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rMB for work?

F

FiremanMike

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 26, 2011
263
9
I told myself I would replace my 2012 MBP if I was lucky enough to get a new administrative position at work, and it was announced yesterday that I got it. Now I'm having a difficult time deciding between the MBP retina 13, the MBA 11, and the rMB. Each has upsides and downsides, so let me tell you what I'll be using it for.

1. Help me take notes at various meetings.

2. Hook into the projector to run my slide shows (I do like to be able to see my lecture notes on screen as I go).

3. Some word processing/powerpoint/excel usage, although the bulk of that will likely be done on my full size work desktop.

4. Watching videos while on trips or back at home before bed (I know they say it stimulates you, but honestly helps me fall asleep..)

5. Any other general work usage that I've not thought of that you guys/gals can identify

The downsides as I see them for my application

rMB - one port, will need to buy 2 adapters to hook up to the projector (prefer to have power attached for long lectures). Fanless design also scares me as an occasional log in to warcraft for dailies while on trips would be nice.

MBA11 - the screen, small hard drive unless I pay the premium for bigger

retina MBP - lacks the portability of the previous machines and price.
 
FiremanMike said:
rMB - one port, will need to buy 2 adapters to hook up to the projector (prefer to have power attached for long lectures). Fanless design also scares me as an occasional log in to warcraft for dailies while on trips would be nice.

MBA11 - the screen, small hard drive unless I pay the premium for bigger

retina MBP - lacks the portability of the previous machines and price.
Click to expand...

Rmb - 2 adapters? Is the projector hdmi? If so its one.

Mba11 - would hold out for the update.

Rmbp - may lack portability in comparison but offers a good battery life and best bang per Buck.

Personally rmb would be my choice. It's perfect for what your after.
 
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I would wait until the rMP gets updated early next year. Then I think it's the perfect machine for you. It's light, holds battery well, and it has a great screen.

Air's screen is awful compared to retina screens.

I think the Pro, while it has much more power, would be too heavy for you to carry around.

The Skylake CPU's for the Macbook that comes out early next year will have up to 40% more graphics power, so Warcraft should be doable.

rMB is just such a nice computer. You will really enjoy it.
 
Gav2k said:
Rmb - 2 adapters? Is the projector hdmi? If so its one.

Mba11 - would hold out for the update.

Rmbp - may lack portability in comparison but offers a good battery life and best bang per Buck.

Personally rmb would be my choice. It's perfect for what your after.
Click to expand...

As for the port, I have a thunderbolt to VGA that I use now. I find that while many projectors have an HDMI in, they ALL have a VGA in, I like to plan for as many possibilities as possible.

I do kinda feel like the rMBP is probably the best bang for my buck, and I'm leaning that way, but I do want something more portable. Do you know when we should expect the MBA update and what we will see in the update?

jafingi said:
I would wait until the rMP gets updated early next year. Then I think it's the perfect machine for you. It's light, holds battery well, and it has a great screen.

Air's screen is awful compared to retina screens.

I think the Pro, while it has much more power, would be too heavy for you to carry around.

The Skylake CPU's for the Macbook that comes out early next year will have up to 40% more graphics power, so Warcraft should be doable.

rMB is just such a nice computer. You will really enjoy it.
Click to expand...

Do we know when we can expect an update for the rMP?
 
If you don't need HDMI, then get the Apple adapter with VGA. One adapter to keep track of, just like right now.

Worry about it being fanless? Do people worry about their phones not having a fan?
 
zhenya said:
If you don't need HDMI, then get the Apple adapter with VGA. One adapter to keep track of, just like right now.

Worry about it being fanless? Do people worry about their phones not having a fan?
Click to expand...

I don't play warcraft on my phone :)
 
But people play plenty of video games on fanless phones and tablets. The device will take care of itself. Whether it has the ability to play Warcraft very well is a question for someone else.
 
FiremanMike said:
Do we know when we can expect an update for the rMP?
Click to expand...
The new Skylake CPU's that the rMP will be using are already released and available for Apple, and has been since September. So my guess would be around February 2016.

Intel-Skylake-Core-M-MacBook.jpg
 
jafingi said:
The new Skylake CPU's that the rMP will be using are already released and available for Apple, and has been since September. So my guess would be around February 2016.

Intel-Skylake-Core-M-MacBook.jpg
Click to expand...

Tough choice, the current model is down to $909 open box at Best Buy.. Very tempting.
 
FiremanMike said:
Tough choice, the current model is down to $909 open box at Best Buy.. Very tempting.
Click to expand...

I think the rMP price will be lower on the new generation. Remember the Air and rMBP prices in the first generation? They were a lot more expensive than the second generation.
 
jafingi said:
I think the rMP price will be lower on the new generation. Remember the Air and rMBP prices in the first generation? They were a lot more expensive than the second generation.
Click to expand...
The second revision of both MBA and rMBP came out at the same price as the first revision.
 
FiremanMike said:
I told myself I would replace my 2012 MBP if I was lucky enough to get a new administrative position at work, and it was announced yesterday that I got it. Now I'm having a difficult time deciding between the MBP retina 13, the MBA 11, and the rMB. Each has upsides and downsides, so let me tell you what I'll be using it for.

1. Help me take notes at various meetings.

2. Hook into the projector to run my slide shows (I do like to be able to see my lecture notes on screen as I go).

3. Some word processing/powerpoint/excel usage, although the bulk of that will likely be done on my full size work desktop.

4. Watching videos while on trips or back at home before bed (I know they say it stimulates you, but honestly helps me fall asleep..)

5. Any other general work usage that I've not thought of that you guys/gals can identify

The downsides as I see them for my application

rMB - one port, will need to buy 2 adapters to hook up to the projector (prefer to have power attached for long lectures). Fanless design also scares me as an occasional log in to warcraft for dailies while on trips would be nice.

MBA11 - the screen, small hard drive unless I pay the premium for bigger

retina MBP - lacks the portability of the previous machines and price.
Click to expand...

My use case is identical to yours and find the RMB the best portable/travel notebook I have ever owned.

There is no guarantee that a new model will be released in the spring despite what some think and these new processors are a fractional value to a notebook already laden with great battery life.

I would pull the trigger on this today if I were you.

BJ
 
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Nice! Enjoy the upcoming week of use.

I'm absolutely floored. This laptop is beyond perfect for my usage, which is rather similar to yours. Amazing.... My biggest issue is, when I'm at my desk, I prefer using MacBook keyboard instead of the mechanical keyboard. A huge shock for me, but what an amazing package the MacBook is.
 
So the next question is, do I upgrade to el capitan or leave it on yosemite? I downgraded my iMac to yosemite due to compatibility issues with blizzard games in windowed mode, something that shouldn't be an issue on this machine..
 
I'm happy on El Capitan. It makes the gui animations a lot smoother.
 
You will be so happy! Enjoy it. :)

Just upgrade to El Capitan. As said before, it'll make it even more smooth.
 
No, if anything it's very slightly worse, but it's hard to say definitively. I do feel as if the latest update improved battery a bit. Not enough one way or the other to be the deciding factor IMO.
 
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