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[LiveFromKyoto]

How long do you think the base model retina would last, without any RAM upgrades or anything?

I'm assuming I could go a nice 3-5 years again with it, right?

I've had my current MBP for 6 years and I'm only just now starting to run up against limitations (It's just below spec for FCX, though it can run it okay, and no 64-bit support in Logic 9). But honestly I'd bet this thing could go another 3-4 years if it had to. Still compatible with all OS upgrades.

So yeah, the new one won't even feel slightly old after just 3 years. Most other laptops will just be catching up by then. And the build quality on Macs is amazing, they last forever.

 

[neojubei]

Thinking about buying an iMac is it good to buy now or wait for the next version? Also is it better to get the magic mouse or the trackpad?

 

[Mutagenic]

Just got in with my new 13" Air. Big upgrade over my old Thinkpad.

 

[Gary Whitta]

Thinking about buying an iMac is it good to buy now or wait for the next version? Also is it better to get the magic mouse or the trackpad?

That's the big question as nobody has any clue when the iMacs are getting renewed.

 

[kaioshade]

It's because people can hack it. If you want to use it as just an Apple TV the new one is best since it has 1080p support.

Which is going to be funny the second everyone learns to jailbreak the 3rd gen. Although apparently most of the community has noted the 3rd gen is seemingly much harder to jailbreak.

 

[TerryLee81]

Thinking about buying an iMac is it good to buy now or wait for the next version? Also is it better to get the magic mouse or the trackpad?

According to Mac Rumours, a CPU upgrade could happen sometimes in the near future. I would wait.

http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/13/imac-update-might-be-coming-sooner-rather-than-later/

 

[mrklaw]

Thinking about buying an iMac is it good to buy now or wait for the next version? Also is it better to get the magic mouse or the trackpad?

I'd wait 2-4 weeks if you can, if there is a refresh coming you'll probably hear about it by then - maybe Apple want to give retail time to adapt to the new MBP before rolling out new imacs?

I *love* the trackpad on the apple laptops so would think it'd be fine on an imac too. But there are apps that benefit from more advanced mouse button usage (eg dragging, scroll wheel, right click dragging etc) that are a PITA on a trackpad. So I always have a backup mouse just in case (logitech because I like their scroll wheels and I hate apple mice)

 

[koene]

Thinking about buying an iMac is it good to buy now or wait for the next version? Also is it better to get the magic mouse or the trackpad?

It's been over 400 days (!) since a refresh. That's by far the longest gab there's ever been between an iMac update. So I would definitely advise to wait, if you can. Otherwise you'll be buying 'old' hardware for a pretty high price.

 

[moniker]

So what are the chances that we'll get retina in other models next year? I thinking they're pretty slim and that I'll have to wait at least another two years before I can upgrade (to a MBA with retina)

 

[NZer]

11" or 13" for the Air - opinions? Pros/cons? The 11" felt alot smaller/lighter to me in the store, which is great for portability.

 

[Cheebo]

So what are the chances that we'll get retina in other models next year? I thinking they're pretty slim and that I'll have to wait at least another two years before I can upgrade (to a MBA with retina)

It'll be a while before they hit air. It added a lot to the cost of the MBP and the MBA is their consumer line, they won't let that thing for the entry model go above $999. I'd say over the next year it will hit desktops and the 13-inch MBP. My guess would be not till 2014 for it to hit Air.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

It'll be a while before they hit air. It added a lot to the cost of the MBP and the MBA is their consumer line, they won't let that thing for the entry model go above $999. I'd say over the next year it will hit desktops and the 13-inch MBP. My guess would be not till 2014 for it to hit Air.

The screen didn't add much of the new cost of the new MBP. It was the thinner/lighter design and SSD.

Think about the iPad 3. It costs the same as the other iPads because they didn't really upgrade the internals, and it actually got thicker and heavier.

So I'm not as pessimistic as you. I'm assuming the whole notebook line will be retina next year.

 

[heliconsoul]

Well I'm glad they're finally going to redo the Mac Pros but waiting till next year is a ball ache. Was seriously considering jumping off the Mac train before they admitted the "refresh" was gash.

Makes me wonder if the reason they're delaying on the iMacs too is that releasing an Ivy Bridge iMac might make them more powerful than the baseline Pros, that would be embarrassing

 

[Jimrpg]

It'll be a while before they hit air. It added a lot to the cost of the MBP and the MBA is their consumer line, they won't let that thing for the entry model go above $999. I'd say over the next year it will hit desktops and the 13-inch MBP. My guess would be not till 2014 for it to hit Air.

i don't think it added that much to the cost. the old 15 inch and the retina 15 inch are similar costs.

its a production line issue, and reducing choice for the consumer and just making everyone buy the same thing.

but ur right too, they want to keep the price of the mba low and margin high and its entry level so most consumers won't be too fussed bout the latest tech

 

[opticalmace]

If the Air got a display upgrade I'd be all over it. Kind of frustrating. Now I'm considering the Zenbook Prime.

But then, I just know apple will up the displays on the Airs before the end of next year. And I'd prefer OS X.

Son of a birch.

 

[moniker]

The screen didn't add much of the new cost of the new MBP. It was the thinner/lighter design and SSD.

Think about the iPad 3. It costs the same as the other iPads because they didn't really upgrade the internals, and it actually got thicker and heavier.

So I'm not as pessimistic as you. I'm assuming the whole notebook line will be retina next year.

I sure hope so. Though I'm guessing battery might be an issue in MBA since both IPS tech and higher res makes the screen power hungry. I'm also wondering if the Ivy Bridge graphics is to weak for that resolution. In that case, I hope Haswell will be powerful enough.

 

[Sofo]

Thinking about buying an iMac is it good to buy now or wait for the next version? Also is it better to get the magic mouse or the trackpad?

I'm on the same boat and I'm honestly waiting until some sort of refresh!

 

[TerryLee81]

Does anyone have a 2011 MBA and a 2012 MBA (13")?

How do they compare in terms of heat and fan noise?

 

[Timan]

Does anyone have a 2011 MBA and a 2012 MBA (13")?

How do they compare in terms of heat and fan noise?

I have a 2010 model and just picked up the 2012 one yesterday (base 13").

Much faster, no fan as of yet, my 2010 one loves to turn its fans on when I have a few tabs open in safari/chrome. Heat is about the same after general use. It gets hot/warm.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Much faster, no fan as of yet, my 2010 one loves to turn its fans on when I have a few tabs open in safari/chrome. Heat is about the same after general use. It gets hot/warm.

Sounds like my 2011 model. My fan never turns on unless running a game (or video for awhile, I suppose).

 

[BolognaSoup]

Thinking about buying an iMac is it good to buy now or wait for the next version? Also is it better to get the magic mouse or the trackpad?

I think I'm personally going to try to wait until Mountain Lion is released to see if they release new iMacs then. If no iMacs by then, I'll just build a PC. I'm not paying top dollar for a machine that came out over a year ago.

 

[TunaMarshmallow]

My wife and I would like to start using Time Machine wirelessly. Are there any good (and compatible) wireless external HDDs, other than the Time Capsule?

 

[bionic77]

11" or 13" for the Air - opinions? Pros/cons? The 11" felt alot smaller/lighter to me in the store, which is great for portability.

I spent a few weeks thinking about this decision because I wanted something portable but I also type a shitload and wanted something that I felt comfortable typing on.

After some debate on GAF I was eventually educated that the keyboards are identical, but the space below the 11" keyboard was not large enough for me to feel comfortable typing on it.

It comes down to what you value more. Do you value screen size over extreme portability. I mean the 11" is ridiculously small and while I am going with the 13" I will miss that portability. The screen is a little cramped on the 11 as well but that never bothered me when I was playing around with it.

 

[TUSR]

Question for the video card competent GAF.

I have the early 2008 MBP (preunibody) with the 8600M GT 512MB, how would that fair against the new 4000HD integrated graphics?

 

[JackEtc]

I have like 1.5GB of wallpapers that I love, and none of them are going to fit my new MBP. Dammit

 

[Karud]

I have like 1.5GB of wallpapers that I love, and none of them are going to fit my new MBP. Dammit

It's a dreadful problem. I still don't have a lot awesome Wallpaper for the New iPad.

 

[TunaMarshmallow]

Anyone have good case recommendations for the new 13" Air? I mostly want to protect against scratches when I'm moving it around from desk to desk, couch to lap, and chuck it in my bag. So I'm thinking that a very slim, hard case might be the best option. Any good, reliable, non-ugly hard cases for the 13" Air?

 

[JackEtc]

It's a dreadful problem. I still don't have a lot awesome Wallpaper for the New iPad.

All of them are 1080p or a little over, but there's no way they would look good on a 2880x1800 screen.

This totally sounds like a bullshit first world problem, but I'm actually really bummed by this.

 

[kaioshade]

Question for the video card competent GAF.

I have the early 2008 MBP (preunibody) with the 8600M GT 512MB, how would that fair against the new 4000HD integrated graphics?

I am pretty sure the HD 4000 is faster than the 8600M GT, despite being integrated. I will run some benchmarks and get back to you on it.

 

[The Albatross]

Man I seriously hate anybody who has the budget for this new line at the better specs. $2800, daaayaamn.

 

[TUSR]

Man I seriously hate anybody who has the budget for this new line at the better specs. $2800, daaayaamn.

400$ for 2008 MBP trade in, 200$ education discount makes it pretty feasible.

I am pretty sure the HD 4000 is faster than the 8600M GT, despite being integrated. I will run some benchmarks and get back to you on it.

Thanks a lot its a pretty important question for me. Its crazy how fast integrated graphics have evolved recently.

 

[Alchemy]

11" or 13" for the Air - opinions? Pros/cons? The 11" felt alot smaller/lighter to me in the store, which is great for portability.

For me the 13 inch Air doesn't really make sense. I'm getting an Air as an ultraportable laptop and the 13 inch is still a decently large footprint that you might as well get a Mac Book Pro. Thickness and weight aren't as big an issue for me once you get up to that size, and the closer you get to 15 inches you might as well get the Next Gen Pro.

 

[Circle T]

I have like 1.5GB of wallpapers that I love, and none of them are going to fit my new MBP. Dammit

InterfaceLift already has a separate search filter for the new MBP-R resolution....

http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper/downloads/date/widescreen/2880x1800/

Plus, you can use their Bulk Download Service and download all of the currently available ones for $0.01 a piece. There are currently 175 at that resolution, so you're looking at $1.75 to get a bunch of nice, correctly-sized wallpapers. I used this for my Retina iPad, and it works great. You tell it what size you want, which ones you want, and then they email you a link to a Zip file with them all inside.

 

[RBH]

11" or 13" for the Air - opinions? Pros/cons? The 11" felt alot smaller/lighter to me in the store, which is great for portability.

I prefer the 13" because it's easier for me from a readability standpoint while working multiple hours on it. The weight difference between the 11" and 13" Air isn't as significant as say the difference between the 13" Air and 13" Pro.

Plus, the battery life on the 13" is better than the 11".

 

[bionic77]

For me the 13 inch Air doesn't really make sense. I'm getting an Air as an ultraportable laptop and the 13 inch is still a decently large footprint that you might as well get a Mac Book Pro. Thickness and weight aren't as big an issue for me once you get up to that size, and the closer you get to 15 inches you might as well get the Next Gen Pro.

I think there is a big difference in portability between the 13" and a 15" MBP (which I am currently rocking).

For me at least the 11 is just a little uncomfortable and wouldn't work with how I intend to use it. I could live with the smaller screen and I would love the extra portability (despite worse battery life), but it was uncomfortable for me to type on it and that is a dealbreaker. I was lusting after it though but I don't want to get something I will hate after 3 months.

So I have to disagree with you that the 13" Air doesn't make sense. Maybe not for you but for me and many other people it is perfect.

 

[Übermatik]

So when can we honestly expect a new line of updated iMacs? My wallet's itching to go!

I'm wanting Retina Display, Ivy Bridge, 7000 series GPU. Is that too much to expect?

*EDIT* Ah, scanned the thread... fall? It's not too far away is suppose... but the sooner the better!

 

[moniker]

For me the 13 inch Air doesn't really make sense. I'm getting an Air as an ultraportable laptop and the 13 inch is still a decently large footprint that you might as well get a Mac Book Pro. Thickness and weight aren't as big an issue for me once you get up to that size, and the closer you get to 15 inches you might as well get the Next Gen Pro.

Really? I think the difference between the 13" MBA and MBP is pretty significant, if not huge.

 

[lunch]

Got a new 13" Macbook Air. I've only been browsing the web, and the battery's at 80%, stating there's only three hours left, which is a big decrease from the advertised seven hours of battery life. How accurate is the estimated time the website purports and the battery indicator states? Should I make sure my battery isn't broken?

 

[bionic77]

Got a new 13" Macbook Air. I've only been browsing the web, and the battery's at 80%, stating there's only three hours left, which is a big decrease from the advertised seven hours of battery life. How accurate is the estimated time the website purports and the battery indicator states? Should I make sure my battery isn't broken?

Battery life depends on a lot of factors. It can go up or down depending on what you are doing. Your screen brightness and what you are doing being the biggest culprits. Even if you are on the web if you are watching some flash videos then it will cut very much into the advertised battery times.

 

[diffusionx]

Got a new 13" Macbook Air. I've only been browsing the web, and the battery's at 80%, stating there's only three hours left, which is a big decrease from the advertised seven hours of battery life. How accurate is the estimated time the website purports and the battery indicator states? Should I make sure my battery isn't broken?

Are you using Flash? What is your brightness setting? Etc.

My computer usually lasts less than the advertised time because I am a heavy user (5-6 hours). But ithas been consistent ever since I bought it, which is what counts.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Got a new 13" Macbook Air. I've only been browsing the web, and the battery's at 80%, stating there's only three hours left, which is a big decrease from the advertised seven hours of battery life. How accurate is the estimated time the website purports and the battery indicator states? Should I make sure my battery isn't broken?

I find the standby time is more like 15-18 days and the battery life is more like 5-5.5 hours, using regular usage. I have a 2011 MBA 13".

I know it seems weird for people to mention Flash, but Flash is a huge culprit. It really hits the CPU hard and spins up the fans, both of which are huge contributors to battery drain. By Flash, I don't mean videos, other videos are less onerous.

For me the 13 inch Air doesn't really make sense. I'm getting an Air as an ultraportable laptop and the 13 inch is still a decently large footprint that you might as well get a Mac Book Pro. Thickness and weight aren't as big an issue for me once you get up to that size, and the closer you get to 15 inches you might as well get the Next Gen Pro.

I prefer ultra-light laptops and I was a little disappointed when work got me a 13" instead of an 11", but just to ease your mind--the low weight, slim thickness, tapered design, and great carryability help mitigate a lot of the instinctual concerns you might have about a 13" versus an 11". I previously had a 15" MBP (wayyyyy too huge, wayyyyy too heavy), a 13" Macbook (too heavy, too big), a 12" iBook (a little thick and heavy but close to where I wanted it), and a 7" eeePC (perfect weight, keyboard a little cramped). I also have an iPad and a Kindle.

 

[JackEtc]

InterfaceLift already has a separate search filter for the new MBP-R resolution....

http://interfacelift.com/wallpaper/downloads/date/widescreen/2880x1800/

Plus, you can use their Bulk Download Service and download all of the currently available ones for $0.01 a piece. There are currently 175 at that resolution, so you're looking at $1.75 to get a bunch of nice, correctly-sized wallpapers. I used this for my Retina iPad, and it works great. You tell it what size you want, which ones you want, and then they email you a link to a Zip file with them all inside.

Oh awesome, I didn't know about this site, thanks!

The bulk download service also sounds really handy, I'll definitely do that when my MBP comes in.

If anyone else has good wallpaper sites that are already supporting MBP-R resolution, feel free to share them as well.

 

[Circle T]

Here's a question to ponder. Say they do make a "Retina" iMac. What resolution would qualify for that? Given what they can squeeze into the iPad and MBP-R, I wouldn't think that 4K/QFHD would be out of the question (3840x2160) for a 27". IBM and Panasonic already make similar sized monitors with this level of density, so it isn't that far-fetched. Would ~165ppi qualify as "Retina" levels, given the viewing distance normal iMac usage allows?

 

[DarkChronic]

Ordered a 13 inch Air last night. 256/8

Really excited. I'll be replacing a 2008 MBP which is running on its last legs, believe it or not. Battery lasts about half an hour on a full charge.

 

[lunch]

I find the standby time is more like 15-18 days and the battery life is more like 5-5.5 hours, using regular usage. I have a 2011 MBA 13".

I know it seems weird for people to mention Flash, but Flash is a huge culprit. It really hits the CPU hard and spins up the fans, both of which are huge contributors to battery drain. By Flash, I don't mean videos, other videos are less onerous.

Are you using Flash? What is your brightness setting? Etc.

My computer usually lasts less than the advertised time because I am a heavy user (5-6 hours). But ithas been consistent ever since I bought it, which is what counts.

Battery life depends on a lot of factors. It can go up or down depending on what you are doing. Your screen brightness and what you are doing being the biggest culprits. Even if you are on the web if you are watching some flash videos then it will cut very much into the advertised battery times.

My brightness is at the max setting, but the only web browsing I've actually done is GAF, so I don't believe Flash should be the culprit. The estimated battery time has slowly increased from three hours to 3:29, so I'll wait and see. Thanks for the responses.

 

[RBH]

My brightness is at the max setting, but the only web browsing I've actually done is GAF, so I don't believe Flash should be the culprit. The estimated battery time has slowly increased from three hours to 3:29, so I'll wait and see. Thanks for the responses.

Well there's your problem.

About Apple battery life claims
Published battery life is based on a light duty test that involves wirelessly browsing various websites and editing text in a word processing document with display brightness set to the middle setting.

 

[Interficium]

Finally got an email today from Apple Store regarding my MBP....

My Back to School Gift Card was delayed.

 

[lunch]

Well there's your problem.

Just turned it down, but man, I might need to get my eyes checked, because on anything less than the two highest settings it becomes difficult for me to see. Didn't even see the note on the battery test, thanks.

 

[JackEtc]

Finally got an email today from Apple Store regarding my MBP....

My Back to School Gift Card was delayed.

Yep, same here.

 

[Circle T]

Oh awesome, I didn't know about this site, thanks!

The bulk download service also sounds really handy, I'll definitely do that when my MBP comes in.

If anyone else has good wallpaper sites that are already supporting MBP-R resolution, feel free to share them as well.

Yup, it works great. I'll gladly pay a few bucks and quickly get a bunch of nice wallpapers rather than spend a long time clicking through each of them one by one, saving them, etc. Plus, they have a lot of really nice looking ones.