Hi guys,
I know the people reading this have probably read the numerous reviews, but I thought I'd give a first impression of the Retina MBP. I read tons of reviews, so I'm used to the "criteria", so to speak, that many popular tech sites write about.
I was lucky enough to actually get 2 Retina Macbook Pros at a Best Buy about 30 minutes away. One's on ebay as we speak and one's the one I'm typing on
Anyways, first thing I noticed when I removed it from the box was the weight. It is so much more comfortable to hold than the older MBP (I had a 2011 15'' MBP before this one, also on ebay lol). It's not like you hold it and think it's light, but the way the weight is distributed is much more comfortable than the older model. I have a 2011 11'' Air as well, and obviously it's not even near that, but it feels light enough, for me anyways.
One huge thing I noticed was the keyboard! Having owned several MacBooks as you might've picked up on by now, this keyboard is a lot different. I don't mean the layout, and it might just be mine I'm not sure, but I would describe the typing experience as "light". I mean that as in the keys seem to travel in a different manner- I don't think I'm exerting less effort than my older model, but it gives you a more satisfying feeling when the keys reach the end of their click. I use light because it feels like I'm using less effort, though I don't think I am.
The screen is absolutely gorgeous. I feel like all the reviews really didn't review the screen very well, and I didn't understand what it'd be like 'till I got one in front of me. It really is almost as significant as the 3GS to iPhone 4 transformation was, but not quite as different. After getting used to all the hi-res icons in the OS, you really start to notice it in different places. For example, the little sync marks next to dropbox items in dropbox are extremely tiny- and I suspect this is because the icons were designed for a significantly lower-res screen. I mean they're tiny- and it's because the screen res has been upped by so much more. That's the biggest difference I notice- not the sleek text rendering, but how many more pixels are on this display. It's fantastic to use, and though I've used it for only a few hours, I can already say it justifies the expensive upgrade fee I'm having to pay to upgrade laptops.
Many other things are extremely alike, but another area I like are the ports. I know there must've been several people who often use ethernet, firewire, and the optical drive who were face palming when this laptop was announced, but me personally I rarely used any of those options. I will probably buy a Superdrive, though I don't really need one, just to install Diablo really. I will maybe purchase the ethernet adapter as there are still places, especially in hotels in small towns, that do not offer wifi or it is very slow and therefore I would need ethernet. I understand why Apple removes these things- referring to the optical drive and ethernet adapter; it's because most, keyword most, people use these items rarely. Not never, but rarely. I feel like a lot of the weight lost from the older model was in the optical drive, and I know you can remove it from the old models but I like keeping things stock. Anyways, I like the idea of adapters instead of ports, and it gives the laptop an extremely slick look from the side. The magsafe 2 port upgrade was pretty bad, requiring an unincluded adapter for use with older chargers, but it really does give it a slick look. Really slick. One thing that really surprised me was the HDMI inclusion. I couldn't believe it! It seems so late in HDMI's life to start including this feature, but I guess Apple just decided to pull the trigger. They stated several times they'd never include HDMI in laptops, but they for some reason did. It's kind of annoying to me because I have a few mini display port to dvi and hdmi adapters, but I'd rather have it than not have it. Just interesting they'd just now include this. USB 3.0 was a given upgrade because it was already included in Ivy Bridge. 2 Thunderbolt ports is nice as well as many more accessories and the named adapters now, thankfully, take advantage of the port.
Overall, This machine is incredible. Regardless of how long I've had this laptop, I've had enough laptops to know love at first sight. It has everything you'd want in a 15 inch laptop while keeping a sleek profile with good battery life, an excellent screen, and the best keyboard and trackpad available. Ever since I sold my iPad for my 11 inch air, I've constantly been convincing people to pick up the 13 inch air instead of the boring 13 inch MBP everyone has (I only got an 11 inch because I already had a 15 inch and wanted something to be similar to portability of an iPad), but this machine will have me recommending it to other people. I'll now say if you like bigger screens and price is no matter, pick up the retina MBP. However, I still feel the best machine for most people's needs, especially college students, is the 13 inch air. Regardless of how incredible this MBP is, it's simply too powerful for most people's needs.
But damn do I love it
I know the people reading this have probably read the numerous reviews, but I thought I'd give a first impression of the Retina MBP. I read tons of reviews, so I'm used to the "criteria", so to speak, that many popular tech sites write about.
I was lucky enough to actually get 2 Retina Macbook Pros at a Best Buy about 30 minutes away. One's on ebay as we speak and one's the one I'm typing on
Anyways, first thing I noticed when I removed it from the box was the weight. It is so much more comfortable to hold than the older MBP (I had a 2011 15'' MBP before this one, also on ebay lol). It's not like you hold it and think it's light, but the way the weight is distributed is much more comfortable than the older model. I have a 2011 11'' Air as well, and obviously it's not even near that, but it feels light enough, for me anyways.
One huge thing I noticed was the keyboard! Having owned several MacBooks as you might've picked up on by now, this keyboard is a lot different. I don't mean the layout, and it might just be mine I'm not sure, but I would describe the typing experience as "light". I mean that as in the keys seem to travel in a different manner- I don't think I'm exerting less effort than my older model, but it gives you a more satisfying feeling when the keys reach the end of their click. I use light because it feels like I'm using less effort, though I don't think I am.
The screen is absolutely gorgeous. I feel like all the reviews really didn't review the screen very well, and I didn't understand what it'd be like 'till I got one in front of me. It really is almost as significant as the 3GS to iPhone 4 transformation was, but not quite as different. After getting used to all the hi-res icons in the OS, you really start to notice it in different places. For example, the little sync marks next to dropbox items in dropbox are extremely tiny- and I suspect this is because the icons were designed for a significantly lower-res screen. I mean they're tiny- and it's because the screen res has been upped by so much more. That's the biggest difference I notice- not the sleek text rendering, but how many more pixels are on this display. It's fantastic to use, and though I've used it for only a few hours, I can already say it justifies the expensive upgrade fee I'm having to pay to upgrade laptops.
Many other things are extremely alike, but another area I like are the ports. I know there must've been several people who often use ethernet, firewire, and the optical drive who were face palming when this laptop was announced, but me personally I rarely used any of those options. I will probably buy a Superdrive, though I don't really need one, just to install Diablo really. I will maybe purchase the ethernet adapter as there are still places, especially in hotels in small towns, that do not offer wifi or it is very slow and therefore I would need ethernet. I understand why Apple removes these things- referring to the optical drive and ethernet adapter; it's because most, keyword most, people use these items rarely. Not never, but rarely. I feel like a lot of the weight lost from the older model was in the optical drive, and I know you can remove it from the old models but I like keeping things stock. Anyways, I like the idea of adapters instead of ports, and it gives the laptop an extremely slick look from the side. The magsafe 2 port upgrade was pretty bad, requiring an unincluded adapter for use with older chargers, but it really does give it a slick look. Really slick. One thing that really surprised me was the HDMI inclusion. I couldn't believe it! It seems so late in HDMI's life to start including this feature, but I guess Apple just decided to pull the trigger. They stated several times they'd never include HDMI in laptops, but they for some reason did. It's kind of annoying to me because I have a few mini display port to dvi and hdmi adapters, but I'd rather have it than not have it. Just interesting they'd just now include this. USB 3.0 was a given upgrade because it was already included in Ivy Bridge. 2 Thunderbolt ports is nice as well as many more accessories and the named adapters now, thankfully, take advantage of the port.
Overall, This machine is incredible. Regardless of how long I've had this laptop, I've had enough laptops to know love at first sight. It has everything you'd want in a 15 inch laptop while keeping a sleek profile with good battery life, an excellent screen, and the best keyboard and trackpad available. Ever since I sold my iPad for my 11 inch air, I've constantly been convincing people to pick up the 13 inch air instead of the boring 13 inch MBP everyone has (I only got an 11 inch because I already had a 15 inch and wanted something to be similar to portability of an iPad), but this machine will have me recommending it to other people. I'll now say if you like bigger screens and price is no matter, pick up the retina MBP. However, I still feel the best machine for most people's needs, especially college students, is the 13 inch air. Regardless of how incredible this MBP is, it's simply too powerful for most people's needs.
But damn do I love it
