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Need help on deciding 13 inch Macbook Air(Haswell) or 13 inch Retina Macbook Pro

H

HeWasOnly3

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 1, 2014
4
0
First and foremost, I am new to this forum. I could use some help when it comes to choosing these 2 notebooks. Based on my research, it appears that the 13 inch Macbook Air(Haswell) suffers from wifi connection issues, is this a software or hardware problem? To date, it appears that this problem has not been solved by apple. Next, does 13 inch Macbook Pro retina(Haswell) suffers image retention problem? This will be my first Mac and I plan on using it for coding. Please advise and thank you :).
 
Retina

Read all sorts of things about issues with wifi - but honestly don't believe everything you read. I think the air would suffice for your coding, but I am sold on the speed and clarity of the retina. Display is crystal clear - and speed is amazing.
 
Ryndom said:
Read all sorts of things about issues with wifi - but honestly don't believe everything you read. I think the air would suffice for your coding, but I am sold on the speed and clarity of the retina. Display is crystal clear - and speed is amazing.
Click to expand...

Well it would be sad if I go for a notebook with broken wifi card :(. Although retina is a beast, does it suffers from image retention issue?
 
Last edited:
Believe what you want

Since your new, I'd strongly suggest that you goto your local apple store if there's one close by and touch & play with the models your interested in. Find a manager or two and ask them of the problems there experiencing with different models , if they say none , throw in some I heard this and that , talk to the genius's that diagnose and fix the problems in house.

Do not take what you read on the internet as being 100% true. Its best to do YOUR OWN research and go from there. Apple has a 14 day return period. If your doing a build to order well that's going to add to you getting your new computer.

As for the MBA, I personally can say that I never had problems with it connecting to the cable modem here in house or any other location that I was at. There are lot's of contributing factors to consider also.

If your going to be coding I would strongly suggest 8 gig of ram, the I7 for some is an overkill, and allot recommend the I5 instead. SSD size well that depends on what your planing on storing. Do you plan on keeping this for a long time? If so you mite want to go with a maxed model, which I know some stores carry, it will not show up in the online store either. Our local store carry's the maxed put 13" MBA, but does not show in the online store

Good Luck
 
michaelsviews said:
Since your new, I'd strongly suggest that you goto your local apple store if there's one close by and touch & play with the models your interested in. Find a manager or two and ask them of the problems there experiencing with different models , if they say none , throw in some I heard this and that , talk to the genius's that diagnose and fix the problems in house.

Do not take what you read on the internet as being 100% true. Its best to do YOUR OWN research and go from there. Apple has a 14 day return period. If your doing a build to order well that's going to add to you getting your new computer.

As for the MBA, I personally can say that I never had problems with it connecting to the cable modem here in house or any other location that I was at. There are lot's of contributing factors to consider also.

If your going to be coding I would strongly suggest 8 gig of ram, the I7 for some is an overkill, and allot recommend the I5 instead. SSD size well that depends on what your planing on storing. Do you plan on keeping this for a long time? If so you mite want to go with a maxed model, which I know some stores carry, it will not show up in the online store either. Our local store carry's the maxed put 13" MBA, but does not show in the online store

Good Luck
Click to expand...

Hey there, thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately I live in Malaysia, there is no Apple store here, only authorized Apple resellers are available hence genius's will be absent as well. I will try and ask them regarding these issues. My original plan was to go with the Macbook Air. If the wifi issue is unsolved, I will turn my eyes on retina Macbook Pro :). I try them tomorrow. I will keep you guys posted :) and thank you so much :)
 
Here is how to make your decision. Both are great machines. Your use should drive the decision.

If portability is the most important issue for you, get the Macbook Air. It's a great machine, best portable laptop I ever owned. No wifi issues.

In almost all other instances, retina Macbook Pro is the answer. It also is the best prosumer notebook I've ever owned, and by a wide margin over anything else that's out there, including performance, battery life, screen, keyboard, ease of use, reliability. I gave my Air to an employee and now I exclusively use the retina Macbook Pro.

If you are coding and compiling, and portability is not paramount, I'd get the retina Mbook Pro for certain. The Pro retina screen is substantially better than the Air's TN panel (Air screen is decent for a TN panel, but it's not a retina screen).

Also, the retina Pro has more heft -- the keyboard is better because it's a bit more solid than the Air and the keys have more travel, giving a better feel. If you are going to be pounding out code, I assure you, you'll appreciate the Pro keyboard, you can really jam on it versus the thinner chiclets on the Air.

You can read all the performance stuff on other posts here.
 
HeWasOnly3 said:
First and foremost, I am new to this forum. I could use some help when it comes to choosing these 2 notebooks. Based on my research, it appears that the 13 inch Macbook Air(Haswell) suffers from wifi connection issues, is this a software or hardware problem? To date, it appears that this problem has not been solved by apple. Next, does 13 inch Macbook Pro retina(Haswell) suffers image retention problem? This will be my first Mac and I plan on using it for coding. Please advise and thank you :).
Click to expand...

Ryndom said:
Read all sorts of things about issues with wifi - but honestly don't believe everything you read. I think the air would suffice for your coding, but I am sold on the speed and clarity of the retina. Display is crystal clear - and speed is amazing.
Click to expand...

I agree with @Ryndom. Don't believe everything you read. Yes there are image retention rMBP's but you wouldn't know that until you open the box and find out for yourself, same with the MBAs and their "wifi issues". Personally, I have a friend who had a MBA and didn't have any wifi issues at all.
 
I've had a Haswell MBA for the last four days, and haven't found a single niggle. I've also had every iteration of the MacBook Air since inception.

In my view, the previous poster had the answer: if portability is the key, buy the Air. If portability is not an issue, buy the retina MacBook Pro.

In my case, I just could not do without the 11 inch MacBook Air form factor. That may not be an issue for you. Thus far, for me at least, the MacBook Air has proven to be a real winner. I cannot imagine a finer laptop.
 
I have no wifi issues on my 11.6" 2013 MBA.

I've wanted one since they were introduced in 2010 but felt the battery life was lacking for my needs until the Haswell version came out this year...its not my main machine = its for portable use outside of the house so its perfect for my needs.
 
Hey guys thank you for the feedbacks :). I have tried both of these machines, they are relatively user friendly and I am liking the OSX. I am liking the Air so far as it is so light!:D I am surprised that most of you have not been experiencing WiFi issues. According to https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5535320?start=390&tstart=0 and https://discussions.apple.com/message/24777055#24777055, it seems that both models suffer from WiFi issues. Can anyone post their ping test results on this thread? I need a final assurance before pulling the trigger :) and thank you very much.
 
HeWasOnly3 said:
Hey guys thank you for the feedbacks :). I have tried both of these machines, they are relatively user friendly and I am liking the OSX. I am liking the Air so far as it is so light!:D I am surprised that most of you have not been experiencing WiFi issues. According to https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5535320?start=390&tstart=0 and https://discussions.apple.com/message/24777055#24777055, it seems that both models suffer from WiFi issues. Can anyone post their ping test results on this thread? I need a final assurance before pulling the trigger :) and thank you very much.
Click to expand...

I've had 2 MBA's , 11 & 13 and have never ever experienced any wifi problem at all. In the apple store, at home , on the road at Barnes and Noble, Panera Bread. Never ever had a problem. I've seen a bunch of people complaining about the wifi but have yet to experience it myself and I know 2 of the techs at the apple store and they have not gotten anyone in with these problems.

Just my opinion but there are people that are followers and will jump on the bandwagon and make things up just to go with the flow.

Thats my 10 cent's

MBA you have 14 days if you experience anything out of the ordinary. But no matter which one you buy, if your buying at the store open it there and go through everything, if your ordering, you have the option to have it shipped to the store.
 
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