“I own a 2011 13-inch MacBook Air (MBA). So the first thing I wanted to know about Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro (MBP) with Retina display is how much of a leap it is over my current MBA. That investigation turned up some interesting things,” John Martellaro writes for The Mac Observer.

“The elimination of the optical drive in the new MBPs (Retina) changes everything,” Martellaro writes. “Now we’re looking at at a 13-inch MBA that weighs 2.96 lbs and a 13-inch MBP (Retina) that weighs 3.57 lbs. With all that speed and that beautiful, high-resolution display, I think the technical momentum plus coolness factor has moved back to the MBP line.”

Martellaro writes, “My own feeling is that when I replace my current 13-inch MBA, it’s very likely that I’ll leave the entry-point MBA series behind. Astonishing… But what I really like is Apple’s new thinking about how to make life easier for customers.”

Much more in the full article here.