SteveHicks
Established
I am curious if anyone on RFF has yet tried the new MacBook Pro with Retina display.
Worth the expense?
Worth the expense?
Rogier
Rogier Willems
Yes I have set-up a couple they are gorgious!
moreammo
Established
I have one, Company paid for it 
The screen is awesome for photo's, it's just amazingly clear.
I Have the base model with retina. in my opinion it's worth every penny but it's not that much better than the 13 inch Macbook air, which i also have. the screen is completely better and the video card in the retina is great for photo software but overall they both work fine for what i do (photoshop and dream weaver) just fine. The air is much cheaper and feels just as snappy but larger programs like photoshop shine much better on the retina system.
Hope this helps.
-Jon
The screen is awesome for photo's, it's just amazingly clear.
I Have the base model with retina. in my opinion it's worth every penny but it's not that much better than the 13 inch Macbook air, which i also have. the screen is completely better and the video card in the retina is great for photo software but overall they both work fine for what i do (photoshop and dream weaver) just fine. The air is much cheaper and feels just as snappy but larger programs like photoshop shine much better on the retina system.
Hope this helps.
-Jon
Rogier
Rogier Willems
If you buy one, buy it "custom" with the largest amount of Memory!
Storage capacity (SSD) is still very expensive. Since as a photographer you are most likely to store your original files on external drives. It doesn't matter that much.
Besides, the storage (SSD) is the only part that you later can upgrade when the prices have come down ;-)
Storage capacity (SSD) is still very expensive. Since as a photographer you are most likely to store your original files on external drives. It doesn't matter that much.
Besides, the storage (SSD) is the only part that you later can upgrade when the prices have come down ;-)
SteveHicks
Established
Macbook Pro w/ Retina Display
Macbook Pro w/ Retina Display
Thanks for the responses... this sounds encouraging.
Any negative experiences out there?
Macbook Pro w/ Retina Display
Thanks for the responses... this sounds encouraging.
Any negative experiences out there?
Rogier
Rogier Willems
Buy it directly from Apple with the extended warranty (APP)
If its your first Mac or if you feel learning more about it take the $99 "One to One" program.
If you don't like it: 30 day return policy ;-)
vrgard
Well-known
Rogier, I assume what you're saying is buy it with the largest amount of system memory and smallest amount of SSD storage then upgrade the SSD later when it comes down in price. Did I understand you correctly?
Thanks,
Randy
jenxi
Newbie
That's what I understand from what he said too. I'm waiting for mine to be delivered. Maximise the memory because that's non-upgradeable. SSD can be upgraded using third party but some people don't recommend it. Personally, I plan to depend on external drives for storage. It's a hassle but once you get into the habit of doing it, it won't be a problem.
And such a habit would become important IMO. I had a MacBook Air with 256 SSD and it helped me develop a habit of backing up my photos regularly. Since I had to use external drives, I backed up everything into a spare HDD whenever I was transferring new files to my main external drive.
Of course, you could set up a home cloud storage and do it all automatically and wirelessly.
bwcolor
Veteran
Memory and SSD can be upgraded via third party Mac only vendors for much less money than through Apple. I have six Macs and did this with all of them.
nightfly
Well-known
I bought the middle one with the 500 gig SSD and 8 gigs of ram. It was replacing a 4 year old Macbook Pro. I use it professionally for web development and personally for photography. Most of my photo work is on high resolution scans which result in big files that sometimes bog in Photoshop.
I wanted something slimmer and totally SSD based, the screen was a bonus since I primarily use it as a desktop attached to an external display and keyboard. But when I take it with me, I wanted something thinner.
It's the best Mac and most significant improvement over my last Mac of any I've purchased. Super snappy feeling due to the SSD I expect and fit and finish is perfect. The Retina display is very nice but keep in my mind that not many applications take advantage of it yet. Apple's native applications look noticeably crisper than say Firefox or Photoshop. And the battery life is a big improvement over my last Mac. I can go work in a coffee shop for several hours without dragging along a charger.
They are super expensive and noticeably heavier than say a Macbook Air although as slim as an Air at the thick end of the wedge. But it flies opening large Photoshop files and running multiple applications including things like VMFusion running Windows which used to really drag down my last Mac.
I try to buy my Macs with the expectation of about 3-4 years of professional use and I think this will certainly go the distance. I expect they will get a bit thinner and perhaps Apple will start using carbon fiber in the bodies as recent rumors suggest but I feel pretty good about this for the next few years. I'm sure my next one will have twice as big an SSD drive and maybe twice as much ram but otherwise be roughly equivalent.
One bummer is that there still really aren't a whole lot of affordable Thunderbolt devices and I have a Firewire external hardrive and scanner. Fortunately Apple has a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter and I can daisy chain my scanner off the drive with this. But I have a ton of stuff plugged into the thing so the dream of a one cable Thunderbolt solution is still far off in my book. Not going to replace my 23" matte Cinema Display with the newer 24" glossy display just to get a Firwire hub and Belkins Thunderbolt dock is around $300 and I don't think it's shipped yet.
I wanted something slimmer and totally SSD based, the screen was a bonus since I primarily use it as a desktop attached to an external display and keyboard. But when I take it with me, I wanted something thinner.
It's the best Mac and most significant improvement over my last Mac of any I've purchased. Super snappy feeling due to the SSD I expect and fit and finish is perfect. The Retina display is very nice but keep in my mind that not many applications take advantage of it yet. Apple's native applications look noticeably crisper than say Firefox or Photoshop. And the battery life is a big improvement over my last Mac. I can go work in a coffee shop for several hours without dragging along a charger.
They are super expensive and noticeably heavier than say a Macbook Air although as slim as an Air at the thick end of the wedge. But it flies opening large Photoshop files and running multiple applications including things like VMFusion running Windows which used to really drag down my last Mac.
I try to buy my Macs with the expectation of about 3-4 years of professional use and I think this will certainly go the distance. I expect they will get a bit thinner and perhaps Apple will start using carbon fiber in the bodies as recent rumors suggest but I feel pretty good about this for the next few years. I'm sure my next one will have twice as big an SSD drive and maybe twice as much ram but otherwise be roughly equivalent.
One bummer is that there still really aren't a whole lot of affordable Thunderbolt devices and I have a Firewire external hardrive and scanner. Fortunately Apple has a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter and I can daisy chain my scanner off the drive with this. But I have a ton of stuff plugged into the thing so the dream of a one cable Thunderbolt solution is still far off in my book. Not going to replace my 23" matte Cinema Display with the newer 24" glossy display just to get a Firwire hub and Belkins Thunderbolt dock is around $300 and I don't think it's shipped yet.
robklurfield
eclipse
Love mine. Got upgraded processor and max'd out memory. Very happy. I don't think the retina is open to 3rd party upgrades the way older macs were. Get it the way you want it now.
denizg7
Well-known
i think the osx is runned on 1920x1080 and not its 2550x1660 which is marketing..
will be years until osx and the programs u use will utilize that res , so its pointless.
will be years until osx and the programs u use will utilize that res , so its pointless.
nightfly
Well-known
The point is a lighter, thinner 15" Macbook Pro that runs on an SSD. Basically a 15" Macbook Air. To me the Retina part is a bonus.
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
To nightfly's point, I agree that the lack of TBolt devices (at rational prices) is the biggest disappointment. I have a 2011 MBA (so no Retina) but no TBolt accessories except the TB -> Ethernet adapter, which I picked up yesterday. So now I can transfer files over Gigabit Ethernet whenever I'm connected at home.
While Thunderbolt is an Intel technology and it largely responsible for getting it into the wider market, I think Apple could have done a lot more to encourage 3rd parties to develop and ship the devices we need.
While Thunderbolt is an Intel technology and it largely responsible for getting it into the wider market, I think Apple could have done a lot more to encourage 3rd parties to develop and ship the devices we need.
parasko
Established
This is probably worth a separate thread but can the new Macbook Pro be hooked up to a Nikon Coolscan 9000 (that is, is there a firewire port)?
willie_901
Veteran
If you are new to OSX, and if you live within a reasonable drive to an Apple Store, the One-On-One program is worth every penny.
jammcat
Lick My Lens Cap
I bought the 15" macbook pro with the anti-glare screen over the retina mbp.
I don't regret it.
The non-swappable (or, at least extremely difficult to swap) hd and on-board ram were deal-breakers, particularly since I'm now using a laptop as my primary computer.
Perhaps once the prices for the new tech go down the retina mbp will be a more desirable option.
I don't regret it.
The non-swappable (or, at least extremely difficult to swap) hd and on-board ram were deal-breakers, particularly since I'm now using a laptop as my primary computer.
Perhaps once the prices for the new tech go down the retina mbp will be a more desirable option.
nightfly
Well-known
Apple will sell you a Firewire 800-->Thunderbolt adapter for about $25. I imagine you can get Firewire 400 --> 800 somewhere if you need it.
The way I have mine set up, I have My Epson 4990 which is Firewire 400 daisy chained to my LaCie D2 Hardrive which has both 400 and 800 ports. The Firewire 800goes to the Firewire adpater to my Thunderbold port on the Macbook Pro. The other Thunderbolt Port uses the included adapter (or maybe I bought that too) to go to my 23" Cinema Display. It's not pretty from cable mess perspective.
Wish someone would come out with a dock that uses a single Thunderbolt port to go to video/firewire/audio/usb ports so I could grab my Macbook pro by unplugging a single Thunderbolt cable.
Belkin was threatening to release one in September for the bargain price of $400 (up from their original price of $300) plus $50 for a Thunderbolt cable but the release date slid to who knows when.
Right now your best option is Apple's own 27" display which acts as a hub with just a single Thunderbolt cable from the computer but I rather like my 23" non-glossy Cinema display.
As for memory/ram for me a 500 gig drive is plenty of on-board memory and 8 gigs of RAM lets me run Photoshop and a VM Windows emulator plus whatever other stuff have going without breaking a sweat. I think unless you are doing video, the 500 gig drive/8 gigs of ram with the SSD is as fast as anything I've every used. I have something like 300 gigs free as I store all my photos externally except for working files.
The way I have mine set up, I have My Epson 4990 which is Firewire 400 daisy chained to my LaCie D2 Hardrive which has both 400 and 800 ports. The Firewire 800goes to the Firewire adpater to my Thunderbold port on the Macbook Pro. The other Thunderbolt Port uses the included adapter (or maybe I bought that too) to go to my 23" Cinema Display. It's not pretty from cable mess perspective.
Wish someone would come out with a dock that uses a single Thunderbolt port to go to video/firewire/audio/usb ports so I could grab my Macbook pro by unplugging a single Thunderbolt cable.
Belkin was threatening to release one in September for the bargain price of $400 (up from their original price of $300) plus $50 for a Thunderbolt cable but the release date slid to who knows when.
Right now your best option is Apple's own 27" display which acts as a hub with just a single Thunderbolt cable from the computer but I rather like my 23" non-glossy Cinema display.
As for memory/ram for me a 500 gig drive is plenty of on-board memory and 8 gigs of RAM lets me run Photoshop and a VM Windows emulator plus whatever other stuff have going without breaking a sweat. I think unless you are doing video, the 500 gig drive/8 gigs of ram with the SSD is as fast as anything I've every used. I have something like 300 gigs free as I store all my photos externally except for working files.
unixrevolution
Well-known
I am a long-time (going on 10 years) apple fan with a history of Mac laptops and only Mac laptops since 2003.
My MacBook and iPhone 3GS are the last apple products I intend to buy.
Apple has decided that their customers are no longer important, now that they're as big as Microsoft in therms of cash and market cap, and have somehow come to the conclusion that even though you bought their computer, they still own it.
The move away from optical drives was really disheartening. More so, the move away from user-replacable parts started in the iPod and iPhone, continuing up the line to the laptop computers. Apple has never been big on URP, but at least with laptops they were on par with everyone else. The move away from user-installable software to only what the Anointed Ones say can go in the Mac App Store (don't say it isn't coming...) is downright terrifying.
The MBP with Retina Display is the least user-serviceable laptop computer in history. Apples are famously trouble-free and rightly so, but I am one of those strange people who thinks that the person who decides what does and doesn't run on the computer should be the owner, and that you should be able to replace at LEAST the battery yourself.
iPhone and MacBook will stick around till they die, but my next phone is a Samsung, and my next laptop likely a Lenovo or Toshiba, running Linux.
My MacBook and iPhone 3GS are the last apple products I intend to buy.
Apple has decided that their customers are no longer important, now that they're as big as Microsoft in therms of cash and market cap, and have somehow come to the conclusion that even though you bought their computer, they still own it.
The move away from optical drives was really disheartening. More so, the move away from user-replacable parts started in the iPod and iPhone, continuing up the line to the laptop computers. Apple has never been big on URP, but at least with laptops they were on par with everyone else. The move away from user-installable software to only what the Anointed Ones say can go in the Mac App Store (don't say it isn't coming...) is downright terrifying.
The MBP with Retina Display is the least user-serviceable laptop computer in history. Apples are famously trouble-free and rightly so, but I am one of those strange people who thinks that the person who decides what does and doesn't run on the computer should be the owner, and that you should be able to replace at LEAST the battery yourself.
iPhone and MacBook will stick around till they die, but my next phone is a Samsung, and my next laptop likely a Lenovo or Toshiba, running Linux.
DerekF
Established
It's an extra $200 for 16 GB of RAM if you want to upgrade from the standard 8 GB the MBP w/Retina Display comes with. Not the cheapest but not that excessive, and the only game in town since the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard (i.e., no way to upgrade later).