Welcome to another review.
This time we look at Apple’s MacBook Pro 13″ with Retina Display cousin of the smaller version of Apple’s MacBook Pro 15″ that was introduced in June of this year.
I will try to keep this review short as my time with the computer was limited.
Design:
In terms of design the MacBook Pro has been refreshed, shaving a pound off the weight of the computer. You have all the usual ports, this means two USB 3.0, one thunderbolt, and SD card slot. On the side is Apple’s thinner mag safe connector. Overall there is not much to say here except that the aluminium construction that was pioneered in 2008 feels as luxurious as ever. There was no flex on the keyboard or palm rests like you get with some windows laptops.
Performance:
In terms of performance you have your choice of either a 2.5GHz processor and 8Gb of ram. These specifications are also coupled with either 128GB or 256GB of solid state storage. In my tests the 13″ MacBook Pro base model $1899* (http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/) performed favourably against, funnily enough, the regular 13″ MacBook Pro $1279. You will notice a huge jump in performance, unlike the 15″ MacBook Pro starting at $2199* (http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/). If you can afford it, I would say spring up the extra dosh for the 15″ MacBook Pro with retina display.
Screen
The screen is lovely to behold at a resolution of 2048×1536, the same as that on the latest generation iPad. This thing pops with over 3 million pixels per inch. That translates to deep colours and more vibrant pictures. People I showed this computer too told me that text was razor sharp and they had no problem with clarity even at wide viewing angles. Suffice it to say this green is amongst the best of apple’s current line of retina based products. If you are coming from an iPhone 4 or another of their retina based iOS devices you will feel right at home.
Wrap Up
This computer is a fantastic purchase for those wanting the portability of a 13″ Mac but are not willing to spend the exorbitant price commanded by the 15″ MacBook Pro with retina display. My recommendation would be though, if you can afford it to go with the 15″ MacBook Pro with retina display. Not only will you get a quad-core processor. But you will get two graphics cards in the machine. Something that is sure to tempt those who work with professional video applications.
Rating: Four Stars.
Pro’s:
Excellent screen, lightweight compared to regular 13″ MacBook Pro, speedy SSD.
Con’s:
No quad-core processor, the base option MacBook pro is not customisable, no 16GB of RAM.
Price as reviewed:
$1699 2.5GHz, 8GB of RAM, 128GB Flash storage. $1899 2.7GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB flash storage.
Manufacturer:
Apple (http://www.apple.com).