Mac 13" Air or Mac 13" Book Retina

[FOX160]

Hi Guys
need advice I have a 2011 Mac Book love it
But looking at the Mac Book 13" base model with retina display
also like the top Mac air but was thinking of upping the memory
to 8 gig so where do I go from here ?

I know a lot of people went for the what was called Maxed Mac Air
but just so indecisive of the two right now but it will be my only
computer

 

[jaduff46]

Just went through the same analysis myself.

I priced out a 13" MBA versus a 13" MB Pro for my daughter. She is enamored with the Air because of it's weight. She has a 15" 2007 MB Pro with a fried logic board.

Both with 8GB ram, 512 GB flash storage. They were pretty close, but for an additional $100 and 1/2 pound in weight (3.5 vs 3) you get Retina graphics, a faster processor, and a machine that's early in the lifecycle. The Retina graphics are spectacular.

Hopefully she'll be logical and choose the MB Pro (waiting in the store to be picked up).

 

[kjmff5]

So this is news to me

Apple Store MBA 13" with 8GB RAM $1299 plus tax

Macconnection MBP 13" with Retina $1299 no tax

Both are 128GB SSD and 8GB RAM. Get the retina.

http://www.macconnection.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=14969656&cac=Result

 

[stchman]

I just went to Macmall.com and priced the following:

13" MBA with Core i7/8GB/256GB SSD - $1569.99

13" rMBP with Core i7/8GB/256GB SSD - $1599.99

The rMBP uses a 2.9GHz dual core i7 vs. the MBA using a 2.0GHz dual core i7.

The 13" rMBP has a much better screen.
The 13" MBA is 2.96 lbs vs 13" rMBP 3.46 lbs.

All in all, I would say get the 13" rMBP over the 13" MBA for only $30 difference.

Now a base 13" MBA is $1099.99 while a base 13" rMBP $1449.98.

The decision is yours. I have found macmall.com to have the best prices on Macs.

 

[appleloverz]

I just went to Macmall.com and priced the following:

13" MBA with Core i7/8GB/256GB SSD - $1569.99

13" rMBP with Core i7/8GB/256GB SSD - $1599.99

The rMBP uses a 2.9GHz dual core i7 vs. the MBA using a 2.0GHz dual core i7.

The 13" rMBP has a much better screen.
The 13" MBA is 2.96 lbs vs 13" rMBP 3.46 lbs.

All in all, I would say get the 13" rMBP over the 13" MBA for only $30 difference.

Now a base 13" MBA is $1099.99 while a base 13" rMBP $1449.98.

The decision is yours. I have found macmall.com to have the best prices on Macs.

Thanks friend

 

[sostoobad]

I just went to Macmall.com and priced the following:

13" MBA with Core i7/8GB/256GB SSD - $1569.99

13" rMBP with Core i7/8GB/256GB SSD - $1599.99

The rMBP uses a 2.9GHz dual core i7 vs. the MBA using a 2.0GHz dual core i7.

The 13" rMBP has a much better screen.
The 13" MBA is 2.96 lbs vs 13" rMBP 3.46 lbs.

All in all, I would say get the 13" rMBP over the 13" MBA for only $30 difference.

Now a base 13" MBA is $1099.99 while a base 13" rMBP $1449.98.

The decision is yours. I have found macmall.com to have the best prices on Macs.

OR a base 13" air for $899.00 apple refurb on the bay, with same warranty
just got mine, I swear it is new.

 

[Trey M]

OR a base 13" air for $899.00 apple refurb on the bay, with same warranty
just got mine, I swear it is new.

Same and same. Literally the trackpad/keys/shell are entirely brand new. And I'm absolutely convinced it's Apple's eBay account. Couldn't be happier, especially for $899. And some people don't even have to pay taxes!

And I got a free upgrade to 8GB RAM!

 

[majkom]

Same and same. Literally the trackpad/keys/shell are entirely brand new. And I'm absolutely convinced it's Apple's eBay account. Couldn't be happier, especially for $899. And some people don't even have to pay taxes!

And I got a free upgrade to 8GB RAM!

I am happy for you, but on the other side i dobt understan why apple is killing us here in my country with prices much higher than yours... We dont have refurb store and base 13 incher is here for 1570 usd (taxes included)... If we had your prices, that would be awesome

 

[Isamilis]

Air is already 5th cycle of product (since 2008), less bugs compared to 1st gen 13" rMBP. I would go with Air, even the price diff is not noticeable. Or, better wait for the 2nd gen rMBP.

Just my 2cents.

I just went to Macmall.com and priced the following:

13" MBA with Core i7/8GB/256GB SSD - $1569.99

13" rMBP with Core i7/8GB/256GB SSD - $1599.99

The rMBP uses a 2.9GHz dual core i7 vs. the MBA using a 2.0GHz dual core i7.

The 13" rMBP has a much better screen.
The 13" MBA is 2.96 lbs vs 13" rMBP 3.46 lbs.

All in all, I would say get the 13" rMBP over the 13" MBA for only $30 difference.

Now a base 13" MBA is $1099.99 while a base 13" rMBP $1449.98.

The decision is yours. I have found macmall.com to have the best prices on Macs.

 

[sostoobad]

Air is already 5th cycle of product (since 2008), less bugs compared to 1st gen 13" rMBP. I would go with Air, even the price diff is not noticeable. Or, better wait for the 2nd gen rMBP.

Just my 2cents.

I totally agree with this. The Air is a nicely seasoned machine, really sprouting its value. In the world o hi tech you want the latest and maybe yes maybe not the greatest...you pay, to wit the rMBP 13" has been out all of how many months and already its price has dropped from 1699 to 1299 at an authorized apple reseller.

And my guess is the refresh will be quicker, better and at least the same price maybe lower.

The original Air was 1799.00 I just bought the 2012 refurb, (but I think it is new) for $899.00 shipped no tax. A machine that will probably meet most needs of all, not everybody but most.

Apple has them for 999.00 refurb. I do believe the 899.00 deal is over
Plus I like the angle of the keyboard better on the Air, just my thoughts.

 

[bahndoos]

Keep in mind, the actual 'Retina' scale display is of lower resolution than the Air. As you scale up on the retina, the display visibly loses that sharpness, while increasing resolution. I personally did not find the higher resolutions to be useable, either being too tiny, or not quite sharp enough. Compared to the non-retina higher resolution in the retina Macbook, the Air definitely looks brighter and sharper.

 

[B...]

Keep in mind, the actual 'Retina' scale display is of lower resolution than the Air. As you scale up on the retina, the display visibly loses that sharpness, while increasing resolution. I personally did not find the higher resolutions to be useable, either being too tiny, or not quite sharp enough. Compared to the non-retina higher resolution in the retina Macbook, the Air definitely looks brighter and sharper.

Brighter? No. The Air after looking at the Retina looks grey, with over saturated colors and bad viewing angles. The Retina is a much better screen and does resolution switching well. 1440x900 looks good to me on the 13", maybe slightly blurry if your head is a few inches away from the screen.

 

[bahndoos]

Actually, youre right about the brightness (i typed that without thinking i guess) and the viewing angle. But the sharpness is lacking for me.

BTW have you tried streaming video fullscreen on the retina? Everytime, and every machine I tried it on in the store, the video turned out sporadically choppy. This was a major turn off for me.

 

[ColdCase]

The decision is yours. I have found macmall.com to have the best prices on Macs.

Careful, the best Macmall prices typically are on 6 month old models (if you care). Macmall says they will not have any of the refreshed 2013 rMBP for weeks yet. Several outlets are offering good deals on the 2012 models.

 

[TC25]

Hi Guys
need advice I have a 2011 Mac Book love it
But looking at the Mac Book 13" base model with retina display
also like the top Mac air but was thinking of upping the memory
to 8 gig so where do I go from here ?

I know a lot of people went for the what was called Maxed Mac Air
but just so indecisive of the two right now but it will be my only
computer

You did not list any of your requirements. How are people supposed to advise you?

 

[B...]

Actually, youre right about the brightness (i typed that without thinking i guess) and the viewing angle. But the sharpness is lacking for me.

BTW have you tried streaming video fullscreen on the retina? Everytime, and every machine I tried it on in the store, the video turned out sporadically choppy. This was a major turn off for me.

Apple's in-store WiFi is really awful. They have one network for 100+ devices. Were you using Chrome or Safari?

 

[Abazigal]

If you can wait, I recommend waiting for the 2013 refresh for the retina macbook pro. At least, I hope they update it with quad-core haswell processors.

 

[B...]

If you can wait, I recommend waiting for the 2013 refresh for the retina macbook pro. At least, I hope they update it with quad-core haswell processors.

I do not believe that will happen. The quad core and discrete GPU are the two defining characteristics of Apple's 15" line. Also, stuffing that extra heat in the same body with the same heat sink would not be good.

 

[stchman]

Keep in mind, the actual 'Retina' scale display is of lower resolution than the Air. As you scale up on the retina, the display visibly loses that sharpness, while increasing resolution. I personally did not find the higher resolutions to be useable, either being too tiny, or not quite sharp enough. Compared to the non-retina higher resolution in the retina Macbook, the Air definitely looks brighter and sharper.

No, the 13" Retina display is 2560x1600, the 13" MBA is 1440x900.

You can scale the resolution, and I found that the 13" rMBP had a better looking display at a scaled 1440x900 than the 13" MBA's native 1440x900.

JUst my opinion.

----------

Careful, the best Macmall prices typically are on 6 month old models (if you care). Macmall says they will not have any of the refreshed 2013 rMBP for weeks yet. Several outlets are offering good deals on the 2012 models.

Since the MBA has not been updated since last summer, MacMall has the latest MBA.

I realize the rMBPs on Apple.com are freshened up, but the changes appear to be minimal.

 

[bahndoos]

Apple's in-store WiFi is really awful. They have one network for 100+ devices. Were you using Chrome or Safari?

Using Safari, but there were no problems with the wifi. Tried it on the iMacs and MBA's on display as well without any problem. Same movie trailer, from the same website in each case.

 

[MacFro]

Another difference you should consider is the connectivity.

rMBP has an extra thunderbolt port, hdmi and built in sd card reader. Might be useful to some people. The MBA "only" has two usb and one TB port.

 

[Abazigal]

Another difference you should consider is the connectivity.

rMBP has an extra thunderbolt port, hdmi and built in sd card reader. Might be useful to some people. The MBA "only" has two usb and one TB port.

The 13" MBA also has a sd-card slot. Unless you intend on driving 2 thunderboly displays, one thunderbolt port typically suffices (and you can always get an adaptor for a monitor). I still prefer DVI to HDMI at any rate, seems Macs still have video issues with HDMI.

 

[MacFro]

The 13" MBA also has a sd-card slot. Unless you intend on driving 2 thunderboly displays, one thunderbolt port typically suffices (and you can always get an adaptor for a monitor). I still prefer DVI to HDMI at any rate, seems Macs still have video issues with HDMI.

You are quite right about the sd card slot. My bad.

I guess the need for an extra TB port depends on what one plan to use the machine for. Just making a note that not all TB devices have an extra port for daisy chaining.

The hdmi on the other hand makes for easier connection to TV's, without the need for an adapter.

These are of course mostly nice to have features, but then again i feel they are worth mentioning.

 

[robvas]

The screen is that much better. I switched, but if you can't get a good resale price on your Air or a really good deal on a new/refurb Retina, just stick with the Air.