Switched from MBP 17" to rMB

[speida]

Hello everyone,

So I am waiting for my 1.3/512Gb rMB which I ordered on the 8th and should deliver within the 24th of June, it's with the final courier today.

As of my post here https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/advice-for-changing-my-early-2011-17-macbook-pro.1886699/ I was unsure if I should make this crazy switch. I have done it now and I will be happily post here my thoughts as soon as I receive the new MacBook!

It's seems like a silly move but I am optimistic that this will satisfy my needs and won't feel the difference between the 2!

 

[Steve121178]

I am optimistic that this will satisfy my needs and won't feel the difference between the 2!

As a primary machine, going from 17" to 12"? Good luck.

 

[maflynn]

That's a huge transition going from 17" to 12" Good luck.

Are you sure that rMB will give you the performance you need (you had not stated your intended uses)

 

[speida]

As I stated in the other thread:
Mainly for office use: emails, word/excel, Skype, web browsing, small use of Windows with Parallels, but also a bit of photoshop (very small usage compared to years ago) such as minor photo editing or banner/website creation every now and then but now it's very rare.

I am looking for a Macbook which brings me speed for the daily normal tasks because I hate waiting or slow processing, but at the same time I do not need a processor to sustain heavy loads. However I don't want to drastically drop the performance of a Pro model usage to something much much slower!

In regards to the display I would stick on retina, I don't really care about the size because I can add an external monitor at work to give me more space.

Therefore I don't think it should be a problem, maybe when I don't use an external monitor obviously I will notice the difference in screen size, otherwise not really a problem I recon!

 

[Dark Void]

Less real estate, but more space technically considering the resolution - it will just be on a smaller scale. I look forward to hearing of your experience, hopefully its a good one.

 

[ukickmydog]

I JUST got my 1.3 rMB today, coming from a 17". I loved my 17 and was holding out for a retina one, but that ship has sailed. Liked the rMB after playing around with it and after using it for a few hours, I love it. Of course you don't have a massive screen, but the weight difference for me was worth it.

I've hauled my 17 all over Europe, Asia and the States and I think it's finally time to send him to be my dedicated office workstation.

You will notice some slight lag and other deficiencies. I am using this as a browse and light work machine, so I'm not really expecting a lot.

 

[speida]

Ok so a week has passed and here are my thoughts:

Am I missing my 17" 2011 MBP? No, not at all - I have just used it once since to transfer all my stuff and that's it!
Keyboard: At the beginning was a pain in the a** I admit it even if I didn't expect it, but after just 4/5 days I got used to it and now I am back at typing really fast with it. It's actually strange using my 17" old-style keyboard now!
Trackpad: Not much of a difference between the old-style trackpad. It actually just gains features and size therefore it's a plus in everything!!
Screen: 4" diagonally smaller is A LOT! This actually was my biggest threat, however I don't feel the smaller space at all! It's a beautiful display, text and images seems like coming out of the retina display this small machine has, the resolution makes it a perfect companion for any type of work I need to do on my new rMB!
Speed: This was another factor coming from a MBP. When I ordered it I thought it wasn't much of a pain having a 1.3 core, however towards the end of my "waiting days" I thought I did a big mistake ordering it by reading reviews here and there and threads on this discussion board. However as soon as I used it for a few days I am now in love with this machine! Not only it handles all the tasks I throw at it that I used to perform on my MBP, but also it seems a lot quicker than my MBP! Not only heavy tasks but also simple web browsing seems to be faster, application opening is quicker, switching between spaces and apps is smooth and quick as well! (I have installed the 10.10.4)
Noise: Since I have been using this amazing rMB I don't know what noise is anymore! I was used to have a big fan noise at some point of my days (actually during several points of my day it just started of with the usual fans and the MBP used to be boiling hot that sometimes I couldn't even put it on my lap! My new rMB is so silent that sometimes I don't even think it's on but I think it's sleeping! And the best thing is that is always cool and the performance is still amazing!

So... so far it's an amazing product and the switch I have made is the best I have done so far! The rMB is so light that it makes it carrying it around a joy used to a heavy bag!

Would I go back to a 17" MBP, never ever ever! I am so happy with my rMB!! If I will ever need more desktop space I will just buy an external monitor, but even that, I thought it was vital for me and that I had to buy it as soon as I received this small machine, but I realised just using it that I don't need it at all at the moment! Probably it will be a future purchase I will make but for now I am so happy that I don't feel like spending any more money!

 

[Wallabe]

I owned a PowerBook 17" once, figured I could use all that real estate. Most of the time, It's just heavy, and when you're using the browser, all the websites have their contents to a fixed width.

Enjoy your new toy.