Want to go lighter

[tmiw]

I currently have a 2010 15" MBP w/the high-res matte display. It's not heavy by any means, but it does become annoying and noticeable after carrying it around all day. It's now nearing upgrade time and I'm attempting to decide between the following:

• Lenovo X1 Carbon
• Sony VAIO Pro 13
• 2013 MBA (13")
• 2013 rMBP (13")

I played with all of them in the Microsoft and Apple stores today. The Lenovo seems to have a matte-like screen finish, which I appreciate. Both the Lenovo and the Sony have much higher resolutions than the MBA and at least comparable to or slightly more than the highest 13" rMBP scaled resolution. The Sony is the lightest and has the highest effective resolution out of all four, but has an extremely glossy display.

Ideally, I'd go for the rMBP, but I'm not sure if I can justify it, hence why I'm starting to consider the MBA and possibly PC laptops again. I don't game, but I am a software developer who develops stuff outside of work and who occasionally uses VMs/Boot Camp. Because of that, I'd max out the RAM at the very least and possibly the disk as well. The amount of space available on the screen for apps also concerns me, which is why I'm not so sure about the MBA.

Would either of the MacBooks be a good option, or should I more seriously look at PCs? I can wait for the Haswell update for the rMBP, if that'll matter.

 

[vistadude]

I'd go with the air for portability but seriously consider getting a port replicator or desktop for software development. Writing code on a 13 inch laptop is merciless pain.

 

[Khloe]

Completely agree, my boyfriend has got a 13 inch because he didn't want something big and bulky but he can't do anything with it! It's kinda hopeless I think. He has gone out and bought a high res screen and connected with HDMI. He does coding too and it was impossible with 13". I hoped on it the other day and its pretty useless to me if you want to get anything productive done on it.

I use a 17 inch

Only go light if you want to travel I think.

 

[firedept]

Oh I so want to respond to Khloe! But I am sure I will get in trouble!

 

[iAppl3Fan]

I currently have a 2010 15" MBP w/the high-res matte display. It's not heavy by any means, but it does become annoying and noticeable after carrying it around all day. It's now nearing upgrade time and I'm attempting to decide between the following:

• Lenovo X1 Carbon
• Sony VAIO Pro 13
• 2013 MBA (13")
• 2013 rMBP (13")

I played with all of them in the Microsoft and Apple stores today. The Lenovo seems to have a matte-like screen finish, which I appreciate. Both the Lenovo and the Sony have much higher resolutions than the MBA and at least comparable to or slightly more than the highest 13" rMBP scaled resolution. The Sony is the lightest and has the highest effective resolution out of all four, but has an extremely glossy display.

Ideally, I'd go for the rMBP, but I'm not sure if I can justify it, hence why I'm starting to consider the MBA and possibly PC laptops again. I don't game, but I am a software developer who develops stuff outside of work and who occasionally uses VMs/Boot Camp. Because of that, I'd max out the RAM at the very least and possibly the disk as well. The amount of space available on the screen for apps also concerns me, which is why I'm not so sure about the MBA.

Would either of the MacBooks be a good option, or should I more seriously look at PCs? I can wait for the Haswell update for the rMBP, if that'll matter.

I think the MBA would best suit your needs. I'm sure with the updated specs it already faster than your existing machine in a lighter package. The 13" RMBP is more eye candy than anything.

 

[tmiw]

Completely agree, my boyfriend has got a 13 inch because he didn't want something big and bulky but he can't do anything with it! It's kinda hopeless I think. He has gone out and bought a high res screen and connected with HDMI. He does coding too and it was impossible with 13". I hoped on it the other day and its pretty useless to me if you want to get anything productive done on it.

I use a 17 inch

Only go light if you want to travel I think.

Would running the higher resolution "scaled" modes on a 13" rMBP help much? (I would think so, but you never know.)

 

[macs4nw]

Oh I so want to respond to Khloe! But I am sure I will get in trouble!

I think it's that Kardashian girl, talking about Lamar Odom.....

 

[designs216]

I'm considering the 13" myself, especially with the improved battery life of this year's model. I would max the RAM but only bump the drive to 256 (unless you're rolling in dough) as there is the option of fast external storage. Screen real estate wouldn't be an issue as I'd do any development on an external display. Though the specs of the Windoze machines might appear enticing, for me the user experience just isn't adequate.