buying a new Mac

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Good morning all ! I am finally buying a new Mac , but need some help here .Everything is so new in the Macworld that I am completely confused. The question is should I buy the MacPro or the MacPro with Retina. It seems the difference between the two is the Flash Card and Hard drive, Thunderbolt 1or 2 .The Retina has a very small memory 125 against the Pro of 500. I use the Mac for streaming sport to my TV as we live on a Catamaran and don't have access to a normal TV stations. I take a lot of photos. I paint so collect a lot af material from the Net , I use a lot of music and copy them on to the computer, I will be running a small website. I need to use my old Canon printer that I used perfectly with my 6 year old MacBook it has no blue tooth but is a plug in. I am not computer wavy so please explain in simple language . From all the info abowe , which Mac do you think will be best for me ? Many Thanks. Stjarna.
 
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Good morning all !

Mac-Forums is a worldwide internet forum. Morning, Afternoon, Evening….these time-related phrases don't really work very well.;)

But in any case…good morning to you too:)...(even though it's 11:00pm where I am)!:)

I am finally buying a new Mac , but need some help here .Everything is so new in the Macworld that I am completely confused. The question is should I buy the MacPro or the MacPro with Retina.

Let's first get some terminology straight.

- "Mac Pro" = a desktop computer that costs $3000-$4000+
- "Mac Pro with retina" (retina MacBook Pro) = a notebook/laptop computer that starts around $1299.

With this information…maybe you can clarify exactly what you are thinking of purchasing.:)

- Nick
 

pigoo3

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Please do not cross-post or double thread post. Not necessary. The other thread was closed & deleted.

Thanks,

- Nick
 
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Hi Nick,

I am looking at he laptops, MacPro or the MacPro Retina.

Thanks Stjarna
 

pigoo3

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I am looking at he laptops, MacPro or the MacPro Retina.

Again:

Mac Pro = desktop computer
retina MacBook Pro = notebook/laptop computer

There is no such thing as a "Mac Pro retina".

- Nick
 
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Hi Nick, OK you are right....I am looking for a 13 " MacBook Pro or a MackBook with a Retina Display.

I hope that is the right description as I am reading it from the pamphlet they gave me.

Thanks.
 

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The question is should I buy the MacPro or the MacPro with Retina. It seems the difference between the two is the Flash Card and Hard drive, Thunderbolt 1or 2 .

....I am looking for a 13 " MacBook Pro or a MackBook with a Retina Display.

Ok...very good now that we have a general idea of what you are looking for.:)

Firstly...I think that any of the 13" MacBook Pro's would be fine for your computing tasks.

If you still needed a cd/dvd drive...Apple is still selling a model with a cd/dvd drive. The $1099 model:

MacBook Pro - Buy MacBook Pro with Retina display - Apple Store (U.S.)

Then you have the other three 13" retina MacBook Pro models (same webpage):

MacBook Pro - Buy MacBook Pro with Retina display - Apple Store (U.S.)

The main differences between these is the speed of the processor, the amount of storage space, and of course the price.

Keep in mind...with the 13" retina MacBook Pro models...you NEED to purchase it with the amount of ram & amount of storage space you will ever need (with this computer). Basically the ram & storage is not upgradeable after purchase.

So you have four choices:

- the lower end ($1099)...older 2012 model 13" MacBook Pro (no retina display) with the cd/dvd drive.
- one of the three other 13" retina MacBook Pro models.

HTH,

- Nick
 
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Hi Nick, OK you are right....I am looking for a 13 " MacBook Pro or a MackBook with a Retina Display.

I hope that is the right description as I am reading it from the pamphlet they gave me.

Thanks.

My advice for you is to get the $1100 MacBook Pro 13" that has the CD optical drive built in.

It will work perfectly for what you need it for. Get it fast while you still can, because I dont think they will be making them for much longer.
 
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Hi Luther Mac,

Thanks for your reply. Will the MacBookPro with the thunderbolt 1 work on streaming sport for TV ? Without the fast Flash Card. ?
Also if they are discontinuing this product...is it OK to buy it ? or. will I be buying into something old. Thanks
 
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Hi Nick,

Thanks for your reply.

I can purchase a 125 g ram at the same time . I get confused about the Ram and storage space ,are they not the same thing ? Also as Luther Mac pointed out, the MacBook Pro is on it's way out, will all the new ones then be with a retina display ? but will the MacBook Pro still be a good buy ? Thanks.
 
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It seems the difference between the two is the Flash Card and Hard drive, Thunderbolt 1or 2 .The Retina has a very small memory 125 against the Pro of 500.

I'm about to correct your terminology here -- not to be picky, but so in future there is less chance of misunderstanding. What you're calling "Flash Card" is actually known as flash (small f) or SSD storage (stands for solid state drive). "Memory" is only used to refer to RAM, "storage" is the correct term for disc space.

As you may already be aware, SSD storage is small, but exceptionally fast; hard drive storage is cheap and large but slower.it sounds to me like you would be happier with more versus faster storage.you could have it both ways: get an SSD for the MacBook itself, then buy some external hard drives for your storage and backup needs.

There is no guarantee that your six-year-old printer will continue to work: Canon does not update drivers indefinitely. It might work, or it might not. As noted earlier, the storage and RAM in a retina MacBook cannot be upgraded later, so if you go with a Retina, choose carefully.

If you need a notebook that offers the ability to burn CDs and DVDs and can have its storage and RAMA upgraded later, then there is only one choice. Otherwise, you can select from the Retina models that suit you best.
 
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Hi Luther Mac,

Thanks for your reply. Will the MacBookPro with the thunderbolt 1 work on streaming sport for TV ? Without the fast Flash Card. ?
Also if they are discontinuing this product...is it OK to buy it ? or. will I be buying into something old. Thanks

Are you streaming from your computer to your TV monitor via a Thunderbolt cable? I didnt realize non-Apple products had a Thunderbolt input on them.

I stream all my sports as well. I bought a Apple TV. It works great at mirroring whatever Im watching in my browser.

As for the specific question regarding the abilities of the thunderbolt 1 cable or needing a flash card, I couldnt answer that. Someone here smarter than me surely can tho.

Im sure others have opinions so feel free to take their opinions into account. But it is my understanding that these "older" MacBook Pros that they are discontinuing are VERY popular because they are upgradeable and fixable if something goes wrong. Newer models are not. And be it that you are on a boat, there is a lot of moisture in the air and potential for something to go wrong with your computer. So I figured you'd want the ability to fix something if it failed.

Also, all of the newer MacBooks lack disc drives. Again, since you are on a boat and space is limited, I figured you wouldnt want to have to have a disc drive hanging from your new laptop in order to play DVDs.

And you cant beat the price. It's a great package at a very low cost. I just bought 2 of them to give to my mother and mother-in-law for their birthdays. They will be using them for exactly the same purposes you use yours.

But definitely get someone to play devils advocate and argue against what I just said. They may know something I dont about comparing old vs new.
 
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Thanks Luther Mac,

That was very useful and well said since my English is my second language and computers are about my tenth language I was able to understand your drift...I had to smile when you mentioned buying one for your Mom and Mother in law....Yes we oldies still want to keep in touch with what seems like the younger generation take for granted...I think they are born with this ability nowdays....but to impatient to help us slower oldies. If you suddenly think of any other tips before tomorrow let me know as I am buying the MacBook Pro before heading for my boat....and the tip about living faraway on a boat when something goes wrong is so valid....But I am in the big smoky city of Kuala Lumpur at the moment and will take the opportunity of getting what I need there at the Apple shop. Many Thanks Stjarna.
 
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I am not sure if the Apple thunderbolt will work with my TV, we have used a dell notebook to stream sport to our TV...I forgot to ask the salesman at the Apple store. I can only hope so.
 

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