Mbp retina or air?

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Hey fellow mbp Retina /mba owners.

Have anyone have u liked the MBA more than the mbpR?

Ive read quite a few discussions about people who've gotten the mbp R and returned it for a MBA.

I wanted opinions on which is better and why?

And what sorta things you use on either one.
Thanks
 
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I considered both when it was time to upgrade recently. I am a photographer so the screen is very important to me but, for that reason, I use my 27" Apple monitor to work with and really could care less about a retine display on the machine myself. I bought the 13" MBA and maxed it out knowing there would be no later upgrading possible. The MBA is eight times faster than my MB Pro, because of the 512 G SSD.

It's also $1600 less expensive than a maxed out 15" MB Retina.

They each have their own advantages.
 
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If you are near a store, go put hands on. No better way to see the differences.
 
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I considered both when it was time to upgrade recently. I am a photographer so the screen is very important to me but, for that reason, I use my 27" Apple monitor to work with and really could care less about a retine display on the machine myself. I bought the 13" MBA and maxed it out knowing there would be no later upgrading possible. The MBA is eight times faster than my MB Pro, because of the 512 G SSD.

It's also $1600 less expensive than a maxed out 15" MB Retina.

They each have their own advantages.

Yes but your maxed out air same as entry level mbp Retina.

Your set up sounds cool. However it's lacking a dedicated graphics card.

Do you find your missing that? Or is the intel hd 4000 good "enough"?
 
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:Mischievous::Mischievous: definitely hands down on Retina MBP

I just paid $3500 for Retina MBP that has 16GB Ram, 768 GB SSD. I'm a student so I got $200 off.

If you can afford it, why not get the best apple laptop;P;P
 
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:Mischievous::Mischievous: definitely hands down on Retina MBP

I just paid $3500 for Retina MBP that has 16GB Ram, 768 GB SSD. I'm a student so I got $200 off.

If you can afford it, why not get the best apple laptop;P;P

"buy the greatest and latest" just because ...cool lol if only we were all millionaires. :)
 
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Scott - both machines have the same Intel Graphics 4000 but my Air has a twice larger SSD than the base MBR, weighs much less and, with the preferred (for me) 13" screen is a great deal more luggable. And it was still $100 less expensive than the stripper MBR.

All that said, it was the right decision for me, perhaps not for you.
 
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Scott - both machines have the same Intel Graphics 4000 but my Air has a twice larger SSD than the base MBR, weighs much less and, with the preferred (for me) 13" screen is a great deal more luggable. And it was still $100 less expensive than the stripper MBR.

All that said, it was the right decision for me, perhaps not for you.

Retina MBP has much more powerful nVidia GT650M graphics card.
 
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Scott - both machines have the same Intel Graphics 4000 but my Air has a twice larger SSD than the base MBR, weighs much less and, with the preferred (for me) 13" screen is a great deal more luggable. And it was still $100 less expensive than the stripper MBR.

All that said, it was the right decision for me, perhaps not for you.

Yes, however the mbp has the additional graphics card that's dedicated. GT650 with 1gb ram.

I agree the MBA is lighter, when I played around with it at the store felt like I'd drop it and break it lol.

SSD is nice but 256 is good for me as I have 1tb hdds that can fit in my pocket.
 
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It really depends on how you plan to use it. As far as witch is better... there is no clear winner.

I see it like this... If you are very mobile and plan to take it everywhere you go, then the air may suit you better. If you plan to be stationary more and really need the performance of the quad core, then the retina would be better.

People may argue that the rMBP is thin, like the air... sure, it is, but its still a big machine. I carry mine around with me, but there is a night and day difference in carrying it and the air.

For a majority of the people who use computers, the air will have plenty of power, so really, think long and hard if you can justify the extra grand for the 2 extra cores. Another factor to consider is that smaller retina display machines are on the horizon, so if you are really in no absolute rush, you may want to hold off a few months.
 
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there are reasons why Retina MBP is more expensive.
I guess some people who can't afford R-MBP will get Air.
If I were you, I would get more money to get the more expensive one.

here is my concern: I don't think other windows laptops will surpass R-MBP for at least one year because The Retina Display is superior.

When you work or study or even watch movies. Retina MBP is better. 13 inch is portable but sometimes it's not comfortable to see the little words on the 13 inch screen, sometimes you have to move your body forward to see details clearly. I had a 13 inch MBP before.

I'm just saying. :)

Not to even mention the more powerful GT650 graphics card which Air can't have.
 
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MachinaMstr

You are too funny - "some people who can't afford RMBP will get Air." This has nothing to do with costs, I have more than twice the cost of an MBR invested in my two Airs and a maxed out MBP. It just depends upon what one's needs are.
 
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I'm just curious - it seems like you keep having buyers remorse - you got the non retina, then returned it for the retina. You now have the retina and appear to be contemplating returning it for an Air. I think you really need to work out EXACTLY what you plan to do with the machine, determine your needs and wants and only after that consider what machine to get - buying/returning/buying/returning/buying isn't really a good way to find a machine to meet your needs (especially if you deal with a store that charges a 15% restocking fee on open items).

If you plan to do a lot of video work stick with the rMBP for the dedicated GPU

If you plan on playing games that have any serious 3D, stick with the rMBP for the dedicated GPU

If you want a higher resolution / sharper screen, stick with the rMBP for the retina display

If you plan on only doing light video editing, either machine is fine.

If you plan on not playing any games either machine is fine.

If you plan on using both thunderbolt adapters at some point, stick with the rMBP since the MBA only has one thunderbolt port (one good example of needing both is if you use a non-thunderbolt external display but still want to hook up either the thunderbolt -> gigabit ethernet or a thunderbolt storage device).

If you are doing tasks that require a lot of CPU power (transcoding) or potentially GPU power (depends on the software), stick with the rMBP as it has a faster CPU then the MBA

Basically, as I mentioned before, really write down what you will do with your computer, only then can you even begin to make a good choice.
 
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MachinaMstr

You are too funny - "some people who can't afford RMBP will get Air." This has nothing to do with costs, I have more than twice the cost of an MBR invested in my two Airs and a maxed out MBP. It just depends upon what one's needs are.

:D That's why I said "some people". that irritates you? I knew that might irritates some people like you. I don't mean something bad. But everyone has different opinions.

Do you want me to correct that sentence?
 
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I'm just curious - it seems like you keep having buyers remorse - you got the non retina, then returned it for the retina. You now have the retina and appear to be contemplating returning it for an Air. I think you really need to work out EXACTLY what you plan to do with the machine, determine your needs and wants and only after that consider what machine to get - buying/returning/buying/returning/buying isn't really a good way to find a machine to meet your needs (especially if you deal with a store that charges a 15% restocking fee on open items).

If you plan to do a lot of video work stick with the rMBP for the dedicated GPU

If you plan on playing games that have any serious 3D, stick with the rMBP for the dedicated GPU

If you want a higher resolution / sharper screen, stick with the rMBP for the retina display

If you plan on only doing light video editing, either machine is fine.

If you plan on not playing any games either machine is fine.

If you plan on using both thunderbolt adapters at some point, stick with the rMBP since the MBA only has one thunderbolt port (one good example of needing both is if you use a non-thunderbolt external display but still want to hook up either the thunderbolt -> gigabit ethernet or a thunderbolt storage device).

If you are doing tasks that require a lot of CPU power (transcoding) or potentially GPU power (depends on the software), stick with the rMBP as it has a faster CPU then the MBA

Basically, as I mentioned before, really write down what you will do with your computer, only then can you even begin to make a good choice.

Hi, thanks for your input.
As I believe I'll have this machine for a few years I want to make sure if I spend 2Grand I get the right one. There is no restocking fee. (My first return was unopened anyways)

Main use is photo editing. For my side bussiness (photography)
I go to school (online, due to work schedule.)
Only game I play on Mac right now is diablo 3.

I have been happy with the retina. I'm only was wanting to know if an MBA could suit my needs as well. Seeing I've found several posts online people returning their mbpR for a MBA.

Like I originally said I want to make sure my 2k is wisely spent.

A lot of people seem to like the MBA, due to its size and weight and portability.
However, when debating against MBA or MBP some people forget to mention the MBA has no dedicated graphics and the screen size 13vs 15.

I am happy with my machine however that won't stop me from wanting other peoples opinions and views.

Thank you for your time.
 
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If you do serious photography, this question should seem like a no brainer. The IPS display is fantastic and quad-core with DGPU... this thing is a photo/video editor's ultimate portable. If you just ran around with a point and shoot, then an air is good enough... The rMBP is really not bad to travel with and if you already have a camera bag and other stuff to lug around, you probably won't really mind the size.
 

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