What MacBook must I buy? Please help

[akshay1aluri]

I am a junior
I am new to the apple laptops or macbooks.

I did well on my exams and my parents are willing to buy me a macbook.
They say it is very nice. Even I am extremly interested as well.

In my house the computers are only used by my parents for work purposes.
I MUST NOT USE THEM AT ANY COST.

I am considering the Macbook pro retina 15 inch

i will use it for

• web browsing
• youtube videos ( A LOT)
• Photoedting ( I am new to photography and i am learning it at school but i love it )
• Videoediting ( planning to do it in the future)
• NO gaming
• Using apps like MS office
• Maybe even using Boot Camp or Parallels

The macbook pros( NON RETINA) are ruled out
My parents are ready to get the priciest of all macbooks
but i dont want to waste there money

THE RETINA DISPLAY IS GORGEOUS
I love it

My parents believe in future proofing so they want me to use the macbook for around like 5 to 6 years.

Can the 15 inch retina replace a desktop or in other words is it a mobile power station?Is it heavy for daily use?


should i consider the 13 inch retina or the macbook air 13 inch?
I NEED A COMPUTER THAT CAN LAST FOR LONG( MONEY IS NOT AN ISSUE)

I like the portability of the 13 inch air but can it last for long.

I am Sooooo confused



What does Haswell have to offer?but let me know any way.
I believe it is not that great as I am not a huge gamer.

CAn you tell me the battery life of the following macbooks on ideal use

• macbook pro retina 15 inch
• macbook pro retina 13 inch
• macbook air 13 inch

I expreciate for all the people taking time to answer my questions
Thank you in advance

 

[ccapman670]

Based on your post I'm assuming you're a junior in highschool not college? If I were you I would get the maxed out 15" Retina Macbook Pro with 512GB SSD and the 16GB of RAM. Should last you quite a while and you'll want a decent amount of storage for getting into photography. The display will also compliment that very nicely. The new processor is supposedly coming out with the 2013 model so it might be worth waiting a little bit to get that one.

 

[blueroom]

A junior mint?

 

[justperry]

One thing I don't understand here is, money is no issue-I have to use it for 5-6 years.
If money is no issue then why not get a 13" rMBP first and sell it in 1-2 years and then upgrade, Macs keep their resale value reasonably well so you don't have to add a lot 1-2 years ahead.

 

[gngan]

No computer are future proof. People are still using PC that's 5-6 years ago but it doesn't handle 'modern' softwares too well. They can still use it for things like MS Office or web surfing.

For all the things you listed, you are fine with any MBP. I use Adobe PS on my early 2011 MBP. I would go for MBP 13'' or 15'' but if you insist then max out the RAM of rMBP cause it's not changeable.

 

[TyPod]

Can the 15 inch retina replace a desktop or in other words is it a mobile power station?Is it heavy for daily use?

For your listed uses, I would say so. As for the weight, depends on how you want to carry it. If you will be a carrying it around in a backpack (which I'm assuming since you're a student) you should have no problem.

 

[abc123]

You'll be able to use any of those purchases for 5 years if you take good care of them. How they will cope with your demands 5 years down the line? That depends on what new technologies become mainstream in that time and what path you follow. If your hope is that this computer will serve you through high school and college, you will almost certainly be pushing up against its limited by the end of college, especially if you go down a photography/video/etc path.

If money is no issue and you are set on trying to keeping it for those 5-6 years then you should wait for haswell, get the 15" model and upgrade to 16GB of RAM. On the other hand as a junior in high school 16GB of RAM is probably overkill and if you want portability, the 15" is rather large.

Personally if money was no object and I was still in highschool, I'd probably get the 13" with the view to replace it in 2-3 years time. At which point it should still have a reasonable resale value and if money really is no issue, you could always donate it to a disadvantaged younger student from your high school and they'd be able to get a few years out of it too

 

[A Hebrew]

Dude if money is no issue go for the Air for 2 years then upgrade to a new computer when you need it. Your uses require no power.

 

[akshay1aluri]

Thank You Soo Much

Yes I am junior in high school.
I would like to know when are the haswell macbooks releasing.

 

[justperry]

Yes I am junior in high school.
I would like to know when are the haswell macbooks releasing.

Only Apple knows, but I think the MBP's won't be released for another few months.
August or later is my guess.

 

[SMDBill]

A 15" with 16GB RAM and whatever storage you deem necessary for FUTURE need will more than suffice for 5-6 years. That quad core will be a strong processor for years, but like all things it will fall behind in terms of technology as time goes by. It's natural but you stand a much better chance of it staying future proof, as much as that is possible with a laptop, with the 15" pro than you do with an Air with dual core CPU and no dedicated GPU.

Since you are unsure of your future video/photo needs, the retina may serve better for longer and you may find you need the additional horsepower if your requirements evolve into power user range. And it doesn't sound like your parents want to buy another in a couple years so you need to do it right the first time.

If they/you can wait until the new upcoming release, at least you'll be one generation newer in terms of hardware AND you will be buying a second generation retina Macbook pro. First generations typically have bugs that have to be worked through and by second generation a great deal has been learned to make it more solid at release, or so has been my experience.

Good luck and congratulations!

 

[akshay1aluri]

My parents won't buy me another macbook for around 5-6 years

I like the post of SMDbill
thank you
I dont mind falling behind in terms of technology
I need to serve my needs

 

[tann]

Based on your post I'm assuming you're a junior in highschool not college? If I were you I would get the maxed out 15" Retina Macbook Pro with 512GB SSD and the 16GB of RAM. Should last you quite a while and you'll want a decent amount of storage for getting into photography. The display will also compliment that very nicely. The new processor is supposedly coming out with the 2013 model so it might be worth waiting a little bit to get that one.

I'd recommend this too.

I'd also say if you don't need it asap wait a month or so to see if they release updated macs.

 

[akshay1aluri]

Weight and boot camp

is the 15 inch retina light for use on my lap

which is better parallels or boot camp?

 

[iPoopeh]

When I tested the 15'' rMBP, it was very light, so I would assume it would be fine on your lap. But not for long term use. [I find the rMBP's MUCH lighter than any other PC Laptop I have in my household, if that helps you any.]

And if you shall be playing RAM intense games on your rMBP, then you should use Bootcamp. But if it's a simple indie game then Parallels shall be fine. c:

Congrats on getting a Macbook! I shall be getting my first this summer as well.

 

[theluggage]

is the 15 inch retina light for use on my lap

Despite the name. "Laptops" are never comfortable to use on your lap for more than a few minutes. The 15" Mac Book Pro's are about as light as it gets if you want that size of screen.

If portability is really important, you might want to look at the 13" Retina MacBook Pro. It isn't quite as powerful - but it should still more than meet your needs.

However - the big Apple developer conference is 10-14 June, and while nobody knows for sure, its quite possible that they'll announce new products and updates then. If you can bear to wait a few weeks, I would.

which is better parallels or boot camp?

For what you are talking about - Parallels.

Boot Camp lets Windows use the full power of the computer, but it means that you have to split your hard disc into two parts (one for Mac OS, one for Windows) which usually wastes a lot of space. Then, every time you want to switch between Mac OS and Windows you have to re-start the computer.

Parallels lets you run Windows and Mac OS at the same time, share the same files, copy-and-paste between Mac and Windows Applications etc. and the 'windows disc' is just a file on your Mac hard drive, that grows as you add stuff to Windows. Its not as fast as Boot Camp but since you're not playing the latest games or running professional graphics software costing $$$$ that shouldn't matter. Also, its easy to experiment with other operating systems, like Linux, with Parallels.

 

[akshay1aluri]

Macbook Pro retina display 13 inch vs Macbook air 13 inch

I heard that the performance of the maxed out retina macbook pro 13 inch and maxed out macbook air 13 inch are quite similar( the retina display macbook pro 13 inch is only about 7 to 10% faster which is not very recognisable)

Do you buy only for the retina display or is there anything special in that?
Is it worth the extra money?

I'd love to hear your responses.

 

[akshay1aluri]

Is the Retina macbook pro not for high school?

I hear several people say that the REtina macbook pros are not for high school students. They say that it is only meant for professionals but I do love the retina display on the 15 inch retina macbook pro. ITs beautiful, i can't see another screen now after viewing the retina display.

Is there a difference in the retina display between the 15 inch and 13 inch model?

I heard that the 15 inch retina has more pixels than the 13 inch retina, but is it noticable?

 

[Krazy Bill]

I hear several people say that the REtina macbook pros are not for high school students.

Not sure what educational level has to do with it. The retina machines run the exact same apps. And since you're in high school and presumably young... your eyesight is more suited to the retina display than that of some old decrepit "professional".

Is there a difference in the retina display between the 15 inch and 13 inch model?

One is bigger than the other. I forget which.

 

[iPoopeh]

I hear several people say that the REtina macbook pros are not for high school students. They say that it is only meant for professionals but I do love the retina display on the 15 inch retina macbook pro. ITs beautiful, i can't see another screen now after viewing the retina display.

Is there a difference in the retina display between the 15 inch and 13 inch model?

I heard that the 15 inch retina has more pixels than the 13 inch retina, but is it noticable?

Not sure where you heard that but, since you have one more year of High school to go, it shall be a very good laptop for college! Not sure what Major you shall go in to, but try to think about that before purchasing your rMBP.

I'm more than sure there is a difference, I know that the 15'' has better performance under the hood than the 13''. The naive display on the 15'' is a 2880 x 1800 while the 13'' is only 2560 x 1600. I personally do not see that much of a difference, all depends if you like a bigger screen/screen real-estate. ^ ^

 

[Badrottie]

13 inches retina MBP is good for you for your needs. I hope it lasts many years to come but be sure to max out memory and flash storage.

 

[akshay1aluri]

Macbook Pro Retina display 13 inch vs Macbook Air 13 inch

Macbook Pro retina display 13 inch vs Macbook air 13 inch

I heard that the performance of the maxed out retina macbook pro 13 inch and maxed out macbook air 13 inch are quite similar( the retina display macbook pro 13 inch is only about 7 to 10% faster which is not very recognisable)

Do you buy only for the retina display or is there anything special in that?
Is it worth the extra money?

The macbook pro retina display 13 inch is 0.6 pounds heavier than the macbook air 13 inch

I'd love to hear your responses.

 

[akshay1aluri]

Help me please (rMBP 15" or 11" MBA/13" MBP)

My uses are basic

• Ms office
• Youtube
• Web Browsing
• Light Photoediting
• NO GAMING ( WORLD OF WARCRAFT OR RUNESCAPE MAYBE A LITTLE)

I AM GOING TO 11TH grade and my dad ordered a rMBP 15" which is the $2799 model
Which has 16 gb ram but iam not a heavy user.
And at that price I can get a 11 inch macbook air and a rMBP 13 inch basemodel

So are these enough for my uses and my dad wont buy me another laptop or computer for 4 to 5 years
But i need both 11 inch AIR and rMBP 13" as i need the air for carrying to school and then rMBP 13 inch for performance


Should i just keep the rMBP 15 inch 16 gb version?
or should get the 11 inch air and the rMBP 13 INCH ?
I LOVE THE RETINA DISPLAY on both systems.

My 15" rMBP will be delivered on may 28 2013 that is wednesday so please
I need answers.

And can the 13 inch retina handle light vudeo editing or is it unusable?

A stupid question but
Can u use a rMBP 13 as a external display for the air 11"

SUMMARY
should i buy the 15" rMBP
OR
should i buy the 11" MBA and the 13" rMBP?

I will not be able to buy any other laptop for 4 to 5 years.
plzzzzzz help me

 

[maflynn]

I'd say one laptop is more then you need. Having an 11" laptop (for mobile needs) and 13" laptop (for non-mobile needs) doesn't really make too much sense.

I'd say based on your needs, the non retina 13" would be fine and the 15" has power to spare, so I'll leave it to if its over kill. Perhaps instead of the 15" rmb you could get the 13" model and a display for home use.

[MOD NOTE]
I updated your title to make it more descriptive

 

[amrabari]

I think having one device is much better, as all your files will be on one device.. Personally I don't like to having my files on 2 notebooks...

From the specs of the new rMBP, it's weight and thicks is a bit like MB Air... So my advice is to have one rMBP 13" with high specs like i7, 512SSD, 8gb ram ..

And if I need somethhing for mobile, will go with the 128GB of iPad

That's what I will do if I were you ..

All the best