot drive if you wanted to.
 
Worth it is subjective to everyone

For me though I'd go with the Retina

Personally I love the display use my 15 in Retina at 2880x1800 all the time so much extra screen real-estate

Also the extra processor headroom is a bonus for me as well in what I do

But I also had the experience of using a macbook air 13 in when I had to set up everything for a business associate of my dads, and for a short time manage some business for him through it, and it has its merits as well. Its portable, light pretty high PPI for the screen size, and for general tasks fast with great battery life

but personally coming from a 17 MBP Id take the increase in ports and higher screen of the retina every time as well as the higher processor speed
 
Is the rMBP really faster/more powerful than the MBA ?

Even with the 1.7GHz CPU and 8GB ?
The screen isn't that much important to me, nor it the weight or the size. I mean, the screen of the MBA isn't that bad, and the size/weight of the rMBP is good too so... The power is the only thing I could be worried about. (I will probably wait for the Haswell rMBP but if it's the same thing as the MBA, the perf will stay the same, except for the GPU and the battery life).
 
The CPU is still going to be faster, its really up to you - a retina based MBP that has a gorgeous screen or the MBA. I don't think you can go wrong on either computer
 
maflynn said:
The CPU is still going to be faster, its really up to you - a retina based MBP that has a gorgeous screen or the MBA. I don't think you can go wrong on either computer
Click to expand...

Thank you :) I think I'll wait until the last week of BTS. If the new rMBP comes out before (and has a better GPU, he probably will) I will buy it :)
 
fskywalker said:
Just go to a store and look at both, there are 2 very different machines performance wise and also on their weight. I would vote for the 13 inch retina based on better specs and screen, but as said by others if battery life and portability is a concern to you then maybe the MBA is the way to go.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the only thing I can add to this, is to view them in more than one store if possible. The reason I say this is that in one store I looked at the MBA, cMBP and rMBP and the rMBP just looked so much better than the cMBP and the MBA was back in third place.

In another store with different lighting, the differences were less and I had to glance at the body and ports on side, to be sure if I was looking at the cMBP or the rMBP. Only you can say if the difference in the display and performance is worth that much and you need to see them and try them yourself.
 
I've owned the 2012 Macbook Air and recently sold it to purchase a new one. I've been agonizing over the same issues you have(refurb rMBP or MBA) and decided to go with the rMBP. I realize it's the near the end of the rMBP product cycle, but buying one of these machines for about $1300 after tax is the best deal you'll get on a retina screen for awhile.

I am a student and would have loved the extra battery life in the new Haswell airs, but at the same time I spend 8 hours a day(most days) looking at the screen on my computer and I want to look at something stunningly beautiful. I've had the laptop now for about a week and have had zero problems with it. It's a bit smaller than air, but has a more substantial feel when you pick it up. The i5 handles everything I can throw at it(20 tabs in chrome, iWorks, photoshop, itunes, 1080P videos, and light gaming like Civ 5) and I'm excited to get more improvements when Mavericks comes out this fall(GPU accelerated UI graphics).

You can go with the Air, but now everytime I look at my girlfriend's MBA I see a huge silver bezel around a subpar screen(thanks for that retina screen). I love being able to bump my screen real estate up to the highest setting and have 2 or 3 different windows fully display(great for writing research papers cause I don't have to keep switching spaces like I did on the MBA). Overall I would give this laptop a 9/10 value proposition at a $1300 price tag.
 
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