Apple has announced the next generation of its 15-inch MacBook Pro. The new machine packs a 15.4 inch "Retina display" which promises improved viewing angles, reduced glare, and a resolution of 2880 x 1800: four times greater than the previous MacBook Pro. Along with the impressive new display, the latest MacBook Pros come with new performance options, such as NVIDIA's Kepler GT650m graphics card, a refreshed Intel quad core i7 processor, up to 768GB of flash storage and up to 16GB of 1600 MHz RAM.
The addition of the Retina display makes the new MacBook Pro "the world’s highest resolution notebook display" according to Apple. It crams in over 5 million pixels and boasts a 178-degree wide viewing angle along with 75 percent less reflection and 29 percent higher contrast than the model it replaces.
It's also the lightest and thinnest MacBook Pro yet with the aluminum unibody design weighing in at 4.46 pounds (2.02 kg) and measuring 0.71 inches thick.
There are a few notable connectivity changes ... some of which may not be to everyone's liking. Apple is pushing forward with Thunderbolt technology (there are two Thunderbolt ports on the new model) which means you'll need to buy an adapter if you plan to use an Ethernet cable. The FireWire 800 port is gone but there's a new HDMI port and two USB 3.0 ports along with the SDXC card slot. The optical drive has also been dropped.
Apple has also announced updates to existing Mac software to take advantage of the added resolution of the Retina display, claiming that surfing the web will give you a "Magazine-like experience".
Unveiled this morning at Apple's WWDC, the new 15-inch MacBook Pro is available starting today. The base model with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB flash storage and a 2.3 GHz processor is priced at US$2,199. The 2.6 GHz, 512 GB flash storage option costs $2799.
Retina display MacBook Pro key specifications:
- Processor: 2.3 to 2.7GHz (with "Turbo Boost" speeds up to 3.7 GHz)
- Memory: 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM
- Storage: up to 786 GB Solid State
- Battery: 7 hour during use, 30 day standby
- Size: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm) high x 14.13 inches (35.89 cm) wide x 9.73 inches (24.71 cm) deep
- Weight: 4.46 pounds (2.02 kg)
Source: Apple