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Why would I buy a 13" rMBP?

Which Laptop should I go for?

  • Yoga Pro 2

    Votes: 2 4.5%

  • Retina MacBook Pro

    Votes: 42 95.5%
  • Total voters
    44
W

Windows&Apple

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 1, 2013
198
0
Why would I buy a rMBP over a Yoga Pro 2?

I'm talking about the mid-range rMBP and the Yoga Pro 2. Here are the specs:

Yoga Pro 2
4th Generation Intel Core I7-4500U Processor (1.80GHz 1600MHz 4MB)
Windows 8.1 64
13.3" QHD+ LED Glossy Multi-touch 3200x1800
Intel® HD Graphics 4400
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
256GB SSD

Price: $1299

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/yoga/yoga-2-pro/?tt=d

MacBook Pro Retina 13"
2.4Ghz i5 Processor (Haswell)
13.3" 2560 x 1600
Iris 5100 GPU
256GB SSD
8GB RAM

Price: $1459 (Student discount)

If I do the following; which would best suit me?

  • Light video editing
  • Light photo editing
  • Medium Fruity loops (Logic Pro) mixing
  • Light-Medium 3D animation
  • Medium-Heavy browsing
  • Medium word document creations
  • Medium excel use
  • Heavy Sage 50 use.
  • Light development with the Unreal Engine
  • Light-Medium coding; C++, Javascipt.
  • Light-Medium gaming, mainly indie titles

Thank you
 
The Yoga looks amazing in the commercials and the reviews for its battery life are impressive too.
 
Wait, was Windows 8 listed as a pro or a con?

Also, are you ok with dirtying up your laptop screen with daily touches? If you want it clean, you can't touch it. If you don't touch it, then what's the point of having it?

I think $200 is worth the Apple ecosystem; but I have an iPhone and a soft spot in my heart for cold, aluminum laptops.
 
Wishbrah said:
Wait, was Windows 8 listed as a pro or a con?

Also, are you ok with dirtying up your laptop screen with daily touches? If you want it clean, you can't touch it. If you don't touch it, then what's the point of having it?

I think $200 is worth the Apple ecosystem; but I have an iPhone and a soft spot in my heart for cold, aluminum laptops.
Click to expand...

It was a pro. I use Windows daily. And I don't mind cleaning my screen, it'll get dirty regardless if you touch it or not, with dust and dirt. A quick polish never hurts.
 
If you're primarily using it for windows the rMBP probably won't be as good on battery as it is running osx. I also use windows daily at work and chose osx to feel like a break from work :)

I was considering the same thing but went rMBP same specs you're looking at.
Pecking at a wobbely laptop screen feels so wrong compared to the elegance of the gesturing on the Apple trackpads.

Neither one is perfect but I think your preference of OS should make the decision.
 
Last edited:
From your list, these are objectively better on a Mac:
  • Light video editing
  • Light photo editing
  • Light-Medium 3D animation

These are more a matter of opinion, but basically a toss-up between platforms:
  • Medium-Heavy browsing
  • Medium Fruity loops (Logic Pro) mixing
  • Light development with the Unreal Engine
  • Light-Medium coding; C++, Javascipt.
The second point will could go either way depending on what you prefer - FL Studio isn't available for Mac except in very experimental beta form, and Logic isn't available on PC, and they are VERY different programs, so if you're already comfortable with Fruity Loops, I'd give that point to Windows.

These are objectively better on PC:
  • Medium word document creations
  • Medium excel use
  • Heavy Sage 50 use.
  • Light-Medium gaming, mainly indie titles
Sage 50 is Windows-only, and of course MS Office for Windows is more robust than its Mac counterpart. Also, there are few to no Mac-only indie games, but tons of Windows-only indie games.

Based on your needs I'd save a few hundred dollars and get the Yoga Pro 2. Lenovo's build quality is almost as well-regarded as Apple's, and your usage model tells me you'll be in either Boot Camp or Parallels fairly often.

Even though I just got my first MacBook today (the exact model you're thinking of getting) and I absolutely love it, I still think Windows 8 is a great platform and I actually do miss the touchscreen. The Mac works for me because I don't need to use any Windows-exclusive (or Windows-preferred) software. If I did, I would buy the Yoga Pro 2 in a heartbeat.
 
If you use apps on both platforms somewhat stuck with a Mac. I looked at the yoga back a few months ago and ended up with a rmpb with parallels. The yoga was nice but had such a huge bezel and I wanted to use osx occasionally.
 
As a laptop, it looks OK if a bit underpowered for my needs.
As a tablet, it looks dumb - heavy, fat and with keys on the back.

Wonder just how long the hinges will last...

You listed the software/applications you need to use which is cool, but not your planned usage modes - do you need a laptop or a tablet or both?
 
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