MacBook Pro (Retina or not) or Windows 8?

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

Have you considered a Chromebook Pixel?

*j/k* ;)

[ACTIONpack]

The only thing that seems to be comparable from Dell filtering the specs and only about $100 cheaper is about the same as the stock 13" rMBP:

http://www.dell.com/...ps-13-l321x-mlk

Less powerful processor but more space on the SSD, will sure to have bloat since it is from Dell, and lower resolution. How exactly are Macbook Pro's overpriced again? $100 difference is not THAT MUCH for everybody to be yelling at Apple for being overpriced. They do not have dozens of trials and bloat on their computers, and have different build quality vs Dell and others.

I would have to get a 15" version.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/xps-15-l521x/pd.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs

[xWhiplash]

I would have to get a 15" version.

http://www.dell.com/...c=us&l=en&s=dhs

Dell's are good laptops. That one looks good.

[ACTIONpack]

I just got a new MacBook Pro with Retina from Best Buy. Save about $300 going through them instead of Apple. $2098 with taxes!

[-Dave-]

I'd say retina MBP, although it's a shame you can't wait until the 2nd gen ones :(

[Order_66]

I just got a new MacBook Pro with Retina from Best Buy. Save about $300 going through them instead of Apple. $2098 with taxes!

Good call!

[ahoncbt]

I just got a new MacBook Pro with Retina from Best Buy. Save about $300 going through them instead of Apple. $2098 with taxes!

I am going the same route. buying a mac book pro retina because win 8 feel boring after using(CP) it for a while.

I am looking for a good deal. care posting the link?

[Dinggus]

I'd say retina MBP, although it's a shame you can't wait until the 2nd gen ones :(

What are the rumors on those?

[NextGen_Gamer]

What are the rumors on those?

Those are still a ways off. Apple won't do a "major" update until Intel's "Haswell" architecture is out, and that has been delayed to Q2 2012 (probably June). That puts a refresh for Apple in June or July at the earliest. The "Haswell" refresh will bump up performance considerably (and bring longer battery life), especially to the 13" rMBP, but I think the real difference will be price. By July, that will be one-year into the retina display manufacturing cycle, which means that overall productions costs should be lower. I am actually expecting Apple to retire the regular MBP lineup this year, and totally replace it with lower-priced rMBP models. That would mean starting prices of around $1200-$1300 for the 13" rMBP, and $1500-$1700 for the 15" rMBP.

Also, I find the rumors of a retina MacBook Air to be ridiculous. Because of the new design of the rMBP, there is NO difference between the two now except for the retina display and performance. Before the major diference was the inclusion of an optical drive and more I/O ports, but now those two things are essentially identical between the two. The MBA has a maximum thickness of 0.75" while the rMBP is just barely thicker at 0.79". So yeah, I see the MBA staying largely the same but with "Haswell" processors instead this year. Maybe a price drop though (an 11" MBA at $799 would dominate the market down there).

[ACTIONpack]

I'd say retina MBP, although it's a shame you can't wait until the 2nd gen ones :(

Yea, I wish I could wait but when **** happens you need to do it right away. I was pretty surprise how little Apple employees knew about all the options. The iPad also was not running correcting with the prices they put on.

But I will be running Windows 8 on it too.

[Beyond Godlike]

LOL even refurbished macs cost more than brand new PC's. At that price, get a gaming windows notebook or ultrabook. Way more power and freedom. My MSI notebook does anything with 0 hiccups. Ive seen alot of retina macs with lag issues, even with the latest updates.

[xWhiplash]

Sigh....I really am getting tired of the complaints with the pricing of Apple computers.

Show me a similar spec'ed system that is, as many people claim, $1,000 cheaper. The most I have seen that comes close spec wise is only a couple to a few hundred. Factor in the different build quality/materials and the OS + iLife itself, I do not see why SO MANY people complain about the pricing. Just because they do not offer $250 laptops like Dell does?

It needs to have the same specs for it to be comparable.

Most people I see providing builds that are much cheaper are forgetting that the new rMBP comes with SSDs, MUCH higher resolution (which actually is beneficial for productive work), faster memory, faster processor, ... I have seen people mention a different laptop that is only a few hundred cheaper, but they do not have an SSD, 0.5Ghz slower processor, 1333Mhz ram vs rMBP's 1600Mhz, and other differences. Those things add up.

Also, what comes with most Windows based computers? Bloat and trials. That is how they can shave off a few hundred.

[.Markus]

LOL even refurbished macs cost more than brand new PC's. At that price, get a gaming windows notebook or ultrabook. Way more power and freedom. My MSI notebook does anything with 0 hiccups. Ive seen alot of retina macs with lag issues, even with the latest updates.

Nothing against MSI, but slight difference between a gaming laptop and a MacBook Pro retina. First of all; the OP won't use his new laptop for gaming but primarily work use, secondly most of the gaming laptops either weigh quite a bit more or if light enough are just as expensive as the MBP (Razer Blade, Vaio Z), thirdly, most gaming laptops are designed for kids and not professionals in mind, with bright disco lights etc doing atleast my head in..

Only other alternative to the rMBP in my opinion would be the Vaio Z series..