So I just received my new BTO 13" Macbook Pro in the mail, and I was taken back by its size. I was just expecting it to be bigger... I said to myself, it seems smaller than the Macbook air... well... it is.
I have both here. The Air is definitly lighter and thinner. It also feels more robust and durable. The rmbp is light but still feels larger the air.
The new rMBP definitely feels a lot smaller than my mid-2009 MBP. And it makes sense that the area is smaller than the MBA since it's thicker; more vertical space for the internals.
Huh? What AREA are they looking at? The footprints are (discounting the rounded corners): 13" rMBP: 106.4 sq.in. 13" MBA: 114.4 sq.in MBA footprint is 7.5% larger, not 3%.
The are volume calculations, not area. Depth x width x maximum height. So they are wrong for the MBA because it's tapered, and they didn't account for that.
The rMBP is smaller than the MBA but for some reason it still feels bigger and quite a lot heavy. The rMBP on top of the MBA rMBP on the left.