MBP 15" with AntiGlare...Buy Now?

[Albuca]

Hi!

I am thinking of upgrading to a 15" MBP (non-retina) with anti-glare from my HP Probook 9650 (which also has a matt screen).

My question is wether or not I should buy it now (and give the anti-glare a shot) or wait until the summer.
My hesitation is because I heard the MBP line is getting a refresh and going all retina. The anti-glare is not normally carried in stock, and thus will probably be unavailable come refresh time.

Any suggestions would be wonderful!

Cheers,
A

 

[Rizzm]

Like these threads always go...

1) If you NEED it now, then get it now.
2) If you can wait, then wait.

 

[Albuca]

I appreciate the fast response Rizzn!
I determined that was the usual response -- however none of the other topics touched on the MBP refresh and the potential removal of the non-retina line.
So I figured it was worth posting and getting everyones input!

Cheers,
A

Ps. Anyone have any personal experience with the Anti-Glare screens?

 

[Rizzm]

I appreciate the fast response Rizzn!
I determined that was the usual response -- however none of the other topics touched on the MBP refresh and the potential removal of the non-retina line.
So I figured it was worth posting and getting everyones input!

Cheers,
A

Ps. Anyone have any personal experience with the Anti-Glare screens?

Well MacBook refreshes seem to be around once a year or a little less so make your decision based on that.

Whether or not the classic MBP will be ex'd seems to be about 50/50 at this point. It could have another generation, or it may not. I'd say my first response if pretty much the best answer you can get right now.

 

[kh3khalid]

I was planning to wait for the next refresh but got sick of waiting, so I ordered a 15" MBP with Antiglare just yesterday.

It's my first Mac (Coming from a Lenovo) and I chose the Antiglare because the reflection of the glossy was really bugging me when I saw it at the store (haven't seen the Antiglare though).

I think it's not worth the wait. nVidia just announced the new GPU lineup for 2013 and there isn't much difference between the current as I read from people's responses. Also, the 15" MBP comes with a Quad Core i7 with is a powerful processos that can keep you running for years with no problems.

I don't think that there will be a refresh this summer because there was an Early-2013 refresh. I know that they didn't refresh the cMBP, but this isn't important because they are focusing on the Retina models.

 

[F1 Fan]

I went into the Apple store near me a few times looking at the anti glare and comparing it to the retina but they've now taken it off display. They're only showing the entry level specs of the cMBP. I went to a different store today and they've done the same thing. It must be very recent because in both stores the guy went and looked around because he thought it was there.

I guess from this that the cMBP is being killed off faster than I first thought. I had thought it would survive another rep but it doesn't look like it...

I won't tell you about my impressions of the anti glare because I guess you're looking for input from someone who has more experience of it than a few minutes in store!

 

[ovation802]

I had gone to apple stores as well to compare retina and high res displays. No such luck in my area either (Boston). They only had one 15" cMBP among the retina displays. I ordered the high res anti glare sight unseen and I am very happy with my decision. I have a LG display and I think it looks great. I would recommend it if you are having a hard time with the price of the 15" retina display.

 

[DaCurmudgen]

Hi-res anti-glare ain't no retina ... but it is still beautiful

I bought a cMBP 15" hi-res antiglare last July and I LOVE it. I think one of the most critical use cases for the rMBP is photography. From all the reviews/posts I've seen, the retina screen can't be beat for editing and displaying photos, movies, artwork, etc. - truly a step up from anything on the market. The rMBP is also lighter than the cMBP, so that usually comes up at some point in the discussion, too.

But remember, before Retina, plenty of visual artists and enthusiasts swooned over the hi-res because it was one of the highest resolution screens in a laptop. I can tell you that when people look at my screen, they ask if it is Retina - it is a beautiful screen and the resolution is more than enough for what I do with my Mac. (mainly audio production and some light video editing) The computer also supports external displays that are capable of much higher resolutions (like Apple Thunderbolt Display or others), so that is always an option if you are concerned about missing out.

Like everyone says, how are you going to use it? I bought the 2012 cMBP refresh because I knew I wanted USB 3 and Firewire, a built-in CD/DVD drive (I know, but it has come in handy on quite a few occasions), and the flexibility of upgrading RAM and/or adding SSD. I've already maxed out the RAM and I bought the 750 GB HD with 7200 RPM, which is only a third full with all my software. In hindsight, I should have thought about a 512 SSD instead, but I can still do that when SSD are even cheaper.

Bottom line: unless you really have a need for retina, the Hi-Res is a nice compromise, and the break on your wallet can allow for more memory or other accessories you might want.

 

[Albuca]

Thank you all for your replies!

I'm actually planning on getting it for University - however I enjoy photo, video editing and graphical design on the side.

The rMBP was never on my list entirely due to the lack of its upgrade capabilities (and atrocious costs if you want apple to do it for you). It also has no LAN port! Absolutely necessary when the WLAN gets bogged down by youtubers at lunch.

It'll be my first Mac, so I figured I would buy something that would last me a few years and not take forty bajillion years to boot up and resume from standby.
Plus it seems to hold its value well if kijiji is any indication. But just because it retains value does not mean there is demand for it... that's the only unknown.

My friend is going to see what kind of price he can get me on the cMBP with anti glare so it's now a waiting game!

But please keep posting your opinions (both good and bad) regarding the anti glare. I'm really leaning towards it but some "don't get it because of X" is always helpful too!

Regards,
- A

 

[dusk007]

There are LAN adapters. I think they are needed if you ever attend a little lan party gaming session. Wireless gaming is simply worthless.

 

[IlikeMacsSoMuch]

My cmbp is amazing

I appreciate the fast response Rizzn!
I determined that was the usual response -- however none of the other topics touched on the MBP refresh and the potential removal of the non-retina line.
So I figured it was worth posting and getting everyones input!

Cheers,
A

Ps. Anyone have any personal experience with the Anti-Glare screens?

Hi, I have the mid 2012 15 inches cmbp with hd screen and anti-glare and I couldn't be happier. I changed the hdd for a ssd from OWC and I upgraded the ram to 16GB in the same time. The retina screen is amazing but I work in environnements where lights is an issue so it was a no go for me. If you absolutely want a mate screen IMO there is no point in waiting, even if Apple were to upgrade the cmbp line as well. If the quad core processor in the actual model doesn't do the job for you, then an upgraded one will probably not as well, in that case buy an iMac or the upcoming MacPro so you'll get a desktop class CPU.

But if you need the portability.... And, even if I barely ever use the optical drive, for the 2-3 times a year that I do, I like not having to carry an external. whenever I need it, it is there. That is the point of having a laptop, having everything handy. If you need the optical drive that is, contrary to me, a lot of user don't need it.

 

[Hairllama]

I just picked up a cMPB 15" Antiglare. By the time I added an SSD alongside the internal HD and added 16GB of ram. It was about $900 cheaper than the Retina. Yes it's heavier, but it's a proven design that has already gone through its growing pains. Beautiful machine and the screen is really nice.

 

[thundersteele]

My anti-glare experience is somewhat mixed unfortunately. The new one has developed a serious amount of backlight bleeding over time (1.5 years). My 2007 anti-glare MBP screen still looks perfect on the other hand.

I think it is extremely unlikely that the regular MBPs will get retina displays. There is a chance it will get discontinued, but I'm not sure. The anti-glare is rarely displayed and sold in stores, although some carry a fully upgraded high end model with anti-glare.

I don't buy the upgradeability issue with the rMBP. You can get 16 GB of RAM for $200, which is less than 10% of the price of the full machine. What else could you want, unless you really need lots and lots of storage?