“Now, a new player enters the fray: the [15-inch] MacBook Pro with Retina display,” Tim Stevens reports for Engadget.
Is this the best Mac ever? You can’t ignore the Air as an amazing piece of machinery, especially with the new, higher-powered Ivy Bridge processors and faster SSDs tucked inside its wedge profile. But, this new Pro is on another level of performance,” Stevens reports. “With a quad-core processor and up to 16GB of RAM it’s a proper beast — a proper beast that you can throw in your messenger bag and carry around all day without spending all night complaining about an aching back.”
“That said, this is not exactly a small machine, heavy enough that those happy Air users who’ve been feeling tempted might want to take a swing by their closest Apple Store and lift one themselves,” Stevens reports. “It’s expensive, too. If you want a machine with enough storage to keep up with all that processing and gaming power you’ll be looking at a price of $2,800 — and that assumes you can resist all the upgrades.”
Stevens reports, “So, then, is this a laptop that’s creating its own new product category? Not exactly. This is a laptop that stands poised to kill an existing one, one that Apple has dominated. The new Pro is good enough to make the old Pro (even the updated version) look and feel obsolete. It pushes and redefines the category, raising the bar higher than even its brethren can jump. If you can afford the premium and aren’t set on a 13-inch model there’s no reason to buy any Pro other than this Pro.”
Read more in the full review here.
Related articles:
PC Magazine reviews Apple’s MacBook Pro with Retina display: Editor’s choice – June 13, 2012
Apple debuts new TV ad for MacBook Pro with Retina display: ‘Every Dimension’ (with video) – June 13, 2012
AnandTech analyzes Apple’s new MacBook Pro Retina display: ‘Everything is ridiculously crisp’ – June 12, 2012
Hands-on with Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Retina display (with video) – June 12, 2012
Apple unveils all new MacBook Pro with stunning Retina display – June 11, 2012
No Pro like a new state-of-the-art Pro.
I like the new 15″ MacBook Pro a lot. However, I am distressed to see the 17″ product dropped. I an over 65 and on the road a lot as an engineering consultant. My eyesight is not what it once was. I know about and regularly use the zoon function. It is not a suitable substitute for a larger screen. I had a 15″ MBP previously and upgraded principally to get the larger screen.
I had hoped the 17″ MBP would be updated with the USB 3.0 ports and new processors. I need a SuperDrive but could live with an external one.
I love the Mac but this set of new models is very disappointing.
There’s not going to be a new 17″ non-retina display MacBook Pro along side this beauty. There’s no way that a 17″ MacBook Pro with retina could be produced with the same resolution at a cost effective price point in volume. I expect that this will come in time, as well as the price of this laptop will come down.
My order is on the way.
My only hope is that Apple has locked in, at least for the next 5 years, whomever is supplying the Retina displays.
I completely understand that Tim Cook is a ‘supply guru’, but for Tim to not have secured exclusive supply (for a limited period of time) would an *extreme* oversight.
With Apple’s cash supply and long-term planning, I’m cautiously optimistic that it shouldn’t be a problem.
It’s just that with so many other companies nipping at Apple’s heels and knocking off their IP, I want Apple to get as much out of their development investments as possible before other vendors start touting, “We have Retina displays too!!”.
I have no doubt that the photocopiers have already started…
I have this the 13″ MBP retina and love it. I am not a high tech guy and dont really analyze the performance data of laptops(maybe battery life). But I use this as my travel business computer and cant say enough good things about it. My business builds carbon fiber laptop cases and the 13″ Macs (both Pro & Air) are the biggest sellers without a doubt.