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Reasons not to buy a rMBP?

B

brudy

macrumors member
Original poster
May 23, 2008
46
7
I'm about to buy a new 15" retina MBP (2.7, 16g ram, 512) but are there any reasons not get the retina display version? Stability issues? Any gotchas?

My last laptop purchase was a rev a mba, which was a huge mistake. So I'd rather not repeat that.
 
The only thing that should stop you from getting it is you.

I mean the only issues that I can think of is screen retention (mainly associated with LG) however if you do have the issue Apple can replace it with a Samsung. Other than that I don't see why not. It's a fantastic machine.
 
Upgradability- you will never be able to upgrade the machine once you have it(but you can upgrade the SSD)
Expensive - retail price will be expensive + future repairs not covered by apple care due to the nature of how the retina macbook is build
Performance - there is some issues with performance with UI lag and other hiccups

Mainly upgradability is the biggest issue with the retina MacBook Pro
 
brudy said:
I'm about to buy a new 15" retina MBP (2.7, 16g ram, 512) but are there any reasons not get the retina display version? Stability issues? Any gotchas?

My last laptop purchase was a rev a mba, which was a huge mistake. So I'd rather not repeat that.
Click to expand...

1. Screen retention
2. You're going to spend more than you should maxing out the memory because it's soldered onto the board, but with the regular one you can simply add more for less than Apple would charge
3. Proprietary SSD which makes any SSD replacements more expensive than they should be
4. No DVD drive, yet you're paying more for it
5. #2 and 3 make it not as future proof as the regular MBP. I've read in here that the CPU actually can accept 32gb of RAM but there just aren't any 16gb DIMMs yet. But when there are, simply slip them in and get even more RAM.


If you don't care about upgrading to make a wonderful machine Incredible or the ability to play dvd and cd media (since the quality on the iTunes store doesn't match cd quality) get the macbook pro with a retina display.

It's a beautiful machine and you will enjoy it. It's a repair nightmare (ifixit gave it a 1 on a scale of 10) so be sure to get apple care!
 
The only gripe I have about my rMBP is how laggy it is when scrolling through documents and websites. Although Apple can fix this issue with new drivers.
 
Webkit (Safari nightly builds) 150% eliminates scrolling lag in websites. At least it does it on my 13 rMBP.
 
Thanks everyone. I'm aware of the limited upgradeability so I'm going in with maxed out ram. This won't be my primary machine (I have an imac), but want to be able to go mobile sometimes and for travel and future proof it in case I want to ditch my imac and get an external display. Work uses will be for design and some music/sound stuff. I'm pretty psyched, as it will be the first laptop I've had that actually works (as opposed to my ancient mba) in years.

I've read about the scroll issue. Does it occur in Chrome?

I did just read that spotify isn't upgraded for retina displays, which really is lame, but all the adobe stuff is all set so I should be good on that front?
 
brudy said:
Thanks everyone. I'm aware of the limited upgradeability so I'm going in with maxed out ram. This won't be my primary machine (I have an imac), but want to be able to go mobile sometimes and for travel and future proof it in case I want to ditch my imac and get an external display. Work uses will be for design and some music/sound stuff. I'm pretty psyched, as it will be the first laptop I've had that actually works (as opposed to my ancient mba) in years.

I've read about the scroll issue. Does it occur in Chrome?

I did just read that spotify isn't upgraded for retina displays, which really is lame, but all the adobe stuff is all set so I should be good on that front?
Click to expand...

Chrome's lag is worse than Safari. Webkit is the way to go for now till 10.8.3 drops.
There is an app called retinizer, I have read but not used it. That should help with spotify.
 
I can't believe the amount of threads about why to, or why not to buy a rMBP!

I'm basically a tech whore and roll with just about every popular OS out right now, including Android...yup I got a nexus 4, and 7, and enjoy them both..On the flip side of that I also have in the past been very loyal to Blackberry over the years, and will grab a Z10 when it arrives on at&t. To me tech is tech and I enjoy it to the fullest...

The moral of the story is this,,,

I get what I like and could care less about what other people like or use. @ the OP- Go to Apple and play with the Retina, if you like it, get it! Its as simple as that!

Its a kick A## machine! Probably the best lap top that I've ever owned. Is it perfect, no...Nothing is! But when I open that lid I'm blown away every time. And I don't see any lag, and I happen to also run Parallels with out a hitch as well thanks to 8GB's of some speedy ram. A lot of people will chime in and say it's expensive and blah blah...Yea Yea we all know its an expensive machine..But all of Apples stuff is expensive. If its a money thing, your knocking on the wrong door, anything Apple will cost a high premium...That's just the way it is. Get what you like and call it a day!
 
Or wait until June/July for the upgrade with Haswell (HD 4600) witch will be resolving any lag
 
There seems to be an issue with fans revving up for no particular reason, and it remains to be seen whether this machine can stand its own heat better than previous generations, which are economically dead after guarantee expires...
 
Reasons not to buy an rMBP?

Well, I have NO idea of your Circumstances or Needs, so:

1) You don't really NEED one
2) You cannot Afford one
3) The fact that you are asking people you don't know to make decisions for you.. See point #1, and Repeat..

Need It.. Buy It.. Like It.. Use It..

Repeat as Necessary!! :apple:
 
The main reason i wouldnt buy its cause its a rev 1 , apple has a history of making rev 2 alot better. Look at the first iphone,ipod touch, the first ipad , the first macbook air
 
brudy said:
but are there any reasons not get the retina display version? Stability issues? Any gotchas?
Click to expand...

As mentioned but at the risk of repeating others here's what I see as potential negatives with the rMBP (btw, I own a 15" rmbp and love it).

  1. No optical drive
  2. Ram soldered onto the logic board
  3. Proprietary SSD - you can upgrade it but it will cost you.
  4. No ethernet jack - you can use the TB dongle
  5. Screen retention issues (some report this, I've not had this problem)

All in all, if none of these really is a show stopper for you then get the rMBP, its a fantastic machine. I opted for the 16gb model, just because the ram is soldered on and I'll not be able to upgrade it later - I have no need for 16gb now but who knows what the future will hold.
 
Aside from the drawbacks mentioned here, I personally dislike the feel of the Retina's keyboard. It feels flimsy and nowhere near as solid as that of the classic MBP.

Further, and I'm going to put the 'ol flame-retardant suit on for this, I think the screen is a bunch of hype. It's still glossy as all heck, its color accuracy fluctuates seemingly with the temperature, and applications that are not optimized for the Retina display look dreadful.

Just my $0.02.
 
saturnotaku said:
Aside from the drawbacks mentioned here, I personally dislike the feel of the Retina's keyboard. It feels flimsy and nowhere near as solid as that of the classic MBP.
Click to expand...
That's the first time I heard this complaint and to be honest, I've not even noticed the keyboard, i.e., my 13" MBP feels the same

Further, and I'm going to put the 'ol flame-retardant suit on for this, I think the screen is a bunch of hype. It's still glossy as all heck, its color accuracy fluctuates seemingly with the temperature, and applications that are not optimized for the Retina display look dreadful.

Just my $0.02.
Click to expand...
I can see the people having issues with the glossy nature of the screen and some apps may not look as nice. I'll disagree with you on the accuracy of the colors, if you need accurate color representation then you need to calibrate the screen using say the Spyder calibration system.

Overall, I'm very happy with my rMBP and the glossy screen is better then my 13" MBP glossy screen (less glossiness if that's a word).
 
saturnotaku said:
Aside from the drawbacks mentioned here, I personally dislike the feel of the Retina's keyboard. It feels flimsy and nowhere near as solid as that of the classic MBP.

Further, and I'm going to put the 'ol flame-retardant suit on for this, I think the screen is a bunch of hype. It's still glossy as all heck, its color accuracy fluctuates seemingly with the temperature, and applications that are not optimized for the Retina display look dreadful.

Just my $0.02.
Click to expand...

Apple uses the same keyboard across all MacBook Pros.
 
xShane said:
Apple uses the same keyboard across all MacBook Pros.
Click to expand...

There are some differences, though. Key travel and such. Very tiny but noticeable. The 13" Retina feels different from the MBA (not in a bad way, just different). Not sure how much of it is due to the lack of an angle since it doesn't have the wedge design.
 
maflynn said:
I'll disagree with you on the accuracy of the colors, if you need accurate color representation then you need to calibrate the screen using say the Spyder calibration system.
Click to expand...

Even if the monitor is calibrated correctly, the Retina display still has a tendency to shift colors depending on ambient temperature, temperature of the LCD assembly, and if the power source changes (battery to AC and vice versa).

While the overall accuracy of the Retina display is better than the standard MBP displays (~90% sRGB vs ~67% sRGB), anyone doing serious content creation will want to steer clear of it for the reasons mentioned in the preceding graph. I would love for Apple to come up with a display that's as good as the IPS Dreamcolor panels that are available in HP and Dell workstation notebooks.

xShane said:
Apple uses the same keyboard across all MacBook Pros.
Click to expand...

The actual hardware might be the same, but the key travel on the Retina models is much shorter. I feel like I'm going to punch a hole through the bottom every time I type on one.
 
1) Too many compromises - As beautiful and capable as the rMBP is, this is probably the least versatile 15" MBP Apple has made due to the lack of storage/memory options. (Mine works amazing for my photo work, but I cant make it also a gaming/entertainment machine or load it with videos due to lack of internal space)

2) Port Options - 2TB, 1HDMI, 2USB but no FW or Ethernet. The reason Im critical of the port choices is because TB hasnt seemed to become anywhere near standard due to lack of available hardware and ridiculous pricing. I wouldnt mind making this also a game machine but with only 2 USB ports then its tough because Headphone/Control Pad/Ext USB Drive = 3USB.

3) Gimmick - Im going to offend people by saying this but I do photo work on this and while I absolutely love the screen, Retina is a gimmick that not everyone needs. IF Retina was standard then thats amazing, but Retina comes at a cost since the cMBP that can do everything the rMBP can do but is cheaper and upgradability makes it a better in the longrun.

4) Resale - Ive been looking at Retinas used market for a while and in its short existence then the resale value seems to have a much higher dropoff than other MacBooks. So it would seem that in 2 or 3 years when Gen 3 MBPs are standard with 16GB/1TBSSD, the value of a 8GB/256GB machine will be pretty low.



Im not shooting down the rMBP. Its a good machine but IMO its not the flagship that it could've been and thats a shame.
 
Last edited:
brudy said:
I'm about to buy a new 15" retina MBP (2.7, 16g ram, 512) but are there any reasons not get the retina display version? Stability issues? Any gotchas?

My last laptop purchase was a rev a mba, which was a huge mistake. So I'd rather not repeat that.
Click to expand...

My suggestion is if you want the 15" rMBP go ahead and buy it, try it out within the 14 day return period. That is the best way to make your decision. On this forum you will hear a lot of complaints across the Mac line about this, that and the other thing. I've had my retina since August 2012. For me, its perfect. There will always be 'some defects' in products that are produce in the hundreds of thousands. Try it out and make your own decision. :D
 
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