Hi all, I recently smashed the screen on my 2011 13'' MBA so I'm shopping for a replacement but having a real hard time deciding. I use my laptop as my primary machine and for some work related things, so the launch of the new MB is about the longest I can wait to buy.

I'm trying to decide between waiting for the new Macbook or getting a 13'' MBP with Retina display. I mostly use my laptop for web surfing, streaming video, and very light development (my work involves beginner computer science courses). I watch quite a bit of video (streamed off my desktop PC) so I want the laptop to be able to handle 1080/60 video playback without struggling.

If it could run some games on low settings (WoW and D3) that would be a nice plus, but not a dealbreaker. As-is my current MBA can just barely play WoW and D3 at an acceptable framerate on low.

My big concern is the CPU in the new Macbook. I've tried looking at benchmarks for similar ultrabooks (like the Yoga 3) to try and get some assurance, but I'd like to know how its performance would relate to my current MBA (1.7ghz i5, 4GB). For the most part, performance on my current MBA for how I use it is good, with it occasionally feeling a tad sluggish.

I feel like the Macbook Pro is the safe choice, but I'm drawn to the Macbook because it so darn cool looking. The single port doesn't really bother me, my bigger concern is if I'd be buying something that's going to run substantially slower than my current MBA. The pricepoint seems pretty steep for the hardware, even by Apple standards.

I realize the new MB isn't out yet so its impossible to get any real impressions, but I'm kind of in tough spot because I want to get something soon. Anyways, I appreciate any thoughts you guys have.

My largest concerns about the new MB are:

- Thermal profile

- power cord not being MagSafe

I'd err on the side of caution and go with a MBP.

The new Macbook is basically the rich guy's lightweight websurfing/word processing laptop. You wouldn't be doing much else on that thing. As nice as the resolution bump plus ultra light profile is, the weaker CPU is a deal breaker for me especially with the price it'll be at and apparently the battery only lasts 6-7 hours unlike 9 hours you would get with a Pro.

As someone who has an Air and loves a portable laptop, it'll take a more capable CPU and a slight price drop for me to want that but in your case I would get a Pro.

You can use Steam In-Home Streaming with virtually any game, even WoW and D3, and get 60 FPS on practically any client. I stream games to both my Macbook Air and Macbook Pro Retina regularly, and the only real difference between the two experiences is the display. I even stream 3DS Max from my PC to my Mac using Steam instead of installing it under Bootcamp.

Of course this is really only an option if you're at home, but it does work quite well.

I have to say though, having owned a Retina, I'll never buy a low-resolution laptop again. The screen real estate and sharpness is just too good to give up.

In general, it is wise to be wary of anything first generation from Apple, and the Retina MacBook is no different. It's not really something you can do for any work that requires any amount of power. The Core M processor is slow. Like really, really slow. The quote going around for it (it's been used in other machines too) is that it is roughly 3-4 years behind in performance. Also, from the Ars Technica review, they suggested that the GPU struggles to run the OS smoothly if you used a scaled resolution of 1440x900 (which is 2 steps above the default. The default scaled resolution is tiny).

I see that your starting CS stuff. In that case the Retina MacBook is basically a no-go. The 13" rMBP is a fantastic machine for CS work (though I'm biased because I have one. I love mine a ton, I just finished off my CS degree using one and was using it for all kinds of crazy stuff like running huge simulations and it handled everything just fine). The screen is well worth the tiny amount of extra weight it is over the Air (though it actually takes up a smaller footprint on desks and in your bag than the Air). Also, the extra power the rMBP's CPU has over either the MacBook or the MacBook Air will be useful at times.