Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MBA to rMB Crossovers

iRun26.2

iRun26.2

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Aug 15, 2010
2,123
344
How many of you that plan to purchase the new rMB come from using a MBA (like me). I assume that most previous MBA owners owned the 11" MBA (as I'm sure 13" MBA owners might not be happy to now go with a smaller screen, but I could be wrong).
 
Last edited:
I will be going from a 13" MacBookAir to the 12in /512GB MacBook.

As a former 12" PowerBook, I actually think it's he perfect size screen.
 
I'm going from a 13inch 2013 MBA 8gb 256gb

And I'm a little worried about the screen size but I'm sure I can get used to it..I mean it's one inch
 
For the people crossing over, what is your motivation?
For 11" owners, you get an inch more of screen, for the 13" owners you lose an inch.

Plus you give up on well established USB port in favor of the new USB-C.

I'm not knocking the decision or the MB, but rather, I'm interested in knowing why
 
I've been using the 11" MBA for almost four years (three models) and I will be moving to the rMB. While I don't care for the lack of ports and the lack of MagSafe, when I look back at how often I used a USB drive it was less than 3-4 times a year (if that). So, I'll deal with the lack of MagSafe for the slightly larger screen and much better display.
 
maflynn said:
For 11" owners, you get an inch more of screen, for the 13" owners you lose an inch.
Click to expand...

Not according to the specs which state exactly 12" for the rMB. The so-called 11" MBA screen actually measures 11.6" so the difference is only 0.4" - that is not very much.

But the so-called 13" MBA actually measures 13.3" which is a pretty substantial difference of 1.3". I have owned both the 11" and 13" MBA and like the 11" much better. So I would be fine with the screen size on the rMB. But I have seen so many posts in the MBA forum stating that 11.6" is just too small and 13.3" is perfect. So it surprises me that these same people would be happy with a 12" screen, which is basically the same size as the 11" MBA.
 
Boyd01 said:
Not according to the specs which state exactly 12" for the rMB. The so-called 11" MBA screen actually measures 11.6" so the difference is only 0.4" - that is not very much.

But the so-called 13" MBA actually measures 13.3" which is a pretty substantial difference of 1.3". I have owned both the 11" and 13" MBA and like the 11" much better. So I would be fine with the screen size on the rMB. But I have seen so many posts in the MBA forum stating that 11.6" is just too small and 13.3" is perfect. So it surprises me that these same people would be happy with a 12" screen, which is basically the same size as the 11" MBA.
Click to expand...

What does the 12" screen actually measure out to? You may have a point... I just was curious.
 
Boyd01 said:
Not according to the specs which state exactly 12" for the rMB. The so-called 11" MBA screen actually measures 11.6" so the difference is only 0.4" - that is not very much.

But the so-called 13" MBA actually measures 13.3" which is a pretty substantial difference of 1.3". I have owned both the 11" and 13" MBA and like the 11" much better. So I would be fine with the screen size on the rMB. But I have seen so many posts in the MBA forum stating that 11.6" is just too small and 13.3" is perfect. So it surprises me that these same people would be happy with a 12" screen, which is basically the same size as the 11" MBA.
Click to expand...

Screen ratio is important too, iirc the 11" is 16:9 and the 13" is 16:10. The MacBook is also 16:10 so is probably closer in height to the 13".
 
Another one considering a move from a 13" Air. I'll have to see the new MacBook screen for real, but maybe the extra pixels will make up for the smaller size? The 11" Air is too small for me, and the aspect ratio is weird.
 
90% likely be moving from my 11" MBA to rMB. Would like to see it in the Store first.
 
maflynn said:
For the people crossing over, what is your motivation?
For 11" owners, you get an inch more of screen, for the 13" owners you lose an inch.

Plus you give up on well established USB port in favor of the new USB-C.

I'm not knocking the decision or the MB, but rather, I'm interested in knowing why
Click to expand...

Losing an inch of screen real-estate doesn't bother me, especially given the increase to retina resolution.
I want small and light, with excellent resolution. I'm a writer, so I don't need all the CPU and GPU power of the rMBP.
As for ports, I rarely use them on my MBA 13", and when I do it's for thumb-drive file sharing. I'm hoping Dropbox and Airdrop can suffice for this. If not, I might consider the adaptor, or hope for cheaper USB-C thumb drives or adapters going forward.
I like the "vision" of the rMB, and it's focus on portability and wireless connectivity. I like getting in on the ground floor of those potential sea-changes in technology, and being a tiny part of forward-pushing trends.
 
maflynn said:
For the people crossing over, what is your motivation?
For 11" owners, you get an inch more of screen, for the 13" owners you lose an inch.

Plus you give up on well established USB port in favor of the new USB-C.

I'm not knocking the decision or the MB, but rather, I'm interested in knowing why
Click to expand...

I haven't committed to buy one, but I'll tell you why I might. Note that I'd be going from rMBP to rMB, not MBA to rMB.

Right now I'm carrying a 13" rMBP and an iPad (was an Air; got too big and heavy so changed to an rMini) every day. It's ok, but I notice the weight. And at work I don't need (actually can't use) the USB ports for data exchange. The rMB should be able to handle the things I use the rMBP for at work and while commuting - mostly Word, Excel, Outlook and Safari.

So, getting rid of almost 1 1/2 pounds of laptop with no give-up in screen quality or connectivity is really no issue at all. The slightly smaller screen might or might not be an issue under some conditions, since I often need to have two documents open at once and the 13.3" screen might be just enough bigger to make a difference - hard to tell without trying it in person.

The biggest issue is whether I feel like putting $1300 into that dedicated use (and keep the rMBP), or justify the $1300 by selling the rMBP (not inclined to do so - and I do things with the rMBP at home, like photo and video editing, that I'm not sure the rMB is a good candidate for. A secondary issue is whether it's dumb to buy a Gen1 design. The original Air and iPad were innovative but not fully developed (duh). Resale value is probably high enough that I might take that risk.
 
Last edited:
cinealta said:
Don't you want to try the keyboard first? For the writers I know, the keyboard is the most important feature. The rMB keys reportedly have no travel. Even the chiclets keys have some travel.
Click to expand...

Ya, I do. That's a good point, and why I'm probably not going to order online on April 10. I think I need to go to the Apple Store and feel those new keys for myself. I write 10,000+ words a week, so the keyboard and screen are the top 2 properties.
 
I plan on buying it.

Going from 2014 11" MBA, 4 gig/256 SSD to the 12" rMB 512 SSD.

I'm expecting the same performance overall with the lighter weight and new keyboard design.

I was actually hoping it was coming out last spring and had to buy the 2014 11" MBA update because I had given my 2010 11" MBA away to a family member.
 
bjet767 said:
I plan on buying it.

Going from 2014 11" MBA, 4 gig/256 SSD to the 12" rMB 512 SSD.

I'm expecting the same performance overall with the lighter weight and new keyboard design.

I was actually hoping it was coming out last spring and had to buy the 2014 11" MBA update because I had given my 2010 11" MBA away to a family member.
Click to expand...

I think the 'M' processor of the rMB is a little more of a downgrade than the 2014 MBA processor. I am switching over from a 2010 11" mba so I'm hoping I see a noticeab bit of a performance boost.

I also thought it was coming out last spring. It sure has been long in coming!
 
MisterPunchy said:
I'm a writer, so I don't need all the CPU and GPU power of the rMBP.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. So basically the power of the MBP is unneeded in your situation. The keyboard as mentioned is the wild card, while revolutionary the lack of key travel may be an issue.

newellj said:
So, getting rid of almost 1 1/2 pounds of laptop with no give-up in screen quality or connectivity is really no issue at all. The slightly smaller screen might or might not be an issue under some conditions, since I often need to have two documents open at once and the 13.3" screen might be just enough bigger to make a difference - hard to tell without trying it in person.

The biggest issue is whether I feel like putting $1300 into that dedicated use (and keep the rMBP), or justify the $1300 by selling the rMBP (not inclined to do so - and I do things with the rMBP at home, like photo and video editing, that I'm not sure the rMB is a good candidate for. A secondary issue is whether it's dumb to buy a Gen1 design. The original Air and iPad were innovative but not fully developed (duh). Resale value is probably high enough that I might take that risk.
Click to expand...
That makes sense, though I can understand the conundrum of owning two laptops. For me, 2 pounds isn't a major reason to give up, but I can see your point.
 
maflynn said:
That makes sense. So basically the power of the MBP is unneeded in your situation. The keyboard as mentioned is the wild card, while revolutionary the lack of key travel may be an issue.
Click to expand...

I think a bigger problem might be that the new keys are too large.

And why larger keys anyway? I wonder if it is a visual effect that makes the laptop look thinner (just my own hypotheses, though).
 
iRun26.2 said:
I think a bigger problem might be that the new keys are too large.

And why larger keys anyway? I wonder if it is a visual effect that makes the laptop look thinner (just my own hypotheses, though).
Click to expand...

I hadn't noticed that, when I have a chance, I'll try it out at my local apple store (when they have them to try out).
 
Boyd01 said:
Not according to the specs which state exactly 12" for the rMB. The so-called 11" MBA screen actually measures 11.6" so the difference is only 0.4" - that is not very much.

But the so-called 13" MBA actually measures 13.3" which is a pretty substantial difference of 1.3". I have owned both the 11" and 13" MBA and like the 11" much better. So I would be fine with the screen size on the rMB. But I have seen so many posts in the MBA forum stating that 11.6" is just too small and 13.3" is perfect. So it surprises me that these same people would be happy with a 12" screen, which is basically the same size as the 11" MBA.
Click to expand...

This is a good point to make. As far as screen size, this is basically the 11.6" of the Air "Retinised" and expanded to a 16x10 aspect ratio instead of 16x9.

Which is perfect for me, because I have been the happy owner of my mid-2011 maxed 11" MBA for a good four years now. I can't wait to get the new Macbook. I already have to carry around adapters for the MBA, so no change there, really. I will also be able to plug into ANY USB wall charger, even an iPad or iPhone in a pinch. By by extra charger brick on business travels! Huge savings on bulk in my briefcase there.

Always wished for a 16x10 version of the 11" Air and that is exactly what I got.
 
maflynn said:
For the people crossing over, what is your motivation?
For 11" owners, you get an inch more of screen, for the 13" owners you lose an inch.

Plus you give up on well established USB port in favor of the new USB-C.

I'm not knocking the decision or the MB, but rather, I'm interested in knowing why
Click to expand...

A few reasons:

  • I need a new computer
  • I barely use my ports - maybe once a month
  • I actually liked the 12" in screen on my PowerBook
 
iRun26.2 said:
I think the 'M' processor of the rMB is a little more of a downgrade than the 2014 MBA processor. I am switching over from a 2010 11" mba so I'm hoping I see a noticeab bit of a performance boost.

I also thought it was coming out last spring. It sure has been long in coming!
Click to expand...

That's my reasoning too. The new core M will be an upgrade for me, and I have zero problems with my current laptop, so not too worried there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back