It has to have a discrete GPU no integrated GPU would be able to power a retina display.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Would you switch from 13" MBA to 13" rMBP?
- Thread starter 0x000000
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It has to have a discrete GPU no integrated GPU would be able to power a retina display.
As I understand it, the 15" rMBP works very well with the discrete card switched off, and of course the new iPad manages fine too.
Of course it does.
Anyone who uses an Air with a Thunderbolt display is running the same res as the rMBP 13 is expected to have - and it will run that as a second screen.
It's never going to be a gaming powerhouse, but it runs apps and HD video just fine.
Well... Recent rumors seems to be true, so I might wait a little before pulling the trigger on an Air..
It's interesting how more than 60 percent of people would trade Macbook Air 13 for Macbook Pro Retina 13. It's just funny, because whole retina thing is just boom now. I hope you understand that if they will make 13" Retina they will have to use dedicated graphic card (never been in any 13" Macbook/Powerbook). If they would managed it then it would be a lot thicker because that Macbook would need bigger/larger batteries (it is not 15" so it's obvious) and last thing is cooling that graphic card...
No way Intel HD4000 can handle retina resolution.
And btw what would you want at the end? Lighter, less thick, cooler Macbook Air with better battery or just Macbook Pro 13" with bigger resolution and all these cons?
No way Intel HD4000 can handle retina resolution.
And btw what would you want at the end? Lighter, less thick, cooler Macbook Air with better battery or just Macbook Pro 13" with bigger resolution and all these cons?
Malarkey.
As long as we're not talking about 3D rendering, the previous gen HD 3000 can handle two dual-link displays relatively well. In my personal experience The HD 4000 drives a single dual-link display with aplomb. Odds are good that the 13" rMBP would have a 2560x1600 resolution. As I've said repeatedly at this point, graphics technology is not what would be holding back the debut of a 13" rMBP. It's almost certainly a matter of power consumption and battery life.
No. Wasting money on a Next-gen Pro would be an utter nonsense from my POV, since my 13" Air copes with everything I need it for just fine.
It's light, it's fast and its battery life is rather outstanding. Couldn't care less about retina resolution...
It's light, it's fast and its battery life is rather outstanding. Couldn't care less about retina resolution...
I won't be. I really love the Air's sleekness.
Also I intent to keep my Air for probably close to 4 years, or as long as it's powerful enough to do everything I need it to.
I use it for light gaming every noe and then (CSS and other oldies) running Win 7 with Parallels and emails etc for work related stuff.
As tempting as new models are, I just don't need anything beefier. I would probably only consider buying a new one when they release a new design.
Also I intent to keep my Air for probably close to 4 years, or as long as it's powerful enough to do everything I need it to.
I use it for light gaming every noe and then (CSS and other oldies) running Win 7 with Parallels and emails etc for work related stuff.
As tempting as new models are, I just don't need anything beefier. I would probably only consider buying a new one when they release a new design.
No, not at all
I want an 11" rMBA, I will settle for a 13" rMBA, if Apple can put a rscreen in a iPad, they can put it in any MBA. My riPad has ruined me for anything else. I will only buy ranything from here on out
I want an 11" rMBA, I will settle for a 13" rMBA, if Apple can put a rscreen in a iPad, they can put it in any MBA. My riPad has ruined me for anything else. I will only buy ranything from here on out
And what would be purpose of Macbook Pro 13" with retina? You know that some people like to work and some play and Intel HD 4000 isn't capable of it - maybe for web browsing, writing,... but for that is Macbook Air and even thinner, lighter and more capable of games or work with Intel HD4000 (due to "low-res" display)
I honestly have no idea the answer to that question. Period. I honestly don't see the Retina Display thing as being anything more than marketing hype to keep people on the upgrade treadmill. As someone who primarily processes text with eirs computer, Retina Displays have exactly zero appeal.
I just think that the primary technical limitation with the concept of a 13" rMBP has far more to do with battery constraints than anything else.
Really? What would be the point of a 15" with retina? What would be the point of an iPad or iPhone with retina?
... To get a screen so sharp that there's no point in making it sharper. Having read books and websites on my iPhone 5 and new iPad, my 11" Air, which has a sharper screen than the 13" Pro I used to have, suddenly looks awful.
Air is about form over function, by going down the retina route It will be very interesting to see how they can maintain the wedge form factor, keep up battery life, yet maintain the appeal of the Air. Perhaps it'll be pizza box shaped like the current rmbp to beef up the battery.
Option C: Yes, but not yet.
Option D: Not if Apple introduce IPS screens to the Airs.
In that case I would probably fall under option C unless option D happens before I'm ready to upgrade.
I must confess I'm awfully tempted. I find my eyes strain on my MBA 13", especially when it comes to smaller text. Yes, I can enlarge the fonts but then they become blurrier and cause eye strain that way.
I wonder who bought their Air specifically for gaming? While it may work, it's clearly not a gaming machine and the Mac not a gaming platform.
And the purpose of a retina display was apparent ever since the iPhone 4. Stuff looks crisper, end of story. Whether you can see a benefit in it or not is up to you.
I wanted to buy rMBP when it just released but the price is way outside my budget, so I settled with MBA 13". I'm very interested if Apple introduced rMBP 13", but I won't upgrade until at least Haswell next year. My current MBA 13" serves me fine for all I need, but its screen just isn't pleasant to look at, compared to my iPhone & iPad screens.
Up until I bought this 2011 air last year, I was a serial upgrader. Always wanting the next best thing. But I'm awfully content with the air (still the best computer I have ever owned, even if it is technically slower then some). The rmbp 13" will certainly be tempting, but it has big shoes to fill.
No. My 2012 Air and I are still in the honeymoon phase. I'm so happy with its form, weight, and battery life. I have the Samsung screen on mine and I've been happy with it since day 1. Could it be better? Sure. But I'm not experiencing any headaches or eyestrain with all day use. The air does everything I need it to do.
Pointless discussing this right now when nobody knows exactly how a Retina MPB 13" would compare to an ordinary MBP 13" and an MBA 13". Makes a huge difference whether it is "just like the Retina 15" but a bit smaller and cheaper", or "just like the MBP 13" but with a much better display".
I struggled on this point for a time. I nearly held out, but was decided to get a 13' MBA (4GB, 128GB Storage). Its turned out to be a fantastic purchase and I wouldn't upgrade in the foreseeable future.
Assuming the weight of the 13' MBPr scales in relation to the 15' MBPr, one could expect a 21% decrease in weight. That would mean the 13' MBPr would weigh 3.58 pounds compared to the air at 2.96 pounds. While the .622 pounds may not seem like a lot, its really worth it if one travels a lot. The design and function of the MPBr is to be a portable desktop. If one is traveling a lot, going to class, or doing tasks that aren't high end video/photo editing, then the Air is way better. The portability factor, incredibly fast charge time, and great battery life and cost are huge selling factors.
Lets be candid, if one is going to upgrade, its going to be for the screen. For me, it was easier to just wait out on the screen. The Air screen is actually quite nice (especially since I upgraded from an early 2008 MBP) and will serves most of my media needs.
Doing a little research on retina displays has led me to believe that within an upgrade cycle or two, the Air line will come standard with retina display. A lot of this has to do with the intel chip upgrades. From what I can gather, the Haswell chip set (followed by Broadwell) are going to offer quite a substantial boost for graphics processing over Ivy (essentially doubling the graphics processing capability). Additionally, Haswell is designed for use in ultraportable devices like the Air making it all the more enticing. Speculation seems to be leaning toward a retina display Air with the release of Haswell and/or Broadwell chips. This means one will probably be able to purchase a retina display air within two years.
Given the estimated cost of the 13' MBPr will be at least $1499 (possibly higher), I would rather wait for a generation or two as the MBP and Airs will come standard with retina display and other advancements (such as cheaper SSD and Haswell/Broadwell chips). One is essentially paying a premium for having access to the screen now. Future iterations of the retina display will be cheaper and featured on models people want to own. Look to the evolution and pricing of the Air to see how quickly Apple drops the price on a product and how much more one gets if one waits.
Apple has set the standard for the industry moving forward with the retina display on a laptop. The rest of the industry will eventually catch up and Apple will start offering more products at reduced prices that have retina displays. At this point, one is paying for for having access now which carriers a rather larger premium. For me, its not worth an upgrade because I want to purchase an ultraportable with retina display. The new 13' MBPr isn't designed as an ultraportable so its not worth for me to upgrade yet.
In the mean time, if one wants to have access to a retina display or HD quality media and isn't a dedicated video/photo editor on the go, get a New iPad or Apple TV. The retina display on the new iPad is "better" than the display on the MBPr in term of pixel density. Apple TV streams 1080p iTunes content and other media content providers such as Netflix already offer 1080p streaming with Apple TV.
Assuming the weight of the 13' MBPr scales in relation to the 15' MBPr, one could expect a 21% decrease in weight. That would mean the 13' MBPr would weigh 3.58 pounds compared to the air at 2.96 pounds. While the .622 pounds may not seem like a lot, its really worth it if one travels a lot. The design and function of the MPBr is to be a portable desktop. If one is traveling a lot, going to class, or doing tasks that aren't high end video/photo editing, then the Air is way better. The portability factor, incredibly fast charge time, and great battery life and cost are huge selling factors.
Lets be candid, if one is going to upgrade, its going to be for the screen. For me, it was easier to just wait out on the screen. The Air screen is actually quite nice (especially since I upgraded from an early 2008 MBP) and will serves most of my media needs.
Doing a little research on retina displays has led me to believe that within an upgrade cycle or two, the Air line will come standard with retina display. A lot of this has to do with the intel chip upgrades. From what I can gather, the Haswell chip set (followed by Broadwell) are going to offer quite a substantial boost for graphics processing over Ivy (essentially doubling the graphics processing capability). Additionally, Haswell is designed for use in ultraportable devices like the Air making it all the more enticing. Speculation seems to be leaning toward a retina display Air with the release of Haswell and/or Broadwell chips. This means one will probably be able to purchase a retina display air within two years.
Given the estimated cost of the 13' MBPr will be at least $1499 (possibly higher), I would rather wait for a generation or two as the MBP and Airs will come standard with retina display and other advancements (such as cheaper SSD and Haswell/Broadwell chips). One is essentially paying a premium for having access to the screen now. Future iterations of the retina display will be cheaper and featured on models people want to own. Look to the evolution and pricing of the Air to see how quickly Apple drops the price on a product and how much more one gets if one waits.
Apple has set the standard for the industry moving forward with the retina display on a laptop. The rest of the industry will eventually catch up and Apple will start offering more products at reduced prices that have retina displays. At this point, one is paying for for having access now which carriers a rather larger premium. For me, its not worth an upgrade because I want to purchase an ultraportable with retina display. The new 13' MBPr isn't designed as an ultraportable so its not worth for me to upgrade yet.
In the mean time, if one wants to have access to a retina display or HD quality media and isn't a dedicated video/photo editor on the go, get a New iPad or Apple TV. The retina display on the new iPad is "better" than the display on the MBPr in term of pixel density. Apple TV streams 1080p iTunes content and other media content providers such as Netflix already offer 1080p streaming with Apple TV.
I really enjoy my current 13" Air 2012 with i7/8Gb. If the rMBP 13" isn't that more expensive then an Air like I have now... I'll certainly go for the rMBP next generation.
When Haswell is there we'll see big improvement in intregrated graphics which will benefit the retina display a lot. I would love to have bigger resolutions btw. 1400x900 does the job, but sometimes I would love to have just a little bit more, even it was 1600. I'm a webdeveloper btw, but I also do some graphic design sometimes.
When Haswell is there we'll see big improvement in intregrated graphics which will benefit the retina display a lot. I would love to have bigger resolutions btw. 1400x900 does the job, but sometimes I would love to have just a little bit more, even it was 1600. I'm a webdeveloper btw, but I also do some graphic design sometimes.