Very close to a decision, but... rMBP or MBA?

[Vanilla Face]

To me, the form of the Air is not drastically different enough to get it over the rMBP. The rMB would be, however. I don't think it has the power I need this year though.

 

[scaredpoet]

My main concerns are:

- Retina display. Honestly, I would be fine with a MacBook Air as the performance would easily meet my needs, but I need to know if the $160 price difference (student discount woot woot) for a better display is worth it. How noticeable is it? Will I regret it if I skip the Retina and get the MBA?

I just upgraded from a 2013 MBA to the 2015 MBPr. My main reasons were doing so were a chance to upgrade my RAM (to 16GB), and the better display.

Also, seeing the near-portless MacBook, I wanted to upgrade to the latest Mac that had as many ports as possible, while I still could.

As for the display on the MBA: It's okay. For laptop-stuff, it's a decent screen. But the retina display IS better, noticeably so. Text is sharper, and the color gamut seems much wider to me.

If you're the type that notices colors, you'll probably see a difference too and prefer the retina display.

One last thing: the retina display has a glass-smooth cover (because it's glass). The MacBooks Air's cover is plastic and reflections are rippled on it. If that type of thing annoys you, then it's something to be aware of.

- Staingate! How common is this?? I don't want to shell out more on a better computer only to get screwed by a production flaw. The mixed reports on Apple's responses make me very nervous. Just getting a MBA may save me all the trouble.

I honestly didn't know about this (by the way, can we please stop calling every issue a "gate?") until after I ordered. But based on what I've read, I'm pretty sure it can be avoided if you don't use your laptop in clamshell mode, and avoid strong chemical glass cleaners. Of course, time will tell.