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Well, count me as one who only needed about 2.5 minutes to discover all the things I didn't like about that screen. It shouldn't hurt anyone's feelings or sensibilities to embrace the reality that not all of us think it's "all that" just because it is indeed a unique piece of technology!

There were things you didn't like about the screen? I can think of several reasons why one would not like the laptop as a whole (mainly being that it isn't worth it just for the new display), but the screen stands out as the definite positive point. Surely, you don't think the standard 15" screen is better?
 
So you returned it because it doesn't have a 27" screen, you're unwilling to wait for software to catch up, and your "feel" test did not detect a speed difference. Probably not the worst grounds upon which someone has criticized the new macbook pro, but close.

Wow..... Did you even read what the OP wrote? His reasons are sound, if you actually bother to read the thread, and comprehend it.
 
We can't expect something that is new to be well established and mature when it is introduced.



Why not? For the amount of money you are spending should it not be mature and function according to claims? I'm just asking an honest question.



-P
 
I am a pro graphic designer. I was waiting to read a horror story as I have just ordered th 2.7 retina MBP.

I'm a little confused by he post to be honest. Surely you would not work on the 15 inch screen.

You would attach it to the new thunderbolt 27 inch 2500x1400 approx screen.

I also have a 2006 MP and a 17 inch MBP.

What's my point? You could have hooked your new machine up o a bigger screen and had 2 monitors to work off.
 
I am a pro graphic designer. I was waiting to read a horror story as I have just ordered th 2.7 retina MBP.

I'm a little confused by he post to be honest. Surely you would not work on the 15 inch screen.

You would attach it to the new thunderbolt 27 inch 2500x1400 approx screen.

I also have a 2006 MP and a 17 inch MBP.

What's my point? You could have hooked your new machine up o a bigger screen and had 2 monitors to work off.

Or three or four monitors. With a machine that can actually drive them.

The point of a laptop is being able to use it in the field. I too prefer a 27" screen for editing but I don't lug that around to photo shoots.
The new display is perfection for on site work.
 
I think the original poster's scenario might be common. The rMBP has been hyped up so that it might be a let down for some. I had very high expectations with the quality of the display and overall performance gains over my two existing 2011 MBPs and I haven't been disappointed. I also have a Thunderport Display that I use plugged in while at home.

As for the OP's statement that he doesn't seem to notice much performance difference between his 09 MBP and the rMBP, well the reality is he's probably right for non-intensive program use. But the difference to me in just the quickness of the SSD in opening apps is worth it to - everyone will have to judge for themselves if the cost is worth the incremental speed gain.

Besides the creaking case issue that I posted about it's been a nice upgrade.
 
Thanks for posting this - you called it 100%. I remember laughing my ass off when Tim Cook tried to generate a Steve-esque reality distortion field during the WWDC keynote when he said how much photographers would love working on the new rMBP. I thought, "hey Tim, I haven't edited photos on a 15" screen since the 90's". Nobody I know who does design for a living wants to edit on a 15" screen, retina or no. Not unless they want to get a headache every single day. I could see using it to drive a Thunderbolt display, but then what's the point of having retina?

Meanwhile, no real Mac Pro, iMac or Mini update at WWDC. Apple's completely lost touch with the Pro community - rMBP is a good techno-poseur machine, but a total joke for design. Fine I'm trolling but that doesn't make it not true.....
Apple understands that no professional is going to be sitting in their office working strictly from their 15" laptop display; that why the video Apple ran showed a photographer working an airplane and a video professional working the field. For professionals, its for when you're away from your desk that the screen matters. And if you're never away from your desk well then you're an idiot for buying a laptop.
 
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Also returning my RMBP 15

Yes I am also sending back my $4000 made to order rmbp 15" on Monday, I will reinvest the sponsored money to upgrading the refurbished 2.5Ghz Oct 2011 17" mbp fully. I gave this machine a shot and its just about the retina display and a few extra rams.

I have come to conclude for myself and it has been a validating experience, that -- going with the trends of hyper speed tech development is not good, I must stay true to my vow to wait till the road is paved along the way with improvements, all the kinks worked out etc etc.

Also that if you are a pro, if you wanna 'work' on projects, they only work I really get done have been on a 27" imac in the friend's studio or in my apartment studio on the 17"mbp.

If you are not sure about having a laptop for work or just for play or general usage then the 13" mbp is perfect plug and play, while the 15" is for those who are absolutely not sure what to really do with themselves, wavering too much between portability concern with screen size, it has to be 'just right' & over compensating etc etc.

I had to decide concretely for my music career, I had to make the BEST decision and that was the 17"mbp. Now the line of mbps are just powerful gadgets especially the rmbp because they are playing with a fetish idea of slimmer and higher resolution power, dominate the playground of ultrabooks. It is crystal clear that the rmbp 15" is for popularity contests and envy.
 
There were things you didn't like about the screen? I can think of several reasons why one would not like the laptop as a whole (mainly being that it isn't worth it just for the new display), but the screen stands out as the definite positive point. Surely, you don't think the standard 15" screen is better?

While I appreciate it (the screen) might be a "definite positive point" for you, it most definitely is NOT for a lot of us. The glare is still well, glare - and the scaling in my opinion looked horrid for the stuff I do with it. Several of the more vertical apps I use are not going to update for Retina in any relative future, and as a video calibration specialist for part of my career, I'm telling you the scaling really just didn't work for me.

It's great technology to be sure and I will likely grab one when/if they come out on a 13" chassis because I think that will make Apple's own apps like Mail and iCal (which certainly are/will be upgraded for Retina) really useful for a smaller screen. However, for my day to day use with the 15" MBP, including connecting to a variety of monitors, TVs and projectors in the field with a variety of lighting conditions, the Retina is nowhere near ready for (my) prime-time.

I couldn't be happier with my brand new 2012 15" HiRes w/ Anti-Glare, cooler and quieter and faster running MBP. What I hate the most is the media - and a predominance of poster here, working at making me feel like I must have made uninformed and bad decision just because of what interests them!
 
Yes I am also sending back my $4000 made to order rmbp 15" on Monday, I will reinvest the sponsored money to upgrading the refurbished 2.5Ghz Oct 2011 17" mbp fully. I gave this machine a shot and its just about the retina display and a few extra rams.

I have come to conclude for myself and it has been a validating experience, that -- going with the trends of hyper speed tech development is not good, I must stay true to my vow to wait till the road is paved along the way with improvements, all the kinks worked out etc etc.

Also that if you are a pro, if you wanna 'work' on projects, they only work I really get done have been on a 27" imac in the friend's studio or in my apartment studio on the 17"mbp.

If you are not sure about having a laptop for work or just for play or general usage then the 13" mbp is perfect plug and play, while the 15" is for those who are absolutely not sure what to really do with themselves, wavering too much between portability concern with screen size, it has to be 'just right' & over compensating etc etc.

I had to decide concretely for my music career, I had to make the BEST decision and that was the 17"mbp. Now the line of mbps are just powerful gadgets especially the rmbp because they are playing with a fetish idea of slimmer and higher resolution power, dominate the playground of ultrabooks. It is crystal clear that the rmbp 15" is for popularity contests and envy.

Wow...

You have a 17" 2011 pro and bought the rmbp expecting to be blown away? Next time, think for maybe... I dunno... 12 seconds or so before ordering...
 
1st thing I thought

First, let me say I've purchased a lot of Apple products over the years and have loved every one, starting with the "dome" iMac and original osx. The rMBP is the first time I regretted a purchase.

The display IS amazing, much like the feeling you get using the new iPad. But that's all you can really say about it - there's little about this computer that adds real value to my work, in 2 important areas.

The Screen
As an avid graphic designer, I was excited about all the screen real estate I could use in 1920 x 1200 mode. But being hunched over and squinting while editing documents in InDesign just wasn't the productivity boost I was hoping for. I'd MUCH rather be plugged in to my 27' display, with it's lower resolution and all, being able to lean back and work in a more relaxed state. I suppose the hi res would come in handy if I was sandwiched in a corner at Starbucks all day, but that just sounds miserable. And when I bumped up the size for true retina, the Adobe apps just look terrible. Especially the text rendering in InDesign. I know eventually Adobe will tackle this - probably 2 years from now. Don't get me wrong - it's a great display to look at - it just isn't that important to me personally. If its the only screen you own, and you work on a laptop all the time, then it's great.

Speed
So I own a 2009 MBP, and I added an SSD to it a year and a half ago. It seems to me that the SSD is the great equalizer. I just didn't feel any faster on the new machine than on my crusty Core 2 Duo. I might feel differently if I used heavy processor apps, but I think for most EVERY daily use case, the SSD makes processor speed almost irrelevant. I remember when I put in the SSD I felt like I bought something 10 years ahead of my time. Using the rMBP, it's like I'm trying to talk myself into believing it's a LITTLE faster. And it's 3 years newer!

Anyway, those are my thoughts. The folks at the Apple Store were shocked when I brought it in, couldn't believe I was returning it. I know it's a hot item, and it really is fun to look at, just overrated in my opinion.

I remember my first Mac, being amazed that I could edit a family movie... Then my first PowerBook, a legitimate notebook I could take anywhere and do real work... And both the 24' and 27' displays were amazing upgrades for producing graphic design. I just don't see how this one is much of a leap, though I DO appreciate Apple's lead in developing better and better displays. Maybe I just need to wait for the software to catch up.

That's the first thing i thought about when i heard the resolution. It's not divisible by 1080p (or 1920x1200 preferably because of the dock).

If they could make it 3840x2400, then people could run it either at mega-res to view UHQ pics or 4k2k vid; but also keep the ability to run it at a native 1080p (or 1920x1200) so they don't have to squint, while maintaining perfect native sharpness w/ no interpolation.

2880x1800 is just too high for practical use, & 1440x900 is too small for any media that's optimized for 1080p (which is most now).
 
Wow...

You have a 17" 2011 pro and bought the rmbp expecting to be blown away? Next time, think for maybe... I dunno... 12 seconds or so before ordering...



:)

i should clarify.......

i have been saving up for a refurb 17" mbp to replace my '08 model, i decided to jump onto the trend train hahahaha so now i'm gonna return the retina and put all the money towards upgrading the refurb 17" mbp once i get it in my sweaty little palms ^_^
 
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Have to disagree. Budget laptops with standard display resolutions will be selling for much longer than 2 years, and generally speaking software and web page design always caters to the lowest common denominator.

No way are owners of standard res laptops going to be denied paid for or revenue generating content, it doesn't make business sense. Apple may be driving the retina display gig, but then again they also pioneered Thunderbolt and that hasn't exactly shaken the world's foundations.

but it wouldn't take long for budget laptops to reach 1080p, which is too much for non-retina MBP
 
Ty

Op: "So I own a 2009 MBP, and I added an SSD to it a year and a half ago. It seems to me that the SSD is the great equalizer. I just didn't feel any faster on the new machine than on my crusty Core 2 Duo. I might feel differently if I used heavy processor apps, but I think for most EVERY daily use case, the SSD makes processor speed almost irrelevant. I remember when I put in the SSD I felt like I bought something 10 years ahead of my time. Using the rMBP, it's like I'm trying to talk myself into believing it's a LITTLE faster. And it's 3 years newer!"

Thank you for helping me justify waiting for haswell and saving $
 
Apple understands that no professional is going to be sitting in their office working strictly from their 15" laptop display; that why the video Apple ran showed a photographer working an airplane and a video professional working the field. For professionals, its for when you're away from your desk that the screen matters. And if you're never away from your desk well then you're an idiot for buying a laptop.

Well, WTF else are you supposed to buy right now? They haven't bothered to update the Mac Mini, the iMac, the Mac Pro (old graphics, no Thunderbolt and no USB 3.0) or even the Thunderbolt display, which has USB 2.0 and the first gen Thunderbolt controllers. Apple's not putting desktop products out right now that are a smart buy - it's previous generation technology that will likely be updated within a year. Meanwhile they keep updating laptops, ipads, iphones - all the non-pro oriented products. So you're forced into being an "idiot" if you want new chipset and new ports for your money.
 
Ross Miller's review on The Verge molded my expectations when I get mine later this week:
And of course, it doesn’t hurt to be even a little bit patient and wait for more apps to push Retina-optimized updates — if you get the MacBook Pro with Retina display now, you’ll be waiting on the world to change.
I'm expecting to go through the honeymoon period twice: when I get it and then again in July when Mountain Lion comes out. At first, it'll be a very cool new laptop (my first MacBook) and loads better than my piece of **** Toshiba I received for high school graduation three years ago, and once OS X gets optimized for a resolution of that caliber.

I understand wanting to be blown away with something you spent anywhere from $2200-$4000 on, but that's just not realistic with this machine. Every product I've ever bought on or around launch has underwhelmed me. Like my Xbox 360. As a freshman in high school, I saved up money from my job as a tutor at the elementary school to finally purchase my Xbox 360 on launch day., only to spend a majority of my time playing Halo 2 on it since there wasn't anything out that interested me. Fast forward to 2006 when Gears of War first came out and I started warming up to the purchase, and by 2007 the $500 I spent at launch (system and games) was justified.

Being a part of the future is tough. I understand why you returned it, but feel that in a year you'll regret it. Unless Apple makes this years base model look like garbage in the 2013 model. Then you'll have won.
 
Being a part of the future is tough. I understand why you returned it, but feel that in a year you'll regret it. Unless Apple makes this years base model look like garbage in the 2013 model. Then you'll have won.

Why would someone regret it? The next one will be improved, likely cheaper and you don't have to deal with the headaches. Sounds like a win to me. I surely won't regret not buying.
 
Well, WTF else are you supposed to buy right now? They haven't bothered to update the Mac Mini, the iMac, the Mac Pro (old graphics, no Thunderbolt and no USB 3.0) or even the Thunderbolt display, which has USB 2.0 and the first gen Thunderbolt controllers. Apple's not putting desktop products out right now that are a smart buy - it's previous generation technology that will likely be updated within a year. Meanwhile they keep updating laptops, ipads, iphones - all the non-pro oriented products. So you're forced into being an "idiot" if you want new chipset and new ports for your money.
I guess I'd be surprised if we don't see refreshed Mac Mini's and iMacs alongside July's Mountain Lion release. There's no reason to rush out and buy a laptop now if you don't need one, only because Apple hasn't yet refreshed their desktop lines. Regarding the Thunderbolt Display, based on Apple's product page it's clear they consider it more of a laptop accessory, so it's unfair to assume it hasn't seen an update due to Apple neglecting their desktop products. I suspect the display will remain unchanged until they can put a retina display in it and change that magsafe port to magsafe 2 (once the legacy laptops are discontinued).
 
Or three or four monitors. With a machine that can actually drive them.

The point of a laptop is being able to use it in the field. I too prefer a 27" screen for editing but I don't lug that around to photo shoots.
The new display is perfection for on site work.

Perfection for on site work? I don't think so. Depends on what work you are doing don't you think?

To the OP, I agree with you and disagree with you also. I loved the RMBP, but as you, I work in graphic design finalizing projects for my business, even thought I don't do the heavy lifting. I own a marking firm and you probably know the problems I face, basically same as yourself.

I actually returned the RMBP after a week of use. And were they suprised! :) The one guy offered to buy it as I was returning it. Lol.

But I understand why you returned yours, but also am confused a bit. Since I have to take my laptop to meetings with potential clients. I have to use my laptop screen quite a bit. The first time I could not get my apps to render like I would like to, in front of a client no less. I knew I had a problem. But why didn't you just wait it out and hook it up to a external? In my situation I could not wait as the first time that happened was one too many.

I would have but could not. Since my late 2011 15 with SSD performance wise is on par with the retina, slower but not by much, I have decided to wait for haswell and better third party support. But you have a 09 model. Wouldn't it have been better to just keep it in hindsight and give it more time. One day isn't enough to see if it could work for myself. I at least gave it a week.

I am somewhat regretting returning it. I could not use it for work, but that screen is truely amazing. Performance was what I am getting now pretty much, but I constantly think about buying one again regardless. Driving me nuts. :(

One thing is for sure, I will be buying another for the form factor alone. It's just not ready for prime time for some of us. :(
 
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