Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display Notebook Review - Part I

Rumors about the imminent appearance of MacBook Air with screen sizes 15 inches have been around for a long time. As befits a rumor, they were greatly exaggerated: instead of "nedonoutbuka" with a large display, Apple introduced a complete new generation of MacBook Pro, a thin and light, but not weak - and even with a smart IPS-display, the highest resolution. The brand-new MacBook Pro is made in the normal range for the Apple design. The essential difference, in fact, only one - the thickness of the case. If only the figures, it is not decreased so dramatically, only a quarter from 24 to 18 millimeters.

But do not forget that the body shape clever hiding the extra millimeters. In assessing the thickness of the eye focuses on the vertical side walls of the body - and that's just this part is really decreased significantly, by more than half. Therefore, the new MacBook Pro looks much slimmer than the old one.

Despite the use of the display with the same diagonal - 15.4 inches - considerably changed and horizontal dimensions, "retinoic» MacBook Pro half a centimeter shorter than normal and two millimeters already (against 359h247 364h249 mm).

Housing, as in the other MacBook is made of anodized aluminum. As part of the stiffness to it have no complaints - the main part is very solid, except that you can bend the hammer. The only exception - the bottom. Detail is too thin and under strong pressure a little flex. However, no real problems, this fact does not promise. Internally, there are several dampers that prevent the panel to bend so that was a risk of damaging the electronics.

The Apple in the past, to put it mildly, do not overdo it with the number of markers, logotip, labels, stickers and the like marketing garbage on the notebook. But in the bottom of the display frame remaining MacBook write the model name. The "retina" is not even this line.

Keyboard in Apple laptops completely uniform across virtually the entire model range: the MacBook Air 13 to be removed from production giant model MacBook Pro 17. Since the cards "retinoic" Macbook came to our country unofficially, it was used by the U.S. keyboard layout.Discuss it does not make sense - the official supply AMBPwRd be a very different version, the British, with the added Cyrillic markings.

Button long-stroke, as in all the other MacBook. This compares favorably with thin notebooks with an apple on the cover of many ultrabooks.

Of course, there is a backlit keyboard. Now it only works in the dark - if around a light, light sensor, mounted in the top of the display frame, next to the camera prevents wasting energy.

Touchpad makbukah have long perfected, so to change anything in it would be pointless. Designers and did not - the touchpad is the same as the MacBook Pro 15 in the last generation. Even the dimensions have not changed - the same 104 by 76 millimeters.

Modern "vindobuki" MacBook approached the size touch panels. But for convenience touchpad Apple is still leading with a very large margin

As usual in makbukah, front and rear side spared the communication connectors.

The front part of the body is fully occupied battery, located on the rear edge of vent holes.

Accordingly, all the connectors are located on the sides of the housing. Due to the fact that the optical drive in AMBPwRd not, the designers managed to breed a lot of ports. Set of communications suit any user: there are both innovative and yet exotic Thunderbolt in the amount of two pieces, and the more usual HDMI and USB 3.0.

Compared with last year's MacBook Pro 15 there are two significant changes, in addition to the already mentioned thickness of the body.First, the missing light battery. Second, a new generation of MacBook (not only in Retina, the other models is also applicable) used a new power connector - it is more in width, but less in height. Pins are still five, but they are somewhat different.

Therefore, despite the fact that the power supplies themselves have not changed - the same shape, the same output parameters of the same size and weight - for a new MacBook old adapter will not work.

The good news: Apple got rid of the format of the connector where the wire starts along the hull. The bad news: the new connector does not allow to use the old charge

The battery is integrated into the housing. And not just built, but "very integrated": if you had applied for fastening screws Apple, now the battery is glued to the body. Used six different size batteries, giving a total capacity of more than 90 W * h

At this time we do not have to disassemble the laptop, but the monsters art dismantling of iFixit have already done so - be sure to check with their report

My Analysis of Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display

All of this morning I have to stay in San Francisco, but instead go for dinner, I decided to spend all my time with the new cheap MacBook Pro. As always, Apple has done an amazing job, catching people good reasons to go to the Apple Store and buy it. Then there are the display, perfect for those who have to look at it all day, and there are a significant reduction in the thickness and weight for those who want the compactness of the four nuclear "machine", hard to miss, and a significant increase in performance GPU / SSD - especially those who are hungry for performance. Despite the fact that the upcoming Haswell will be an excellent option for a truly next-generation MacBook Pro, all of whom have a lot of travel and work while traveling, choose to upgrade to a new laptop right now and tests for Pro SSD.

Let's talk about how Apple has solved the problem of scaling DPI under Lion. In short, users Retina Display MBP got a slider in the "Display Settings", which lets you set resolution higher than 1440 x 900. At 1440 x 900 you will not get any advantages compared to the conventional 15 'MacBook Pro, but it will become clear to the ridiculous. 

If you will do as I have permission to change the «high-res» 1680 x 1050, it will pass. Fortunately, Apple offers Modes 1680 x 1050 and 1920 x 1200, which at the expense of image quality and performance will add real value. You can see each of the five settings in the images Here. So, even for non-integer value scale 1680 x 1050 Retina looks much better than last year's panel of high resolution. It seems that Apple really render at twice the screen resolution before the "put" it in 2880 x 1800 screen (in other words, at 1920 x 1200 Apple renders all at 3840 x 2400 (!) Before to scale - looks like this, but I'm trying to verify this.) In simple terms - it looks much better. Just can not help but notice that the resolution can be changed very quickly. When I work with a lot of documents and tasks, I prefer the resolution 1920 x 1200, but when the turn to his treatment, switch to 1440 x 900 or 1680 x 1050.

Less glare, better contrast

In the default (Glossy) MacBook Pro, Apple uses a conventional LCD design of two sheets of glass, plus a third piece of exterior glass, which gives the effect of seamlessness of glass from edge to edge. In MacBook Air and high-res/matovom display is no protective glass and LCD is hidden in the frame. MacBook Pro with Retina uses construction like the MacBook Air and high-res. Instead, the Retina uses two layers of glass of different sizes, as you can see on this slide: Removing the protective glass, Apple reduces the number of glare and reflections, but it is important to remember that this is still a matte screen. Personally, I never bothered glossy screens, so I'm not the right person who should be asking about this.  

Comparing with my matte MacBook Pro, it is certainly more "glossy", but at the same time - not too far away. Most likely, I will be able to make its decision later. As always, Apple decided to fight the glare and reflections, combining high brightness panel with excellent black levels. Retina in MacBook Pro - the first screen, made ​​by IPS panel, which is used in the Apple MacBook. As you can see, the viewing angles are increased several times as well as a level of black brightness is likely an underestimate - compared to last year's model, but the improvement in the level of black make imperceptible loss. But the contrast has made ​​a huge step forward on the old MacBook Pro is still very good screens, but it's - really a new level. Increase the contrast for me is the second - of course, after the increase in resolution.

Retina display support in applications

The huge advantage that results from the fact that the supplier of hardware and software for the Mac platform itself is Apple, obviously, will get access to new opportunities and there, and there. Mail, Safari, iPhoto, iMovie, and of course, OS X - all have been updated to support the new MacBook Pro with a screen Retina. These applications all looks absolutely gorgeous on the new Pro. As almost all third-party applications, they have yet to update. 

Many tormenting question: what happens when you run an application that has no support for Retina? ..Let's look at a comparison of Google Chrome and Safari, the best example of the worst of circumstances: At Google, apparently written by its own mechanism for text output outside the work area - which bypasses the standard API for rendering and scaling from Apple. Render Chrome for areas outside of the screen does not know anything about the Retina, and therefore turns out just what was in the picture above. No crime, but I would prefer to use your position to Safari until Chrome will not correct this assumption. I am, if anything, he, too, like Chrome. As for the rest, most developers just need to double-check that they have put up @ 2x images are used in applications - a situation one to one repeats the same as it was with iOS when a Retina .

Play at 2880 x 1800

Most likely, you will have noticed that the default OS X does not stretch its interface for Retina native resolution (2880 x 1800). In fact, the 1920 x 1200 - the biggest "resolution" screen, you can set up - and it looks like an attempt to "calm down" users of 17-inch MacBook Pro. And what about 3D gaming? But in games Retina MBP and does not try to hide his true identity. Screenshot above is from Diablo III at resolution of 2880 x 1800.  

Settings page shows the full list of permissions: Diablo III is fully playable at 2880 x 1800. On average, I had 20 fps at a resolution of 2880 x 1800 on the most loaded of the scene to which I got (and I was once a little). Obviously, a lower resolution animation smoother.  

Diablo III throws some artifacts on 1920 x 1200, but it works fine on other 16:10 resolutions. However, not all games allow you to do so. Benchmark Unigine Heaven, for example, will not allow you to put the resolution higher than 1920 x 1200. But Portal 2 - easily.  
On the other hand, the text in the console, Portal 2 certainly points to the fact that many of the games will have to upgrade to the normal support Retina: It becomes clear why Apple did not open directly resolution of 2880 x 1800 under OS X. 

When ASUS introduced a 1080p IPS panel in the new Zenbook Prime, I really liked it. Retina but the new MacBook Pro I like even more. Of course, will take a lot of hours to review all the details, but my assessment is unlikely to be lower.I like it even more than the display on the new iPad, because I often have to use it (I have no desire to type articles on 15,000 words in the iPad).

Some interesting things about Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Despite the fact that I want something to reserve for the full review, here are a few comments that have appeared in the course of my tips and tricks of the next-generation MacBook Pro:  

- SD card reader is much better than its predecessor. In my early 2011 15 'MacBook Pro does not read some of the cards without having to insert them-pull again or how to click on them. The new MacBook this problem seems to be solved.  
- It seems that the key travel is at least the keys are not so "springy" as the Sandy Bridge MBP. It's not that bad, just strange. 
- New Pro definitely easier to carry around than the previous unibody-case, but would not say that it feels small. I have a lot to carry a 15 'Pro, so the difference is noticed immediately, but did not expect that it will show me a little more than a MacBook Air, on the other hand, the new Pro feels exactly as it should be felt. 
- Wish for $ 2,199 we get 512GB SSD, and do not get even the possibility to install it,  in either case, I would say close to ideal specifications. Without a standard 2.5'' SSD will not be easy to transfer data to a larger drive. That is all I wanted to say at the moment. You can read for more  news and detailed reviews for Apple Macbook Pro here.