Would you buy a rMBP 15 having already a MacBook air 11?

[vbedia]

I bought my Air back in September 2013. I am basically using it for reading text, using Microsot Office (Word, Excell, PowerPoint), surfing the web, email, a bit of gaming, and looking at photos I take with my iPhone; that´s basically it. It does all these things well. No crashes, and apps open as soon as I click on them

I love the portability; I mean I barely feel its weight when it is in my backpack. However; I see the retina display every time and again and I am starting to fall in love with it. I know it may sound stupid or ludicrous considering to buy a new laptop after just a few months of getting my Air. Nonetheless, I would like to hear other people´s opinion.

Should I buy a rMBP I don´t think I would keep both. I would have to sell my Air. The rMBP 15 costs a considerable amount of money, so selling my Air would help a little.

 

[Patriks7]

They're completely different animals. You will lose the portability of the 11". If your usage will stay the same, the 15" Pro will be completely overkill. Why not go for the 13" Pro? You get the "best" of both worlds.

 

[jondunford]

To be honest I wouldn't, unless you only use Apple apps.

The Retina display is nice, but 95% of websites contain images that are not compatible with the retina display. Text always looks nice as this is smoothed by the OS but this just makes the poor images stick out like a sore thumb.

Games do look nice in Retina, but again a lot of games aren't ready for it.

It's no fault of the computer, it's just ahead of its time and most people haven't really caught up.

 

[alphaod]

I have both laptops and they definitely don't replace the other.

When it comes down to downright portability, the rMBP doesn't get close to the 11' MBA.

For performance, the rMBP is the king.

I don't carry both out, but if I don't see the need of power, I carry the light and efficient (and in many ways very powerful) 11" MBA. If I know my needs will be heavy I will bring the heavy duty laptop computer.

 

[brdeveloper]

I wouldn't buy a retina if I had a Haswell MBA unless I'd want more processing power. Don't go retina just because of the screen.

The Retina display, just like any wLED-IPS display, is not top-notch technology, even if manufacturers try to convince us it is. These displays are subjected to various degrees of uneven backlighting, both in terms of color (uneven yellowing, for example) or in uneven brightness (backlight bleeding). Some rMBPs also suffer from image retention, so you pay too much to get more sharpness at the risk of getting a bunch of new anomalies you didn't have with TN, less dense displays.

You can get a pretty decent Retina display, but don't count with this when buying a rMBP, then you'll be fine. That is, get a rMBP if you have dreams with its better processing power and great battery life.

 

[vbedia]

...get a rMBP if you have dreams with its better processing power and great battery life.

The thing that draws my attention the most is the retina display in a rMBP. My current MBA has a very good battery life that current rMBP 15" inches cannot beat, my current needs don't require more processing power. Although, it is always nice to know you have it under the hood in case you need it.

I like the aspect ration of my MBA, 16:9, as I said I read a lot and write too. Doing so in a sharper, clearer display is something I would be very fond of. However, I am not sure how far I'd go for that. I mean I don't want to trade off portability for resolution. I carry more things in my backpack besides my laptop, I wouldn't like to take up all the space in my backpack because of my rMBP 15'' dimensions. I am starting to understand when people say they are two different computers

I think I will keep my MBA for the moment. I may wait until the next release of MBA/MBP and see what Apple brings on the table.

 

[michaelsviews]

The thing that draws my attention the most is the retina display in a rMBP. My current MBA has a very good battery life that current rMBP 15" inches cannot beat, my current needs don't require more processing power. Although, it is always nice to know you have it under the hood in case you need it.

I like the aspect ration of my MBA, 16:9, as I said I read a lot and write too. Doing so in a sharper, clearer display is something I would be very fond of. However, I am not sure how far I'd go for that. I mean I don't want to trade off portability for resolution. I carry more things in my backpack besides my laptop, I wouldn't like to take up all the space in my backpack because of my rMBP 15'' dimensions. I am starting to understand when people say they are two different computers

I think I will keep my MBA for the moment. I may wait until the next release of MBA/MBP and see what Apple brings on the table.

So it reads like your MBA is great but maybe your looking for a bigger size screen for reading? If thats the case how about a iPadAir instead of spending 1500 and up on another computer which it sounds like you do not need or want. Theres a program called Air Display that you could connect the MBA with the iPadAir.

It's a thought at best ?

 

[vbedia]

iPads have a beautiful display indeed. I prefer OS X over iOS myself. iOS is too simple for me. I will explain on this; I use iOS on my iPhone, and I like it; and it is fine for my phone, but not for working on it on a daily basis. I like my folders, my choices about how to customize my desktop all these things I cannot do on a iOS device, also there is also some software I run on my MBA I cannot run on iOS.

I appreciate the suggestion, certainly much cheaper than a rMBP, but as I said I think I will wait until Apple rolls out its new MBA/rMBP.