Apple almost never disappoints when it announces new Macs and this time around it's no different. At its Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple revealed updated Macs across the board, but the show-stopper is the new, shinier, beefier and thinner MacBook Pro. Meet it and the new Macs after the jump.
MacBook Pro with Retina display
When the embers are warm, you know the product's will be hot. The rumors hit it right on the mark on redesigned MacBook Pro notebooks sporting thinner bodies, faster processors and Retina displays.
Did we say the new MBP is thin? It's 0.71-inchs thick. That's as thin as the MacBook Air, only without the tapered design. At under 4.46 pounds, it's the lightest MBP Apple's ever engineered.
But the highlight of the new MBP is its display — Retina display to be precise. The 15.4-inch Retina display has a 2880x1800 resolution at 220 pixels per inch. Apple's Phil Schiller says that the new MBP has deeper blacks, a higher viewing angle and its reduced glare by 75 percent reduced."
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On the processor side, we're looking at 2.7GHz quad-core processors that can Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz, 768GB of SSD, 16GB of RAM, 720p HD webcam and seven hours of battery life (30 day standby). Port side, there's the regular MagSafe, two Thunderbolt ports, a pair of USB 2.0/3.0 ports, a headphone jack, an SD card slot and O-M-G — an HDMI port (finally!). The FireWire and ethernet ports are now officially gone, too.
Prices start at $2,200 (2.3GHz, 8GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GT 650M 1GB , 256 SSD). The Retina MBP ships today.
Who is this for? Who is this for? The MBP with Retina display user is a person who needs the versatility of a desktop Mac but also wants it to be ultra portable and last a full work day.
MacBook Pro
Apple's regular is still alive and kickin'. Both the 13.3 and 15.4-inch models got a decent spec-update. The 13.3-inch MBP comes standard with a 2.5GHz or 2.9GHz dual-core processor, 4GB or 8GB of RAM and a 500GB or 750GB hard drive. Prices start at $1,200. Sadly, screen resolution is still a muddy 1280x800 resolution (blech!)
Those who desire a larger display and beefier graphics can step up to the 15.4-inch MBP with either a 2.3GHz or 2.6GHz quad-core processor, 4GB or 8GB of RAM, GeForce GT 650M 512MB or 1GB GPU, and a 500GB or 750GB hard drive. Prices start at $1,800.
Again, the resolution on the regular 15-inch MBP didn't get an update. It's still 1440x900.
On the bright side, the regular MBP still retains the ethernet port, FireWire, dedicated mic jack, all while getting USB 3.0 ports, too. The updated MBP's ship today.
Who is this for? If you don't mind the weight of a MacBook Pro or that it doesn't have a jaw-dropping Retina display, buying this will save you hundreds over the Retina MBP. It doesn't have an SSD, so it's not quite as fast as the Retina MBP or Air, but it can still hold its own.
MacBook Air
The bread and butter of Apple's notebook family, the Air became a runaway success as soon as it became a machine capable of doing "real" work and putting in over four hours of battery life. Last updated a year ago when OS X Lion launched, the Air also sees updates to the latest Ivy Bridge processors.
Specs start at 2GHz dual-core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz, up to 8GB of RAM, 720p HD FaceTime camera, 60 percent faster graphics (Intel HD 4000) and get this, USB 3.0.
Prices start at $1,000 for the 11.6-inch and $1,500 for the 13.3-inch. The new Airs ship today.
Who is this for? The person who needs a powerful computer that's thin, light and slips into most bags without adding much additional weight. With faster graphics and an HD camera, the Air is looking better than ever.
