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Sell 2013 MBA for Late 2013 rMBP?

C

cridgit001

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 5, 2013
51
45
So I'm in a quandary. I bought a 2013 13" MBA w/ i5, 8 gig RAM, and 256 SDD the first week of September. Now I've always loved the Retina Display, but I needed the battery life of the Air. Now with the new rMBP, it has alleviated that issue, battery life too short.

So here's my question, should I try and sell my Air, and if so how much do you think I could get for it? It's barely 2 months old with only 25 batt. cycles on it considering.
 
I think with it being fully specced out (as top machine), you could probably sell it for something between $1099 and $1199...
 
iWeekend - Thanks for the link. I noticed in your sig, you have the model that I'd buy, have you been experiencing any of the keyboard and freezing issues? What about the IR?

Middleman-77 - When you say, "fully specced", are you referring to the Core i7 with 16 gig ram and 512 SDD or my model?
 
cridgit001 said:
iWeekend - Thanks for the link. I noticed in your sig, you have the model that I'd buy, have you been experiencing any of the keyboard and freezing issues? What about the IR?
Click to expand...


Yes, the computer froze on me twice. Given the wildly differing posts on this issue, it seems random enough to be a software/Mavericks issue. Which hopefully means its fixable.

No IR here (knocks on wood).


Personally, if it were me (and ignoring the screen "envy" as one thread calls it here) I'd keep the 2013 Air. For me, the screen won out, but I'm also coming from not having a viable laptop.
 
i just sold my MBA (spec on sig) for 1275

was gonna get the new 13" RMBP, but can't decide on spec.

Will prob go for the 2.6/8/512

but am also thinking about the 15" rmbp as well....

1st world problems, i purchase the 13" last sunday from Apple to play with and see how I like it, will probably return it this week and get the 15" and see if I like that before I make a final decision and see which one I want.
 
cramazing said:
i just sold my MBA (spec on sig) for 1275 was gonna get the new 13" RMBP, but can't decide on spec. Will prob go for the 2.6/8/512
Click to expand...

Many of us, I suspect, are in the same situation ... or want to be! Would you post to let us know your thoughts on how the 13" rMBP compares to your MBA?
 
I would keep your air...

-more or less same speed (geekbench)
-1440-900 (air) vs 1280-800 (pro) *note* 2560 x 1600 display is really 1280-800 just with 4 pixels in each spot
-slightly extra weight
 
tom vilsack said:
I would keep your air...

-more or less same speed (geekbench)
-1440-900 (air) vs 1280-800 (pro) *note* 2560 x 1600 display is really 1280-800 just with 4 pixels in each spot
-slightly extra weight
Click to expand...

you can scale resolution to 1440x900 and it looks much much better than on air (no pixels, ups display).. only issue with retina mbpr is that UI seems laggy to me... dont know whether its sw or hw issue
 
jmoore5196 said:
Many of us, I suspect, are in the same situation ... or want to be! Would you post to let us know your thoughts on how the 13" rMBP compares to your MBA?
Click to expand...

the air was flawless, even after Maverick there was very little issues, only thing i noticed was the scrolling back and forward on Safari which caused a freeze, happened on twice.

with the RMBP, the screen is the big winner, to me its more about quality of life, looking at the Retina is just soooooo much better on the eyes.

yes i have experienced the trackpad and keyboard freeze, but thats all software stuff that Apple will fix soon.

Feel wise, the Retina is a bit bulkier, but the footprint also feels smaller compare to the air, sometimes i feel like the 13" rmbp is really a 12" since the mba feels longer than the mpb

performance wise, i didnt feel much of a difference on light use...
 
cramazing said:
the air was flawless, even after Maverick there was very little issues, only thing i noticed was the scrolling back and forward on Safari which caused a freeze, happened on twice.

with the RMBP, the screen is the big winner, to me its more about quality of life, looking at the Retina is just soooooo much better on the eyes.

yes i have experienced the trackpad and keyboard freeze, but thats all software stuff that Apple will fix soon.

Feel wise, the Retina is a bit bulkier, but the footprint also feels smaller compare to the air, sometimes i feel like the 13" rmbp is really a 12" since the mba feels longer than the mpb

performance wise, i didnt feel much of a difference on light use...
Click to expand...

do you use scaled resolution on your retMBpro? don't you feel UI be a bit laggy (expose?)... in comparison to 2013 air? thx.
 
I have the same dilemma. Can't decide whether should I sell my MBA 13 i7 8gb and buy pro 13. Looks like I got retina envy :) mainly because undoubtedly retina would me much better for eyes and daily use as main computer. Ohh what should I do...
 
majkom said:
do you use scaled resolution on your retMBpro? don't you feel UI be a bit laggy (expose?)... in comparison to 2013 air? thx.
Click to expand...

yea I'm on 1440x900, which i think is the best resolution for the 13in, retina is still very good. sometimes i connect it to TBD and thats when i use "best for retina"

also, i don't feel no lag, not yet at least
 
@cramazing - I'm curious, by what avenue did you sell your Air?

Also, I think a big concern for me is that I don't want to run into a massive loss of retail value (50%+, with the understanding that MBAs have good resale value usually) in the next 2 years because the new 13 inch retina's are now so close in terms of battery life to the Airs. On top of that there may not be that big of a performance difference, so now it just looks like the Retina has a far superior screen with, and in my opinion, a negligible increase in weight. Mind you I come from the realm of 17 inch plus size laptops, so 3-3.5 lbs isn't a big deal.

Would $1200 be too optimistic? I was going to throw in my Incase as well, it's also got 2011 Mac Office on it.
 
majkom said:
you can scale resolution to 1440x900 and it looks much much better than on air (no pixels, ups display).. only issue with retina mbpr is that UI seems laggy to me... dont know whether its sw or hw issue
Click to expand...

I've also noticed this animation choppiness, played with the new 13/15 RMBP in the apple store yesterday and the 3 finger swipe into expose was choppy, while the same action on even the 11inch MBA was completely fluid? Is the integrated GPU of the RMBP still underpowered? I know a couple of minutes playing with one in the store isn't a true representation of them but still interesting.
 
Does the MBP 13 still have lags of animation ? If so, I am a bit confused.
Maybe Iris 5100 is still not enought for Retina display... Today I was in apple store, air 13 has pretty good display, but retina is much better for eyes for sure. Nevertheles, I am leaning to air (top configuration) due to design, batery life and smooth interface work.
 
Constantine.T said:
Does the MBP 13 still have lags of animation ? If so, I am a bit confused.
Maybe Iris 5100 is still not enought for Retina display... Today I was in apple store, air 13 has pretty good display, but retina is much better for eyes for sure. Nevertheles, I am leaning to air (top configuration) due to design, batery life and smooth interface work.
Click to expand...

It gets some lag at 1680x1050, but not bad at 1440x900.

If you run an app like QuickRes and run in non-HiDPI mode, there is no lag at all, but not true retina resolution. Still IMO better than the MacBook Air display though.

I am having the same dilemma though. Sell my MBA or return the rMBP? Basically, it's do I want a beautiful screen for an upcharge or save the money hand have a better battery?
 
Greetings!
First time poster here -- this forum seemed like the best community to discuss my questions :p
So I'm kind of in the same situation except I have a 2012 11" MBA. I've been considering an upgrade to a Haswell-based computer due to the obscene battery life, and I'm on the fence between a 2013 13" MBA and the new 13" rMBP.
If I went with the MBA, I'd get the one with the 256 GB SSD and upgrade to 8 GB of RAM, then add AppleCare on top as I foresee keeping this one for a while.
The "middle" 13" rMBP already has 8 GB of RAM and the 256 GB SSD, and if I add AppleCare on top, it comes out at about the same price as the decked out 13" MBA I just described.
So it's not really a price issue, more of a specs issue.

My main thing is I'm a gamer. I know, I know, I probably shouldn't get a Mac, but I want something light and portable and I like OS X and I can install Windows easily. I'm 100% willing to compromise on gaming performance, meaning I don't need to run my games on super ultra, nor do I expect to run demanding games in the first place. I have a high-end desktop for my regular gaming.

The rMBP appeals to me because it has Iris, which is quite a bit better than the MBA's Intel HD 5000, but it's not able to play games at 2560x1600 (even high-end desktop cards would struggle), so...

After stating all of the above, my main question is: how do games run on the rMBP at lower resolutions, whether in Windows or OS X? I'm perfectly OK running games at 1440x900 for example, or even 1280x800. What I'm wondering is if the device can "handle" that in terms of letting me pick those lower resolutions in games, and how they look and play. On the MBA, I'd be running them as the screen's native resolution so it's a non-issue, but I'm wondering how the rMBP behaves in those situations.
 
Shubbeh said:
Greetings!
First time poster here -- this forum seemed like the best community to discuss my questions :p
So I'm kind of in the same situation except I have a 2012 11" MBA. I've been considering an upgrade to a Haswell-based computer due to the obscene battery life, and I'm on the fence between a 2013 13" MBA and the new 13" rMBP.
If I went with the MBA, I'd get the one with the 256 GB SSD and upgrade to 8 GB of RAM, then add AppleCare on top as I foresee keeping this one for a while.
The "middle" 13" rMBP already has 8 GB of RAM and the 256 GB SSD, and if I add AppleCare on top, it comes out at about the same price as the decked out 13" MBA I just described.
So it's not really a price issue, more of a specs issue.

My main thing is I'm a gamer. I know, I know, I probably shouldn't get a Mac, but I want something light and portable and I like OS X and I can install Windows easily. I'm 100% willing to compromise on gaming performance, meaning I don't need to run my games on super ultra, nor do I expect to run demanding games in the first place. I have a high-end desktop for my regular gaming.

The rMBP appeals to me because it has Iris, which is quite a bit better than the MBA's Intel HD 5000, but it's not able to play games at 2560x1600 (even high-end desktop cards would struggle), so...

After stating all of the above, my main question is: how do games run on the rMBP at lower resolutions, whether in Windows or OS X? I'm perfectly OK running games at 1440x900 for example, or even 1280x800. What I'm wondering is if the device can "handle" that in terms of letting me pick those lower resolutions in games, and how they look and play. On the MBA, I'd be running them as the screen's native resolution so it's a non-issue, but I'm wondering how the rMBP behaves in those situations.
Click to expand...

If you're a gamer, get the rMBP and run the games at the MBA's resolution. You'll get much better performance and be much happier!
 
dmk1974 said:
It gets some lag at 1680x1050, but not bad at 1440x900.

If you run an app like QuickRes and run in non-HiDPI mode, there is no lag at all, but not true retina resolution. Still IMO better than the MacBook Air display though.

I am having the same dilemma though. Sell my MBA or return the rMBP? Basically, it's do I want a beautiful screen for an upcharge or save the money hand have a better battery?
Click to expand...

Same problem, but most likely I'll keep my Air 13 i7 8gb for now and wait one year for an updated version of MBP with decent graphic card for Retina. After that I will decide whether to sell MBA and buy MBP. Right now I am not ready to pay for an unstable product with keyboard & touchpad issues, IR image problems, interface lags and so on. Summing it up, there are so many nuances, seems RMP is still "crude" and now would be better to rely on Air despite "Retina magnificent quality of image". Of course there is a big chance that you will get stable version of MBP but I am not willing to play with the destiny this time :) Moreover, I think "retina envy" is purely psychological factor, Air is pretty stable and well-optimized product, the image quality is also on the decent level IMO. I don't see any pixels if I not kiss the display :)
 
Last edited:
So I went back to the apple store today with my Air in tow to test some of the issues mentioned above. Honestly, couldn't tell the difference. I couldn't see any lag in the UI, even with the retina at 1440x900. I compared The Verge website, due to its heavy graphics, and the retina was actually doing better in scrolling.

Also, my understanding is that the keyboard freezing, is a software issue, so that can be resolved. As far as IR goes, I believe it's gotten better. I've heard about them meeting with LG about it and I've seen some people bring up a grey screen, leave it on for 15 min, and the previous ghosting from websites go away. It doesn't fix it no, but it does allieviate some of the issues.

Lastly, I read a lot of articles, so having crisp text is of a real benefit for me. I also have an iPad but I really don't use it for the Internet most of the time. Usually just for Netflix when I'm doing something else on my MacBook air.

Given all that, I threw up my MBA on Craigslist today. We'll see what happens.
 
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