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Retina MacBook Pro - Need Help!

B

BFW122083

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 17, 2009
373
0
Atl
Hey everyone,

I need some input/reassurance/someone to call me crazy. I have the base model rMBP and its great. Most of the time it is hooked up to a Thunderbolt display, and then I use it on its own in the evenings. I came across an 11" Air the other day and have been thinking about it a lot. I am thinking about selling my rMBP for an 11" Air.

I use my machine for work hooked up to the display. Use Safari, Pages, Numbers, iPhoto, some gaming, and light photoshopping every once and a while. My thought is I really don't need a machine THIS powerful, and can do what I need on an Air. The Air would be nicer on my lap at night browsing the web.

I always get caught up in the hype of new Apple products and jump right on board. What would you guys do? Keep the pro or sell and get an air? I have a buyer lined up but now I am having major second thoughts. Thats probably my first indication its a bad idea....

Thanks for any input.
 
BFW122083 said:
I always get caught up in the hype of new Apple products and jump right on board. What would you guys do?
Click to expand...

Take a few steps back and realize it for what it is - hype. Not saying that the rMBP is all hype, I've never even seen one in person - simply saying that you don't have to get caught up in the "excitement" (the word I am looking for as opposed to hype) of a new(er) release. Everything in life dies down, or isn't what it is on day one later on, unfortunately.

My advice is to use what you actually want to use, don't give in to purchasing something because you feel like you should or have to because it's new, fresh, or for any reason really other than genuine desire.

Just ask yourself: which computer do you really want?
 
For some of the things you do, iPhoto, Numbers, gaming, I can definitely see this is where the retina will be of better use for you. Because of the extra screen estate, spreadsheets will be easier to handle and the photos will look better. Gaming is a no brainer because of the dedicated GPU in the retina. With that said, which one would make you feel better?
 
BFW - I had the same issue. 90% of the time I am hooked up to a monitor at work and I had the same buyers remorse when I went from my 11" Air to the 15" rMBP. Ultimately, I returned the rMBP at the last minutes of my 14 day return window and got a 13" Air. Kind of a middle ground and I've been happy ever since. A rMBP was way more computer than I needed as my "extra" computer, so if I have to do some heavy video or photoshop stuff, I can always use my custom built desktop that I just refreshed this past summer.

An Air is the way to go for sure...save that extra 1000 bucks!
 
I had an 11" air. I liked it but didn't have the power or real estate I wanted. It wouldn't have been bad w another monitor but I didn't always use it at home. Kind of hard to lug around another monitor.
 
Thanks everyone,

I know what you mean when you say the hype always wears down. I was so so so excited when I got this computer, and now just two months later I am thinking about downgrading it. Kinda crazy. When I set the Air and the rMBP side by side the Retina display still blows me away. You get used to it after a while, but when you go back to a normal screen the difference is clear.

I do worry about being hooked up to the display and the Air not being able to handle everything as efficiently. The Pro does everything I do effortlessly. For me, I just do not need a 15" screen, But I feel like I would really really miss the display. Ideally a retina Air with a little more graphics power would take the cake, but that just is not an option now.

I think im going to keep it. I want the size of the Air, but the screen and power of the Retina. I think if I went to the Air I would miss those things.

----------
dbdynsty25 said:
Ultimately, I returned the rMBP at the last minutes of my 14 day return window and got a 13" Air. Kind of a middle ground and I've been happy ever since. A rMBP was way more computer than I needed as my "extra" computer, so if I have to do some heavy video or photoshop stuff, I can always use my custom built desktop that I just refreshed this past summer.
Click to expand...

This is my dilemma, I don't have another computer to do the heavy stuff!
 
BFW122083 said:
I do worry about being hooked up to the display and the Air not being able to handle everything as efficiently. The Pro does everything I do effortlessly. For me, I just do not need a 15" screen, But I feel like I would really really miss the display. Ideally a retina Air with a little more graphics power would take the cake, but that just is not an option now.
Click to expand...


So just sit tight with your 15" Retina...until they release the 13" version (whenever that is). That should solve your problems assuming they power it similarly to the 15" version. :) I'm fairly certain that I'll want to do the same when it comes out. 13" is the ideal size to me (and most everyone else since it's the size Apple sells the most of across their range of MacBooks).
 
I made my decision on want not need.......if you can afford it, get it, enjoy it........

I only use mine for browsing, netflix and movie watching, the odd bit of word processing and photoshop type stuff and gaming.

No need for it but i dont care! I love it!!
 
The Air is definitely not a good laptop. The 15" are perfect for lap use, as it's wide enough to sit on your lap without you having to keep your legs tucked together just to support the base of the system.

You already have an iPad, so you can just get a Keyboard for it and it would be virtually the same thing as an Air for many purposes (especially couch surfing).
 
mzjin said:
The Air is definitely not a good laptop.
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Well you lost all your creditability in your first sentence. This is a "I don't like it so it's not good" idea. Just because you don't prefer to use Airs doesn't mean they're not good. I have both a Retina MBP and an 11'' Air and both are great for different purposes. The Air is a phenomenal laptop, and if I could only have one laptop, I would actually take a 13'' Air, not a Retina Pro.
 
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