MBPr vs MBA

[heisenberg123]

My mom has a MBA so I have used it a few times when I was setting it up for her and teaching her some Mac basics and I actually liked it. My 2011 MBP need to be replaced so I have decided either the 13" MBPr or the 13" MBA since I have never actually seen a retina display.

is the Pro worth the extra $300?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

My mom has a MBA so I have used it a few times when I was setting it up for her and teaching her some Mac basics and I actually liked it. My 2011 MBP need to be replaced so I have decided either the 13" MBPr or the 13" MBA since I have never actually seen a retina display.

is the Pro worth the extra $300?

Yes.

The screen alone is worth that in my opinion, especially if you use a lot of text.

You also get better graphics, better CPU, better sustained turbo, more connectivity with 2 x thunderbolt 2 ports and an HDMI, force trackpad. You'll lose an hour or 2 on battery life and gain 1/2 a pound weight in a slightly smaller (footprint-wise) machine.

 

[TeeRav19]

My mom has a MBA so I have used it a few times when I was setting it up for her and teaching her some Mac basics and I actually liked it. My 2011 MBP need to be replaced so I have decided either the 13" MBPr or the 13" MBA since I have never actually seen a retina display.

is the Pro worth the extra $300?

I was in the same boat a few days ago and chose the rMBP because I wanted to have a longer lasting machine. Also, I believe Best Buy is still having some deals on their Macs, so I would check those out.

 

[Neverbepeace]

My mom has a MBA so I have used it a few times when I was setting it up for her and teaching her some Mac basics and I actually liked it. My 2011 MBP need to be replaced so I have decided either the 13" MBPr or the 13" MBA since I have never actually seen a retina display.

is the Pro worth the extra $300?

I am thinking of selling off my rmbp and picking up an mba. While the screen is nice, I like the thinner, lighter mba. I have the late 2013 rmbp btw. I have not played with the current versions of the rmbp though.

 

[T5BRICK]

is the Pro worth the extra $300?

I think it is, but if the MBA suits your needs, it's a good computer too.

 

[Alameda]

My mom has a MBA so I have used it a few times when I was setting it up for her and teaching her some Mac basics and I actually liked it. My 2011 MBP need to be replaced so I have decided either the 13" MBPr or the 13" MBA since I have never actually seen a retina display.

is the Pro worth the extra $300?

My 2010 MacBook Air just took a bath, so I replaced it with a MacBook Pro. Here are my observations:
1) I just LOVE Time Machine! Disaster struck Sunday. I went to Best Buy, got the new Mac, and after 45 minutes everything was fully restored. It's exactly like the Air, every app, font, password, you name it.

2) The screen does look a lot better. I'm an amateur photographer, so I really appreciate it.

3) My Air had 4 GB of RAM, and my Pro has 8 GB. Even so, the performance difference isn't very noticeable. I'm sure there are differences, but I was pretty happy with the Air.

4) I'd like to meet the guy at Apple who came up with MagSafe2, so I can punch him in the face. I had to buy a $10 adapter for each of my power adapters, and the adapters are ridiculously small and easy to lose.

5) it's great that the Pro has HDMI. I connect my Mac to conference room projectors at work all the time, and I hate carrying dongles with my laptop (they get lost all the time).

6) Battery life on the Pro seems much longer than on my Air.

 

[laz1e]

My mom has a MBA so I have used it a few times when I was setting it up for her and teaching her some Mac basics and I actually liked it. My 2011 MBP need to be replaced so I have decided either the 13" MBPr or the 13" MBA since I have never actually seen a retina display.

is the Pro worth the extra $300?

Coming from a mid-2013 MBA 13", I just recently purchased a early 2015 mbpr 13". I think overall it's pretty good, but I do miss the battery life. I've noticed that the mbpr gets warmer than the mba, with the mba it hardly got warm even with watching videos and what not, only when I tried to play counter-strike global offensive then it got hot (for obvious reasons).

 

[maflynn]

so I have decided either the 13" MBPr or the 13" MBA

I'd opt for the 13" rMBP over the MBA because of the screen and ports. If you're liking the MBA's form factor yet miss the retina screen have you considered the rMB?

 

[nope7308]

Honestly, I see no reason to purchase the MBA whatsoever. The MBPr is the superior machine by nearly every metric, and if portability is your primary concern, then I would suggest you wait for the next MBr update.

 

[heisenberg123]

thanks all for the replied, I ended up ordering the MBPr, portability is not a huge factor I move from my desk to the couch I don't usually leave the house with a laptop.