Tag Archives: Retina Macbook Pro

Oct 24 2012

Apple Introduces 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Apple introduced an all-new version of its popular 13-inch MacBook Pro featuring a Retina display and all flash storage in a new compact design. At a mere 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds, the remarkably portable 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is 20 percent thinner and almost a pound lighter than the current 13-inch MacBook Pro.

“The 13-inch MacBook Pro is our most popular Mac, and today it gets completely reinvented with a new thin and light design, fast flash storage and a gorgeous Retina display,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With vivid colors, razor sharp text and more pixels than anyone else’s 15 or 17-inch notebooks, the Retina display completely changes what you expect from a notebook.”

The new MacBook Pro packs more than 4 million pixels into its 13-inch Retina display, nearly twice the number of pixels in an HD television. At 227 pixels per inch, the Retina display’s pixel density is so high the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels at a normal viewing distance, so images look sharp and text looks like it does on the printed page. With four times the pixels of the current 13-inch MacBook Pro, you can view and edit video in pixel-accurate 1080p and see a new level of detail in high resolution images. The 13-inch Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 28 percent higher contrast than the current generation.

Featuring flash storage that is up to four times faster than traditional notebook hard drives, the all-new MacBook Pro is extremely responsive, whether it’s waking from sleep or launching your favorite apps.* Fast flash storage combined with the latest Intel dual-core processors gives the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display plenty of power to run your most demanding apps with ease.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display features 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 processors with the option to choose faster 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7 processors, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 8GB of 1600 MHz memory, and up to 768GB of flash storage. Two Thunderbolt and two USB 3.0 ports allow users to connect to multiple displays and high-performance devices, and a new HDMI port offers quick connectivity to an HDTV. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display also features a FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones, improved speakers, three-stream 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a MagSafe 2 power port.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro battery delivers up to 7 hours of wireless productivity and can remain in standby for up to 30 days.** With the all new Power Nap feature in OS X Mountain Lion, your MacBook Pro with Retina display stays up to date while it sleeps. Power Nap automatically refreshes Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, and Photo Stream, and when the notebook is plugged in, downloads software updates and backs up your Mac using Time Machine.

Continuing Apple’s commitment to energy efficiency and the environment, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display meets stringent Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieves an EPEAT Gold rating.*** Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Apple notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of highly recyclable materials.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display ships with OS X Mountain Lion, bringing Messages, Notification Center, system-wide Sharing, AirPlay Mirroring, Dictation, Game Center and the enhanced security of Gatekeeper to your Mac. With iCloud built into the foundation of OS X, Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to keep your content up to date across your Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Pricing & Availability
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starting at $1,699 (US); and with 256GB of flash storage starting at $1,999 (US). Configure-to-order options include faster dual-core Intel Core i7 processors and flash storage up to 768GB. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at apple.com/macbook-pro. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available today through the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

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Oct 17 2012

iFixit Disputes EPEAT Gold Rating for Retina Display MacBook Pro

Kyle Wiens of iFixit has called out EPEAT for watering down the standard to an alarming degree and giving the Retina Display MacBook Pro a ‘Gold’ rating.

Wiens notes that the new MacBook is ‘the least repairable, least recyclable computer’ he has encountered in more than a decade of disassembling electronics.

At best, the interpretation of the EPEAT Gold standard is laughably out of touch: it claims proprietary Pentalobe screwdrivers are ‘commonly available tools’ and a USB thumb drive is an ‘upgrade.’ At worst, it may mean that recyclers a decade from now will be faced with a mountain of electronic waste they cannot affordably recycle without custom disassembly fixtures and secret manufacturer information.

Technology undoubtedly makes our lives better. But the social and environmental price of manufacturing electronics is high. If we’re going to pay that price, it’s critical that products last as long as possible. We need strong green electronics standards that encourage long lasting products; the future of our planet depends on it.

It’s believed that Apple knew that their new Retina Display MacBook Pro likely would not meet EPEAT standards and thus withdrew from the program; however, due to fierce backlash from institutions and government agencies they rejoined the program and apologized.

Oct 1 2012

Apple Warns Retina Display MacBook Pro Owners Not to Use Palm Rest Covers

Apple is warning Retina Display MacBook Pro owners not to use palm rest covers as it can damage the display of the notebook when you close it.

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012): Do not use palm rest covers

Symptoms
Leaving palm rest covers or other material on the palm rest surface of your computer could result in damage to the display when you close it.

Resolution
To enable thin design, the clearance between the display and the palm rest area is engineered to tight tolerances. Do not use palm rest covers as the added thickness may interfere with the designed resting position of the display.

As a best practice, keep the palm rest clear of any material.

Aug 8 2012

iFixit Posts Repair Manuals for the Retina Display MacBook Pro

iFixit has posted a full set of repair guides for the 2012 Retina Display MacBook Pro.

The site warns that working on the laptop is not an easy task calling it “the least repairable laptop we’ve taken apart.” However, using the correct tools some components can be removed without much fuss.

Although many components can be replaced with screwdrivers and elbow grease, some repairs are simply infeasible. For example, there is almost no way to replace the trackpad without first removing the battery. While it’s possible to remove the battery, chances are high that it will be punctured in the process (the score? Batteries: 2, iFixit: 0). Puncturing Lithium-polymer batteries releases noxious fumes and can cause fires. Likewise, removing the LCD glass from the aluminum frame will almost certainly break the glass. So components residing under the LCD – such as the FaceTime camera – will have to be replaced with the entire assembly.

It’s estimated that third party battery replacement will cost over $500 if you follow Apple’s procedure and replace the entire upper case with the battery.

Jul 11 2012

13-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro to Launch ‘Before October’ {RUMOR}

Apple may be planning to launch a 13-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro before October to take advantage of back-to-school buyers, reports DigiTimes.

Apple has demanded its upstream partners start supplying components for the 13-inch model in the third quarter and they have not yet heard anything about changing of schedule. As for when the product will launch, the sources believe the new MacBook Pro will have a chance to launch before October to catch up with the back-to-school season.

Apple also did not reduce its shipment forecast for 2012 and is still expecting its notebook shipments to grow 30% on year, the sources pointed out. In 2011, Apple’s portable PC shipments were 12.79 million units, according to IDC. With a forecast of 30% growth, Apple’s MacBook series shipments are expected to reach 16.24 million units in 2012.