Picked up a MBr for $860 and a MBA 13 for $727. Which would you keep?

[dogslobber]

I would not keep any of these. MBr IMHO is a step back. Yes, the screen is better, but the keyboard change is questionable, and the switch to USB-c is just idiotic. It was like spitting in Steve's face and telling him that his idea of mag-safe connector was sh*t. I like mag safe a lot and it did save couple of my MBA's from being

Mag safe on the MBA is flawed as the wire is at right angle to the connector meant the wire gets damaged easily. That's on the 2010 model don't know about other years. You're right about usb-c being the macbook's Achilles heel. If Apple added 2 full size sub ports and a hdmi port then it would appeal to a broader scope of punters.

 

[dogslobber]

You are right, the non-retina screen isn't that bad at all. But the maximum resolution of a 13" Air is 1440x900 and with the rMB I could go up to 2304x1440 if like to do that. On a 12" screen that seems to be not very useful because the text might get to small to read, but there are several options between that.

The 13" 1440x900 is the sweet spot for that screen size. You don't gain any real advantage through pushing more pixels. Put the displays side by side and you'll see there's no real difference imo.

 

[dogslobber]

Not at all! My other main machines are a 2011 iMac with a fusion drive (2.5 i5, 32GB RAM, 240GBSSD/500GBHDD Fusion) and a 2012 13" rMBP (2.5 i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) and compared to the Air (1.6 i5, 2GB RAM, 256GB SSD) they're all around the same. I don't do much intensive stuff on the Air; it's mostly for sitting around the house and browsing while the iMac is my main 'intense' work machine. That said, on the Air, it's not uncommon to have 7-8 Safari tabs open, Mail, Messages, and maybe Word and FirstClass for doing some work for school (I'm a teacher). No scrolling lag issues, no jittery transitions, etc. It's a great little notebook

And as far as the screen is concerned, I can go between the rMBP and my Air without any blood gushing from my 26-year-old, perfect vision eyes

I got a 21.5" 2011 iMac myself. A truly awesome machine but mine's only has 24gb of ram and 500gb SSD

 

[MrXiro]

The 13" 1440x900 is the sweet spot for that screen size. You don't gain any real advantage through pushing more pixels. Put the displays side by side and you'll see there's no real difference imo.

I agree. While I like Retina Displays I find them a little over-rated as far as usefulness is concerned. The TN panel on the MBA 13 is inferior spec-wise but in real world use it really didn't bother me and I enjoyed the larger screen size. I've chosen the MBr now just because the discount I got on the device was too great to ignore and it does have some impressive new features.

 

[MrXiro]

It would be, but there's no such thing as discounts on Apple products here in Switzerland.

refurbished from apple store?

 

[Erdbeertorte]

The 13" 1440x900 is the sweet spot for that screen size. You don't gain any real advantage through pushing more pixels. Put the displays side by side and you'll see there's no real difference imo.

I just don't like using OS X on such a low screen resolution. Having to scroll or zoom out all the time is not very comfortable for me. I don't mind when everything is smaller with a higher resolution, if the usage is much easier for me with that.

I wish I could scale up the resolution on my 17" MBP. It's just 1920x1200. That's what I would probably use on a 13" rMBP. I once owned a 15" rMBP and if I remember it correctly I used it with 2560x1600 most of the time. The highest available was 2880x1800, but that was even for me a little bit too small.

 

[Erdbeertorte]

refurbished from apple store?

Even in the USA they don't sell the 12" rMB in their refurbished section. Or did you mean the Air?

In Austria and Germany you could get the 1,1 GHz with 256GB SSD sometimes for a little less than 1300€ instead of 1449€ from Apple. But I would never pay so much money for such an underpowered 1-Port-Mac, only because it's looking good and very light.

 

[Z3man]

If Apple added 2 full size sub ports and a hdmi port then it would appeal to a broader scope of punters.

Are you being serious.

 

[dogslobber]

I just don't like using OS X on such a low screen resolution. Having to scroll or zoom out all the time is not very comfortable for me. I don't mind when everything is smaller with a higher resolution, if the usage is much easier for me with that.

I wish I could scale up the resolution on my 17" MBP. It's just 1920x1200. That's what I would probably use on a 13" rMBP. I once owned a 15" rMBP and if I remember it correctly I used it with 2560x1600 most of the time. The highest available was 2880x1800, but that was even for me a little bit too small.

The rMBP 13" in front of me only allows you to do 1680x1050 at highest resolution. That's too small to be comfortable for use in the long term for me. The next resolution up is 1440x900 which is the same as my 13" MBA. Certainly for me that makes the retina display redundant. That the 12" MacBook packs more pixels in means it's in the same boat. I fear most of the folks who can afford a MacBook don't have 20/20 as they are age constrained.

 

[dogslobber]

Are you being serious.

Yes, Apple should market it properly (i.e. real specs) instead of making it a toy.

 

[Z3man]

And where are you going to put these ports?

 

[Z3man]

Yes, Apple should market it properly (i.e. real specs) instead of making it a toy.

And where are Apple going to put these ports?

 

[dogslobber]

And where are Apple going to put these ports?

Sounds like a question for Apple as to why they neutered their newest laptop.

 

[Z3man]

Sounds like a question for Apple as to why they neutered their newest laptop.

MB is perfect for me, sounds like you need a MBP rather asking Apple to redesign their best laptop yet.

 

[kis]

refurbished from apple store?

Checked that, they don't have any macbooks available

As a matter of fact, I'll be looking at a Surface Pro 4 next week. I would honestly have prefered a Mac, but the prices for the Macbook are just insane in Europe.

 

[MrXiro]

Checked that, they don't have any macbooks available

As a matter of fact, I'll be looking at a Surface Pro 4 next week. I would honestly have prefered a Mac, but the prices for the Macbook are just insane in Europe.

Ah that sucks... I bought a Surface 3 in November and I couldn't take how buggy windows is. It was an awesome idea but I couldn't take how unpolished the experience was.

 

[Queen6]

The rMBP 13" in front of me only allows you to do 1680x1050 at highest resolution. That's too small to be comfortable for use in the long term for me. The next resolution up is 1440x900 which is the same as my 13" MBA. Certainly for me that makes the retina display redundant. That the 12" MacBook packs more pixels in means it's in the same boat. I fear most of the folks who can afford a MacBook don't have 20/20 as they are age constrained.

Retina is not solely about pixels & resolution the IPS panels deliver far greater colour accuracy & gamut, viewing angles combined with the ability scale the display. The Air has by far the poorest quality display Apple has in their portable line up, it wasn't great at launch nor has it improved in time.

Ironically the one aspect of a portable that is generally inescapable is the display, yet many do not consider the display in their choice of purchase. Comparing the 12" Retina to 13" & 15" Retina`s you can see a clear difference in the new MacBook`s panel, comparing the 12" Retina to a 11" & 13" Air is literally night and day. From somebody that owns and uses Mac`s for their living the Retina display`s significantly reduce eye strain and offers a level of flexibility (scaling) that the Air doe not.

Q-6

 

[kis]

Ah that sucks... I bought a Surface 3 in November and I couldn't take how buggy windows is. It was an awesome idea but I couldn't take how unpolished the experience was.

We use Windows 10 at work and I have yet to see any erratic behavior - it's been rock stable, as a matter of fact.

 

[MrXiro]

We use Windows 10 at work and I have yet to see any erratic behavior - it's been rock stable, as a matter of fact.

It was the switching to and from Tablet mode that was the problem. When I switched to portrait mode it went all sorts of glitchy.

 

[kis]

It was the switching to and from Tablet mode that was the problem. When I switched to portrait mode it went all sorts of glitchy.

Never had an issue with that, either - I often use the XPS13 we have in tablet mode during classes

 

[macbook_21]

I was thinking that too but I've been playing with the Retina Macbook all day after a few days with the Air and while the speakers are amazing and the screen is better. The keyboard is very blah and the battery life is a little sub par. I feel I'm getting far less than even 8 hours... more like 6-7 hours at best.

My view on this right now is that MBA is at the end of it's life but everything is perfected for the device. Great battery life, REALLY fast SSD and a keyboard that feels more natural to me.
The MBr on the other hand is the new kid on the block and could use "a bit more time cooking" before it's a "great" product. It's more of a great start... But I do really love the style and premium feel of it.

Thank you for your opinion!

I've only briefly demo'ed the rmb in-store, but the keyboard is a non-starter for me. I typed out of a couple of sentences and my immediate reaction was "no f------ way." Oh, and the complete lack of ports is unacceptable. The "r" sounds great on paper, but on a 12" display, what's the point?

I love how light the rmb is, but as you said, battery life is subpar compared to mac's other offerings.

The rmb is more of a boutique model, so you can head to the cafe or your college library and scream "look at me!"


OTOH, if the mba had a retina edge to edge 14" display, in hd, and maybe an hdmi port, it would be pretty much the ultimate computer for me. I really think the mba is just a couple of tweaks away from being the ultimate laptop, but apple just doesn't seem to get it.

 

[Queen6]

I've only briefly demo'ed the rmb in-store, but the keyboard is a non-starter for me. I typed out of a couple of sentences and my immediate reaction was "no f------ way." Oh, and the complete lack of ports is unacceptable. The "r" sounds great on paper, but on a 12" display, what's the point?

I love how light the rmb is, but as you said, battery life is subpar compared to mac's other offerings.

The rmb is more of a boutique model, so you can head to the cafe or your college library and scream "look at me!"


OTOH, if the mba had a retina edge to edge 14" display, in hd, and maybe an hdmi port, it would be pretty much the ultimate computer for me. I really think the mba is just a couple of tweaks away from being the ultimate laptop, but apple just doesn't seem to get it.

Don't worry Apple absolutely "gets it" The Air has by far the largest margins of profitability for Apple, the entry level portable Mac offering access to OS X for many who don't care for the pricing or need the performance of the rMBP and the portability of the rMB.

You should just pick up a 13" rMBP as that`s pretty much what you described barring an additional inch of display real-estate. I liked the "boutique" critique, my own 1.2 rMB payed for its self on the first day of work use, not all that own the rMB are posers and wannabes, some have genuine purpose...

Q-6

 

[navaira]

my own 1.2 rMB payed for its self on the first day of work use

Can you elaborate on that (also I think I want your job)

 

[Queen6]

Can you elaborate on that (also I think I want your job)

I am a consultant in the energy industry working globally. I purchase my own hardware, being essential for work purpose. The Retina MacBook is the perfect Notebook for the business traveler, with the 13" & 15" rMBP`s for longterm projects requiring stronger performance.

Am also looking at Microsoft`s Surface Book and the VAILO Canvas Z as I can see the pen input will be a positive addition to my workflow, if so I depreciate one of the rMBP`s if not both, equally much depends on the progress of 10.11 and Apple`s next Gen MacBook Pro.

Q-6

 

[flimpy]

Retina is not solely about pixels & resolution the IPS panels deliver far greater color accuracy & gamut, viewing angles combined with the ability scale the display. The Air has by far the poorest quality display Apple has in their portable line up, it wasn't great at launch nor has it improved in time.
Q-6

Wow, this is new to me, I did not realize macbook Air's do not have IPS displays... unbelievable... thank you for this enlightenment.

Can you elaborate on that (also I think I want your job)

I am a consultant in the energy industry working globally.

This industry is suffering from low oil prices now, and consultants (contractors) are the first ones taking the hit, unfortunately.