Ask HN: 13" Retina MacBook Pro, is it worth? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: 13" Retina MacBook Pro, is it worth?

3 pointsalpb5 comments

I tried 15" Retina on Apple Store several times and liked it but now 13" MBP Retina (8gb ram + 128gb ssd) is $1700 which I consider pretty affordable. (I'll return my brand new MB Air to buy this.)

How would 13" Retina look like, what would be its resolution (specs not available on Apple online store afaik) and do you think is it worth?

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Can't speak for the 13.3" retina, but I recently upgrade from a 2010 13.3" MBP to a 15" retina. The retina was a bonus from a client for finishing a big project ahead of schedule. The speed was the major selling point for me. In fact I almost didn't want the screen, but since it was free I went ahead and got it. The speed is incredible compared to a spinning HD, but the screen is simply amazing. I look at my old MBP and the screen is harder to read. The strain on my eyes has been reduced as I get far fewer headaches with the new screen.

TLDR; Going from a spinning HD to SSD is worth it. Once you have the screen you will wonder how you dealt without it, but I still wouldn't pay that premium out of my own pocket.

Worth it? How do you use your laptop? Do any of the features provide additional/incremental value to you? As with the majority of goods, value (and therefore, worth) is highly subjective.

EDIT: For me, the 13" Retina MBP does nothing that I wish I could accomplish with my 2011 13" MBP with 8 gigs of RAM and an SSD. It doesn't make anything that I currently do faster/easier/better. Therefore, not much incremental value to me. When I look to buy my next laptop, the Retina series (if its still a different product line by then) will be at the top of my list. I'd love to buy a laptop with an SSD, RAM and that wonderful screen - they just don't provide enough value to overcome the acquisition cost for me.

It has integrated hd4000 and an i5. This is pushing 2560x1600... I think I will wait to rev 2.

You think rev2 will have an Nvidia GPU? Unlikely, but you're welcome to wait for that perfect pc.

Is it me or did they finally remove the superdrive?

Depends what you're using it for.

A Retina laptop might be pretty annoying if you plan on running Windows on it. As Windows gives you literal resolution rather than converting it into a DPI increase (i.e. Windows makes everything REALLY tiny).

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