rMBP 13" vs. Mac Air 13" Which is better for a portable-wanting dev?

hal-9000hal-9000
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014


Hey all,


 


I do dev work in Xcode and iOS simulators on a rMBP 15" for a living, and have an app I want to make - but that means I've got to do it offline from my work, hence not use work assets to develop app. So I need a Mac. But I have no idea what to get.


 


I'm kind of kicking around between a Mac Air and a rMBP 13. The rMBP 15 is nice but expensive - I'd get a much higher powered desktop for the same money and I don't do anything that needs crazy video. And I really like the portability of the SSD 13" chassis machines. The Mac Air is much sleeker and I can get an i7 Core, but the rMBP has that screen and though only an i5. HELP!

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 2
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,326moderator
    hal-9000 wrote:
    The Mac Air is much sleeker and I can get an i7 Core, but the rMBP has that screen and though only an i5.

    You can get an i7 on the rMBP too.

    It would be either:

    13" 2GHz i7 Air
    8GB RAM
    256GB SSD
    $1599

    or

    13" 2.9GHz i7 rMBP
    8GB RAM
    128GB SSD
    $1699

    but you can get a Retina 15" refurb with 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM for $1779:

    http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC975LL/A

    I'd say the refurb is the best value when you consider that you get the bigger Retina display, dedicated GPU, quad-core i7 and 256GB SSD for just $80 more than the 13" rMBP.
  • Reply 2 of 2
    hal-9000hal-9000 Posts: 11member


    Thanks for the tip - on refurbs. I found a 13" rMBP (base config, stock) for $1269 and bought that. Saved $hundreds$ and have a really neat little machine here, it runs a Sim tip-top and makes my book's fonts and such look spectacular. I might still get a Haswell 13" rMBP later this year, but man I got a good buy with this little refurb. Again, thanks! Had no idea about refurbs.

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