"What Would Make the Next Gen MacBook Pro?"

ByMike Moffit

…so said Phil Schiller at today’s WWDC Keynote speech when he talked about asking the Apple engineering team this exact question.

The answer, of course, is the entirely new 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. I knew I wanted one before I even heard what it was as it sat on the pedestal under a velvety black shroud! Oh Apple, you slay me (along with an audience of developers).

Obviously its name, “15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display,” lets you know what Apple thinks is its most endearing feature, and in fact there has never been a notebook display like this before. The resolution is 2880 by 1800 which is 5.1 million pixels! That’s 3 million more than an HDTV. Oh my word, I can’t wait to see it in person.

It’s more svelte, too. Weighing in at 4.46 pounds and only .71 inch thick. (Is there a word for svelter?) Apple was able to shave more than a pound off the non-Retina Display MBP. This was achieved by not including an optical drive and moving to all flash storage. This puts the MBP w/RD at the same weight as the 13-inch MBP. Pretty good, eh?

So what about all the other stuff? The MBP w/RD sports two USB 3.0 ports, two Thunderbolt ports, and HDMI port set it apart from its peers. Bluetooth, FaceTime, and SDXC slot are still there. Did you notice that Ethernet isn’t there? You’ll need to add an Ethernet to Thunderbolt adapter to connect to wires.

What’s all this going to cost? Prices will start at $2,199 for the basic configuration of:

  • 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
  • Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
  • 8GB 1600MHz memory
  • 256GB flash storage
  • Intel HD Graphics 4000
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
  • Built-in battery (7 hours)

See it here.

And $2,799 for the 2.6GHz configuration:

  • 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
  • Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
  • 8GB 1600MHz memory
  • 512GB flash storage
  • Intel HD Graphics 4000
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
  • Built-in battery (7 hours)

See it here.

This is the first new Mac since Steve passed away and I really, really missed hearing “oh yeah, just one more thing…”

Steve, they did you proud.

We will keep you posted regarding when they will be in stock!

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  • In Like a Lion: 10.7 Coming in Summer '11

    When the image popped up on the web for the Back to the Mac event, the cat behind the Apple was easily recognizable, prompting the accurate speculation that the next incarnation of OS X would be branded “Lion.” Today, Steve announced that 10.7 is indeed on its way, slated for release in Summer 2011.

    Lion boasts dozens of new features, including the Mac App Store, Launchpad, Full-screen apps and Mission Control. Here’s how Apple describes it:

    “We took our best thinking from Mac OS X and brought it to the iPhone. Then we took our best thinking from the iPhone and brought it to iPad. And now we’re bringing it all back to the Mac with our eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system.”

    Mac App Store
    Inspired by the success of the App Store for iPhone and iPod touch and available in 90 days from today, the Mac App Store will allow you to purchase, download and install apps from the store itself—no packaging required! Developers will be able to submit apps for approval as soon as November. We’ll have more on this shortly, since this is a big change from how you’re used to getting apps on your Mac.

    Launchpad
    As Apple puts it, the Launchpad “gives you instant access to your apps—iPad style.” When you click the Launchpad icon in your Dock, your windows will “fade away,” leaving a full-screen view of all of the apps on your Mac. From there, you swipe your fingers to see multiple pages, bringing the functionality of Spaces. If you have just downloaded an app from the Mac App Store, it will automatically appear in the Dock, ready to launch.

    Full-screen apps
    This is a great way to tune out the distractions. Apps can now go full-screen natively, something people have been asking for for a long time (I used to get this question all the time from people who were switching from Windows). You will be able to bring an app to full-screen with one click, switch to another with a swipe, and then back to the desktop with another swipe.

    Mission Control
    Mission Control gives you a “bird’s-eye view of everything” all in one place. Apple describes it thusly: “With a simple swipe gesture, your desktop zooms out to Mission Control. There you can see your open windows grouped by app, thumbnails of your full-screen apps, Dashboard, and even other Spaces, arranged in a unified view.” Anything in Mission Control is accessible with one click.

    No word yet on the price tag of Lion, nor a firmer release date. We’ll be keeping you up-to-date on Lion news as we get it!