[impaler]

Hey all,
to compare at home for a week, I brought up 13" MacBook Pro Retina 2.9GHz and MacBook Air 13" 1.6GHz. I had a MacBook Air since 2011 but the logic board bit the dust, and it made more sense to replace the entire laptop than nurse it along. I wanted 802.11ac wireless and Broadwell.

Anyway, I've been using both and I'm leaning toward the Pro for the retina screen. I have no interest in the MacBook and it's lack of ports or its 12" screen - I'd rather take a wait and see approach with that one. The Air is more reasonably priced - but man that screen has me ruined. The Air's screen after using the Pro looks like someone scratched it up, it looks so bad in comparison. Knowing I'd adjust to any screen over time, even the lower-pixel density of the Air, what would you recommend? There aren't tasks I MUST have a Pro for, as I don't do graphics work, gaming, or anything that too processor intensive.

I'm also a bit frustrated at the standard resolution of 1280x800, vice the 1440x900 I've been used to on the Air. Feel like I'd never be happy with it, switching it all the time. Everything looks too big, and on 1440x900 scaled it still looks better but is definitely not as crisp. Sure, it's better at the same resolution than the Air, but I should use it at the more desirable resolution.

I will return one of these this weekend.

Thoughts?

[iEd]

I think it depends if the retina display is important to you.
I bought a 11inch MBA in November because I just needed computer for the net, Apple TV streaming from iTunes and iPhone sync. I didn't need retina. What I needed was a good processor running the latest OS X.
So just think about what you need and decide.

[circlez]

It all depends on what you see yourself using the laptop for. If you need more processor intensive tasks accomplished--i.e. gaming, video editing, etc. then you should go for the Pro. The processors are stronger. Yes, while you take a hit to battery life and the overall weight of the thing, I feel like the Pro is better.

The flip side, if you want a machine that is fast, light, and will disappear into your backpack because its so light then get the Air. It doesn't perform as well on processor intensive tasks, but if you're just watching Netflix, word processing, internet browsing, emailing, etc then the Air should be fine for you.

Personally I own a 15" MBP Retina and I couldn't be happier with it. The Pro is the best laptop on the market IMO.

[impaler]

Well, I have gone with the MacBook Pro 13", and have zero regrets. The screen is awesome and I'm used to the heavier weight now. I have it set to 1440x900, since I was used to that resolution on the Air.