Performance or portability? Cost or capability? These are the tough decisions facing anyone buying a laptop; but these issues are thrown into sharp relief when you're browsing at an Apple store. The MacBook lineup is book-ended by two stunning examples of systems that redraw the boundaries constraining laptops. The MacBook Air 13-inch redefined portable computing, simultaneously killing off the netbook and spawning the ultrabook. Adding a Retina display to the MacBook Pro 15-inch pushed the laptop from all-around performer to the pinnacle of premium laptops for video and graphics professionals. But which one is best for you? Let's take a closer look at each.

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Retina Display)
At first glance, the MacBook Pro 15-inch (Retina Display) looks a lot like the regular MacBook Pro. It's a little bit thinner, and a little bit lighter, but it's clearly part of the same family. The real difference becomes apparent when the laptop is turned on, and you get a first look at the stunning Retina Display.

With a 2,880-by-1,800 resolution screen, the MacBook Pro 15-inch (Retina Display) is perfect for media professionals and prosumers, with such smooth edges and tiny pixels that it's easy to forget that there are pixels at all. High-resolution photos and videos can now be seen at full resolution, even as you edit. Apple's video editing software now allows video editing—on the fly editing, with toolbars and palettes galore—while still running at 1080p in the corner preview window. It's also a great system for work, games, and anything else that needs processing power, thanks to a beefy quad-core Intel Core i7-3615QM processor (2.3GHz) and Nvidia GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics.

The MacBook Pro 15-inch (Retina Display) is also outfitted with two Thunderbolt ports—which do double duty for both high-speed data and Mini DisplayPort for monitors—along with two USB 3.0 ports, full-size HDMI output, and an SDXC card slot. The addition of "Extreme Capacity" (the XC in SDXC) is also important for anyone working with the highest resolution images and video. And, in our anecdotal testing, we found Apple's claims of 7-hour battery life to be right on the money.

So why wouldn't you get the MacBook Pro 15-inch (Retina Display)? Two reasons: Portability and price. While thinner and lighter than the standard MacBook Pro 15-inch, 4.46 pounds is still heavier than most people want to carry every day, and it's still too heavy and unwieldy for the go-anywhere convenience that some users demand. And at $2,199 for the starting configuration, the MacBook Pro 15-inch (Retina Display) ain't cheap.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid 2012)
The MacBook Air 13-inch (Mid 2012), on the other hand, is for anyone who wants to pick and go at a moment's notice. It's the laptop that kicked off the new ultrabook category, and the mix of productive power and portability is hard to ignore. The MacBook Air 13-inch weighs a mere 2.85 pounds and is only 0.68 inch thick, significantly lighter and thinner than the MacBook pro 15-inch (Retina Display). It's light enough to carry underarm like a book, and slim enough to slip into a bag without a second thought.

It's also usable on the go. Unlike a larger desktop replacement laptop, the MacBook Air 13-inch is convenient enough to pull out and open up at a moment's notice, and pick up and carry from room to room. And with 7-hours of usable battery life and 30-days of standby time, you don't need to shut it down, just close the lid—thanks to flash memory, the Air is awake and running in two seconds. It's also pretty versatile, thanks to two USB 3.0 ports, a Thunderbolt data and monitor port, and a regular SD card slot. The 13-inch display has decent 1,440-by-900 resolution, so your web browsing and Netflix use won't be compromised.

Thanks to an Intel Core i5-3427U processor (1.8GHz), you'll also find that for the average user, the Air has the processing chops for all of your day to day activities. It's a full-blown laptop—unlike the dinky netbooks from a few years ago—in a truly mobile form-factor. For anyone who wants true portability and unhindered productive capability, the MacBook Air is the best Apple has to offer.

Finally, the MacBook Air 13-inch beats the price of the Retina-equipped MacBook Pro by a grand. Unless you need the unbridled graphics and display of the Retina laptop, the slim and portable Air is definitely the way to go.

Still trying to figure out which way to go? Check out the full reviews below for a more in depth examination of each.