Trying to choose between 2013 MBA,MBP 13'' and new 2013 MBP retina 13''

Hello everyone:) im new here to apple discussions. Basically i would like to ask which laptop i should buy, 2013 Macbook Air 13'', Macbook pro 13'' or Macbook pro retina 13'' (2013). I already have a main 15' inch laptop, i just need something to have extra however, since im investing money i would like to get the worth of it (aka best config too). So even though i can say the MBA is the cheapest and i should buy that since im looking for a secondary laptop, if i can splurge a bit more to get better memory or screen ( my eyes get strained easily so screen is important) that would be great so in my mind its like this
MacBook Air:
Pros: Light,cheapest of the bunch
Cons: Does not come with enough memory, is non upgradeable :/
Macbook Pro
Pros: Upgradeable, DVD drive
Cons: Older model, Heavier, Not that good of a screen (is it les powerful than the air?)
Macbook pro retina
Pros: Great screen, Light, fastest of the bunch
Cons: Expensive/ non upgradeable
IDK WHAT TO DO :c help me?

I am not sure how you are planning to "easily utilise my iMac 2010 27" as display for Mac Mini" I am concerned that might not work out nearly as well as you might think. I have seen that attempted by others and the results were pretty clunky and could easily wipe out any anticipated speed gains. Be sure and talk to someone who uses an iMac as a display for another computer before you spend any money.
That said, if I were in your shoes I would either go with a current top end iMac or a maxed out, top end Mac mini and a 27" Thunderbolt monitor. You will end up spending about the same either way. You can save a few hundred dollars buying factory refurbished machines from the online Apple Store or Smalldog.com but you take your choice of what is available and don't expect it to be there tomorrow.

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I'm trying to choose between....

the 13" i5 with 8gb ram or the 13" i7 with 4 gbs of ram. I'm getting the 128 gb ssd on whichever one I get. I'm a student and i do a little video editing with FCPX and iMovie. I don't game. Thanks

My advice is to get the 2.2 Ghz 15" or better. Even if you don't game.
Your using FCP, that's a "pro level" piece of software, your going to need a LOT more graphic performance and drive space than the poor integrated graphics and 128GB for your video needs.
You need either the 500GB 7,200 RPM (preferred) or the stock 750GB 5,400 (if your on battery most of the time) is more suited to video.
SSD is fast, but has limited writes and terribly expensive in higher capacities. however later on you can choose to switch it out as the prices come down and technology improves.
Now some swtich out their Superdrive for another hard drive, problem with this is you have to use a external case to hold and use the Sueperdrive, can't c boot from the installer disks or install Windows if you should need too.
The new MacBook Pro can hold up to a whopping 16GB of RAM (currently $1500 at OWC) so that's a plus, but the 13" has poor integrated graphics which score a measly 11 on the OpenGL tests.
The 2.0 15" scores 18 and the 2.3 Ghz 15" scores 30.
So to "future proof" it's better to get the workhorse machine as it's more adaptable and lasts longer through software upgrades and updates.
You don't save money replacing your machine more often, and usually when you buy a new machine you'll have to buy updated versions of your software too. So that's more money lost.
I also advise getting the high res & anti-glare screen. For laptops this is almost a must as you can use the computer in changing environments, class to class, outside etc. without always futzing to get around the reflections on the screen.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/05/23/glossy-vs-matte-screens-why-the-pc-indus trys-out-of-touch/

Is it possible to use iCloud between a MBA with Lion and a iMac with snow leopard?

I have an iMac with Mac OS X 10.6.8 and an MBA with Mac OS X 10.7.2. I want to use iCloud to synchronise my pages documents, my calendar and adressbook between the two. Is that possible?

icloud for snow leopard does work if you do the following:
Go to iCal preferences.
Set up new account.
Account Type: CalDAV
User Name: Your MobileMe / iCloud email address
Password: Your password for above
Server Address: p06-caldav.icloud.com

Is there any difference in the size of the same app between the iPod Touch 5G and the iPad Air / Retina iPad mini?

Lets say, Real Racing 3 occupy the same space in the iPod Touch 5G like in the Retina iPad mini or iPad Air?

I think you didn't understand. I meant the size that takes from the flash memory. I hava an iPod Touch 5G and the app was 1.4GB the day that was release.

Trying to decide between i7 and quad core - was told that i7 will overheat?

Hi,
Did some searching in old threads on this here and online - seemed inconclusive so thought I'd ask again since the Core i7s have been out a while now.
I've been trying to decide between buying a quad core and one of the recent MPB 15" i7s (specifically the 2.66 with the hi res non glare screen). I use FCP, DVDSP, Photoshop etc - usually for several hours a day.
Although the quad core seems the logical choice, I'm on a budget would like some wiggle room to get some other gear - if I get the MPB, I'd be able to sell my 13" 2.53 Core 2 Duo and get that gear. On the other hand, I'm trying to think long term in terms of the viability of the machine I buy.
Just got off the phone with MacMall who told me that because the quad core uses physical cores and the MPB Core i7 uses virtual cores there is a substantial overheating issue with the MPB if you're doing sustained work - say working in Photoshop all day, as I often do. He said that the MBP Core i7s weren't designed to do that so the overheating could cause logic board and other issues over time.
Has anyone experienced this?? Or if you have other thoughts on my dilemma, would love to hear them.
Thanks!
cb

I will be a bit more blunt than the other person. Whomever you talked to at MacMall was full of it.
Either you transcribed the details of the conversation wrong, or they have no clue what they're talking about.
Even if you're doing a lot of work in Photoshop all day, the odds of you doing anything that requires a lot of sustained heavy action by the CPU is going to be low. There might be 5 minutes worth of something here or there, but most of the time it's probably going to be pretty limited CPU wise.
There's a reason Apple doesn't put the Core i5 or i7 into the 13" MBPs, and that's because there's just not enough room in the case for the second fan the 15 and 17" models have.
But long story short, Apple isn't like HP or Acer, who will stuff desktop CPUs into laptops because there's some idiot out there who will buy it. And it would be pretty stupid to put a high end CPU like the Core i7 into a laptop, and then expect people NOT to use it.
MBPs aren't really designed for hours worth of sustained work like you'd get from gaming, but I don't think you'd run into any problems with Photoshop.

Replacing my HDD in my Early 2011 Macbook Pro...Trying to decide between Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb and Crucial M500 240 gb. Samsung is faster but less "mac-friendly". Should I opt for the Crucial due to the "mac-friendliness"?

I have a S.M.A.R.T error on my current Hitachi drive that came with me Early 2011 Macbook pro. Want to upgrade to SSD.
Trying to decide between Samsung 840 EVO 250gb and Crucial M500 240gb, at this gb range, the Samsung is faster and uses less wattage....ONE PROBLEM...I have read many user experiences that note it is much less mac-friendly...
The software samsung offers is not IOS compatible and some report lower than expected speeds after installation...Also apparently the RAPID MODE of the drive, the fastest drive mode is nonexistant when installed on a Macbook pro?
Should I opt for the slower and more power cosuming Crucial M500 240gb SSD because it is more Mac-friendly? Does anyone have a Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb SSD installed in their macbook pro? What has been your experience?
Thanks ahead of time!
Resoure: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crucial-m500-1tb-ssd,3551.html

I decided against the Evo as there are too many Mac users that have had issues with slow speed on them. Even without these, the main speed that Samsung states for the Evo comes form turbo Write which is a PC only feature as is software dependent.
I'm sorry but Crucials M500 is simply too slow compared to modern drives to be recomended. Read speed is ok, but the write is far too slow for the price.
I've used and installed both a Samsung 840 basic and a Samsung 840 Pro in 2 separate Mac books! and currently have the 840 Pro in my own MacBook Pro and it comes very highly recomended. It's all but the fastest Sata III drive you can buy - A few OCZ drives just edge it but the difference is negligible. Samsung by far have the best reliability though when it comes to SSD's. I've been getting 520Mb/s easily on mine consistently, and without getting a MacBook with a PCIe drive you won't get a faster more reliable drive.
I really would recommend nothing else.

Is anyone else wasting a lot of his or her life constantly rearranging apps & app folders, trying to figure out how to organize them, and what to call each app folder?

Because I'm constantly downloading & deleting new apps; struggling to figure out what the app folders should be called, where they should they be placed, and how to find them in the mess of apps & app folders; and because I don't know what it is about the design that has created this problem; I don't know what to do about it & I'm confused.
I'm really curious about how small or big of a problem this is, if at all. Is anyone else wasting a lot of precious time which could be used for important things? Plus, is Apple trying to fix the problem like I asked them to? Thanks.

I didn't mean that it's Apple's fault. Jeez, you've mis-interpreted my message, and already you're judging me. I've always had this immediate judgmental reaction & organizational problem. Plus, I have many disabilities like autism.
What I meant was that certain people like me have trouble with organization; taking notes; understanding how technology, the world, real life, people, etc work; etc(especially since nobody ever taught me how to be organized).
So sorry if I seem to be the only one who's having trouble understanding how to best use app folders. Sorry about that, I'm having a messed-up, bad day today.
Anyways, it's even harder because there is/are no universal standard methods/controls/commonality/design/etc across many different companies/products/etc when it comes to technology).
I'm used to using home computers where you can categorize emails, folders, software, etc by name/type/date/etc.
I can't help it if I wasn't taught many of the things most people knew well before I did. I had to choose between academic classes/school/etc and small easy classes.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that Apple isn't to blame; but the design can be confusing to some people & it can help aid the person into creating this problem themselves.
Plus, it increases the likelihood & possibility of the person developing this problem while using the iPad based on many different factors. So, Apple & their design are not responsible, but the design doesn't help the situation for some people.

What's the difference between old workbench 2.x configuration and new IFCR configurations?

I'm an Endeca old-fashioned guy. We moved from workbench 2.1 directly to ToolsAndFrameworks 11, my question is, what's difference between old workbench 2.x and new IFCR conf?
Looks emgr_update update_mgr_settings isn't doing the same thing ifcr importXML does.
I manually added a thesaurus entry, and ran emgr_update to load it to workbench, but it didn't show up in our new workbench. And when I ran emgr_update get_all_settings, I can see the thesaurus entry I created in the output. So... What's difference between these 2?
Thanks a lot in advance for your help.

emgr_update no longer sets or gets the thesaurus from workbench. In 11 all workbench configurations are saved in IFCR configuration directly.
Hence the thesaurus entry should be added directly in version 11 Workbench as opposed to xml file in older versions.
And if you want to migrate the changes across environments then import_site script in control directory can be used.

Difference between IPad 3G and new IPad 4

Hi,
Can any one help me, what is the difference between the IPad 3 G and New IPad 4..?

What is an Ipad 3 G?
The main differences between iPad 4 and iPad 3 are:
1. A6X (vs A5X) processor
a. 2X the compute power (like Geekbench score)
b. 2X the graphics power (more frames per second, fill rate, etc)
2. Enhanced 4G and LTE radio
3. Faster WIFI, plus 5 GHz N coverage
4. Lightening connector
5. 720p Front facing camera
What is the same:
1. size, weight
2. screen resolution
3. same storage capacities

Okay so i have been trying to contact apple for days now but i was just thinking why do we have to only choose between white or black for the digitizer? would i be able to send my ipod into apple to get it customized to a different color besides that?

okay so i have been trying to contact apple for days now but i was just thinking why do we have to only choose between white or black for the digitizer? would i be able to send my ipod into apple to get it customized to a different color besides that?

Apple does not offer custom colors. I'd suggest you get a skin for your iPod. Those are available in hundreds of colors and patterns and since they're not permanent, they don't affect the iPod's warranty and you can change if you ever get tired of the skin you chose.
Regards.

Hi. My photoshop elements 12 has suddenly stopped working. When i tried opening it yesterday absolutely nothing happened. After a reinstallation I got to choose between opening picture browser or photoshop elements and when trying to open elements nothing

Hi. My photoshop elements 12 has suddenly stopped working. When i tried opening it yesterday absolutely nothing happened. After a reinstallation I got to choose between opening picture browser or photoshop elements and when trying to open elements nothing happens. Now I have reinstalled windows but still with the same result. I was using the program for several months without problem until yesterday when it suddenly stopped working. Any suggestions on what to do?

same question with PS11

My late 2013 13" MBP Retina does not mirror over airplay with out significant lag, unusable when trying to playback video

I have the newest airport extreme (AC), the latest Apple TV, and a late 2013 13" MBP retina and I am un-able to mirror over airplay.. it is virtually un-usable.... Is there anything I can do to fix this? You'd think with all the newest/best things I'd have no issues..t
I have lagging sound, significant delay in displays, dropped frames, and sometimes complete un-responsiveness.

Lag is typically caused by network interference. You can verify by going to istumbler.net

Difference between late-2012 and early-2013 mbp retina 13"?

I just bought the early-2013 mbp retina from the refurbished section of the mac site.
It seems to be v. difficult to get detailed info on this model. Most web queries about aspects of this model bring up info on the late-2012 model.
Is this some sort of freak model that was a limited run?
One of the main reasons I ask is that I have a 512gb SSD, and I'm looking to replace it with the 768gb SSD module. The SSD module I am looking to buy advertises itself as being compatible with the late-2012, but no mention of early-2013.
The late-2012 and early-2013 share the same model number (A1425), should I assume they carry the same architecture under the hood?
**Before you reply**
- Yes, I know I'm not supposed to open the computer, might void the warranty etc.
- No, I didn't have the option of the 768gb SSD when I bought it, it was already assembled. I got it cheap.
- Yes, I am aware that SSD upgrade is an expensive option.
- Yes, I am aware I can store additional data on an external HDD.
- Yes, I am aware I can boot from a higher capacity external HDD.
- No, I don't want to know about alternative options, just the one outlined in the original query.
Thanks.

didvid.s,
the technical specifications for the two models are here and here. Contrast and compare them to your heart’s content.

AirDrop doesn'n work between Macbook Pro Mid 2012 and Mac Book Air mid 2013 using both Yosemite

Can't search other devices using AirDrop between between Macbook Pro Mid 2012 and Mac Book Air mid 2013 using both Yosemite...
And trying with MBP late 2011 can't connect either

Hey aniMix,
Thanks for the question. I understand that you are experiencing issues with AirDrop. The following resource provides some troubleshooting information which may be helpful:
Mac Basics: AirDrop lets you send files from your Mac to nearby Macs and iOS devices
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6510
Thanks,
Matt M.

Freshman Engineer choosing between Macbook Pro/Air

Hi all,
(thanks to those who actually read all of this )
First off, I am currently a freshman at Texas A&M University studying chemical engineering, and have 100% decided I am going to purchase my first macbook ever. From this computer, I need it to have good performance, battery life that lasts through a full school day, and have decent portability. I am already leaning towards the Air as my purchase.
Before I ask my questions, here are some things you need to know:
1. I am familiar enough with the Mac OS, and own multiple iOS devices.
2. This needs to last me minimum 2.5 - 3 years.
3. I am already aware that some programs I want to run are windows-specific. I will be installing windows in the future. I have a decent windows laptop at home at my disposal that is on its last legs; but still peforms fine somehow.
4. My two options within my budget are the 2013 Air 13" w/ 4GB and 256GB ssd, and base model 2013 Pro retina 13" w/ 4GB 128GB ssd.
5. This machine will be my personal, primary machine for at least a year or two - I am saving for a full desktop workstation already. Note that when I use it, I don't tend to keep a bunch of programs open, have 10+ tabs open in chrome, etc. I am a power-user that likes to keep things tidy (if that makes any sense).
6. The types of things I plan to do with the computer:
    Heavy use: Web browsing, word docs, external apps (i.e. skype, spotify, dropbox, google drive, etc)
    Medium use: Photoshop/lightroom, excel spreadsheets, coding (i.e. c++ using xcode), virtual machine(s) through the school
     Light use (might not necessarily use these if ever): 3d-modeling software such as CAD , ocassional video editing (DSLR type), light games
7. Screen resolution is NOT an issue for me. I use my 1080p monitor at home when I am doing heavy work.
8. This laptop will be taken everywhere - I bring my computer to school every day for lectures, schoolwork, and projects. In addition, I also do a fair bit of domestic/international travel for various reasons.
With that in mind, here are my main questions.
Is the 128GB space enough? I currently have my own-installed 128GB ssd and it is sufficient - I don't install many programs/keep all big files on my external. Keep in mind I want to install Windows later.
Since I am aware that the retina has a full mobile i5 processor, is there any difference in real-life performance between the two computers - especially when I am looking at heavy work such as photoshop, CAD, or multiple desktops/programs open?
Are the Intel Iris graphics a much better option (compared to the HD 5000) suited for my needs where it should be a selling point for me to consider the retina?
What battery life have you guys achieved through actual, normal use throughout the day with each of the laptops?
Is having more than 4GB RAM that important to where I should really consider it?
Any feedback is appreciated for any of the questions. Thanks for your time.
- Andres

The 2013 MBA and rMBPs are similar so either will suffice for you needs.
The performance and form factors are similar. The MBA weighs somewhat less and the MBP runs somewhat faster. With your workload you should rarely notice the difference. On the CPU-intensive programs the difference will not be anywhere close to double, more like in the 10 to 25% range and with no difference on your normal workload.
8 GB? For you daily workload 4 GB of RAM should suffice and will work OK on the heavy programs. I run Mavericks quite nicely in 4 GB of RAM. Here are some PhotoShop RAM benchmarks showing 4 to 8 GB does not make much of a difference: :https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5659174?tstart=30 . On CAD programs 8 GB of RAM might make more of a difference.
That said, most people in this forum would recommend the 8 GB upgrade because it cannot be upgraded after you purchase it and it only costs $100. However you can let your wallet help you decide.
Battery life: MBA (12 hours vs. 9). Your mileage may vary depending on how you use it. To maximize battery life, drain the battery to below 50% at least once a month and do not drain it close to zero. Dimming the back lighting is the most effective trick to maximize the battery life. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1446
128 vs. 256 GB SSD? You need to decide. How close are you to filling up your current 128 GB SSD? How much capacity will you allocate to Windows? How much more space will you need for your new applications? If you run out of SSD space you can offload your seldom-used data onto an external drive but in my opinion that is difficult to manage compared to having it all on the system disk.

Trying to choose between 2013 MBA,MBP 13'' and new 2013 MBP retina 13''

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