Thinking of returning my maxed out rMBP

[surjavarman]

You're absolutely right that money is a lot of my thinking here.

When I ordered, I spent just over £3,000 on this machine with the intention that it would be my main computer until early 2016 really.

I have serious doubts that it will last that long right now. Not that the hardware will break or anything, just that I will feel the need to upgrade this machine far sooner than 2016, and as such I should probably be buying a cheaper laptop now and actually planning to upgrade in 18 months or so?

Just get the goddamn rMBP 2.3/256/8! It offers way better value than anything on the market including the current classic MBP. Try configuring other laptops with the same specs as the rMBP. Also your mistake is thinking that the ultimate RMBP has increased longevity over the base rMBP. Well this has not been the case ever since intel switch over to their tick-tock system.

Its better to go for the base rMBP, keep the $1200 in cash and have shorter upgrade cycles for say 3 years. When the time is there sell the rMBP and use it with the $1100 in cash to buy a new one. That is value. Either way the ultimate rMBP is still going to perform similarly as the base rMBP in 2016. Nothing is going to change that. It is your thinking that is flawed.

So just stop whining. Jesus christ. You already have been given advice in this thread

 

[BlazednSleepy]

Resale value isn't anything near what it use to be. Percentage wise they drop like a rock!

On new products like this is it won't. It also depends on where you sell it.

 

[blow45]

I am someone who wouldn't have dreamed of saying this a few years back...

anyway... here it goes....

GO PC WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT.

Unlike apple ms has been optimizing their software so you ll get a better performance for your money. Windows 8 will run better than windows 7, lion and ml run much worse than snow leopard, they are no more no less bloat ware. Apple's desktop os is an afterthought, a second rate development project next to ios. They won't do any work if they can offload it on the hardware. Here they are releasing a retina pro and they haven't even bothered updating with proper retina support their by now abandonware iwork suite.

In most notebook purchases I 've looked at you ll be able to upgrade for something minimal like $20 to windows 8 after you buy your computer.

You 'll be able to upgrade your computer too and use better, faster and much much cheaper third party hardware.

Unilke apple again, microsoft has done extensive work on resolution independence, so even a lower than retina resolution screen will be able to have custom dpi settings for fonts and cleartype and it will be a joy using. Forget that with apple, on a non retina computer you are stuck with whatever element sizes the resolution dictates.

Of course there is price, lenovo, samsung, sony all of them work with much lower margins than apple, you get a better and more capable product for less.

Oh, and there's the added bonus that when you go to a non apple support forums you won't find other members like the poster two posts above me cussing with godamn its and commanding you stop whining.

 

[BlazednSleepy]

I am someone who wouldn't have dreamed of saying this a few years back...

anyway... here it goes....

GO PC WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT.

Unlike apple ms has been optimizing their software so you ll get a better performance for your money. Windows 8 will run better than windows 7, lion and ml run much worse than snow leopard, they are no more no less bloat ware. Apple's desktop os is an afterthought, a second rate development project next to ios. They won't do any work if they can offload it on the hardware. Here they are releasing a retina pro and they haven't even bothered updating with proper retina support their by now abandonware iwork suite.

In most notebook purchases I 've looked at you ll be able to upgrade for something minimal like $20 to windows 8 after you buy your computer.

You 'll be able to upgrade your computer too and use better, faster and much much cheaper third party hardware.

Unilke apple again, microsoft has done extensive work on resolution independence, so even a lower than retina resolution screen will be able to have custom dpi settings for fonts and cleartype and it will be a joy using. Forget that with apple, on a non retina computer you are stuck with whatever element sizes the resolution dictates.

Of course there is price, lenovo, samsung, sony all of them work with much lower margins than apple, you get a better and more capable product for less.

Oh, and there's the added bonus that when you go to a non apple support forums you won't find other members like the poster two posts above me cussing with godamn its and commanding you stop whining.

Too bad Windows 8 is absolute *****.

 

[mac jones]

3 words:

another refurb cheap

 

[eron]

I would run bootcamp, and see how you like it on the rMBP.
The high res is great for doc work.

 

[MacMan988]

I have no clue about what this "lag" thing is, but if thats something with the retina and it bothers you, i would suggest getting a late 2011 MBP

 

[mdapple]

Enjoy:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15-l521x/pd.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

Comparable to Retina MBP

 

[theuserjohnny]

I am experiencing lag when the Intel 4000 integrated graphics chip is used. The more I read, the more concerned I am that the graphics technology isn't quite "there" yet, and that the retina is ahead of it's time. I have no lag or any other issues when the kepler nVidia GPU is in use, but unfortunately that saps battery.

At the least I would at least wait for Lion to release. You have a 2 week period before returning with no questions asked.

The GPU setup does concern me however. I feel like they are at best "suitable" for today, but 12 months from now won't be good enough to give any usable performance to the latest and greatest games of tomorrow, even for a VERY casual gamer like me.

To be honest for a very casual gamer such as yourself you should be fine heading up into your next update but even if you are to wait for next years model that model will be outdated by the next year model and the latest and greatest won't be play even for a very casual gamer as yourself.

CPU wise Intel already has chips planned up until 2016 (correct me if I'm wrong) and by then the integrated graphics chip on them should replace a need for a dedicated graphics card. So no matter when you buy that will already be outdated by next year with the new CPU/GPU combo. However, with the introduction of thunderbolt you'd be able to use thunderbolt to connect a desktop GPU for example to your Macbook and give it some added power. I plan to do that some time down a few years to kick some added performance to the sucker.

The closest slim and light build quality I found is the Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook - 15" 1.7Ghz i5 Ivy Bridge, 1600x900 matt screen, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Integrated Intel 4000 graphics only. (Price: £1,300)

Yes build quality wise you can but power and performance wise they aren't even close. If you are a very casual gamer this would outdate way faster than this Retina Macbook Pro.

If price is your main issue why not just jump down to the 2.6 or a 2.3? Just upgrade your RAM if all. 512 should be enough for the average user. I myself had to live with 120gb on this old Macbook. Keep the important files on this and then just export everything else via a harddrive (such as pictures/music).

I myself returned a maxed out Retina Macbook Pro but I had to due to screen issues, I currently have to wait another few weeks but right now I'm back on my 2006 classic white CD2 Macbook and other than gaming this sucker is still doing everything else just fine. I bet again if this had thunderbolt I could just hook it up to a GPU and start doing some casual gaming if needed to.

 

[flipnap]

let me tell you my path..

bought a 13mbp and returned it, screen too small
bought a 15 mpb and returned it, heard the rMBP were coming
ordered a rMBP when it came out, cancelled order, couldnt wait, needed a unit
bought the new 2012 cMBP with old screen and returned it..
now im ordering a midrange rMBP, and thats going to be the endof it.. indecision clouded my vision, but i saw the light.. heres why..

I have an ipad 3 and retina destroyed any hope of EVER using another screen. Even the highres MBP matte screen made my eyes hurt, looked fuzzy. the regular screen on the cMBP is so bad i dont understand how they are putting them into these units. I TRIED and tried to get used to it. i used it EXTENSIVEly over last week. every time i booted it up i got depressed because of the screen. I went into BB and looked at a rMBP and fell in love all over again. I will unfortunately never be able to go back to a normal screen.

I understand your dilemma and i get the buyers remorse, but as far as im concerned, i will never be happy with anything other than a retina. after all, we are staring at the screen the whole time. ANY other unit, apple or otherwise will never cut it. Would you buy a porsche if the windshield had cracks in it? thats how i feel on any other screen. its sad but true.

good luck.

----------

mdapple. ive used the dell you listed. im not trying to be rude but thats not comparable to the rMBP. it might be a nice alternative, but its not comparable. not an opinion.

 

[Boe11]

We're in a similar situation. I purchased the entry level rMBP and have been kind of on the fence about returning it. I too, am using canary as I'm not a big fan of safari and normal chrome looks hideous at the present time. I actually find that it works perfectly fine (canary) with one exception - no full screen videos! That is pretty annoying. Other than that, I'm still not sure. Overall I feel that it's a really good machine and once some of the retina stuff is ironed out I think i'll be completely satisfied.

One thing I do acknowledge in my own case, is an element of good old fashioned buyer's remorse. Most people aren't self aware enough to acknowledge this, and would rather promote other issues or reasons for wanting to switch gears after the high of a new purchase has worn off, and they're left with the considerable expense. Think this might be -at least some of- what you're experiencing?

I've also spent some time looking for alternatives in the windows world, as I really don't care what OS I'm using as long as I enjoy the product. There really is nothing out there that can compete with the rMBP. I wish I was an independently wealthy mechanical engineer so I could just make my own dream laptop. For now, I'll probably end up sticking with my rMBP.

 

[blow45]

@Boe11 Have you looked at some babies from lenovo, toshi and sony? What exactly did you find missing from them? I am not in anyway doubting your research or judgment here, but I am not sure what demands of yours were not met by the competition.

@flipnap, I am with you there, but that's because I share the same demanding attitude and sensitivity when it comes to screen quality. Not everyone does though.

Too bad Windows 8 is absolute *****.

Windows 8 I am sure will have it's own quirks, but during the time that apple has been sleeping on the wheel, during the time they have been resigning their heads of development for os x and slapping on one badly thought ios "feature" the other, during the time that lion brought a ton of bugs, dropped compatibilities, slowed down macs and upwards of 500,000 os x users lost their private data to flashback, during the time that os x stayed a kernel back from ios, ms has been doing a little something known as developing and optimizing an os.

Now apple is gracing us with a service pack at $19.99 that doesn't actually improve on deep rooted core issues just a few minor ui tweaks, it's a kernel behind ios, and features apps for notes and reminders and twitter. Oh yeah, and no matter how much hardware they threw at the retina macbook pro that still didn't manage to make up for their lack of software development and hence the choppiness and lags.

Developing an os != selling iphones.

Anyone one who has not invested so much on the os x platform (such as myself and so many others) should not walk, but run to windows instead. Now downrate away, that still won't change the truth here.

 

[njean777]

We're in a similar situation. I purchased the entry level rMBP and have been kind of on the fence about returning it. I too, am using canary as I'm not a big fan of safari and normal chrome looks hideous at the present time. I actually find that it works perfectly fine (canary) with one exception - no full screen videos! That is pretty annoying. Other than that, I'm still not sure. Overall I feel that it's a really good machine and once some of the retina stuff is ironed out I think i'll be completely satisfied.

One thing I do acknowledge in my own case, is an element of good old fashioned buyer's remorse. Most people aren't self aware enough to acknowledge this, and would rather promote other issues or reasons for wanting to switch gears after the high of a new purchase has worn off, and they're left with the considerable expense. Think this might be -at least some of- what you're experiencing?

I've also spent some time looking for alternatives in the windows world, as I really don't care what OS I'm using as long as I enjoy the product. There really is nothing out there that can compete with the rMBP. I wish I was an independently wealthy mechanical engineer so I could just make my own dream laptop. For now, I'll probably end up sticking with my rMBP.

Chrome will be out real soon, google was the first browser out after lion was released that had all the right gestures for lion. It took them about 2-3 weeks after lion released, so I am sure in about a week or 2 the Retina version of chrome will be out.

 

[stevelam]

I'm confused. So you did indeed totally lie in all your previous posts?

Performance

LAG? LAG? LOL! NO.

Start up time, seconds, shut down time, instant, program opening time, instant.

Scrolling is EXACTLY the same as on my old MBP. No lag whatsoever. I just swiped three fingers up and down repeatedly and couldn't reproduce even a HINT of lag.

This thing is also designed for silent running. I haven't heard a peep out of it. My old MBP would be annoying fan happy with a youtube video. This just scoffs and delivers awesome performance.

Yikes, I better tell my rMBP to stop working awesomely with graphics intensive apps

My graphics card isn't even close to being "pushed to the limit". The phrase suggests it's close to full power during use, which it isn't even close.

Please stop spreading FUD.

How did it turn from an absolutely flawless and lagless machine to you wanting to return it days later?

 

[Greg M]

One thing I do acknowledge in my own case, is an element of good old fashioned buyer's remorse. Most people aren't self aware enough to acknowledge this, and would rather promote other issues or reasons for wanting to switch gears after the high of a new purchase has worn off, and they're left with the considerable expense. Think this might be -at least some of- what you're experiencing?

I've got buyer's remorse every other day or so about my retina purchase. Why in the world would I spend $2k on a laptop? Then I open it up and start using it. I look at the screen and think, OK no more buyer's remorse.

----------

I'm confused. So you did indeed totally lie in all your previous posts?





How did it turn from an absolutely flawless and lagless machine to you wanting to return it days later?

Maybe by reading these forums

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

It sounds like many of your problems are temporary problems. If I were in your position, feeling as you do, I would consider checking to see if Mountain Lion comes out within my return period, and I'd update on release to see if some things change. I imagine Apple will optimize around little things here and there and smooth the while experience out more.

I wouldn't care about Chrome. Frustrating for now, sure, but that will resolve in time. Or rather than fight to keep things normal, use Safari for the time being (adapt) and go back to Chrome when it is ready.

If the timeframe is too rough for returns, I'd consider two other options. 1) Return it and buy it again down the road after everyone (including Apple) had had a chance to optimize software in response to feedback, or 2) Return and buy again on a future iteration with an evolution of the graphics card.

That said, I do expect software will smooth things out in time (I haven't seen any hanging or stuttering on my machine which has detracted from my experience at all, but I'm guessing that Apple will pay close attention to this aspect of the OS and I also wouldn't be surprised if this was a greater focus for Mountain Lion—Apple doesn't like, very much, to work backward).

 

[G-Mo]

Return the MacBook Pro Retina unless you got/intend to get AppleCare and sell before the 3 years is up and really take case of the battery, because repair costs for this unit are going to suck!

 

[ixodes]

Based on what I've said, and your own experience with rMBP, should I return it and go for a PC laptop instead? If so, which one do you think is closest to mac in terms of slim, light and powerful build quality?

Thoughts appreciated

I pre-ordered my MBPr sight unseen the very moment the Mac store came back online. Five days later it arrived, I unboxed it and was impressed.

Shortly thereafter, I read the article detailing how it was built, and suggesting it was largely unserviceable except by Apple. I was very put off by this, as well as the hypocrisy on Apples part.

Last year a major point made in their marketing claims was all about Apple bragging they were the greenest, most environmentally responsible computer manufacturer. The MBr is completely contrary to this. It's next to impossible to recycle due to being glued together.

Despite it being a very nice computer the second major issue, is the fact that it's nearly sealed like an appliance. One that's largely designed to create huge profits for Apple, but prove very costly for the customer, especially if out of warranty repairs are needed. Money is no object for me so that's not a factor, but the principle is.

So I decided to dump it and go back to my very well liked three month old 15" fully loaded BTO hi-res, anti-glare MBP. It's the best choice for me.

For your purposes only you can decide, remembering there is no perfect laptop.

Believe me I've had loads of new laptops, and currently own all the latest MBA's & MBP's in all sizes. I'm very much a Mac Addict

 

[Office Hours]

Upgraded from


The closest slim and light build quality I found is the Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook - 15" 1.7Ghz i5 Ivy Bridge, 1600x900 matt screen, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, Integrated Intel 4000 graphics only. (Price: £1,300)

So if I return my rMBP, the best I can hope to get is a saving of £1800, for a laptop with a weaker processor, poor poorly reviewed screen, half the RAM, and a tiny SSD with barely functioning integrated graphics?

Since when was the PC Laptop market this bad?

Question for the Forum

Based on what I've said, and your own experience with rMBP, should I return it and go for a PC laptop instead? If so, which one do you think is closest to mac in terms of slim, light and powerful build quality?

I have already discounted buying a non-retina Mac btw, because I find I really don't want to

Thoughts appreciated

The Asus Zenbook Prime. 13" 1080p IPS (I think Matte too) display. Can add a dGPU, probably not great but a huge step up form HD4000 I'm sure. Priced probably under $1,600. Ultrabook form factor. Seems like the best laptop outside of the rMBP IMO.

 

[Boe11]

@Boe11 Have you looked at some babies from lenovo, toshi and sony? What exactly did you find missing from them? I am not in anyway doubting your research or judgment here, but I am not sure what demands of yours were not met by the competition.

Hey, no problem. I hope I didn't offend you or anyone else who has a windows laptop. I've had many myself and enjoyed most of them. But after having a few Macbook Pros, it's really hard to go back because it just feels like one compromise after another. The build quality is rarely at the same level, or the design is clunky and unappealing, or the display isn't as good, or the trackpad isn't as good. The only other machine that I've seriously considered as an alternative, is the Thinkpad W530 as it has a quad core, and dedicated GPU. But the screen and design (I swear the thinkpad I had a decade ago looked exactly the same) kind of hold me back.

I feel that it's hard to offer a total package that can compete with even the cMBP in terms of form and function. It looks like the Vaio Z3 comes pretty close.

I'm not trying to besmirch any of the competition with my comments. I'm more just lamenting that there isn't a windows laptop that can make my heart swoon like the macbook does, without having serious reservations or compromises.

 

[flipnap]

how is that hypocrisy? and why would you want anyone OTHER than apple to fix the macbook? they built it. there are a ton of windows ultrabooks that are sealed and non user servicable. whats the problem? ive never in my life seen a quality stick of ram go bad, especially not logic board soldered ram. battery? one of the biggest failure points for these is user errors when replacing. lithium batteries are EXTREMELY dangerous to tamper with and can blow up. The battery in the macbook is proprietary and molded to the body. the glue is so it doesnt rattle or cause problems.

customization? why? build it how you want it and be done. you cant go more than 16g of ram into a macbook right now anyway. the archaic days of buying a cheap laptop so you can crack it open and put cheap 3rd party parts in is over. The idea of buying a machine how you like it, use it for three or four years then buy a new one is good for me.

 

[KPOM]

Since you are thinking about the price tag all the time, I would just go for the 2.3/256/8 base model.

You don't need more than 8gb of ram for doing the tasks that you do right now and in the future either. The difference between the 2.3ghz and the high end cpu are negligible. Most will agree that it ain't worth the money. The same argument can actually also be used for the 768gb. It is in my opinion not worth spending $1100 for 512gb of extra storage. And what kind of difference is 512gb really going to make. It's still not enough to store your whole collection of music, movies, games and pictures on it.

I second this. Mountain Lion improves things a lot. AnandTech has already said this. Plus, once you have experienced the 2880x1800 screen, anything less will look like a step backward. Trust me. It took a few months for apps to appear for the Retina iPhone and iPad. But they appeared. If I had the money, I'd buy a base Retina MacBook Pro in an instant.

 

[greytmom]

I don't get how buying a MBP without retina is a bad investment, but buying a PC without retina is a good idea.

I also don't get how your computer could go from utterly awesome to loaded with problems in just a day or two.

It sounds to me like you are really regretting spending as much money as you did. At any rate, you have to make your own decision. How about an Air?

 

[DHagan4755]

This thread is the definition of First World Problems!

I am thinking of getting a retina MacBook Pro. But I'm waiting until Mountain Lion is released based merely on the reviews I've read that say the performance is better in Mountain Lion than Lion (nevermind the 3-4 week wait!). I've seen the retina display in person at my nearest Apple Store. I played with it for about 10 minutes straight. When I went to look at the classic 15-inch MacBook Pros it made me understand what it must be like to have cataracts!

To the OP, I would keep the computer. Worrying is a waste of time. It doesn’t change anything. It messes with your mind & steals your happiness. Enjoy the computer & upgrade it to Mountain Lion when it's released later this month.

 

[G-Mo]

I am thinking of getting a retina MacBook Pro. But I'm waiting until Mountain Lion is released based merely on the reviews I've read that say the performance is better in Mountain Lion than Lion (nevermind the 3-4 week wait!). I've seen the retina display in person at my nearest Apple Store. I played with it for about 10 minutes straight. When I went to look at the classic 15-inch MacBook Pros it made me understand what it must be like to have cataracts!

Mountain Lion is free for anyone who purchases a Mid 2012 Mac (MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro Retina and MacBook Air), so, don't delay on that account!