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What can the rMBP do that the cMBPs cannot do?
- Thread starter Liquinn
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Display the same content with higher clarity, connecting an HDMI device without adapter, being able to connect up to 12 Thunderbolt devices, being faster to carry and that is probably it, though there might be something else of course.
RAM can be upgrade to 16 GB of RAM in 2011 and 2012 cMBPs, nowadays for less than 100 USD / . SSDs can also be added for much less than Apple wants, 500 GB of SSD can be had for less than 350 USD. And Apple still wants 500 USD from your for an upgrade of the 256 GB SSD to the 512 GB SSD on the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
- IPS display for better viewing angles and color gamut
- Much higher resolution
- Scaling options to improve your screen real-estate
- Less screen glare
- Better speakers
- Cooler
- Quieter
- Multiple display support
- Use a Thunderbolt drive/accessory while the other port is used by an external display dongle
- HDMI without an adapter
- Smaller on all axises
- Lighter
- Power Nap
- Dual mics
- Much higher resolution
- Scaling options to improve your screen real-estate
- Less screen glare
- Better speakers
- Cooler
- Quieter
- Multiple display support
- Use a Thunderbolt drive/accessory while the other port is used by an external display dongle
- HDMI without an adapter
- Smaller on all axises
- Lighter
- Power Nap
- Dual mics
If you are actually asking what it can't DO, the answer is nothing. Same Ivy Bridge and can actually have the same ram and SSD.
Other stuff listed above is just preferences and has nothing to do with ACTUAL DO!
And yes Retina screen is just resolution preference!
Huh? It is a physically superior display technology, or do the laws of physics not apply to you?
I think means that you can edit photos, videos, documents, etc. on either a rMBP or a cMBP. They'll look sharper on a rMBP, and you can see more content on screen at once (depending on how you set the resolution), but it's not a case of "You can only edit up to a 30-minute video on a cMBP, but you can edit a full, two-hour movie on a rMBP."
Anything to do with color in either stills or video is just painful on the old macbook pros. The rMBP seems passable in that regard (still not quite what you can get with desktop displays), but trying to judge minor changes is just really difficult without a really good display. It's hard to understand the difference unless you've used one as colors are already perceived in such a comparative manner, and a lot of the software is extremely sensitive. Just having decent uniformity and stable color helps avoid further complications.