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Macbook Pro or Retina

T

Tech198

Cancelled
Original poster
Mar 21, 2011
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Hi all..

Thinking about buying a Macbook Pro Retina, as these look prietty good, but price is pushing me down to a Reburbished Macbook Pro (i7).

I'm concerned with the Retina based and the non-Retina based apps, you get this hybrid view, if some sections of a given app. (mostly third parties) have been updated, but not others.... It just look wierd.

I guess you don't notice this much on IOS because only one app on screen at a time, and even then, your switching between apps that are not currently visable.

Having said that, I love the look of the Retina, and external ports are fine with me.... as all my stuff is either in the cloud, or on external flash & hard drive, so SSD would be ok.

Its just the price. :eek:

Any recommendations ?

Or am i rushing for the Retina too early, and should get a Refurb (2011) insted ?

Also, want about accessories ? eg Incase Sleeve etc... Are/Will these be available?

Thanks.
 
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Well, you're not comparing apples with apples. Bigger screen, and also refurbished agains current rMBP. Maybe you should compare a refurbished 17 inch against a refurbished 15 inch.

But anyway, apart from that, go for a retina! They are expensive because of the SSD, but if you upgrade from normal drive to SSD on the non-retina, they get as expensive, without all the other added benefits.

Non-retina applications I think look at most as bad as they look on a normal screen, so you're not losing much.
 
1. What are your needs ?
Is the retina display something from what you will have benefits ? Or thickness ?
2. What is your price range ?
3. Do you need the ability of later hardware upgrades ?
Answer those questions, and you will figure it out do you need rmbp or not.
Off course, there is always the thing if money is not an issue, then buy it.
Personally I never buy computer "is he look good, is it trendy". Buy what you need for best price range.
 
AlanFord said:
1. What are your needs ?
Is the retina display something from what you will have benefits ? Or thickness ?
2. What is your price range ?
3. Do you need the ability of later hardware upgrades ?
Answer those questions, and you will figure it out do you need rmbp or not.
Off course, there is always the thing if money is not an issue, then buy it.
Personally I never buy computer "is he look good, is it trendy". Buy what you need for best price range.
Click to expand...

I have Retina on the ipad 3 and Ipone 4s, but i don't mind weather Retina is part of the mac or not.... I don't do any photography or photos, (at leat that what Apple was making a big deal with it at the keynote).. Just general everyday stuff... browsing, parallels, email etc..

Not mind about upgrades, as the base is all i ever will need.

I am pushing more towards an ulta book. so this may be better anyway.
 
Have you considered the Air? For what you do, its perfect, and the built in SSD means that for most things you do, its probably faster than the macbook pro...and cheaper to boot.

If you really crave the extra screen real-estate and are not afraid of tearing open your macbook pro(or letting/paying someone else to do so) then refurb i7 + swapping the optical drive for an SSD is probably your best bet.
 
Completely off topic I know but why couldn't they release a lower cost 15" macbook even if it meant getting rid of the optical drive and witholding a discrete graphics card. I guess that would be a 15" air but isn't that what the retina mac is anyway with a fancy screen and a high price tag?
 
Mal67 said:
Completely off topic I know but why couldn't they release a lower cost 15" macbook even if it meant getting rid of the optical drive and witholding a discrete graphics card. I guess that would be a 15" air but isn't that what the retina mac is anyway with a fancy screen and a high price tag?
Click to expand...

Because over the next few years the Retina Macbook Pro will be the only 15 inch that Apple offers. The retina macbook pro was put into the macbook pro line, it wasn't rebranded as a new line of laptops because it's eventually going to absorb the rest of the models. Basically, Apple wants to pursue high res 'retina screens' and flash storage meaning anything without those will probably get little priority. Expect the rMPB cost to go down as the old non-Retina pros are eliminated though.
 
Wrestling With Same

Note: New info that the MBP Retina Display has 'ghosting' issues helped make my decision...(see: https://discussions.apple.com/message/18682480#18682480)

But, prior to that I went through all these mental considerations (for what it's worth)

BACKGROUND: I don't have a laptop. Got good desktop setup, got iPod Touch 4G. Now ready to buy laptop and/or new iPad and have been finding it very, very difficult to decide.

There is the Good Advise 101 in this thread, buy what you need (i.e. not feel compelled to buy something just because it's the latest rage).

Good Advice 102 don't jump in on the latest new thing. Wait and see how it holds up in the real world (as 'ghosting issue' mentioned above shows the value of).

I do Advice 102 with software and if I can wait this hardware is 3rd generation I feel better about it and it tends to have really good improvements.

Good Advice 103 What's going to give me greatest value? What's the best 'bang for the buck'? What will have the most usefulness? What does the most work? What will have the greatest resale value?

And, of course, no doubt, it's nice to get something 'cool, something fun or something that takes your breath away and you really like. It is Good Advice 104 to do so. I like to get a taste of the 'cutting edge,' with new gear.

Although it isn't essential to real value it also is nice if any of your products, whether clothes, car, bikes, computers, etc. have a little 'wow' value and when your friends see you coming down the street they don't groan or feel sorry for you, but think; 'Wow. Cool stuff.' (This IS part of life; cool stuff is cool to have).

MY CONCLUSION: I toss away the iPad idea because my darn iPod Touch keeps doing all the things I want for mobile devise (but too small to read long time on)...(um, and it gets a 'wow value' when I pull it out of my pocket and light up it's smart screen.). And to do a lot of my common usage, I'd have to buy a keyboard.

I'M BUYING AN MACBOOK AIR, 13', dual-core i5 Ivy Bridge, 128 flash storage, 8Gb's Ram.

I had to 'accept' that I didn't need quad-core, I didn't need i7, the cool new thing will be the flash storage HD, and I don't need more that 128GB and/or can transfer data to external drives or the cloud and keep the 128flashHD trim.

8Gb's of Ram is what I upgraded to now on my desktop setup. It made a positive difference compared to 4Gb I initially had (I get a lot of value to by making a RAM disk and running Safari in it and having 8GB makes that easy).
A free app for that is at: http://tmpdisk.inkscribbles.com/

A laptop, too, will give me a backup to my desktop system if that every fails again. Plus this laptop can run 3 displays (which I have). The 13" also has an SD port.

Price difference? Well, about $800 less than a possible ghosting Retina. That's real money, available for other cool things.

Okay...I've convinced myself now. Time to write the check.
 
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Apple is on the bleeding edge of technology. If you are into that, and can deal with issues surrounding new and relatively untested tech, then go for it. If not, then stick with the tried and true until retina becomes the tried and true.
 
Warping

I also was considering buying a retina mbp , but changed my mind after seeing my friends retina mbp had a weird warping of the aluminum in the middle of keyboard and palm rest.
I went with him to the Apple store and it seemed to me they all had this.
It would be interesting to see one after 6 months of use.
In my opinion this could be a design flaw.
 
citizenbfk said:
Plus this laptop can run 3 displays (which I have).
Click to expand...

You have 2 thunderbolt displays, so you're talking about those and the internal display at the same time (totaling 3 displays)?

Is there any other way to run 2 external monitors and the internal on the Macbook Air, since it only has one thunderbolt port? I guess there are those USB monitor solutions, but I've never seen very good reviews for them.
 
MacBook Air Multiple Displays

Yes, I believe the 2012 MacBook Air can have three separate displays: the display on the laptop and two displays from the Thunderbolt port.

Thunderbolt is new to me but researching it it seems very versatile, it takes the mini-Display cable...and that can go to VGA, DVI, or HDMI or Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt, and it can at least be daisy chained, (if not split?)

When research this I saw a photo of it being done (can't find it, offhand) and there was this info --pic attached - from Apple Discussions and in the bottom box it shows the MacBook Air 2012 able to support two displays.

And I don't think...but could be wrong ...the displays have to have a Thunderbolt port; but adapters mentioned above could be used (!?)

The new MBP 2012 can, I believe support four (4) displays, the display on it's laptop and three others.

I have two displays now (with separate windows) and another display that just mirrors one of these. This has proved useful to me and -- if nothing else -- I'm sure I could have at least two displays right away with the MacBook Air, it's laptop display and one other; I've gotten use to this way of working --- having two displays --- like it very much; so at least I'm sure it can do this.

But I do believe, as initially mentioned, I could eventually get three displays, with the right adapters, splitter, or daisy chaining, or whatever is needed.
 

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I have been deliberating the exact same buying option - desperate need to replace soon and the tips here have been most helpful. Thanks.

Personally, I am going for the highest spec 2011 Macbook Pro refurb available. I am concerned as a user of numerous CS6 software that it will be some time before Adobe has these optimised for the retina display.

I will look to the the rMBP next year.
 
I foudn that 1440*900 is not enough for me at all. 1680*1050 is good enough for me and i'm really satisfied. I wont be buying the rMBP because 1680*1050 is already so far above average and is already impressive.

Of course, the current model has no 1680*1050 so you would have to choose what you really want. I would go for the latter.
 
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