Returned RMBP for an air + Thunderbolt Dispaly

[AppleTree]

Well, after spending a week with the RMBP i can say its a great machine with a magnificent displaly and really struggled to decide if it was really worth the price. In the end i decided, it wasn't really worth $2800.

Anyway, i went ahead and returned it and got an upgraded 13" 2.0/8G air + Thunderbolt Display for $100 less.

In my eyes having the awesome portability and decent horsepower of the macbook air on the go while coming back home to a large nice display that also serves as a docking station is much more worth the money.

Anyone esle take the same route?

 

[Nde]

Good point Appletree. As much as it is, in terms of cost and hardware, rMBP may not fit everyone. I travel alot, but I also game a lot. I mean I'm one of those 6-8 hours running Warcraft 25m Raids while traveling in a hotel. I can use the extra graphic upgrade in the MBP. I don't need the retina display (yet). Don't know where the games are heading at the moment.

Sometime, I wish I have a MBA. Especially those long walk between hotel and office. But for day to day use like Office stuff, MBA is more than enough

 

[noteple]

That was my route Until the rMBP

Wanted a high resolution screen in the field and any display over 21 inch just wouldn't fit in the back pack.

Glad you found a solution that fits your workflow.

 

[Scrub175]

I was in the market for the retina, but have opted for the air. I currently have an iMac so I will skip the TB display, but they are gorgeous...

Have you missed the extra power of the rMBP? What are some programs (guess we call them apps now) that you use?

 

[AppleTree]

Actually i haven't missed the horsepower much at all, maybe just a little bit because i do quite a bit of virtualization and thats one of the reasons i took the 8G RAM option (wish 16G was possible). But it handles it all with ease!

But i'm really amazed with the performance of these new 2012 airs. For the price/performance/portability ratio, its top notch.

I do very very little gaming and most of the games i do play are not very graphic intensive, so thats a non issue for me.

I honestly think a 13" retina pro at the same price and close to the same weight as the air, would be the sweetspot for me. But until then!

 

[Boe11]

At the end of the day, we're all just discussing meaningless minutia here. I don't say that to be a dick (I've contributed to and initiated many threads like this), just to put things into a bit of perspective. Some people don't have computers.

Having said that, last year I went with a similar setup - an 11" air and a TBD because I thought it would be the best of both worlds. It pretty much was, but the IGP gave me all sorts of issues with flash and silverlight based videos. So I sent it back. With the new airs and 4000 IGP, I really think it would be a damn-near perfect setup.

Chapter 2: I purchased and later returned a rMBP recently. I also felt that it was a near perfect computer configuration, with a couple of drawbacks that may be a deal breaker for some, and no problem at all for others. It really was a great rig.

Basically, if you don't want to do any gaming, I think the MBA+TBD combo is as close as you can get to blissful. You've got a very portable and capable computer you can take with you and a very enjoyable and productive desktop dock setup when you're back at home base. All of your files and programs are centralized and it's a delight. If you need a bit more power, want to do some gaming, or do video/photo/graphics work professionally, then the rMBP will be worth the sacrifice of portability and money.

Again, discussions like this is why the terrorists hate us, but I think you can't really go wrong with either route.

 

[OneMike]

I have an Air on the way and will be getting a TB display as well. Although, I may give it a bit to see if an update is in the works.

 

[jterp7]

At the end of the day, we're all just discussing meaningless minutia here. I don't say that to be a dick (I've contributed to and initiated many threads like this), just to put things into a bit of perspective. Some people don't have computers.

Having said that, last year I went with a similar setup - an 11" air and a TBD because I thought it would be the best of both worlds. It pretty much was, but the IGP gave me all sorts of issues with flash and silverlight based videos. So I sent it back. With the new airs and 4000 IGP, I really think it would be a damn-near perfect setup.

Chapter 2: I purchased and later returned a rMBP recently. I also felt that it was a near perfect computer configuration, with a couple of drawbacks that may be a deal breaker for some, and no problem at all for others. It really was a great rig.

Basically, if you don't want to do any gaming, I think the MBA+TBD combo is as close as you can get to blissful. You've got a very portable and capable computer you can take with you and a very enjoyable and productive desktop dock setup when you're back at home base. All of your files and programs are centralized and it's a delight. If you need a bit more power, want to do some gaming, or do video/photo/graphics work professionally, then the rMBP will be worth the sacrifice of portability and money.

Again, discussions like this is why the terrorists hate us, but I think you can't really go wrong with either route.

first world problems lol

I have currently a 2011 13" MBA + TBD and just picked up a rMBP. It's definitely a step up and you can actually game on it. There's also the option for 2880 x 1800 for S&G when you're in the mood. DIII looks just crazy on @ 2880 though realistically I'll probably normally play at 1680. The air can't even do minimum res and break 20fps. That said, I already notice the weight difference just moving it around the house.

 

[jacktorrance]

If you need a bit more power, want to do some gaming, or do video/photo/graphics work professionally, then the rMBP will be worth the sacrifice of portability and money.

I'm not sure that the rMBP is really that much of a sacrifice in terms of portability. Particularly for an adult male...!