13" Macbook Pro with retina or MacBook Air?

Hello All,
This is my first post to this forum and I need an advice for buying my first MacBook ever. The time has come that I have decided to invest into a Mac and have always been a PC user until now. I was planning to buy the 13" 256GB version (1500 USD). My goal is to learn coding (JavaScript, PHP/MySQL, and HTML, Drupal for Web design) on the bust commute, with little to none intention of doing gaming on the machine. But plan to watch video/tutorial files, movies etc.
But I am reading some concerning reviews/complaints of people about the MacBook Pro with Retina series and I want to know whether the latest version (as of today, Feb 21st, 2014) of rMBP is problematic. Here is what I have learned about the existing issues so far and I would like if folks here could give me a piece of advice which one should I choose (Air vs Pro)?:
1) The trackpad/system sudden freeze;
2) The image retention/persistence problem;
2) Overheating when watching a video;
Honestly, I feel disappointed that Apple computers are having so many issues.
Are these issues still a problematic as of today for rMBP? Will the heating be problematic fo watching a movie for 1-2 hrs? Is it better to go with the air rather?
Please advise!
Thanks.
Frank

Also, would the applecare be strongly recommended for my situation?

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Which is better(generally): MacBook Pro with Retina Display or MacBook Air?

Which is better(generally): MacBook Pro with Retina Display or MacBook Air?

Better for what? These are two very different computers. Tell us which things you are looking for and we may be able to help you. Examples - weight, standard RAM and flash memory available, video resolution, etc.
See the technical specifications articles for each -
MacBook Air.
MacBook Pro retina display.
Best of luck.

Macbook Pro with Retina wont detect monitor on mini display port to dual-link dvi adapter

So after reading Jeff Atwood's post, I decided to jump and give it a shot. So this week I got my monitor in from Korea, and I already had my Apple mini display port to dual-link dvi adapter, hooked everything up - and nothing. Monitor doesnt show a signal, and no display shows up in user preferences.
To verify the monitor actually works, i plugged it into my windows box - and boom, right away there it is in all its glory. So I called apple support, after spending about an hour going through the "are you sure its plugged in stuff", the tech finally admitted to being stumped and blamed the adapter. Not to be deterred, I then went to my local apple store and talked them into trying their adapter to rule out the adapter - regardless of the adapter, the mbp wont detect the monitor.
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I bought the monoprice adapter wondering if it was just the apple adapter since the apple adapter has been panned, no love from it either
Reset the PRAM countless times
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I am running Mountain Lion with all the latest updates
New MBP with Retina (2.6g processor, 16gig ram, nvidia video card)
Here is the ebay link to the monitor
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Magic was, I have to have the adpter plugged into the mac, let it recognize all with the monitor powered off.
then power on the monitor, and boom gloriousness
For future generations, setup that works:
1) MacBook Pro with Retina
2) Monitor From Korea (example auction)
3) Accell Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Active adapter (amazon)
4) Boot mac, plug in adapter, let it recognize the monitor, power on monitor

13" MacBook Pro with Retina 256gb SSD and 16gb ram?

So I have decided to go with a 13" MacBook Pro with Retina.
I am now deciding on how to customize it...
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Secondary -> Music, videos, gaming.
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What I am thinking is the might of the 4gb ram, 128gb SSD storage.
Would it be more worthwhile, since I plan to use this for 5+ years, to go for the little bit extra and get the 8gb ram, 256gb SSD storage unit, for only $200 extra. This seems a minor fee considering the length at which I plan to use and keep this.
That being said, I still play some older games and whatnot, with the possibility of playing World of Warcraft in the future... That being said, and knowing that Macs are not gaming powerhouses (unless you wish to go 15"+), would it be worthwhile to splurge another $200 for the 16GB ram? What major differences would doubling the 8 to 16 do for me and the performance of this MacBook?
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Nick

Since it is not possible to upgrade the RAM after purchase (it is soldered to the logicboard), I would definitely opt for 8GB. The same goes for the SSD- I would opt for double the storage. Though it is possible to upgrade your drive in the future, it comes at the cost of installing it yourself and potentially voiding any Apple warranty.
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Hi
Can i connect a MacBook Pro with Retina display to a mid 2010 imac 27" ? in ANY way? to use as a second screen... HDMI to mini display.. ive a feeling i know the answer but its worth asking.....
thanks!

Ha, "their" my teenagers would certainly point that out.
"true to say the imac isn't the most upgrade friendly"
Well it's just taking that front glass and the LCD off. The earlier ones had the hidden latches and the special tool to release it. "Took quite a technique to remove it. I just did one where someone had just broken the latch and glued it back.
"i just replaced the dvd drive, i could never go back to mechanical."
That's for sure. As soon as I put my first SSD in this early 2011 MBP 13" I realized that there was a reason why all the Airs could get buy with just 2 or 4 GB RAM.
"currently budget isn't an issue"
That must be nice.
"this is testament to apple - there is no way a pc would have held up this well,"
Yes, I'm still using a 20" and 2 22" ADC Apple Cinema Monitors on my workbench w/ a 2002 Power Mac MDD G4, a 2011 Mini i5 and a 2006 iMac. There's a working SE and IIfx in the closet.
" initial pain of purchase"
Yup that IIfx originally cost $9,900 in 1990. I got it for half price!
There's a 27" iMac for sale here in the NW. I'm looking at it to replace the Core 2 Duo.
"imac is still a great machine with a georgeous screen"
Yup until last year I administered 88 PCs at a charter school. I found looking at those displays and jittery windows all day long really irritating. Of course I'd try to "2 finger scroll" and use "Gestures" to move to a new desktop until I remembered "Oh right, PC, crap."
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MacBook Pro with Retina Display Upgradable?

Hello,
I plan on purchasing a MacBook Pro with Retina Display, but was wondering if I could be able to upgrade it's memory or flash memory in the Apple Store in the future?
Thank you!

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MacBook Pro with retina display

Hi
I just have to check. Is it only my MacBook Pro with retina display that has trouble veiwing this website correct... You have to test it in safari
Url: http://demo.gavick.com/joomla16/jul2012/

I dont think you can get an arabic keyboard on a macbook pro though apple.
You have 2 alternative options; you can buy an external arabic keyboard and plug it in through the usb, or you can buy an overlay for the english character keys like the rubber one I have a picture of (probably the best bet).
http://www.kbcovers.com/servlet/Detail?no=381 (link to a nice macbook 'air' overlay incase you want to look into it more, couldnt find a good macbook pro version)

Is the Macbook Pro with retina display compatible with the share disk utility?

Hi,
I was wondering whether, since the macbook pro with retina display has no cd rom drive, whether the MBP is compatible with the share disk utility like the mackbook air
VKB

there should be no reason why it wouldn't be, as that's a feature of the OS, not the hardware.

Installing CS4 to Macbook Pro with Retina Display

Hi, I just got a Macbook Pro with the Retina Display and I have tried installing CS4 to it, but apparently the version of adobe air does not exist. I do not know if this has anything to do with the flash storage since adobe products do not work with it. I installed CS4 to my iMac just fine. I read on another forum that CS4 is not compatible with the Macbook Pro with Retina Display and there were people who suggested installing CS6.
However, I also read that adobe is just installing retina display support to the products in the upcoming Fall to some of the CS6 applications (not including InDesign, which I need). Should I switch to the Macbook Pro w/o Retina display?

Adobe CS4 applications do not work properly with Mountain Lion 10.8. See table:
http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
CS6 works fine. I believe Adobe updated CS6 to work better with retina display. Check at the Adobe web site:
http://www.adobe.com/products/catalog.html?promoid=KAWQI
Should you switch or not is your decision.

HOW DO I FIND THE EJECT BUTTON ON MACBOOK PRO WITH RETINA

i have a macbook pro with retina display , and i want to know how i eject the disc from the apple external optical drive i can't see the eject button on the keyboard layout.

Ralph Landry1 wrote:
Works for me every time without failure.
It's not a matter of failure, it's the idea of training people to associate the Trash with unmounting a volume. The Trash is a mechanism for the permanent deletion of your data, and designed to appear as such. Apple haters used to laugh at this..."Eject by dragging to the Trash? And you say the Mac is intuitive? Ha ha ha..." And they were right. It's better to teach ways that actually make more sense.
The great thing about all the newer ways is that they are easily discoverable, you don't have to remember or figure out that you have to virtually trash your disk. A new user would naturally expect to find an Eject command or button, and there they are in plain sight.
SwankPeRFection wrote:
I always find a ton of mounted installers left behind by users who install stuff on their systems. I don't understand why Apple cannot make an automated process to unmount the installer once it's done. Just seems stupid to me I guess. I've seen that mounted installer confuse people into clicking on it each and every time they want to start the app because they don't understand that once it's installed, that installer should be ejected because they're done with it.
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Should I get a 13" or 15" Macbook Pro with retina laptop?

I, FINALLY, after one year of wanting to get a new laptop to use as my primary computer replacing my desktop computer at home.........have decided to switch gears from a Windows computer to a MACBOOK PRO with RETINA laptop. It's not an easy decision when you are spending SO much money on something you hope will last a long time as I do NOT plan on getting a new laptop once I buy this one for a very long time (until it breaks / can no longer function)!
My dilemma now is whether to go with the high end 13" Macbook Pro OR get a similar if not higher end 15" Macbook Pro. Here's background on myself and what I plan on using the laptop for:
I plan on using it as my new primary computer for home so primarily for my personal use, but I will be using it also for work so I will be using it for basically EVERYTHING!
I will use it to do word processing (MS Word), to do my finances (reconcile my bank stmts/accounts), using MS Excel for accounting work, check my emails, research the Internet, photo editing (pretty much basic, definitely not advanced) and creating slideshows with my photos/music, downloading/playing music. I do not plan on using it to play any games.
I use alot of MS Office / Excel and some Powerpoint - either for work or home.
I need alot of storage space for photos (recreational - up to 400 per vacation trip) and I plan on creating slideshows with the photos using Apple's great photo/video/slideshow apps! At last count, I had about 100GB of photo files.
I also need alot of storage for my music files - I have @ least 12GB of music right now and am always downloading more each year.
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I know it's only ~1lb difference in weight, but a couple of my concerns is since it will be my primary home computer (i.e.I'll be using it in the evenings/on the weekends and probably more (since it's an Apple!) to work on photos/slideshows, if the screen size difference will matter in the longrun in terms of having any impact on my vision (not sure if the 2" will make a difference in that). I'm only 45yo, but I do worry about that! I tried both the 13" and 15" in the Apple store and the only difference I saw was that the 15" screen allowed you to have multiple programs visible on the screen side by side, but viewing the actual programs was the same (in size). I don't really view programs side by side right now (I use the ALT-TAB shortcut alot to view multiple programs I have open at once), but I could see how having programs viewable side by side could come in handy.
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I do plan on getting me a Western Digital external hard drive to backup ALL my files yet since I plan on keeping the computer for as long as it'll hold up, I want to make sure I have alot of storage to keep up with me. I like the flashdrive component because there are fewer moving parts so less likely to have problems in the long run and given that (despite my need for alot of storage), I'll backup my photos/music to external drives should I end up maxing out on my storage.
I value your opinions, please help me DECIDE!!!!! I'm frustrated and it's driving me nuts!!! I know it's too much to ask, but if they had a 14", I would probably go with it! A 2" difference seems pretty big. :-)
THANK YOU!!!

Thanks guys. I'm set on the 15" now and am now deciding on whether I should go with the standard MBP or the MBP with retina display? I'm not an advanced photographer, but I do like to take alot of photos especially when travelling and I do plan on creating slideshows with my photos synched with music. I don't think I'd be one to really be able to tell the difference between a retina vs. non-retina screen given that since I can't really tell the difference between a tv screen with vs. without HD. So for me, I don't think it'd be about the retina display at all. It is more about the storage capacity AND the fact that I hear with the retina/flash storage, that there are less apt to have problems down the road so a more sturdy a machine. Given I take alot of photos/will be creating slideshows wth my photos, and downloading/playing music, I'm thinking the standard MBP might be better storage-wise. But also given I plan on keeping this laptop for a long time (basically, until it breaks or becomes too slow to function productively), that makes me want to go the retina/flash storage route. SIGH.
Should I not be so concerned about the longevity of the machine, but rather opt for the one with more storage?

How do I get the most out of my Macbook pro with retina display?

Hi,
I am new to apple had an Iphone and loved it and was drawn in by the advertisment for the new macbook pro with retina display and decided to get myself one. I have pretty much taught myself everything so far and I think I have a basic enough knowledge now of working my way round my mac and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how I can look to develop as I feel I have got all the gear but no idea!\
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated,
Cheers

http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/

How do I connect an external microphone to a Macbook Pro with Retina display ?

How do I connect an external microphone to a Macbook Pro with Retina display ?
Alternatively how do I connect an audio input at a level that would normally have gone into a 'line input' socket ?

Plug it into the linein/headphone jack if there's just one. It'll switch between the two modes automatically depending on what you plug into it.

The quality of built-in camera on macbook pro with retina display is far worse than any other mac. Why?

I just got the new macbook pro with retina display like a week ago and I've been noticing that the quality of the built-in camera on it is so bad.
It's even worse than my 2009 iMac or my sister's 2012 13" macbook pro. I don't get why this is a facetime HD built-in camera when i can obviously see that is not even near HD. Or is it just my computer. Do i have to bring it to the apple store??

it's advertised 720p so yes it is the same as all the other MBP. it may just be the resolution of your monitor is stretching the pixels. Don't worry about bringing it to the apple store.

Is there a way to digitize audio using the headphone input on the 15-inch (late 2013) Macbook Pro with Retina display?

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Not likely. headphone jacks are usually output only devices unless specifically stated to support input, and even then, it may not be audio input that they support, but merely control input for volume and such.
You can get a USB audio input instead. i.e:
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Technology-iMic-Audio-Device/dp/B000BVV2IC

13" Macbook Pro with retina or MacBook Air?

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