New MBP and MBA Side-by-side (With Photos!)

[revelated]

Really? Even in those photos, i can tell a big difference in the text quality. The air looks jagged and blurred...the retina looks smooth and crystal clear. I'm sure if i can tell in a photo it is more noticeable irl.

you need glasses. no offense.

This is what we call a placebo effect. You THINK you see image quality improvements that are substantial when really they are subtle.

The only element that looks improved is the white chair in the ad on the upper right. The text is fuzzy in both.

If you want clearer ads then by all means go for the Retina. I don't. That's why I questioned the camera; Engadget and others posting images had the Retina looking quite clear in comparison to the one you posted.

Again though, the key word is "appreciable". Even if there's a difference, I dont find $700 worth of difference. Perhaps it's the screen on the MacBook Air being somewhat superior to that of the regular Pro anyway where the leap is not that wide. If you compared the previous Pro with glossy screen against the Retina, you'd probably then see a dramatic difference. But perhaps the Air's screen is just high enough quality to where the difference is too subtle to be worth hundreds of dollars.

My opinion.

 

[Aco Strkalj]

This is what we call a placebo effect. You THINK you see image quality improvements that are substantial when really they are subtle.

The only element that looks improved is the white chair in the ad on the upper right. The text is fuzzy in both.

If you want clearer ads then by all means go for the Retina. I don't. That's why I questioned the camera; Engadget and others posting images had the Retina looking quite clear in comparison to the one you posted.

Again though, the key word is "appreciable". Even if there's a difference, I dont find $700 worth of difference. Perhaps it's the screen on the MacBook Air being somewhat superior to that of the regular Pro anyway where the leap is not that wide. If you compared the previous Pro with glossy screen against the Retina, you'd probably then see a dramatic difference. But perhaps the Air's screen is just high enough quality to where the difference is too subtle to be worth hundreds of dollars.

My opinion.

So your one of those people I see at the stores that look at the new MacBook Pros and say "I don't see the difference!"

There is math behind the displays. There are 4x the number of pixels on the retina display. That adds up to 5 million+ pixels. They don't put them in there if people didn't notice.

Your right about one thing. The Air does have a superior screen. When compared to most PC based machines. But it's far from the quality of the retina display.

Perhaps you should check it out in person. If you don't notice the sharpness in text perhaps a Mac is not the computer for you. You simply cant appreciate it's beauty. And you don't deserve an Apple product.

 

[Aco Strkalj]

Blackmagic Disk Speed Test

 

[calderone]

TIMG please.

 

[ivanpk]

Fixed that for you

 

[Aco Strkalj]

I added an additional photo to the OP of foreign characters. Japanese kanji looks amazing. Way cooler than latin I think. Asia will be pleased with the retina display laptops!

 

[ericrwalker]

The thread is a lot better with the thumbnail photos. Can't wait til I can afford a rMBP. As soon as I pay off my truck.

 

[Marconelly]

Thanks for all the impressions. You should probably be playing games in 1440x900 resolution anyway, regardless of overheating.

The lack of tapered edge is something that worries me as well. It sure is better than with regular, tall MBP, though.

About fans scratching something inside, that sounds like a random defect. Can someone confirm/deny if that's happening on their mbpr?

 

[Aco Strkalj]

Thanks for all the impressions. You should probably be playing games in 1440x900 resolution anyway, regardless of overheating.

The lack of tapered edge is something that worries me as well. It sure is better than with regular, tall MBP, though.

About fans scratching something inside, that sounds like a random defect. Can someone confirm/deny if that's happening on their mbpr?

If you're used to the Air form factor then switching to the Pro will feel very bulky. And you will really feel it when resting your hands on the keyboard. I too thought that that because it's thinner I might not notice the 'bump' but you still do. My first two photos outline this clearly.

However, if that is not a problem for you, then by all means go with the Pro. You will not regret it. But you might want to go with 16GB because the UI is 4x bigger, and that means all icons, textures, and text will eat up 2-4x more RAM. This is why 8GB is the base configuration because you easily eat up 4GB with simple apps like Mail, Safari (with multiple tabs), and, especially, iTunes.

The scratching sound you hear isn't loud. But if you do have a descent ear in a quite room and pick up the Pro and tilt it left-right, you might hear some sounds. I played around with some of the models they have on display at BestBuy and they too make the same sound when you play tilt them. Note that you have to move them somewhat quickly. If you are gentle with it you probably wont hear it. I wish I could find a way to describe it. Perhaps a video recording will suffice.

 

[ghettochild]

Wth is this OP whining about? Design?

Just get out now troll... Really, get a life...

Crave attention elsewhere, I have both, and both are sexy and machines of beauty.

Why don't you take your own $0.02 and get out? The OP wrote up a decent comparison b/w the 2 machines (along with some pictures), while you added absolutely nothing to the conversation. And if you call a computer "sexy," you're the one who needs to get a life.

 

[Aco Strkalj]

The excitement dies off after you own one of these for about a week. I'm sure it would last for folks that use these for work or for Mac gamers. Unfortunately only Diablo 3 seems to look decently on it.

 

[BkkChris]

thanks for the great post. as someone who is looking to upgrade my 2009 mbp 15 to either the rmbp or an air 13 it has been very helpful.

i just picked up the air to trial for a bit and so far i really am enjoying it. the screen is very sharp and clear compared to my old mbp and i don't need to worry about lack of retina support. also the form factor and size/weight seem great.

 

[Aco Strkalj]

When I returned the Pro I mentioned that the speaker seemed defective. They ran those Apple diagnostic tests and turns out that my right speaker had something wrong with it. That explains those high-pitch static sounds I heard on certain frequencies. I played around with some of the display models and they seem very clear, but the treble is also high on those, which adds clarity but can sting sometime on high notes. Don't get me wrong. They are the best laptop speakers you can get.

 

[squaremon]

Did you notice any screen issues or burn in on the rmbp?

 

[Aco Strkalj]

Did you notice any screen issues or burn in on the rmbp?

No burn-ins. No issues with the screen. It was pretty much perfect. There weren't any pinches around the frame of the LCD either. Which was great. Every now and then you get a few pinches. For those who don't know what LCD pinches are, see:

You notice them when the screen goes black. It's the monitor frame pinching the LCD panel, giving you that nasty discoloration. I doubt the new generation of Pros will have this problem because the LCD panel is built into the lid. Unfortunately the Air still has a frame which could pinch the LCD panel, depending on the build quality from our friends in Shizen!

My new Air and iPad have small pinches at the bottom. Damn those sloppy workers! I expect my pricy Apple product to be perfect!

 

[Aco Strkalj]

I didn't notice it before but after you leave on very bright colors, it may burn into the screen, but it fades in an hour. For example. If you have white with a sudden cut of black or any other solid colors, you will see the outlines of that after you power off the display. Very similar to older plasma displays. But it doesn't capture the details. You really just seem to see the outlines of things. I noticed this after I set my wallpaper to something with sharp lines and blocks. And when I powered if off I thought my eyes were screwing with me. You also only see the "ghosting" if you have a light beaming onto the glass. Just as you would see the grid lines on your iPad outside in the sunlight.

This could explain why the screen had this unique glow about it. It seemed overwhelming.

 

[unibility]

Photos:

[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3881t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Wedge Angle MBA

[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3882t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Wedge Angle MBP

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[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3878t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Back-to-Back (Top)

[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3880t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Back-to-Back (Side)

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[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3862t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Taper vs No Taper (Bottom)

[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3864t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Taper vs No Taper (Top)

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[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3870t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Trackpad-to-Trackpad

[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3871t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Trackpad-to-Trackpad Angle

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[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3854t.JPG]Image[/URL]
iTunes MBP (1)

[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3855t.JPG]Image[/URL]
iTunes MBA (1)

[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3856t.JPG]Image[/URL]
iTunes MBP (2)

[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3857t.JPG]Image[/URL]
iTunes MBA (2)

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[url=http://208.100.38.73/IMG_3886t.JPG]Image[/URL]
Foreign Characters


Diablo 3

[url=http://208.100.38.73/nd31t.png]Image[/URL]
Settings

[url=http://208.100.38.73/nd32t.png]Image[/URL]
Gameplay 1

[url=http://208.100.38.73/nd34t.png]Image[/URL]
Gameplay 2

[url=http://208.100.38.73/nd35t.png]Image[/URL]
Gameplay 3


System Reports

[url=http://208.100.38.73/sr1t.png]Image[/URL]
Memory

[url=http://208.100.38.73/sr2t.png]Image[/URL]
Serial-ATA


Experience Review

The edges around the unibody are dulled down. A lot less sharper than the previous generation. That's a huge plus. When I bought the Pro I thought the thin profile and dulled edges would make it feel a lot more like the Air with the tapered design. I was completely wrong. When resting your hands from table to keyboard you sure notice a bump. You notice when and where the laptop body starts. On the air it's very smooth and seamless. See my first 2 photos for an illustration. This bump can be very annoying. Perhaps it's because I was used to the Air's marvel design. If this is not a problem for you, then you passed one of my biggest turnoffs with the Pro: the lack of wedge design.

++++++++++++

The small subwoofer in the Pro cause the unibody to slightly vibrate. Not saying this is a negative, but it can be for some. It feels like the iPad 1 or 2 when playing music. You can feel the entire case vibrate on every beat. When comparing the audio quality there is little difference between the Air and Pro. It sounds as if the Pro has a little added base and overall power. I'm an audiophile with a sharp ear. Trust me on this, the sound quality difference is very small. When listening to music I use headphones anyway (Denon AH-D7000 connected to a iDo DAC/AMP and FLAC audio only).

++++++++++++

Very few apps are optimized for the retina displays. Barely any websites. Be prepared to see a lot of pixelating for non-Apple apps/sites. Some apps that are "optimized" still lack icons that need to be pixel doubled. Also, there are some OS icons that are still not retina optimized. I suspect Apple will take care of all those with Mnt Lion next month. Photoshop doesn't look great. Very pixelated. We'll have to wait until they release their update later this year!

You really have to access how you use your computer. I spend majority of my time on the browser. Occasionally use Photoshop and a few third party software. 99.9% of the apps and websites are not retina optimized. That means, for me, most of the joy of owning a retina display is taken from me. It's just terrible to see some nice high res parts and some nasty parts on the screen. It's kind of like a beautiful painting with stains here and there. And if you're an obsessive person with an eye for detail, like me, this can really start to piss you off. Unless you plan on spending majority of your time in Final Cut or Apature or any other Apple retina optimized app you use to make a living, then you will love this thing.

++++++++++++

The batteries seem to get a little warm in the Pro which cause the palm rest area to warm up which may cause your hands to warm up and become sweat. This can especially be a problem if you play games and rest your hand on the palm rest/keyboard for the 1/2/3/4 or q/w/e/r or w/a/s/d keys.

Note: I have thin hands.

++++++++++++

According to the activity monitor the retina optimized apps on iTunes eat up 50% more RAM. Safari web content is also double the size. I suspect this is due to rendering the content for the retina display and high res images that the apps use. 8GB really isn't a lot of memory when you work with a pixel dense display like this. The base 8GB is like the base 4GB that the previous Pros included. Everything seems relative. For heavy video/photo users I strongly suggest going with 16GB.

++++++++++++

The brushed metal is also a lot smoother on the Pro. As if it was more polished. When you whip your hands on the surface it feels more like your gliding and makes less of a sound. On the Air you tend to feel more of the texture. You also hear a little more when you whip you hands on the surface.

The Air also has a little more glitter to it. Something they seemed to have dulled down a tad bit on the Pro.

It's difficult to capture this on video/photo.

++++++++++++

Connecting my Canon XTi EOS camera to the Pro did nothing. As if it couldn't be read. Worked on the Air. Strange. I suspect it has to do with the new USB3 port.

++++++++++++

When watching a film the darks are so dark that they almost blend in with the entire frame of the display (the black margins). It's kind of cool. Loving the contrast!

++++++++++++

The LCD is very close to the glass. The space that used to be there is now gone. It appears as if the screen is a glowing piece of paper. In simpler terms: the cursor has never been so close to your eyes, and the glass panel. It's pretty nice. (Note: 10x better than the iPad 3 where there is clearly a space between the glass and LCD and very noticeable.

++++++++++++

I could have a defective speaker in this unit. Some frequencies (when listening to classic music - moonlight sonata) create a high pitch static sound that can drive you mad. Will have to confirm this is not a defect...

++++++++++++

Froze on me when playing Diablo 3 on high settings. Keep in mind this is the base model (2.3GHz, 8GB, 256GB). It got incredibly hot. I couldn't keep my finger on the top-right surface for more than 5 seconds because it really started to burn my skin (no physical signs but I can feel my finger a bit sore and 'hardened'). The fans went in overdrive mode and silent they are no more! They can get loud too! I tried again after a while in Medium/High settings and was able to play a bit longer but again, it started freezing. It appears to only work at Medium/Low settings.

There also appears to be a wave rendering downwards every now and then that you can notice while playing the game. It isn't significant but you do notice it. It might be important to note that I am playing Act 4 where a whole lot is going on... I will now start testing League of Legends...

Note: It's 70F in my room.

++++++++++++

Also when you switch to a screen like this I think there is some getting used to. There is something about the glow of this display that plays with your eyes. It just looks different. If you had a iPad 1/2 and switched to the iPad 3 you might notice the difference about the "glow" of the screen. It's unusual. I think it just takes getting used to 5M+ pixels shooting into your eyes...

++++++++++++

The content output is the same between the two machines. That means the same amount of data the display is outputting is hitting your eyes. The only difference is that the Pro has quality looks 4x better because there are 4x more pixels. It's best to always be left on "Retina optimal" display setting because if you do make it bigger (higher resolution) things start becoming a little more blurry. It looses it's sharpness. Honestly I don't think anyone will change the optimal retina display setting. One is too big and the other is too small.

++++++++++++

This may seem unbelievable but the Air is more responsive and fluid than the Pro. When playing with the rubber scrolling on content heavy pages, the bounce effect is a little clunky on the Pro. This also applies to scrolling up/down/diagonally across large images in the browser or Preview or iPhoto. The motion also seems to be faster on the Air than on the Pro. I suspect it has to do with the super pixel dense display. There are lots of pixels that need to receive the signals...

++++++++++++

When you pick up the Pro while its running and tilt it at an angle you hear a terrible scratching sound. It isn't loud but you can certainly hear something nasty. The sound you typically hear when you lift and tilt a laptop with an optical drive and hear the CD scratching against the surface. I suspect it's the fans scraping against the enclosure. If you move the laptop slowly it doesn't seem to happen. This doesn't seem to apply to the air as I can easily pick it up and tilt it at angles without hearing a thing.

++++++++++++

When viewing photos in Safari they are stretched and pixelated.

++++++++++++

I didn't notice it before but after you leave on very bright colors, it may burn into the screen, but it fades in an hour. For example. If you have white with a sudden cut of black or any other solid colors, you will see the outlines of that after you power off the display. Very similar to older plasma displays. But it doesn't capture the details. You really just seem to see the outlines of things. I noticed this after I set my wallpaper to something with sharp lines and blocks. And when I powered if off I thought my eyes were screwing with me. You also only see the "ghosting" if you have a light beaming onto the glass. Just as you would see the grid lines on your iPad outside in the sunlight.

This could explain why the screen had this unique glow about it. It seemed overwhelming.

oie.

 

[Aco Strkalj]

Told ya.