2013 Haswell Retina MacBook Pro...

Just ordered a Macbook Air 13" for the mrs and a Retina Macbook Pro 13" for myself!

If it helps BFCTom, I had a 2010 15" MBP, and I don't think I could put up with having another 15", it's not even the weight, its the size of it! If you have a workhorse already then 13" might be well worth going for.
 
Mind is made up, 99% anyway :p.

13" MacBook Pro Retina! Might be a bit strange going from a 15" MacBook Pro down to 13" but like people have said, while it is quite heavy, it's also huge and a right pain to lug about.

This and my GoRuck :cool:, just got to shift some funds around and I will be ordering. In the process of opening a new bank account with the Co-op, moving away from Lloyds, so it will have to wait until that's over.
 
Argh, I'm so torn.

I've had a 13" MBA previously and loved the form factor, but to do any real work on (without an external monitor) I found a chore.

I've heard a lot of people moan about the size of the 15" for lugging about, which I guess I'd be doing a bit of.

I just don't want to sit down to work on the 13" and find the screen too small. Will it be noticeably different?
 
BFCTom said:
Argh, I'm so torn.

I've had a 13" MBA previously and loved the form factor, but to do any real work on (without an external monitor) I found a chore.

I've heard a lot of people moan about the size of the 15" for lugging about, which I guess I'd be doing a bit of.

I just don't want to sit down to work on the 13" and find the screen too small. Will it be noticeably different?
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This is really hard for anyone to answer for you but I will try and help. I also recommend going into a purple shirt land to have a play with both side by side to see how you feel.

I have had lots of 13/15/17's over the years. I am currently using a 13" mbpr 2012 and it is by far my favourite mac for portability and work. The reasons being for me:
The form factor is amazing, makes it really easy to take anywhere. Also just working with it sat on my lap is very comfortable.
The battery life is incredible (10+ hours with my use) and I can get a whole day on site without even reaching for a charger.
The power in this new 13 is good enough that I don't have to run back to the iMac for retain jobs as I have done in the past
Finally the screen is fantastic. 1200x800 is great for basic consumption when I am sat chilling of an evening and I can just up the res when I need it (to 1680x1050) whilst working in photoshop, coding and using large spreadsheets.

My main work use is:
Web design/development
Photoshop
xcode
Heavy ms office use

Any questions please just ask
 
Cheers, appreciate that.

I'm not really on a particular budget as this is a business purchase, so I think I'm going for the 15". Reasons being:

I am aiming to work on site a bit more, but for the last few years I've been 99% remote. I'm thinking the base spec 15" (with 16GB RAM upgrade) could eventually become my main machine at home and for when I do need to travel. It would probably mean I could ditch my iMac eventually and get an external screen or two. I like the idea of having everything on 1 machine.

I think if I got the 13" I'd regret it as I really didn't use my 13" MBA at all for any real work as I found it just too small for everything I have open.

My only thought now is should I just bite the bullet and put the extra £3-400 down for the top spec :p
 
Yeah, I see your point. Perhaps not. Then if you upgrade the SSD too you're nearly there at the top spec price anyway.

This has escalated quickly :p
 
How much one one of the top end 15" models sell for used, roughly? Like, with it being barely used at all. Trying to flog one off but seems like not many people are willing to pay a bit below asking. :p
 
No point in going for the processor upgrades at all. Unless you know that you need the power and the performance increase will pay for itself, there's simply no reason for it. Similar to the i5 vs i7 Air - before my purchase I was worried that the i5 would be too slow. Turns out that my worries were completely pointless, and there would have been no reason at all to go for the i7. The i5 is more than adequate.

Get the amount of storage you need, and the amount of RAM you need.
 
Tephnos said:
How much one one of the top end 15" models sell for used, roughly? Like, with it being barely used at all. Trying to flog one off but seems like not many people are willing to pay a bit below asking. :p
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The trouble is if people are paying that sort of money I guess they will just buy new. plus you have the advantage of being able to pay by credit card etc.

Where are you trying to sell it?
 
ninja2000 said:
The trouble is if people are paying that sort of money I guess they will just buy new. plus you have the advantage of being able to pay by credit card etc.

Where are you trying to sell it?
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Here and gumtree. I do have the 3 years applecare as an extra incentive. :p
 
Hi guys,

Got the 13" rMBP on Monday, and what a bit of kit it is!

It just oozes quality; well built, sturdy and stylish. I am so glad I went for this model and haven't put it down other than to go to sleep haha.

I think the 15" would have been too big and clunky for me, but the 13" is just perfect, and the screen is amazing. The sound is also very nice.

No complaints so far and would recommend it to anyone considering a Macbook.
 
I've had mine for over a month, I'm still amazed every time I look at the screen.

What screen resolution are you guys running? I'm alternating between 1680x1050 and 1920x1200, depending on what I'm doing.
 
What are the best speakers for an iMac guys? I play a lot of guitar with my iMac and some speakers that could boost the sound louder would be fantastic.

Cheers :)
 
I bought a 15 top spec as a desktop replacement, and my first forage into mac land. The PC it replaced had a 24 inch monitor. I have no regrets whatsoever, build is 2nd to none, bags of power and the screen fantastic.

It took me 3 visits to the purple shirt shop to decide between the 13 and 15 though, in the end i just thought i would have been left wondering what if with the 13. Don't get me wrong, i loved the form factor (more so than the 15) but the lack of igpu and cpu options swung it in the end.... and lets be honest the 15 is no heavy weight!
 
Cosmic182 said:
What are the best speakers for an iMac guys? I play a lot of guitar with my iMac and some speakers that could boost the sound louder would be fantastic.

Cheers :)
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Cant you hook it up to a stereo/av amp and some decent size speakers? i have never held much faith in PC/mac size speakers.... maybe i am behind the times.

I have my macbook running through my Onkyo AV amp and some B&W speakers.
 
Does anyone else's machine or indeed OSX Mav much through memory? Ive got 16GB but regularly munches its all when not even running many programs. I do not restart that often however.
 
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