Look at the comments sitting on those sites. I've seen less anger and tears shed during world wars *sigh*
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Roundup of Retina MacBook Pro Reviews
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
LOL at that quote...I finally noticed a difference between the new iPad and my 2010 iMac today. Wow...it is a big difference and I look forward to seeing how the technology will improve. Also waiting on software and apps to adapt to the Retina resolution.
I haven't been able to justify a laptop over $1500. Desktops no problem. However I understand the price point and why it is too much for some folks and cheaper for others. I've priced many an MBA/MBP in the past two years and always backed off and/or returned the laptop. Part of that was buyers' remorse, part was reality. I just didn't need the machine at that time.
"Inexpensive ..." Quote of the day by David Pogue ..
But yeah .. it may be right for what you get, you mostly get the highest laptop technology available today.
Just like the first gen MBA, the price was absurd, performance was utterly insulting, but it was the first at its time. It was magical
... Expect the price to go down over time, but that's what it takes to get cheaper .. Time ...
If your time is money, a hugeee money .. than yeah RMBP is "inexpensive" .
Well .. by extrapolating your idea, Retina Display on iPad should cost $500 - $600 then? Remember that it crammed much more pixel on 9.7"display than even Retina on 15" MBP, so it should even be more expensive inch by inch. While iPad cost what? $499 at the lowest?
But yeah .. it may be right for what you get, you mostly get the highest laptop technology available today.
Just like the first gen MBA, the price was absurd, performance was utterly insulting, but it was the first at its time. It was magical
... Expect the price to go down over time, but that's what it takes to get cheaper .. Time ...If your time is money, a hugeee money .. than yeah RMBP is "inexpensive" .
Well .. by extrapolating your idea, Retina Display on iPad should cost $500 - $600 then? Remember that it crammed much more pixel on 9.7"display than even Retina on 15" MBP, so it should even be more expensive inch by inch. While iPad cost what? $499 at the lowest?
Last edited:
Apple's SSD pricing never makes sense. Then again, you'd get bent over by most other vendors with their BTO SSD configs.
I think the retina display is useful for reading. Not required so much on my laptop. It would also be useful for photo/video editing but laptop screens are generally too small for that. Therefore, even though the retina display will look awesome, it's an expensive luxury on a laptop. Put it on a cinema display with matte finish and then there's something I'll be thinking about buying. The iPad and iPhone both need retina for reading and I have both.
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.
Even if you modestly upgrade the rival MBP, the rMBP ends up being better per cost, mostly due to SSD upgrades. Funny how that works, huh? It's almost as if they want you to get the rMBP...
Why sit so far away? I'm normally sitting just over 2 feet away from my 24" iMac. For graphic work, I need to see fine detail. Having a retina screen would be a much welcomed upgrade, even though it wouldn't be as high a pixel density as a laptop.
When it comes to the soldered RAM too...if you think about it, getting 16GB third party was great, but it wasn't cost effective. Apple already factored the built-in RAM at a premium price, which you have no choice but to pay for, then pay MacSales.com $162 to get 16GB you can install yourself...making the RAM you already paid a premium for absolutely useless. So really you weren't saving all that much...a little...but not a ton.
I think having to buy adapters is the sickening fact of being an apple user. Apple should try and gracefully phase out legacy hardware by including adapters with models losing these things for the first time.
Also, just another observation, should you get a retina mbp, you'll want to plug it into an external at sometime, maybe all the time. I think that's when te luxury of having the retina will really test your patience and might prove to be a bigger headache than not. Until you actually get a retina external screen.
According to Apple they ditched the 17" MBP because very few people were buying it. The same argument they used when they killed X Serve and the same argument they will use when they kill off the Mac Pro. Yes I know what Tim Cook said but they'll make up some excuse next year when all the fuss has died down.
Apples' best selling laptop is the 13" MBP. Why? Coz it's the cheapest model they offer.
Apple is now a consumer electronics company who are not really interested in the pro marketplace.
Add these up together and I just don't see how the 15" MBPR makes any sense whatsoever at that price. Ok they will sell loads at the start but what happens in 6 or 12 months when the initial excitement has worn off? Its sales will probably drop to the same meagre levels as the old 17" MBP. Then what?
Apples' best selling laptop is the 13" MBP. Why? Coz it's the cheapest model they offer.
Apple is now a consumer electronics company who are not really interested in the pro marketplace.
Add these up together and I just don't see how the 15" MBPR makes any sense whatsoever at that price. Ok they will sell loads at the start but what happens in 6 or 12 months when the initial excitement has worn off? Its sales will probably drop to the same meagre levels as the old 17" MBP. Then what?
As much as I love the new Retina MBP's and how long I have been patiently waiting for the updates and stashing over 2 grand for a new MBP when they finally would arrive, I"m going to order a 13" MBA. I saw the new retina's in the store last night and was blown away, but the quiet and over shadowed updates to the air sold me. I couldn't justify myself spending at least another $500+ for the retina version. I already have an iphone 4s ipad 3 and an aging imac I use for browsing the web and my music server, I'm not photographer or video editor, so I talked myself out of the retina last night at the store. I think the MBA is one hell of a computer after the retina MBP. Even though money isn't the problem, i couldn't see myself spending that kind of money on something that I wouldn't get the most out of. I wish everyone luck with the new retina's.
In case anyone gets misled, I think the 15" MBP only has 2xUSB ports?
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro/select
Giving the adapters for ports with the machine you specifically designed without those ports sounds a bit goofy doesn't it? It's also a poor idea from a business standpoint and much easier to let those who need it buy it instead of wasting a ton of adapters not everyone needs.
If I got a newer one, it would be as a desktop replacement so most of the time the Retina display wouldn't be used. That's why my 2011 MBP will stick around for a while because at the moment I don't have much need. The greatest benefits to me in the new one are the bump in specs, flash storage, and a better dedicated GPU. BUT, right now that's not enough for me to buy new, not with this 2011 running so well still.
Fortunately for you, Apple makes a 15" MacBook Pro that has an ethernet port.
What if I want to have retina?
For a pro-level computer, it should have RAM that is not soldered on and an ethernet port.
Opening it up wouldn't be the issue with a design that has little no screws. It would deter many from trying to open it up for fear of damaging the components. Not being able to conceive it doesn't mean that it can't be or hasn't already been done.
As far as the battery, I don't see even the Apple techs trying to replace that in store. They may just issue you a new one, transfer your info and send the faulty book back to the warehouse for repair and testing. Then just sell it as a refurbished unit.
I don't think the ethernet port is THAT necessary for folks that use their machine for business. If I had to choose between ethernet and an extra USB 3.0 port I'd take the USB port. The RAM is only an issue for those that know they are going to upgrade past 16GB in the future . . . like myself . . . so I am with you there, but for many that just won't be an issue.
There's still a little spark of a dream deep inside of me that flys away to a place where Apple has the ultra thin laptop for the mobile user and the ultra efficient/loaded/maxed out/high end laptop for the mobile user that needs the raw power of a nuclear reactor.
There are plenty of panels out there that have higher than 1080p. Everyone has the high res panel that's used in the 27" TBolt display, and there are even many 4k panels out there in the realm of broadcast.
Last edited:
Apple either make an assumption that majority of people don't use these things or they play god and force people not to use these things. They disregard their loyal customers and force them to use their machines in a particular way. It's not 'goofy' to include adapters that people will have to buy anyway (very much the apple way to expect people to do that). It would only be for a phase out period anyway. It's not an unusual thing either.
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.
----------
The MBPR expensive compared to other laptops (Apple and others). This is obviously for a good reason, and it's probably worth it for some people.
My only complaints are the soldered RAM and lack of ethernet port.
Why should the people who have no need for such adapters subsidize the cost just so it can be included in your box?