Just picked up MacBook Pro 13" Retina

[AluminumMB]

OMG is it ever amazing? The screen...wowwwww

I just hope more third party apps become retina compatible

Questions:

1. Anything I should check for? Heard some issues with the screen..how do I know if I have a bad screen?

2. Do you think the 13" retina is a worthy investment? It doesn't have a dedicated GFX card but oh well.

 

[jterp7]

OMG is it ever amazing? The screen...wowwwww

I just hope more third party apps become retina compatible

Questions:

1. Anything I should check for? Heard some issues with the screen..how do I know if I have a bad screen?

2. Do you think the 13" retina is a worthy investment? It doesn't have a dedicated GFX card but oh well.

As an investment? No, the 15" is better "deal" unless you must have 13" form factor. Check for open box/refurb's to get the most out of your money. It was anywhere from 3-400 off the rMBP base when I purchased, could be more now.

 

[blaake]

OMG is it ever amazing? The screen...wowwwww

I just hope more third party apps become retina compatible

Questions:

1. Anything I should check for? Heard some issues with the screen..how do I know if I have a bad screen?

2. Do you think the 13" retina is a worthy investment? It doesn't have a dedicated GFX card but oh well.

Download a dead pixel checking program online and make sure you don't have any dead pixels as that has been pretty common from what I've read

 

[AluminumMB]

As an investment? No, the 15" is better "deal" unless you must have 13" form factor. Check for open box/refurb's to get the most out of your money. It was anywhere from 3-400 off the rMBP base when I purchased, could be more now.

your making me want to return it and keep my gaming PC
soon all monitors will look "retina"

but the screen quality is outstanding

 

[Naimfan]

2. Do you think the 13" retina is a worthy investment? It doesn't have a dedicated GFX card but oh well.

No. It's likely to lose value faster than most other Macs because it is grossly overpriced and it will be replaced by a significantly better version next year. You're paying a lot to be an early adopter.

Mine went back to Apple yesterday - I wasn't the only one returning one, either. Nice machine, shame about the price.

 

[AluminumMB]

No. It's likely to lose value faster than most other Macs because it is grossly overpriced and it will be replaced by a significantly better version next year. You're paying a lot to be an early adopter.

Mine went back to Apple yesterday - I wasn't the only one returning one, either. Nice machine, shame about the price.

what differences in next machine next year? I really want to keep this Mac..

 

[Orlandoech]

what differences in next machine next year? I really want to keep this Mac..

Its not 2013, so we dont know. Then keep it lol

 

[scarred]

Buying a computer, any computer, is not an investment... unless you use it to create stuff you can sell.

The 13" rmbp will last a good while. You can't really play games on it today, so you certainly won't be able to in the future. Other then that though, you are set up for a while. 8GB will last. The SSD is fast today, and while new SSD tech will surely come out, it should stand the test of time. The screen won't be beat for a good long while. The CPU is decent, and the improvements in that area have slowed right down. You are good. =)

imho, the only thing that could make this (and every) computer obsolete overnight is a break through on battery tech

 

[PatriotInvasion]

Buying a computer, any computer, is not an investment... unless you use it to create stuff you can sell.

The 13" rmbp will last a good while. You can't really play games on it today, so you certainly won't be able to in the future. Other then that though, you are set up for a while. 8GB will last. The SSD is fast today, and while new SSD tech will surely come out, it should stand the test of time. The screen won't be beat for a good long while. The CPU is decent, and the improvements in that area have slowed right down. You are good. =)

imho, the only thing that could make this (and every) computer obsolete overnight is a break through on battery tech

I'm sorry, but everyone buying Flash-based Macs that they want to last 3 years should expect to take a hit on resale value (I'm one of them as I bought the 13" rMBP last weekend). SSD costs will drop significantly over that time and even those with a 256GB model will have a machine that seems small on storage.

The trade off is that you get an awesome Mac now that will be a pleasure to use for years to come. You might get hit by a bus tomorrow, so stop worrying about how much your Mac will be worth 3 years from now and just enjoy it. When you're ready for a new one, you'll still get a pretty penny for either Retina model and you'll be happy then as well.

 

[CausticPuppy]

I love my rMBP 13", definitely a good purchase for my needs. However, I did get a decent discount through work, and I don't know if I would have gotten it if I had to pay full price.

The 13" form factor is ideal for me, way better than carrying a 15" around the office to a bunch of meetings. Screen is NICE, and the UI is quick (no complaints about lag).

Best notebook I've ever had, bar none. It even feels more compact than a Macbook Air even though it weighs half a pound more.

I will most likely hold into it for 2 years before upgrading (Broadwell revision).

 

[Interstella5555]

OMG is it ever amazing? The screen...wowwwww

I just hope more third party apps become retina compatible

Questions:

1. Anything I should check for? Heard some issues with the screen..how do I know if I have a bad screen?

2. Do you think the 13" retina is a worthy investment? It doesn't have a dedicated GFX card but oh well.

A computer as an INVESTMENT?? Forgive me as I fall to the floor laughing.

 

[AluminumMB]

I love my rMBP 13", definitely a good purchase for my needs. However, I did get a decent discount through work, and I don't know if I would have gotten it if I had to pay full price.

The 13" form factor is ideal for me, way better than carrying a 15" around the office to a bunch of meetings. Screen is NICE, and the UI is quick (no complaints about lag).

Best notebook I've ever had, bar none. It even feels more compact than a Macbook Air even though it weighs half a pound more.

I will most likely hold into it for 2 years before upgrading (Broadwell revision).

Glad to hear you enjoy it. I am enoying mine as well although I miss having the ethernet port. How do I tell if I have an LG screen or not?

 

[///M5]

Wow

The retina 13" MBP hate is amazing

OP, don't listen to any hater and enjoy your new shiny toy. If you can afford it, keep it.

I know I love mine.

Cheers.

 

[jterp7]

The retina 13" MBP hate is amazing

OP, don't listen to any hater and enjoy your new shiny toy. If you can afford it, keep it.

I know I love mine.

Cheers.

to be fair it was his second question that drew the most attention. As of now, if you don't need a dedicated gpu (gaming) and want retina in a 13" form factor its your only choice. On the screen, run the dead pixel test and if any big ones pop up then return/exchange if they bother you. I have a 15" LG with the alleged burn in, and yes its not perfectly uniform but it wasn't enough for me to return it since it was 20% off.

 

[tim100]

The retina 13" MBP hate is amazing

OP, don't listen to any hater and enjoy your new shiny toy. If you can afford it, keep it.

I know I love mine.

Cheers.

i dont understand why all the negativity about the 13 inch retina. is it the cost, apple stuff is always a premium.

 

[AluminumMB]

i dont understand why all the negativity about the 13 inch retina. is it the cost, apple stuff is always a premium.

true. I did make a sacrifice and sold my gaming PC to get one. So far it's a great experience.

I still bought one even after work gave me a 13" macbook air to use

 

[CausticPuppy]

Glad to hear you enjoy it. I am enoying mine as well although I miss having the ethernet port. How do I tell if I have an LG screen or not?

Not sure, since the command-line that works on the 15" models doesn't work on the 13".

I think my display looks great and I haven't seen any hint of image retention in normal use, so why bother worrying about it?

 

[ufgatorvet]

I love my rMBP 13", definitely a good purchase for my needs. However, I did get a decent discount through work, and I don't know if I would have gotten it if I had to pay full price.

The 13" form factor is ideal for me, way better than carrying a 15" around the office to a bunch of meetings. Screen is NICE, and the UI is quick (no complaints about lag).

Best notebook I've ever had, bar none. It even feels more compact than a Macbook Air even though it weighs half a pound more.

I will most likely hold into it for 2 years before upgrading (Broadwell revision).

Does anyone know how much memory the OS uses alone? Did you look before installing other items?

I can't seem to find this info. The Genius today told me the OS and other items takes up 20GB. That seemed high to me. I'm trying to figure out what size would be the minimum.

Thanks.

 

[CausticPuppy]

Does anyone know how much memory the OS uses alone? Did you look before installing other items?

I can't seem to find this info. The Genius today told me the OS and other items takes up 20GB. That seemed high to me. I'm trying to figure out what size would be the minimum.

Thanks.

I forgot to check that before installing apps. Right now, I'm using 30.5GB, which includes:
-the base OS with iLife apps
-Aperture (though I deleted iPhoto since it's redundant)
-A small Aperture library (1.1GB)
-Microsoft Office 2011 with local Outlook mailbox file
-various other (small) apps
-8GB sleepimage file, created by the OS

 

[ufgatorvet]

I forgot to check that before installing apps. Right now, I'm using 30.5GB, which includes:
-the base OS with iLife apps
-Aperture (though I deleted iPhoto since it's redundant)
-A small Aperture library (1.1GB)
-Microsoft Office 2011 with local Outlook mailbox file
-various other (small) apps
-8GB sleepimage file, created by the OS

Hmmm. Maybe 20GB that the Genius said is close. Thanks,

 

[CausticPuppy]

Hmmm. Maybe 20GB that the Genius said is close. Thanks,

Yeah, I'd say so.

I'm still trying to figure out how to get the 8GB sleepimage file to disappear permanently, since the same method I've used on other macbooks doesn't seem to work.

 

[Mac-Tech]

OMG is it ever amazing? The screen...wowwwww

I just hope more third party apps become retina compatible

Questions:

1. Anything I should check for? Heard some issues with the screen..how do I know if I have a bad screen?

2. Do you think the 13" retina is a worthy investment? It doesn't have a dedicated GFX card but oh well.

You could have went with a basic 15" RMBP it would have been a better deal for you! Just saying...13" is overpriced and under performed!

 

[KylePowers]

You could have went with a basic 15" RMBP it would have been a better deal for you! Just saying...13" is overpriced and under performed!

Better deal is relative. If someone values the physical size and footprint, then the 13in is the better deal. If someone values a quad-core CPU or dedicated GPU, then the 15in would be a better deal.

 

[iScreamSanWitch]

Better deal is relative. If someone values the physical size and footprint, then the 13in is the better deal. If someone values a quad-core CPU or dedicated GPU, then the 15in would be a better deal.

Spot on.. the ongoing dribble about overpriced/underperforming 13 retina by the majority on this forum is slowly getting old.. not everyone is indifferent to the weight and size difference between 13 and 15 inch.. The $200 extra for the retina over the comparable air/cmbp is worth is for me..

 

[Steve121178]

Do you think the 13" retina is a worthy investment? It doesn't have a dedicated GFX card but oh well.

Not when the 'proper' 13" rMBP is released next May/June with the Haswell CPU's & integrated graphics. HD 4000 might be just about bearable now, but certainly not after 2013. As an 'investment' you have bought the wrong machine because it's resale value will tank quite significantly once the updated models arrive next year.

I had a play with the 13" rMBP last week and it's a fantastic machine that has been significantly spoiled by the integrated graphics. If you must think of it as an investment, I wouldn't hang on to it for very long because it's going to look a really bad purchase by this time next year.

The same can't be said for other MacBook's because they are not handicapped in the way that the 13" rMBP is.

I really do think the 13" rMBP is one of the best looking notebooks I've ever seen, it's just got the wrong guts inside.