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New Macbook Air vs. Macbook Pro with Retina

falconeight said:
If .5 pounds is a serious issue then yes my advice was crap. My new advice would be to work out at least once a year.:D
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I hold a University record in benchpress and can do a 5 minute mile. So thanks for the advice but when I lead my outdoor expeditions, 0.5 pounds makes a difference. Both pieces of advice are crap.
 
kahkityoong said:
I hold a University record in benchpress and can do a 5 minute mile. So thanks for the advice but when I lead my outdoor expeditions, 0.5 pounds makes a difference. Both pieces of advice are crap.
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:rolleyes: and how many martial arts have you mastered?

he was just stating his opinion, which i believe was solicited by the OP.
and i think he makes a valid point - the rMBP is an anomaly as it's surprisingly only half a pound heavier than the MBA and even has a smaller footprint.

while your argument is certainly valid that .5lb is not trivial and might make a difference to some people more than others, there was no reason to be rude and call his advice "crap," twice. he was just teasing you about working out - but congratulations on being a speedy beefcake.

The last time i was able to run a 5 minute mile, laptops hadn't even been invented yet and i'd probably herniate myself rolling your weights around. yet i still found the weight difference between the the 13" MBA and the rMBP to be almost imperceptible. I was sure I wanted the 13"MBA until I picked it up and played with it next to the pro...it's shocking how light the SSD and lack of optical drive can make these machines.

I think that's all he was trying to say.
 
DisplacedMic said:
:rolleyes: and how many martial arts have you mastered?

he was just stating his opinion, which i believe was solicited by the OP.
and i think he makes a valid point - the rMBP is an anomaly as it's surprisingly only half a pound heavier than the MBA and even has a smaller footprint.

while your argument is certainly valid that .5lb is not trivial and might make a difference to some people more than others, there was no reason to be rude and call his advice "crap," twice. he was just teasing you about working out - but congratulations on being a speedy beefcake.

The last time i was able to run a 5 minute mile, laptops hadn't even been invented yet and i'd probably herniate myself rolling your weights around. yet i still found the weight difference between the the 13" MBA and the rMBP to be almost imperceptible. I was sure I wanted the 13"MBA until I picked it up and played with it next to the pro...it's shocking how light the SSD and lack of optical drive can make these machines.

I think that's all he was trying to say.
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Look at His first advice on anyone who thought weight wasn't an issue. Just giving him some of his own back. Mine was not an unreasonable response to his plainly ridiculous assertion that I need to go to the gym more if I need a MacBook Air.
 
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currently rMBP 13 inch vs MBA 13 inch
i would go with MBA as its overall better laptop than rMBP 13 inch

MBA 13 advantages over rMBP 13:

- Weight
- Battery life
- Faster Storage ( PCIe vs SATA 3 )
- Better price
- New WIFI standard
- Faster GPU ( HD5000 is better than HD 4000 )

rMBP 13 advantages over MBA 13:

- Better screen IPS is better than TN panel
- It have 2 Thunderbolt Ports and MBA have 1
- HDMI port

Overall at this point i would buy MBA 13 over rMBP 13 if i need the laptop now

or if you can wait then wait for rMBP 13 to be announced and then compare it what would be better to buy MBA 13 or rMBP 13

but at this point the current rMBP 13 is not worth it
 
kahkityoong said:
Look at His first advice on anyone who thought weight wasn't an issue. Just giving him some of his own back. Mine was not an unreasonable response to his plainly ridiculous assertion that I need to go to the gym more if I need a MacBook Air.
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you mean where he told the OP not to listen to the weight argument because it's trivial?

For what it's worth, I think that the bigger concern with the 13" rMBP is the lack of a dedicated GPU and the fact that it's first gen tech which i don't like to buy.

The way I look at it is the 13" rMBP is a retina MBA for all intents in purposes. Its existence is why I was so sure we wouldn't see a 2013 retina MBA.
 
DisplacedMic said:
you mean where he told the OP not to listen to the weight argument because it's trivial?

For what it's worth, I think that the bigger concern with the 13" rMBP is the lack of a dedicated GPU and the fact that it's first gen tech which i don't like to buy.

The way I look at it is the 13" rMBP is a retina MBA for all intents in purposes. Its existence is why I was so sure we wouldn't see a 2013 retina MBA.
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Yes. It's half a pound difference. Whether it makes a difference to you or not is not up to him to assume.

Personally I don't like the retina display for anything other than watching HD movies so I dumped my rMBP in favour of MBA as it's a bit lighter and takes up less space. And of course increased battery life.
 
MBA vs. MBP

Hi,
I am new here and I am not apprised of all the rules of posting etc,.
I had the MBA for a while but didn't like it. It had a "less than acceptable" feel to it. It was light, fast, and thin but it made me feel like I was carrying around a toy. I am thinking that it is because I have owned MBP's for years and have gotten so used to their weight and display that I cant change. I currently run an iMac 3.06 Ghz 16 GB RAM, and an MBP 15" i7 2.4 Quad Core. The MBP is AMAZING!!
You want the choice with money not being an issue? Get the MBP 15" and put it in a North Face Back Pack with a laptop specific compartment. The shoulder straps are second to none in comfort and I find myself lugging my laptop, iPad Retina, and 2-3 books with ease.
 
MBA without question. I actually sold my 13" Retina to get the 11" Air, mostly due to it's portability, and still excellent performance. I don't miss the Retina at all.
 
kahkityoong said:
Yes. It's half a pound difference. Whether it makes a difference to you or not is not up to him to assume.
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nobody's ever wrong on the internet...i can't really tell a big difference in weight between the retina and the air. you obviously can. the only assumption here is that the OP will take both of those opinions into consideration before he makes a purchase.

to me the real choice between the two comes down to whether you want retina or not, not a 300gram difference in weight. maybe individuals such as yourself who are bench pressing small vehicles are more sensitive to minor weight fluctuations. :p
 
In my opinion comparing the spec and weight only gets you so far, they are close enough that it really comes down to preference, in that regard the weight and size differences are negligible and it becomes a battery life vs. screen discussion.

I have had a MBA for two years and have been about to pull the trigger on a 13: rMPB for a while - primarily because I want more screen real estate. That is just my preference, I like a lot going on at once so more screen resolution is important to me.

Do I care about battery life? Certainly, lots of trans-con flights etc so in my case the hopefully perfect combination will be a Haswell rMPB.

I'd say if your brother mainly uses one app at a time in full screen then the MBA is the way to go as it technically meets his needs and you get amazing battery life. I he's the type that likes a lot going on (I think this goes beyond graphics work and includes coding, web design and mainly personal preference) then I think the greater real estate on the retina screen counts.

You can't really go wrong with either but for me a Haswell rMBP OR a Retina MBA would be the ideal, if and when...!
 
ukchris said:
In my opinion comparing the spec and weight only gets you so far, they are close enough that it really comes down to preference, in that regard the weight and size differences are negligible and it becomes a battery life vs. screen discussion.

I have had a MBA for two years and have been about to pull the trigger on a 13: rMPB for a while - primarily because I want more screen real estate. That is just my preference, I like a lot going on at once so more screen resolution is important to me.

Do I care about battery life? Certainly, lots of trans-con flights etc so in my case the hopefully perfect combination will be a Haswell rMPB.

I'd say if your brother mainly uses one app at a time in full screen then the MBA is the way to go as it technically meets his needs and you get amazing battery life. I he's the type that likes a lot going on (I think this goes beyond graphics work and includes coding, web design and mainly personal preference) then I think the greater real estate on the retina screen counts.

You can't really go wrong with either but for me a Haswell rMBP OR a Retina MBA would be the ideal, if and when...!
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You mean by bumping the resolution up, right, because at native retina resolution you will have more 'real estate' at the MBA's resolution.
 
twombles62 said:
You mean by bumping the resolution up, right, because at native retina resolution you will have more 'real estate' at the MBA's resolution.
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Yes, or more specifically more options to choose from when the situation dictates.
 
twombles62 said:
You mean by bumping the resolution up, right, because at native retina resolution you will have more 'real estate' at the MBA's resolution.
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Your reply prompted me to look for a detailed comparison, I just found this one http://www.gizmag.com/macbook-air-vs-retina-macbook-pro-2013-specs-comparison/27871/ which I thought was a good side by side. For me I attribute a lot of the significant changes to Haswell which is why I'm holding out for a Haswell rMBP (or a retina MBA which seems unlikely!).
 
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