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Will the Retina Macbook Pro last a long time
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Maybe, and maybe not.
Being a first generation product, the one thing we do know is that next years model will be quite a bit better. That's the Apple way. It's also why I always advise people that ask me, to wait.
Apple will have a lot of useful data gathered from warranty claims, real world use in the field, failure analysis reports, and other ways they obtain the information they need to make the second generation the best it can be.
Your hardware will last, it just won't be as robust & well sorted as next years model. Long term it's also hard to say how long Apple will support the OS you're on. As we have witnessed there's a rather early cutoff for those who want to migrate to mountain lion. Apple .com lists the machines that don't qualify. Some are quite new. It reflects Apples desire to force users to buy new hardware, a tactic that not everyone is pleased with.
I see this noose tightening as Apple exerts further power now that all OS updates & revisions are closely controlled through the app store. It's a new ever evolving era at Apple. One that is governed by extreme secrecy & surprise. Some that are not the good surprises we like
Being a first generation product, the one thing we do know is that next years model will be quite a bit better. That's the Apple way. It's also why I always advise people that ask me, to wait.
Apple will have a lot of useful data gathered from warranty claims, real world use in the field, failure analysis reports, and other ways they obtain the information they need to make the second generation the best it can be.
Your hardware will last, it just won't be as robust & well sorted as next years model. Long term it's also hard to say how long Apple will support the OS you're on. As we have witnessed there's a rather early cutoff for those who want to migrate to mountain lion. Apple .com lists the machines that don't qualify. Some are quite new. It reflects Apples desire to force users to buy new hardware, a tactic that not everyone is pleased with.
I see this noose tightening as Apple exerts further power now that all OS updates & revisions are closely controlled through the app store. It's a new ever evolving era at Apple. One that is governed by extreme secrecy & surprise. Some that are not the good surprises we like
I
iFanboy
Guest
I bought a first gen 2008 Macbook Pro Unibody 4 months after release, and I am using it to type this right now.
It's still as quick and functional as the day I bought it, although with the specs now 4 years old It's not going to be running the latest games any time soon.
I'm tired of this "first gen" bulls***. Apple base their entire business on premium products. The rMBP is not going to fail in a year or two because that would severely hurt apple's business.
Yes apple will make minor tweaks here or there during each revision, which means the 2013 model with get Haswell, Intel 5000 graphics, and nVidia's newer GPU's. Then the 2014 model will get the next intel processor, intel 6000 graphics and nVidia's newer GPU's, and around and around we go.
Feel free to jump in at any time. Next years models will ALWAYS be better.
It's still as quick and functional as the day I bought it, although with the specs now 4 years old It's not going to be running the latest games any time soon.
I'm tired of this "first gen" bulls***. Apple base their entire business on premium products. The rMBP is not going to fail in a year or two because that would severely hurt apple's business.
Yes apple will make minor tweaks here or there during each revision, which means the 2013 model with get Haswell, Intel 5000 graphics, and nVidia's newer GPU's. Then the 2014 model will get the next intel processor, intel 6000 graphics and nVidia's newer GPU's, and around and around we go.
Feel free to jump in at any time. Next years models will ALWAYS be better.
ixodes You've got a point, but since i'm coming from a 2009 Macbook Pro i really needed an upgrade. Do you think in a years time it might just stop working?
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Do you think by 2014 my mac should still be able to run the latest editing software or it will be outdated? My mac now can run the latest software with slight lag.
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Do you think by 2014 my mac should still be able to run the latest editing software or it will be outdated? My mac now can run the latest software with slight lag.
I agree. I also used a Unibody 2008 MacBook (only aluminium MacBook, so rare haha) and it still works perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with 1st gen Apple products. The rMBP isn't really that "new". It is based on the classic unibody design with a MUCH better display and a thinner profile.
with the rMBP, you are future proofing yourself for at least a good couple of years. the retina display is the future of Macs and the rMBP is plenty fast to handle retina display respectably contrary to popular belief. also, SSD, USB 3, thunderbolt are all next generation technologies and will become mainstream in the next couple of years.
as far as the system itself, honestly, i dont think you can ask for a faster notebook at this point. this thing boots up in 15 seconds and every app opens up in a bounce. unless you are using heavy heavy processor intensive applications, you won't be taking full advantage of all the performance for a while.
i dont buy into the fact that you should wait wait wait to buy. buy it if you need it. when the new one comes out next year, people will be saying, oh wait until next year, it's gonna be even faster!you'll do fine with it. the only downside is the price at this point, but when you think about how much you're getting, it's a worthy investment
as far as the system itself, honestly, i dont think you can ask for a faster notebook at this point. this thing boots up in 15 seconds and every app opens up in a bounce. unless you are using heavy heavy processor intensive applications, you won't be taking full advantage of all the performance for a while.
i dont buy into the fact that you should wait wait wait to buy. buy it if you need it. when the new one comes out next year, people will be saying, oh wait until next year, it's gonna be even faster!you'll do fine with it. the only downside is the price at this point, but when you think about how much you're getting, it's a worthy investment
My early 2008 15" core duo macbook pro is still going strong, original purchase date April 2008.
Its has one new battery, this week I upgraded it with an SSD drive. Never been rebuilt, just applied the OS upgrades on release.
I've looked but can't find a real reason to upgrade.
You could be good for 5 years plus, I'm waiting for next retina release to see if they release a 13" and may upgrade then.
Cheers Phil
Its has one new battery, this week I upgraded it with an SSD drive. Never been rebuilt, just applied the OS upgrades on release.
I've looked but can't find a real reason to upgrade.
You could be good for 5 years plus, I'm waiting for next retina release to see if they release a 13" and may upgrade then.
Cheers Phil
You can't keep up with technology at all. Apple is probably developing the next retina right now. Buy what you can afford and enjoy it.
Very true, im picking mine up tomorrow as i wasn't home when it came in the mail, i will report on how its running and if there is any problems.
By 2014, Apple would probably release a new OS release (release name: Sea Lion?
), that will be more fat and hungry in hardware resources... The loop never ends...
I believe so as long as your usage remains stable, Apple are getting far better at getting it right first time, agreed the Retina in it`s present form does have some deficiencies (GUI performance on the Intel GPU) and clearly the Retina will evolve and greatly benefit from Haswell and Broadwell.
The other alternative will be to upgrade sooner, therefore recovering a greater percentage of the original cost. If Apple follow a similar pricing model to the Unibody from 2008 it will be some time before we see a significant drop in the price point of the Retina MBP, resulting in a very buoyant market for used Retina`s, if some are prepared to buy these systems on four years credit, you can be sure the will be equally some willing to give a fair price for one that has been well take care off.
As for longevity I have just passed my Early 2008 15" MBP 2.4 Penryn to my daughter, it has an uptime exceeding 30K hours and has been through the Middle East and now the Tropics, original Logic Board, HDD, display etc, with only the fans being replaced. I full expect the Retina to perform to the same level.
The other alternative will be to upgrade sooner, therefore recovering a greater percentage of the original cost. If Apple follow a similar pricing model to the Unibody from 2008 it will be some time before we see a significant drop in the price point of the Retina MBP, resulting in a very buoyant market for used Retina`s, if some are prepared to buy these systems on four years credit, you can be sure the will be equally some willing to give a fair price for one that has been well take care off.
As for longevity I have just passed my Early 2008 15" MBP 2.4 Penryn to my daughter, it has an uptime exceeding 30K hours and has been through the Middle East and now the Tropics, original Logic Board, HDD, display etc, with only the fans being replaced. I full expect the Retina to perform to the same level.
First of all, congratulations! Enjoy your state-of-the-art laptop. You'll hear a ton of advise that you made a bad decision. Remember that nearly all of that advise will be coming from people who need to reinforce their own decision to not buy a MBPr. And you'll receive input from others who've talken the plunge with you that you made a brilliant decision. I'm in the latter camp. And it's possible I, too, am just reinforcing my own decision. But I like to think there was some rational decision making going on.
Based on Apple's track record in the past decade, I think your MBPr will remain technically solid for four years or more. By that time the state-of-the-art will have advanced to the point where you'll start considering something newer and 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage might be starting to limit your productivity.
You choose a seriously state-of-the art computer though. It defines where the industry is going over the next few years. From that perspective, your MBPr will remain relevant far longer than if you'd chosen the older MBP design.
As for the MBPr being subject to "first generation" failure, that's just nonsense. The machine is very much an evolutionary step from a company who pays more attention to detail than anyone else in the industry. I do encourage anyone buying a portable Mac to purchase Applecare. If you haven't, you should. You have a year. That will keep you protected if it turns out that the extraordinary detail coming off the retina display actually causes the glass in the trackpad to begin to phase into a parallel dimension. Or whatever other doomsday scenario the naysayers are promoting actually comes to pass.
One last thing you might consider. For me, my laptop is critical to my work. My strategy is to buy a new one every year. I've found that I can get a very good price for the last one on eBay if I'm careful to keep all of the original packaging and don't beat up the machine. This ends up making my annualized computer expense pretty close to $500. That's a pretty easy write off. You should still buy AppleCare. It will pay for itself in the price you get on eBay, so you end up effectively just buying it one time.
But hey, even if you plan on keeping the machine for five years, you chose well. Have fun with it!
If you're doing lots of heavy video editing, get a desktop Mac with good cooling, since to run a CPU above 75C for any length of time will shorten its lifespan quite a bit. SMCFanControl can be set to 5500RPM or whatever, but with basic physics prevailing - the fans can only do so much and within a very compact design where the metal chassis acts more like an insulator than heatsink... (google "aluminum vs plastic insulator") Metal acts only as a heatsink when it's directly attached to the heat generating element. Otherwise it acts like a container.
and, yes, Intel says it can run up to 105C before it (in theory) shuts the system off, noting that the cooling fans shut off at the same time and render cooling as a longer process with the residual heat endangering the CPU as well... simple physics... Intel should have devised a proper sleep mode to let the fans run for a minute while the main CPU shuts off, and I know it's too late and expensive for me to patent that so happy patent trolling to the buyer of the to-be patent... which would be based on something that's fairly common a concept to begin with so it shouldn't be patentable...
But I digress.
The screen will probably last 3 years (but given it's a new type of technology, nobody really knows either way) but these things are designed more for appearance and not heavy usage. Desktops will still exist for some time...
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If MacBooks are as reliable as you say, why do you buy one every year, noting how expensive they are and noting how benchmarks don't show a phenomenal improvement each time? (Sandy Bridge being an exception...)
What work do you do? And if it's so critical, even with Time Machine, there are still occasional software reinstalls and other factors that temporarily impede your workflow. Most people tend to want something that works and loathe it when anything happens, even if a single icon gets moved out of place. (I also do tech support for a living...) Heck, I upgrade to the latest versions of some software programs, knowing there will be a net improvement due to new features, keeping up to date with new languages (something employers like to note), or more tightly-written programming... if a new model laptop is 10% faster than last year's model, there's no savings to boast about.
I stopped selling online the day some jackdonkey tried to swindle me. Nor do eBay and others consider the seller. After one year of moderate use, you'd be losing a chunk of change that would make you net annual expenditure more than $500 as well... been there, done that, and I priced my light-used Macs with more features, with AppleCare, in the same condition, and at prices on par with everyone else. Your $500 is really closer to $1000. Or maybe you used enough verbiage to make potential buyers feel warmer and fuzzier in spending the extra money...
I don't see the logic behind how you fathom AppleCare. It has to be bought for every new laptop, adding $300 to the price tag.
And if Apple wholly paid attention to detail, and they don't because FOXCONN does all the work, we wouldn't see slopped thermal grease, unevenly-lit keyboard backlight, warped screws, puddles of grease beneath fans... iFixit and plenty of other tech sites do point out these little issues... If Apple paid attention, they would have found another factory because what FOXCONN does reflects on Apple just as much as how Apple's actions reflect Apple.
If Apple paid attention to detail, nobody would notice any screen sluggishness in the rMBPs because they would have put in a GPU that could handle such a high resolution... did their engineering design department not get a sample machine to test? Or is QC and QA things of the past?
I'm sorry, but I simply cannot agree with you. "Been there, done that, observed this, reflected on that" being my mantra in life.
And, no, the OP did not make a bad decision. If I had the money and made that much money, I might have upgraded as well. But most people don't, in this supposedly "new normal" economy... so, in a way I do agree with you - he didn't make a bad decision in purchasing. Whether or not it lasts a while depends on (a) how well it was actually built, and (b) how much heavy usage he does on it when factored into (a) since proper cooling mechanisms along with SSD write lifespan are the two biggest technical considerations...
And I think the word you meant to use was "advice"... it's not quite the same meaning as "advise"...
Many have tried to compare it to the first gen MacBook Air.
The difference is pretty stark when you really look:
MacBook Air Rev A: 1.4 and 1.8C2D, 2GB RAM max, 4200RPM PATA drive. There was a 64GB SSD, which was crippled by PATA.
MacBook Pro with Retina Display: 2.3-2.7 i7, 16GB RAM max, SSD across the board (and fast).
Some of this has to do with the natural progression of computing since 2008. However, the hardware and limitations in the first Air were pretty substantial, I am not seeing that with the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
Apple has also learned from all their products: the iPad, unibody MacBooks, MacBook Air, etc. Learning isn't silo'd within a single model or product line.
The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is in a good position in my opinion, the biggest unknown being if what some users are experiencing with lag is software or hardware based, if the latter that may hurt longevity.
The difference is pretty stark when you really look:
MacBook Air Rev A: 1.4 and 1.8C2D, 2GB RAM max, 4200RPM PATA drive. There was a 64GB SSD, which was crippled by PATA.
MacBook Pro with Retina Display: 2.3-2.7 i7, 16GB RAM max, SSD across the board (and fast).
Some of this has to do with the natural progression of computing since 2008. However, the hardware and limitations in the first Air were pretty substantial, I am not seeing that with the MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
Apple has also learned from all their products: the iPad, unibody MacBooks, MacBook Air, etc. Learning isn't silo'd within a single model or product line.
The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is in a good position in my opinion, the biggest unknown being if what some users are experiencing with lag is software or hardware based, if the latter that may hurt longevity.
Maybe, and maybe not.
Being a first generation product, the one thing we do know is that next years model will be quite a bit better. That's the Apple way. It's also why I always advise people that ask me, to wait.
Apple will have a lot of useful data gathered from warranty claims, real world use in the field, failure analysis reports, and other ways they obtain the information they need to make the second generation the best it can be.
Your hardware will last, it just won't be as robust & well sorted as next years model. Long term it's also hard to say how long Apple will support the OS you're on. As we have witnessed there's a rather early cutoff for those who want to migrate to mountain lion. Apple .com lists the machines that don't qualify. Some are quite new. It reflects Apples desire to force users to buy new hardware, a tactic that not everyone is pleased with.
I see this noose tightening as Apple exerts further power now that all OS updates & revisions are closely controlled through the app store. It's a new ever evolving era at Apple. One that is governed by extreme secrecy & surprise. Some that are not the good surprises we like
not necessary. first gen products like the iphone and ipad made sense not to buy intially since they were not only first gen, but completly NEW.
the retina macbook is something apple has done for decades now, computers. when the first macbook pro unibody came out, it didint really change in the later 2nd, 3rd 4th gen etc. obviously specs kept improving like any other computer but i doubt the retina will be "massively changed" for the 2nd gen. i dont think ur logic there applies to this product
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would the base model been as sufficient inthis case?
First year university this Fall and I waited for a New Macbook redesign from last year. Considering that I didn't need it yet last year I waited. It was worth the wait, and I got what I expected, a powerful laptop and I expect it to last me for the next 4 years.
AMEN. People who have the "wait till next year" mentality will never seize to enjoy their products if they can't afford the next gen models.
AMEN. People who have the "wait till next year" mentality will never seize to enjoy their products if they can't afford the next gen models.
"Next year's" models are always better - that has nothing to do with being a "first generation product", it's called technological progress.
Utter nonsense. Please don't take any advice from this person, as he is confused on many issues and sees himself as some sort of technological prophet rather than someone who can provide useful, factual advice.
Perhaps you're not very familiar with Apple and it's practices. You are chalking it up to logic, I'm reporting _facts_.
Facts based on years of first hand Apple usage / experience and a deep knowledge of their products and upgrade disciplines.
Since you seem so skeptical and lack familiarity, I will give you just one example that is very easy for you to fact check.
In 2010 Apple brought a fresh design to their existing MBA. A rather complete change (much like the rMBP) it was a fine laptop, yet had the typical first year bugs.
The following year (2011) that very same model was upgraded with a new processor, and several other significant changes. For those who bought in 2010, they were either stuck with a model that could not be upgraded, or needed to be sold and replaced with the 2011 if one wanted the best performance and other benefits.
Hence if you have an interest in educating yourself, you may read some of the reviews, for each. This will verify what you are learning in this post.
The 2011 is widely regarded as the MBA to have, the 2010 is so much slower and buggier. This is nothing new, it's how Apple goes about developing and refining new models. At no time did I criticize the 2010, or the prior laptops that I have personally owned.
Any computer maker has to start somewhere. So they build version 1.0 and improve it from that. There's nothing new about this. Furthermore, Apple is far better at insuring the next model is improved and well sorted, as compared to other makers.
It's why I am a very loyal Apple computer buyer.
I upgraded from my 2007 MBP (yeah 2007) to a retina, only because I needed more processing power (Ableton). I still use the 2007 occasionally.. it never let me down, so I'm hoping I have similar luck with my new rMBP.
However, I disagree that the rMBP isn't "that new". It is a night and day computing experience compared to the old 2007. The 07MPB scored between 3,000 and 4,000 on geek bench. The rMBP scores upwards of 12,000.
I definitely agree that the MBA saw a good upgrade from the first to second generation.
But I don't think we'll see quite as distinct a difference with the rMBP. I say this because the rMBP isn't that different from Apple's previous laptops. It's really only a thinner cMBP minus the ODD and ethernet, and has a nicer screen.
Correct me if I'm wrong but most of the problems being reported are common among all laptops. Yellow screen, dead pixels, damage during shipping. I think the only big one unique to the retina is the reported "lag". That is a big one that will probably be remedied in the next revision.
I don't think we'll see a big jump though. The MBA used a coreduo CPU in the first generation, and then relied on the weak intel graphics in the second gen. It definitely took some refinement to get right. I don't think it's quite the same case with the retina. It's a powerful beast with a great display.
Full disclosure: I just place my order for a retina yesterday. So there is some bias in there.
the 2011 air wasnt that much diffeerent. it reiceved a spec bump like any other computer, its still non upgradable, and the only new practical thing was a backlit keyboard >.>
Your hardware will last, it just won't be as robust & well sorted as next years model. Long term it's also hard to say how long Apple will support the OS you're on. As we have witnessed there's a rather early cutoff for those who want to migrate to mountain lion. Apple .com lists the machines that don't qualify. Some are quite new. It reflects Apples desire to force users to buy new hardware, a tactic that not everyone is pleased with.
I see this noose tightening as Apple exerts further power now that all OS updates & revisions are closely controlled through the app store. It's a new ever evolving era at Apple. One that is governed by extreme secrecy & surprise. Some that are not the good surprises we like
I like to update only when it grants a real benefit. I buy based on requirements without dumping much into upgrades unless they're necessary. I don't try to extend longevity by buying a higher end model. It's mostly a matter of what does the job today no matter what package it comes in. Noting many people are disappointed with the losses they're taking on the 2011s to buy rMBP options. In my opinion this strategy may not be so great for Apple in the longer term. Used machines get Macs to people who otherwise could not afford them. Many are also handed down to family members. If they drop support too quickly or they're too costly to repair, this will limit their brand presence. Yes you can run an older OS, but you are also cut off from security updates and third party developers may not see a reason to support these machines that no longer receive updates or bug fixes from Apple. I think it's a mistake to ignore the secondary owners as Apple customers.
I don't agree with many of the yellow screen assessments. People don't tend to understand how much their brains fool them. Apple actually got this one closer to sRGB, which is a good thing as most web content is saved in that profile. It's much easier to match to printed media as well. Really some users on this site really don't seem to understand they're conditioned to like something weird (even compared to daylight temperatures, the cMBP screens are pretty cold). It doesn't mean they all look the same. It's just you're likely to see content closer to its intended look. People using their old devices as a control are merely looking at it the wrong way. I'd still suggest they wanted to debut a strong product on what otherwise would have been a slower year. While I'd say the 2012s are worth waiting for in other machines at this point, how many people would really have upgraded a 2011 to a 2012 without the really significant update? This was the biggest selling point outside of the less expensive machines which saw a bigger update due to the HD4000.
I expect the low end 2011 to make it through Mountain Lion, but no later. The underclocked HD3000 will be pushing it, and I expect them to require at least 4GB of ram rather than the silly 2 they shipped with the low end model there.
If you need one, no matter how long it will last, who care as long as you have Apple care. You will have it as least 3 years. Nothing will last forever. It is natural things of nature. You may not be last for tmr. We all are going to die and don't know when. Wait for the next year? Maybe you will not have that chance. Who know? Who can guarantee that you will live through the next year?