Roundup of Retina MacBook Pro Reviews

[fitshaced]

Why should the people who have no need for such adapters subsidize the cost just so it can be included in your box?

I think that's a poor statement. Why did apple include display adapters in previous models, even for those people that don't use external monitors? Or why set 8gig standard on base models when some people may only use 4.

You, and Apple are making the assumption that the majority don't use these things. Maybe over time, but like I said, phase them out gracefully without leaving a bitter taste with loyal customers.

 

[petsounds]

Why should the people who have no need for such adapters subsidize the cost just so it can be included in your box?

This is a machine for professionals, often people who need to interface with pro-level devices or have meetings where wi-fi may not be available. People don't want a notebook that is so slimmed-down that half the ports they use turn into adapters they have to constantly lug around, if they even remember to bring them.

I can almost even understand Apple's decision to nix the ethernet port; wi-fi is fairly ubiquitous these days. But to drop the Firewire port when so many devices/interfaces in industries like post-production and audio engineering still use Firewire is absurd. In the old days, Apple continued to give folks a Firewire 400 port even when 800 had clearly come into its own. But now Thunderbolt is barely out of the gate and Apple has already nixed Firewire 800. It makes no sense, if their purpose is still to support professional users.

 

[igazza]

Im hoping Apple make a 13 inch version soon.

 

[hipnetic]

I think that's a poor statement. Why did apple include display adapters in previous models, even for those people that don't use external monitors? Or why set 8gig standard on base models when some people may only use 4.

That's a poor comparison, IMO. Apple provided video cable dongles when they were introducing an all-new video standard (e.g., Thunderbolt). Ethernet's time has long since passed as a must-have for the majority of people. WiFi has been around *FOREVER*. For the *FEW* who need it, a dongle is available for a modest cost, and the majority of users *DON'T* need one.

You, and Apple are making the assumption that the majority don't use these things. Maybe over time, but like I said, phase them out gracefully without leaving a bitter taste with loyal customers.

A 'bitter taste' for a tiny percentage of the population. And they can buy one. The vast majority of users will be happy that they now have a slimmer/lighter laptop now that a port they don't need isn't built in.

----------

The lack of ethernet is ridiculous on a professional-level computer, and even a lot of home users have spotty or no wifi. Wifi in my room is horrible, and it's slower than ethernet even in good areas.

If you have bad WiFi in your home, buy a new router, or maybe your house is extra-large, in case buy an extender or two. Why does anyone buy a laptop with the intention/desire of shackling it to a desk? Maybe you ought to be buying a desktop computer instead?

 

[sennekuyl]

I'm being persuaded that losing ethernet isnt so bad, unless you work with large files. Sadly I've never worked out how market my IT skills to be more than bar money.

To the blokes telling people to be 'entrepreneurial', what you are missing is that many of the 'middle class' are already doing that to pay the bills you readily dismiss.

Possibly you think that your success is down to you. While there's no doubt you have worked very hard to get where you are, factors outside their control often push the financial power they desire beyond their current reach. I've seen people working far harder than myself get knocked down time & time again despite their efforts.

Too often I see people in my similarly fortunate position bemoan the lack of enterprise on the part of others & admonishments to work harder. It becomes particularly apparent when the poorer colleagues express disappointment that certain items are beyond their reach.

Sure there are proportions of the population that don't work hard nor make an effort to earn diddly squat. But it has never been directly correlated to financial capacity to my knowledge. That path lies arrogance & self deceit. My response to that is a slight modification to an old adage: "Power corrupts to the degree it is believed to be deserved or earned."

 

[driceman]

In before "this is cool, but despite what the reviews say , revision a products always have bugs so I think i'll wait for the one that comes out in two revisions which is the one I buy so it doesn't have any bugs and extra features for a lower price. Besides my late 2011 macbook pro still does everything I need it to so this machine is crap anyway".

I have to disagree. I have a late 2011 MacBook Pro, it does everything I need, and the new Pro looks awesome anyway.

 

[fitshaced]

That's a poor comparison, IMO. Apple provided video cable dongles when they were introducing an all-new video standard (e.g., Thunderbolt). Ethernet's time has long since passed as a must-have for the majority of people. WiFi has been around *FOREVER*. For the *FEW* who need it, a dongle is available for a modest cost, and the majority of users *DON'T* need one.

A 'bitter taste' for a tiny percentage of the population. And they can buy one. The vast majority of users will be happy that they now have a slimmer/lighter laptop now that a port they don't need isn't built in.

Well now you're blatantly making that assumption. Who did your research? Even Apple can't claim to know.

As has been said above, a pro machine should have adaptability built in. If you don't want the ports, the alternative should be the lower model.

You cannot claim to be a part of the majority.

 

[Bauer24]

that seems like a lot for a 15" weren't the 17" around that price?

Nah. This Retina Pro is priced pretty well IMO. I think people have forgotten where Pro's were just a few years ago.

When I bought my first MacBook Pro in 2007, I paid $2199 plus tax (~$2496) for:
-Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 Ghz
-1440 x 900
-1 GB RAM
-120 GB drive (not SSD haha)
-non-LED screen (CCFL so the brightness was not as good), non-glass, non-multi-touch pad
-backlit, USB 2, DVI out, Express card, no SD slot, FW 400/800, shorter battery life than current.

I'd say this is a great buy - or if not that, it's not an unexpected price at all.

 

[hipnetic]

To the blokes telling people to be 'entrepreneurial', what you are missing is that many of the 'middle class' are already doing that to pay the bills you readily dismiss.

Possibly you think that your success is down to you. While there's no doubt you have worked very hard to get where you are, factors outside their control often push the financial power they desire beyond their current reach. I've seen people working far harder than myself get knocked down time & time again despite their efforts.

...

Sure there are proportions of the population that don't work hard nor make an effort to earn diddly squat. But it has never been directly correlated to financial capacity to my knowledge. That path lies arrogance & self deceit. My response to that is a slight modification to an old adage: "Power corrupts to the degree it is believed to be deserved or earned."

With all due respect, why are some of you using these forums to moan about political/economic class concerns? Things cost money. No one has a *right* to the latest and greatest MacBook Pro Retina. And, quite frankly, practically no one *NEEDS* one. I'd love a Ferrari, but if all I can afford is a Toyota Yaris, I should feel thankful that I can afford a computer (there are people being murdered by US drones as we speak - I doubt their survivors are moaning about how they can't afford the latest MacBook Pro Retina). As I mentioned in a previous post, the MacBook Air 13" is, IMO, the best bang-for-the-buck machine they offer, and it's cheaper (and better) than last year's model. Enjoy!

 

[doobybiggs]

Nah. This Retina Pro is priced pretty well IMO. I think people have forgotten where Pro's were just a few years ago.

When I bought my first MacBook Pro in 2007, I paid $2199 plus tax (~$2496) for:
-Intel Core 2 Duo 2.16 Ghz
-1440 x 900
-1 GB RAM
-120 GB drive (not SSD haha)
-non-LED screen (CCFL so the brightness was not as good), non-glass, non-multi-touch pad
-backlit, USB 2, DVI out, Express card, no SD slot, FW 400/800, shorter battery life than current.

I'd say this is a great buy - or if not that, it's not an unexpected price at all.

hmmmm, well that was back when I wanted nothing to do with MACs lol. Now I remember why

Well, for that price back then to what it is now, I have to give it to you - that is a decent price for the new 15"

 

[hipnetic]

As has been said above, a pro machine should have adaptability built in. If you don't want the ports, the alternative should be the lower model.

Sigh. Two things:
1) It *DOES* have adaptability built in. It's got USB and Thunderbolt ports, and you can hook up ethernet dongles using either, and they don't cost much extra. And since an ethernet port is to be used *AT A DESK* it's not unreasonable to suggest that you plug that dongle to your ethernet cable and leave it right there at your desk.
2) In case you've been sleeping the last several years, Apple's vision of the future for "Pro" devices is about making them smaller, lighter, more powerful, and with long battery life. Their vision of "Pro" is not about keeping legacy ports and clunky disk/disc drives around forever because 2% of the professional community still uses them. And even there, they give you the option of buying an external dongle/drive to meet that need until the device is so far in the distant past (see 720KB disk drives) that they can safely remove even that option.

 

[twoodcc]

I'd say it's getting great reviews so far. I think I'm gonna pass for now and wait for retina on cheaper machines

 

[fitshaced]

Sigh. Two things:
1) It *DOES* have adaptability built in. It's got USB and Thunderbolt ports, and you can hook up ethernet dongles using either, and they don't cost much extra. And since an ethernet port is to be used *AT A DESK* it's not unreasonable to suggest that you plug that dongle to your ethernet cable and leave it right there at your desk.
2) In case you've been sleeping the last several years, Apple's vision of the future for "Pro" devices is about making them smaller, lighter, more powerful, and with long battery life. Their vision of "Pro" is not about keeping legacy ports and clunky disk/disc drives around forever because 2% of the professional community still uses them. And even there, they give you the option of buying an external dongle/drive to meet that need until the device is so far in the distant past (see 720KB disk drives) that they can safely remove even that option.

Wow, 2% now is it?

 

[ayedgaf]

why the hell all the replies with "inexpensive" are getting major negative votes LOL. are you guys all rich? anyone who thinks $2100 is inexpensive must be very wealthy....

 

[Ice Dragon]

The only thing that I have against the RMBP is the battery being glued inside the machine. The idea of glue just seems cheap to me.

 

[nec207]

Well it's also not an SSD...so...

Seriously folks, this thing was designed from the ground up to include what it includes and they had zero interest in putting in a swappable drive obviously, since they wanted flash storage not an SSD drive. Same goes for RAM...and this time around IMO the RAM upgrade isn't that bad since you get 8GB standard to start already and not 4GB.

There are adapters for ports you want, or how about that upcoming Belkin dock that'll give you a ton more USB 3.0 ports, FW800, eSata, etc.?

It's a great system from the looks of it.

What is the difference of flash storage than say SSD ? And why is it so costly than say the hard drive.

Why is the cost not coming down like hard drive that coming down every year and more GB.

 

[hipnetic]

Wow, 2% now is it?

Sigh. I have no idea what the percentage is...I'm just tossing out a number to represent *A SMALL MINORITY*. If you honestly think that the *MAJORITY* of people in the year 2012 still need ethernet cable access, then please provide some better numbers. Again, you can hook up an ethernet cable to this new MacBook Pro Retina. You just need a dongle. Can you explain again why a dongle is such a horribly unacceptable option?

I'm sure that some people still need VGA, or floppy disk access, or serial port, or [fill in the blank]. When does it end? So Apple should make a much thicker laptop just so they can provide all of these legacy ports without having to use a [gasp] dongle?

 

[sennekuyl]

With all due respect, why are some of you using these forums to moan about political/economic class concerns? Things cost money. No one has a *right* to the latest and greatest MacBook Pro Retina. And, quite frankly, practically no one *NEEDS* one. I'd love a Ferrari, but if all I can afford is a Toyota Yaris, I should feel thankful that I can afford a computer (there are people being murdered by US drones as we speak - I doubt their survivors are moaning about how they can't afford the latest MacBook Pro Retina). As I mentioned in a previous post, the MacBook Air 13" is, IMO, the best bang-for-the-buck machine they offer, and it's cheaper (and better) than last year's model. Enjoy!

Obviously my communication skills need work. *sigh* I really didn't feel I had implied anyone had a 'right' to Apple's product, but rather what raised my eyebrow was several people implying that people who can't afford one need to work harder. Purchasing power doesn't have a direct correlation to work ethic.

I agree with you, both in philosophy and appreciation of the MBPr. Also, I don't think it fair to insinuate others less fortunate are lazy or incapable of mathematics.

:: EDIT ::

With all due respect, why are some of you using these forums to moan about political/economic class concerns? ...

To directly answer your question, because some people were being condescending when other people expressed desire for a lower priced product. Other reply posts to the complainers had covered why the MBPr was good value at the $2100, so I thought I'd address why the condescension was equally boneheaded.

 

[fitshaced]

Sigh. I have no idea what the percentage is...I'm just tossing out a number to represent *A SMALL MINORITY*. If you honestly think that the *MAJORITY* of people in the year 2012 still need ethernet cable access, then please provide some better numbers. Again, you can hook up an ethernet cable to this new MacBook Pro Retina. You just need a dongle. Can you explain again why a dongle is such a horribly unacceptable option?

I'm sure that some people still need VGA, or floppy disk access, or serial port, or [fill in the blank]. When does it end? So Apple should make a much thicker laptop just so they can provide all of these legacy ports without having to use a [gasp] dongle?

I didnt say that we need to keep legacy hardware forever. i didn't even say that a dongle was a poor option. I was saying that if these things are being phased out, they should do it gracefully. 3 times I've said that now.

 

[sennekuyl]

why the hell all the replies with "inexpensive" are getting major negative votes LOL. are you guys all rich? anyone who thinks $2100 is inexpensive must be very wealthy....

As has been pointed out several times, those despairing the 'inexpensive' are despairing for no reason as the next paragraph shows the author agreeing with them. They didn't read the original post in context yet commented on it to say they agreed with the original post.

Pretty much everyone agrees that $2100 is expensive, but most of us agree that it is great value.

 

[Hakone]

What is the difference of flash storage than say SSD ? And why is it so costly than say the hard drive.

Why is the cost not coming down like hard drive that coming down every year and more GB.

The answer may be that there's no faster HDD option out there for the consumer market. Until there is, the rate of depreciation may be long. I think...

 

[Roofy.]

I honestly don't know how anyone could give this a negative review. Even if you personally don't like it, it's one helluva nice laptop.

Exactly.

Especially from hearing the rumors. We all expected the next MBP or MBA to have retina deisplays. But no, they ****ed with us and made this.

They could've easily just added a retina display to their lines and raised the price by 200 or 300 dollars, but no they didnt. They made a whole new lap top.

And its ****ing badass. All flash stoarage, thin as hell, light as hell, strong as hell, powerful as hell.... the top review was right. They hit the nail on the head with everything except affordability. But isnt that obvious anyway?

epicness like this doesnt come cheap. You get what you pay for.

 

[hipnetic]

Obviously my communication skills need work. *sigh* I really didn't feel I had implied anyone had a 'right' to Apple's product, but rather what raised my eyebrow was several people implying that people who can't afford one need to work harder.

I appreciate your tone, so I don't want to argue with you or stretch out what I would consider to be an unconstructive debate. I'll just say that my interpretation of what certain people said wasn't so much that 'people who can't afford one need to work harder' but rather, 'people who can't afford one *but still feel like they need one* should be creative in thinking about how they might be able to afford one.' Personally, I don't think *anyone* *needs* one of these.

And as someone who *can* afford one but who tries to be frugal and is always looking for what has the most 'bang for the buck' I would, again, recommend the base MacBook Air 13". I got one last year and think it's great, and I'm not a casual user...I actually do serious development on it.

 

[JayJayAbels]

I am about to buy a Macbook Pro from the states due to the fact they are cheaper of course And I am in high doubt which configuration I should go for. I've been waiting to read reviews how the Non Retina compares to the Retina, and people say it's worth the money. I will be using the MBP for photoshop most of the time and Xcode programming while I am not a spec freak I do wanna get the best for the money. So far I have never had a problem of picking up a mac but, now with the Retina Macbook do I really want it ? Do I really need it are two different things. So I went out and made a quick ugly pros and cons picture to stack them up. Tell me what do you think.Image

Thanks in advance!

Cheers Simeon!

I think your post contained a very legitimate question that you truly seem torn about.
I think you should go with the MBP w/ Retina because you'll be working with Photoshop.
I also think that your comment did not deserve the amount of hate for absolutely no reason.

Some of the posters on this forum are faux trolls.

 

[Renzatic]

The price argument is simple: the RMBP (henceforth referred to as rump) is the very definition of a boutique computer. It's sleek, powerful, and nice, sure. It's the prime geek badge of awesomeness in computer form. But guess what? You can get something just as powerful, but not quite as thin and pretty for considerably less. You can grab a thick and ugly Sager or Asus high end beast machine laptop. They might be fat as hell, and suck battery power like a wino on a bottle of Night Train, but they'll blow the doors off the rump in raw performance for 2/3rds the price. If you like the thin design, but don't need the power the rump provides, you can grab an air for literally half the price. Or you can always get the recent spec update of the tried and true original Pro for a few hundred less.

The only thing you lose out on is the geek chic factor. None of the abovementioned computers will look quite as fancy sitting on your desk, but if what you need is a computer to get some work done...well...who cares about the fashion statement? Get what you need at a price that won't mean your kids will have to go without their insulin shots this month.

But if you want to get one, then hey, save your cash and go for it. The rump is a great little machine, and looks to be about the best performance you can buy in a package its size. It's enough that even I'm tempted to get one, and I'm about the most stoic and level headed person in the world when it comes to computer choices.