Gone too is the logo - as with the iPad, Apple doesn’t feel the need to remind you that you are using one of its products. Like the MacBook Air range, the separate power key has gone and is now found on the keyboard. You won’t notice in use, but we suspect the vents will be a haven for lint from your bag unless you get a case. To keep the device cool and quiet Apple has introduced several vents on both sides - it also has two fans. While some will grumble, for us it isn’t really an issue, and if changing the power adapter allows Apple to achieve a generous size reduction, then great. That means you won’t be able to use your old MagSafe charger, unless you pay £9 for an adapter. Also gone is FireWire and the power input has been tweaked, with a new MagSafe 2 port. Notably, and to save space, there is no Ethernet - although a USB adaptor is available. You'll also find an SDXC card slot and, of course, a headphone jack.
#UPGRADE 2012 MACBOOK PRO RETINA PC#
Apple has avoided the PC pratfall of having one USB 2 and one USB 3 socket, thank goodness!Īlso, in an exciting first for Apple, excluding the Mac Mini, there's an HDMI output - essential now for flexible video work. The Apple MacBook Pro also has a new bevy of ports - additions that are long overdue, some would say - and it's good to see that there are now two Thunderbolt ports and two USB 3 ports. Your shoulder and back will thank you for it in the long run. And while it’s not as light as the MacBook Air, considering its size and power, it is still very impressive. It’s also a touch smaller too in all dimensions and somehow Apple has lost 500g on the weight in the process - it now weights 2.02kg. It now measures 18mm thick compared to the non-Retina display version's 24.1mm height. On the outside a lot of bulk has been shaved off the height of the device. We love it though, and so will you.Įncased in aluminium and showing a similar design to the current and previous MacBook Pro models, at first glance it is hard to spot the differences - but there are quite a few. Once again, Apple has developed a machine that's both beautifully designed, technologically advanced and expensive enough to be considered only by those who have to have the best of the best. Come Christmas, we suspect your prayers will be answered. For the 13-inch crowd, bite your tongue and wait. If you already use a 15-inch MacBook Pro and itâs starting to look sad or underpowered then this is the model to go for. It might be thinner, it might be lighter, but it is still a big beast to take out and about. However for most the idea of lugging around a 15-inch laptop will be too much for most. You're getting a flagship product that your colleagues will be jealous of, and a screen thatâll youâll want to keep looking at again and again. We would argue that it is actually great value for the money. The cheapest option is £1,800 - a premium of £300 on the Retina display-free 15-inch MacBook Pro. That said, the time we've spent with it tells us that it's more than just a gimmick, it's a genuine tool for people who use laptops day-in, day-out. It can afford to take risks and in so doing, give us a product that pushes boundaries. And this is where the wealth of Apple comes in. If other firms tried this, they'd show it off at trade shows behind a bit of Perspex but would never risk trying to sell it. Where Apple is different from other manufacturers is that it has taken its dreams and turned them into a product we can buy.
There is no doubting that within a couple of years the screen technology seen here will be the de facto screen technology on the entire MacBook range. Apple uses this to show what it can achieve, and what is in store for the future. The MacBook Pro with Retina display is comparable to Appleâs MacBook Air from 2008.