Ordered rMBP 13 Already Regretting :(

[neteng101]

It's about $100-200 overpriced, IMO. If the 256GB version were $1799, it would compare quite favorably to the 256GB i7 Air. But to say it is a toy is an insult. The Ivy Bridge CPUs are pretty powerful. Not everyone needs a powerful GPU.

They should have just bundled in the 2.9 processor for the 256GB model at the pricing they're asking for.

Nothing can be done about the integrated graphics, but there's always the next gen to look forward to there. HD 4000 just doesn't hit a specific benchmark level for me, that Haswell should. But the integrated graphics has gotten better and better now for Intel. Being an early adopter means dealing with less than ideal, I can wait for next year's, but I'd like to see a bit more reasonable pricing/bundling.

 

[pandamonia]

It's about $100-200 overpriced, IMO. If the 256GB version were $1799, it would compare quite favorably to the 256GB i7 Air. But to say it is a toy is an insult. The Ivy Bridge CPUs are pretty powerful. Not everyone needs a powerful GPU.

It doesnt matter what you NEED

The money apple wants for these you should get one ANYWAY!

Oh and giving you 128GB SSD? Have you seen SSD prices lately? what is their excuse?

So basically This is a very expensive macbook air that makes text look sharper than normal.

They are just hungry to keep pushing their share prices higher and at their customers expense.

 

[AppleWarMachine]

Why did you buy it then? You fell into the Apple hype most likely, maybe next time use your brain and THINK before you waste your cash. The 13" Retina should even be called a "Pro" machine to be honest.

1. Ridiculously overpriced
2. Pathetic Storage
3. Weak graphics
4. Limited RAM

A Pro machine... this is not.

Agreed, better off with the Air

 

[KPOM]

It doesnt matter what you NEED

The money apple wants for these you should get one ANYWAY!

Oh and giving you 128GB SSD? Have you seen SSD prices lately? what is their excuse?

So basically This is a very expensive macbook air that makes text look sharper than normal.

They are just hungry to keep pushing their share prices higher and at their customers expense.

Cramming in a discrete GPU would be difficult. Remember the 13" Pro has never had a discrete GPU. The logic board is about the same size as in the 13" Air. This thing is already a little heavier than I'd have liked (3.6lbs). Adding in a discrete GPU likely would have required an even bigger battery and more thickness and weight.

I agree about the SSD pricing. SSDs have come down to about $1/GB retail, so Apple continuing its north-of-$2/GB pricing is disappointing. That's why I said it's about $100-200 overpriced, in my opinion. If the $1699 model were 256GB it would sell like crazy, but it would also crowd out the 13" Air, so I can see why it is 128GB. However, a lower differential for the 256GB model would be appreciated.

 

[soulreaver99]

No 16GB RAM, no dedicated GPU, and no quad core i7 for 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro? WEAK!!! I'll stick with my 11" 2012 i7 MacBook Air!

 

[rmwebs]

The size difference (15" doesn't fit in a lot of smaller over the shoulder bags) and the weight difference (1lb is actually quite a bit for daily carrying in an over the shoulder bag) and also the usability- a 13" is much more usable on a plane, or on a smaller person's lap, or on a couch, or, I daresay, while walking between meetings or classrooms in a building.

As I said, the 15" is LIGHTER than the 13" - weight doesnt come into it.

If people are buying the 13" just because it fits better in their bag then we have some very strange people here.

 

[Freyqq]

So I went ahead and ordered the rMBP but I'm already sort of regretting it.

I currently have last years Macbook Air and really wanted to upgrade. But now I see that the Macbook Air has an 8 meg option, plus i7 2.0 thats turbos almost as fast as the macbook pro. Plus it has the same intel graphics.

So my question is, is the pro even worth it? In a side by side test, which I'd love to see, how can they be much different? (Anyone know of an i7 Air vs a regular macbook pro 13?)

If ports are all the difference we are looking at, besides the res, is there really a point?

i'd wait for haswell. I dont think the current intel graphics are up to the task.

 

[Hakone]

Had they put a solid (not even bad-a$$) GPU in here, then I could justify the pricing.

But isn't the HD4000 the same as what's in a base Mac mini?

Congrats on your purchase. you can cancel your order anytime, right?

 

[stevelam]

Had they put a solid (not even bad-a$$) GPU in here, then I could justify the pricing.

But isn't the HD4000 the same as what's in a base Mac mini?

Congrats on your purchase. you can cancel your order anytime, right?

its also the same gpu in the 15" rmbp which people are apparently fine with.

 

[Hakone]

its also the same gpu in the 15" rmbp which people are apparently fine with.

If I wanted to play some SC2 w/ that HD4000, would it be seemless in high settings?

 

[rmwebs]

its also the same gpu in the 15" rmbp which people are apparently fine with.

Um, the 15" also has a DEDICATED GPU, which the laptop switches to when it needs extra power. Big...no, MONUMENTAL difference.

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If I wanted to play some SC2 w/ that HD4000, would it be seemless in high settings?

It'll work, but only at about 20-25fps. Seriously the 4000 is an integrated card, certainly not built for gaming. That being said, if you are willing to lower the video settings of the game, you'll be ok on most 'average' games.

However if you bought it for gaming, you're in for a world of hurt.

 

[pandamonia]

Cramming in a discrete GPU would be difficult. Remember the 13" Pro has never had a discrete GPU. The logic board is about the same size as in the 13" Air. This thing is already a little heavier than I'd have liked (3.6lbs). Adding in a discrete GPU likely would have required an even bigger battery and more thickness and weight.

I agree about the SSD pricing. SSDs have come down to about $1/GB retail, so Apple continuing its north-of-$2/GB pricing is disappointing. That's why I said it's about $100-200 overpriced, in my opinion. If the $1699 model were 256GB it would sell like crazy, but it would also crowd out the 13" Air, so I can see why it is 128GB. However, a lower differential for the 256GB model would be appreciated.

There are other 13" notebooks with GPU's Dont forget they took out the DVD drive. a GPU is pretty small. There is no GPU for one reason and one reason alone. COST

Everything Apple does it to increase its margin.

Who cares about 7 hour battery when your using a discrete GPU Id live with a 5 hour battery to make space for a GPU any day of the week.

The price difference between the MBP and the rMBP with the 256GB SSD is £700! You get a Retina display, 256GB SSD and 4GB extra RAM and a slim design.

I think sometimes Apple thinks its done such a great job that they get carried away with how much they think their products are worth.

We are all forgetting Apple is above market price for its specs anyway so this is even worse

 

[Maczor]

For people who play games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZQgVlk7Bvw It's of course not a gaming notebook, but I say it's decent enough for casual gamers. Do take into account that the larger video is running FRAPS, the small version is filmed and shows the "real" gameplay.

The HD4000 can handle games. Case closed.
Hardcore gamers please evacuate the thread... thank you.

 

[mfram]

I don't understand what people are complaining about here. The 13" rMBP is an incremental improvement over the MBA 13". Where I'm coming from: I own a 2010 13" MBA. Previously, I owned a 2007 15" MBP. What I like about the MBA is the lower weight and form factor. I'd like to keep the laptop small-ish. The problems with the MBA are the slower processor and lower quality screen. The rMBP upgrades those.

13" MBA: 2.0/8/256SSD, 2.96lb, $1699
13" rMBP: 2.5/8/256SSD, 3.57lb, $1999
15" rMBP: 2.6/8/256SSD, 4.46lb, $2299

I tried the 15" rMBP in the store. The weight difference between the 13" Air and 15" rMBP was noticeable. The MBP is 50% heavier! The 13" rMBP is in the middle, closer to the MBA weight.

So what do I get for my $300 to go from MBA to rMBP? A much better screen (IPS), way higher resolution (3x), an HDMI port, a significantly faster CPU, and an extra TB port. Yes, the 13" rMBP weighs slightly more, but it's still a much lower weight than the 15". Seems reasonable to me.

Sure the 13" rMBP isn't a gaming monster. And it can't hold all of my movies on the internal drive. But that's not my priority. As long as it can drive the display without serious lag, I'll be happy. Won't know that until I can try one in the store.

 

[mankar4]

As I said, the 15" is LIGHTER than the 13" - weight doesnt come into it.

If people are buying the 13" just because it fits better in their bag then we have some very strange people here.

What? The 15 inch is heavier than the 13 inch.

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/

 

[MacRetina]

Keep with the Macbook Air for now!

 

[Jiten]

If people are buying the 13" just because it fits better in their bag then we have some very strange people here.

I think size is a reasonable consideration - not strange at all. Besides weight, the size of the notebook is a significant factor in convenience especially if you travel a lot. Many frequent travellers like myself would attest to this. Perhaps this is one of the reason the 11" Air is so popular (despite of the fact it is barely lighter then the 13" Air) because it can be so easily tucked in most bags.

 

[KPOM]

There are other 13" notebooks with GPU's Dont forget they took out the DVD drive. a GPU is pretty small. There is no GPU for one reason and one reason alone. COST

Everything Apple does it to increase its margin.

Who cares about 7 hour battery when your using a discrete GPU Id live with a 5 hour battery to make space for a GPU any day of the week.

The price difference between the MBP and the rMBP with the 256GB SSD is £700! You get a Retina display, 256GB SSD and 4GB extra RAM and a slim design.

I think sometimes Apple thinks its done such a great job that they get carried away with how much they think their products are worth.

We are all forgetting Apple is above market price for its specs anyway so this is even worse

No one buys an Apple because it is cheap. That said, I don't think they left the GPU out because of cost. GPUs aren't that expensive, and if cost were the sole issue, they would make their products a little thicker, or use more plastic.

Removing the DVD didn't add any width to the logic board. It just made room for a bigger battery. Again, I own an 11.6" Air (previously the 13.3" version) so I'm aware of Apple's design philosophy.

The fastest CPU and GPU are worthless if there is nothing to power it. Battery life is rightfully a priority. But in a portable, so are weight and thickness. Again, 3.6lbs is a little on the heavy side already (and that's likely because the Retina Display needs more battery power).

 

[pandamonia]

No one buys an Apple because it is cheap. That said, I don't think they left the GPU out because of cost. GPUs aren't that expensive, and if cost were the sole issue, they would make their products a little thicker, or use more plastic.

Removing the DVD didn't add any width to the logic board. It just made room for a bigger battery. Again, I own an 11.6" Air (previously the 13.3" version) so I'm aware of Apple's design philosophy.

The fastest CPU and GPU are worthless if there is nothing to power it. Battery life is rightfully a priority. But in a portable, so are weight and thickness. Again, 3.6lbs is a little on the heavy side already (and that's likely because the Retina Display needs more battery power).

You can easily fit a dGPU in a 13" notebook many companies already do.

Apple just want to maximise profits.

 

[Nautilus007]

I got the 15 inch, I am pretty happy with it. For a while I regretted it and was too used to my iMac 27 which i sold. I am happier with the laptop but i truly loved my iMac. It was my favorite computer ever.

 

[Swayzee]

If ports are all the difference we are looking at, besides the res, is there really a point?

Resolution alone is the reason i would do it. I bought the 15" RMBP and it is beautiful. I have used it next to my girlfriends 13" cMBP and brothers 13"MBA and the screen quality difference is astounding. If clarity and resolution mean anything to you then you should get the 13" RMBP, if that doesn't mean anything to you then i would stick with the new MBA. just my .02.

 

[KPOM]

You can easily fit a dGPU in a 13" notebook many companies already do.

Apple just want to maximise profits.

You can, but again, it isn't simply about maximizing profits. There are easier ways of doing that, such as by using cheaper components. They could have excluded the 2nd Thunderbolt and HDMI ports and no one would have noticed. My guess is that Apple didn't want to put in a bigger battery or make it any thicker than it already is.

They probably also want to differentiate the 15" MacBook Pro line from the 13" line. With a discrete GPU, the biggest remaining difference would be quad-core vs. dual core.

By the way, all companies want to maximize their profits. Apple just does a better job than most other companies at doing that.

 

[pandamonia]

You can, but again, it isn't simply about maximizing profits. There are easier ways of doing that, such as by using cheaper components. They could have excluded the 2nd Thunderbolt and HDMI ports and no one would have noticed. My guess is that Apple didn't want to put in a bigger battery or make it any thicker than it already is.

They probably also want to differentiate the 15" MacBook Pro line from the 13" line. With a discrete GPU, the biggest remaining difference would be quad-core vs. dual core.

By the way, all companies want to maximize their profits. Apple just does a better job than most other companies at doing that.

since when does a person NEED A BIGGER BATTERY FOR A GPU!?

For crying out loud the whole reason you have 2 is so you can switch to the dGPU when you have the power plugged in.

GPU's are very expensive and so is GDDR5 memory. The price is already a joke and a GPU would make apple less money or make the price even higher.

 

[KPOM]

since when does a person NEED A BIGGER BATTERY FOR A GPU!?

For crying out loud the whole reason you have 2 is so you can switch to the dGPU when you have the power plugged in.

GPU's are very expensive and so is GDDR5 memory. The price is already a joke and a GPU would make apple less money or make the price even higher.

A mobile GPU is about $50-100. I wouldn't call that "very expensive." In your case, you propose adding a GPU that is used only when it is plugged in. That seems kind of pointless for a notebook that is likely to be used unplugged quite a lot. The rMBP isn't designed to be a desktop replacement or gamer PC.

Would it have been nice if Apple included a discrete GPU and been able to keep the size and battery life the same? Sure. But they didn't, and my guess is that they couldn't keep the size and battery life the same if they had tried.

 

[shellbryson]

Send the rMBP back, sell your 2011 air and get the 2012 air. The main difference between the older 11 models is the GPU - the 2011 air can only do 1x thunderbolt display with its Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics. The 2012 Air uses the Intel 4000 integrated graphics, and can drive two thunderbolt displays plus its own display.

Get the Air - its a MUCH better deal than the crap 13" rMBP.

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Sorry to jump into your convo here, but could you actually explain what the 13" rMBP has that makes it so attractive over the 15". Weight cant be it because the difference in weight is tiny. Thickness cant be it as the 15" is THINNER than the 13".

I find it hard to buy that people are going for the 13" just to nock off 4.5 CM from the width of it.

Well, here's my usecase;

I mostly use my current 15" MBP (4Gb C2D) for writing and a little web dev. I use my work-supplied 13" MBP (8Gb i5) for webdev.

As a writer, size and battery life are seriously important, followed up by clarity of the display. I do not store files locally.

As a web developer, I need something reasonably fast (it has to run PhotoShop a few times a week). I do not store files locally, so a big disk is not needed. I dont run a lot of programs at once, so 4-core not critical.

The 13" i7 retina offers a balance for my needs:

1) It's smaller than my 2008 15", and weights a *lot* less.
2) It has a retina display (hiDPI testing of site and assets; I can do this on iPad3, but no way to debug sites on iPad)
3) It's fast - the i7 will floor my poor old C2D
4) It's not as expensive as the 15" retina.
5) ...and I have a 9mo baby daughter, so £300 difference means a lot to me right now

Other qualifying reasons:
At home I have a Mac Pro with ~4Tb of disks and a 30" ACD that we use as a home server & for "big" work (it has 12gb RAM). We also have a 2011 iMac.

If I had the money, I'd've gone for a 15" rMBP with 16Gb and 256Gb SSD, but £2200 buys a *lot* of pampers & baby milk.