Thinking of buying one (I have a 2010 non retina macbook with upgraded to 8GB ram and 1 TB SSD)
the only reason would be the screen, but kind of expensive for the screen?
My older laptop compared very well in terms of speed to my friends 2013 retina macbook with 8 GB ram and 256GB SSD.
The other solution would be to buy a 4K monitor (it won't work with my older laptop) and a windows machine, but I don't know when Microsoft are going to implement scaling in windows 10 that can cope with high DPI monitors.
Till then Apple really has the market for High DPI displays to itself.
Would you pay 1000 GBP for just going retina?
for my reading I use an Ipad air, so I can't really justify the expense for browsing on a laptop. I don't do any office work on my home laptop anyway.
but that screen is so amazing... 
a bit like the 552 compared to the lesser preamps.
Of course it is about the money.
Posted on: 24 February 2015 by count.d
I have a 2011 Macbook Pro in the house and my brother has a recent retina Macbook Pro. I wouldn't pay £1,000 for retina. There are far better uses for £1,000.
Posted on: 24 February 2015 by ChrisSU
The Retina screen really is excellent, as well as improving image clarity, it makes text clearer and easier to read. Personally, though, I wouldn't ditch an otherwise perfectly good laptop just to get it. My last Macbook lasted 7 years of heavy use before I replaced it with a Retina version last year. If you can afford it, fair enough, but in your position, I think I'd be leaving it for a while.
Posted on: 24 February 2015 by GregW
Originally Posted by analogmusic:
Would you pay 1000 GBP for just going retina?
Personally I would. One of the biggest benefits of Retina is reduced eye strain ime. I repurposed a couple of 2013 Mac Pros and got a 5K Retina iMac for work and home. My wife on the other hand prefers the extra power of the Mac Pro over the iMac's Retina display so has stuck with a Thunderbolt Display, so it's horses for courses.
I would however challenge your premise. If you are upgrading a 2010 Mac Book Pro to a current model, you will be getting a very nice performance boost, and an even bigger battery life boost. Intel's latest CPU's have significantly improved power efficiency. I'm getting between 9 and 10 hours while I'm on the road With a current MBPr 13".
Depending on your size and power requirements, you could consider waiting a few weeks to see if the new Mac Book Air with Retina is of interest. When travelling I value battery life, size and weight over power, so I am very interested in this option.
