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MacBook Air and 13" Retina MacBook Pro Updated to Improve Speed and Battery Life

Altis said:
I think the newer one should give better battery life thanks to Broadwell and more efficient graphics, and if I'm not mistaken the new PCIe flash storage is faster.

So while the processor isn't quite as powerful in some regards, it should be better overall for you. I suspect they aren't all that different, though.
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Like an extra hour with battery?

Because if I go from my actual MBA to the new one, I will go from Intel HD Graphics 5000 to 6000, I will get half my flash storage 512GB to 256GB and 1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) to 1.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz)..
 
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srp0039 said:
I bought a refurbished Macbook Air (Mid 2013) last week with the following specs:
1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 4MB shared L3 cache
8GB memory
512GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 5000

And now with the new Macbook Air update, I'm wondering if I should return it and get this one:
1.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz
8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel HD Graphics 6000

Both are around the same price - $1500..

Basically the more important thing for me is speed and battery life.. Any advice will be very helpful! Thank you!
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I have very little idea abut the "speed" side. But Apple quotes 12 hrs. battery life for both models. Using Broadwell, should have given at least another 1 hr. more for the 2015 model but don't know why Apple's denying that... (Both models are using the same capacity battery packs... And Broadwell is a pin-to-pin replacement for Haswell. And, nothing significant looks to be changed or added to the hardware in the 2015 model that may negatively affect power consumption...???):confused:
 
mafaky said:
I have very little idea abut the "speed" side. But Apple quotes 12 hrs. battery life for both models. Using Broadwell, should have given at least another 1 hr. more for the 2015 model but don't know why Apple's denying that... (Both models are using the same capacity battery packs... And Broadwell is a pin-to-pin replacement for Haswell. And, nothing significant looks to be changed or added to the hardware in the 2015 model that may negatively affect power consumption...???):confused:
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That's exactly why I'm confused with Broadwell!
 
ManNBlack said:
Sorry if this has been indirectly covered and I missed it.

When new Intel chips are releases suitable for the 15" Macbook Pro, we expect an update. Do we ALSO anticipate ANOTHER 13" update at that time or do we think we are done with 13" improvements until next year or so?

Thanks!
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For the 13" MBP, it's already done. No further expectations till next year!...
 
Return policy starts date RECEIVED, then 2 weeks...

In case this helps anyone: I ordered a fully-loaded MBP exactly 2 weeks and 1 day before yesterday's announcement. I've been on the phone with a very helpful rep and fortunately, Apple considers the beginning of the 2-week return policy to begin on the date it was received, which in my case puts me at 8 days. SO glad I didn't get priority shipping. I'm returning it online, which means they send shipping labels which should arrive in 7-10 days, then I have 21 days from today (the date I called in the return request) to ship it back.

My plan is to order a new one quickly, get it and set it up before I have to ship the old one back, so as to have no lag time. Yes, I may have a doubled-up credit card charge, but that's manageable.

As far as doing the data switch, should I just do a disk image in Carbon Copy Cloner and drag it over, or is that a bad idea in that the total settings for one model of computer shouldn't be transferred as it to a new "model"? The alternative is to just move User Folder, and selectively replace certain Application Support data in ~/library/applicationsupport, in my case many audio plugins and associated licenses in Preferences?

Eric
 
ericn said:
In case this helps anyone: I ordered a fully-loaded MBP exactly 2 weeks and 1 day before yesterday's announcement. I've been on the phone with a very helpful rep and fortunately, Apple considers the beginning of the 2-week return policy to begin on the date it was received, which in my case puts me at 8 days. SO glad I didn't get priority shipping. I'm returning it online, which means they send shipping labels which should arrive in 7-10 days, then I have 21 days from today (the date I called in the return request) to ship it back.

My plan is to order a new one quickly, get it and set it up before I have to ship the old one back, so as to have no lag time. Yes, I may have a doubled-up credit card charge, but that's manageable.

Eric
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I have a 2014 Mac Pro that should be delivered to the Apple Store tomorrow. I would appreciate if you would report back if it is worth the time and hassle returning a 2014 BTO model and ordering a new 2015 BTO model.
 
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Macbook or 13''Macbook Pro, the price is almost about the same, which one should I choose?:confused:
 
skaeroastro said:
RIP 15" rMBP. If Apple actually updates the 15", I don't expect discrete graphics to be an option since they are ALL OVER miniaturization....

But I do get that there are no quad-core Broadwell chips for the 15" yet. Still, I feel like Apple's very slowly leaving their pro lineup (starting with the 17") for dead.
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Did you read comment #14? Obviously not.
 
Ojisan said:
I have a 2014 Mac Pro that should be delivered to the Apple Store tomorrow. I would appreciate if you would report back if it is worth the time and hassle returning a 2014 BTO model and ordering a new 2015 BTO model.
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I'm reporting back to say yes, it's worth it. I too was wondering--just got my new customized mbp up and running--and hoping it wasn't a big deal. I did research and have to say it's a big deal. Besides the immediate reduction in value you'd have, the new one has MUCH better and faster graphics, higher speeds, and I really like the concept of the Force-sensing trackpad, and the many options it'll give.
Most of the work can probably be done over the phone with apple support, or the store. I did my return notification with a support rep, then am ordering the new one today.

Eric
 
ericn, the big negative for me is that single port (other than headphones)...just curious; are you not as concerned about that?

I'm waiting until I can see the model in the stores; though I suppose that it will be a madhouse when it first comes in!
 
MacBoook160 said:
ericn, the big negative for me is that single port (other than headphones)...just curious; are you not as concerned about that?

I'm waiting until I can see the model in the stores; though I suppose that it will be a madhouse when it first comes in!
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Whoops, I guess I mis-read your post. You're discussing the "Mac Pro", which I took to be a shorthand for the Macbook Pro, since that's most of what the thread's about. But I'd say the difference between a Mac Pro and the MBP has much to do with usability, vs performance specs. Apples & Oranges. I ALWAYS prefer taking my computer with me, so I was talking about the macbook PRO 13 Retina:

pic at :
http://snpy.link/hRJwQy

MagSafe 2 power port
Two Thunderbolt 2 ports (up to 20 Gbps)
Two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)
HDMI port
Headphone port
SDXC card slot
Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter (sold separately)
Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (sold separately)
 
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MacBoook160 said:
ericn, the big negative for me is that single port (other than headphones)...just curious; are you not as concerned about that?

I'm waiting until I can see the model in the stores; though I suppose that it will be a madhouse when it first comes in!
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Are you talking about the Macbook? This thread is about the retina Macbook Pro.
 
I've decided I'm going to cancel my order when it arrives at the Apple Store and order a new BTO 2015 Mac Pro. It just doesn't make sense for me to pay $2000 for last years model when I could pickup a 2015 model today at the Apple store.
 
Apologies if this is obvious, but it's upgrade time for me and I need to know how powerful I need to go with a new MBP. It's not technically for work, but I use it for some music production (Ableton, Max, Mainstage) and video rendering (Jitter, Quartz Composer) etc.

Is going all the way for the i7 chip overkill or a no-brainer?
 
unfunfionn said:
Apologies if this is obvious, but it's upgrade time for me and I need to know how powerful I need to go with a new MBP. It's not technically for work, but I use it for some music production (Ableton, Max, Mainstage) and video rendering (Jitter, Quartz Composer) etc.

Is going all the way for the i7 chip overkill or a no-brainer?
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I have the same questions. Every answer I have ever received can be summarized with the following statement: If you are not editing large video or rendering 3D objects & large, multilayer Photoshop-style images, the top i5 is more than enough.

But I always wonder. When I even open apps on a test i5 and a test i7, the i7 is so much faster. It is the only thing making me consider a 15". Otherwise, I much prefer the size of the 13".

Please, anyone who disagrees, let me know!
 
My 2014 Macbook arrived at the Applestore today and I called Apple to cancel pickup and put in an order in for the 2015 model. Process was easy.
 
caddison said:
You save just about as much buying a refurbished rMBP as you do from buying a new one with an educator's discount... which is only a couple hundred bucks.

If savings on a refurb was more substantial, I could see your point... but, as it is, I'm not sure going that route makes decision making any easier.
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Refurbished tend to be at least $100 cheaper than new with EDU. Not sure where you got your info. $100 is a decent discount if you're fine getting the specific model and you don't want to do customizations that are a lot more uncommon to find in the Refurb section of the online store.
 
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ManNBlack said:
When I even open apps on a test i5 and a test i7, the i7 is so much faster. It is the only thing making me consider a 15". Otherwise, I much prefer the size of the 13".

Please, anyone who disagrees, let me know!
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Make sure you're comparing like for like. The i7 processor in the 15" rMBP is a quad-core variant, whereas the i7 in the 13" model is a dual-core model. If you're just looking at the i5 vs i7 option in the 13" rMBP, there's not a huge difference. The i7 has 1MB more cache and 200 MHz higher base clock speed.

See http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2015/03/mbp-march-2015-multicore-800x875.jpg for the benchmarks.
 
Investor27 said:
Is it a consensus then that Skylake will only be in the next 15" Macbook Pro, and not in the 13" one?
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No. It's not even a consensus that there won't be a Broadwell 15-inch, as Intel doesn't appear to have clarified whether Broadwell-H will happen.

However, it's looking like the 15-incher will skip a generation, after which I'm guessing the 13-inch will eventually get Skylake as well, unless Cannonlake already happens in 2016.
 
ekotan said:
Make sure you're comparing like for like. The i7 processor in the 15" rMBP is a quad-core variant, whereas the i7 in the 13" model is a dual-core model. If you're just looking at the i5 vs i7 option in the 13" rMBP, there's not a huge difference. The i7 has 1MB more cache and 200 MHz higher base clock speed.

See http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2015/03/mbp-march-2015-multicore-800x875.jpg for the benchmarks.
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I was in a similar place regarding liking the size of the 13 inch but the i7 power of the 15 inch. I was impressed when I read up on the turbo boost feature which on the 2 – core I 5,does a "virtual 4 core" type of thing. Ait emulates for core using software in cash. Seems like it may have just been marketing hype but then I actually saw a of the processor performance graphs in activity Monitor show 4 course, and watch them work, I was not only pleasantly surprised convinced that this feature closes the gap enough for me to be quite satisfied with the 13 inch with upgraded i5 processor AND 1 TB solid-state drive and 16 GB of memory, all of which also contribute radically to overall performance. Funny enough, or not, I bought my MacBook Pro two weeks and one day before they announced the new one, but since The timer starts from when it was delivered, i'm in the process of exchanging new for new one. Anyway hope my non-technical findings help.
 
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