Macbook + tablet

[Tech198]

Hi all.

Thinking about going to the new 12-Macbook and an iPad Pro 12' display..

However, since i can get more features, for the same price as comparing to the Macbook Pro with Retina, at least here in Australia, should i just keep the Retina ?

The USB-C port concerned me, but then I thought "Who would be using multiple devices at any one time most of the time anyway" to justify that.

Anyone gone from a Macbook Pro Retina down to a Macbook 12-inch ? what was was the experience like with a smaller screen...(I guess a 13" down to 12' may not be that big of a difference, anymore than going from a 1.3 Ghz to 1.2Ghz in theory)

 

[zhenya]

I used 14" laptops for years for my job. Since the development of high dpi screens, I've found I'm able to comfortably use 12" screens at close to the same equivalent 'work area' as the larger screens, because even smaller type and elements remain sharp. For me, 12" screens are the sweet spot between portability and usability. This depends on your specific needs, however, and your particular comfort with smaller screen elements.

 

[theluggage]

should i just keep the Retina ?

What sort of work will you be doing on it?
Why do you need the ultra-portability of a MacBook vs. a rMBP that is already pretty small & light?
Conversely, do you actually need any of the extra features on the rMBP?
How's your eyesight - do you use the scaled modes on the rMBP to get extra screen "real estate"?
What do you need to do "on the move" that you can't do on the iPad?
What are you going to do on the iPad that requires a 12" display and justifies sacrificing some of the portability of the 9"? (e.g. Pencil-based graphics or split-screen workflows, desktop rather than handheld use)?

The USB-C port concerned me, but then I thought "Who would be using multiple devices at any one time most of the time anyway" to justify that.

Scenario A:
You're in a meeting streaming your presentation to the Apple TV that someone has thoughtfully attached to the shiny new 100" OLED screen at the head of the table. Your MacBook battery is brim full thanks to the rapid-charge USB 3 socket on the bedside table in your hotel room and your past experience reassures you that its good for 10 hours. You finish by sharing your Keynote presentation on iCloud. The coffee is really good.

Scenario B:
You're in a meeting giving a presentation on a clunky VGA-era data projector, when you realise your battery is on 10% because you forgot to plug it in last night. You'll need to trail the wire across the floor to reach the socket so you're really glad you have MagSafe. Then someone hands you a NTFS-formatted USB stick and asks you for a copy of your PowerPoint. You're trying to cut down on caffeine and the decaf is foul).

If Scenario A sounds like your life, you'll be fine with a MacBook and a single USB and, PS, I hate you

(nb: The NTFS thing happened to me last week - and since it belonged to a Mac user who only works with other Mac users and who by no stretch of the imagination would use a NTFS drive it took me a while to work out. Seems like they asked their techie why they couldn't write to their new blank drive and his/her brilliant solution was to install NTFS-3G on their laptop rather than hitting reformat. Of course, they didn't mention that when they handed me the drive. To be fair, a rMBP won't fix that although it will probably boot the Windows VM a bit faster.)