Those of us who were drooling over the possibilities for Apple’s new machines finally got our wish at this year’s WWDC, and I am not disappointed. The big kid on the block was retired as Apple sent the 17” MacBook Pro to the machine graveyard and replaced it with the new 15” MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
This filled a nice niche as it uses the same principles behind the MacBook Air — full flash storage and no SuperDrive — resulting in a slim profile but still containing the power of the MacBook Pro. This finally gives us a device that can run heavy duty applications and games while still being as portable and travel-friendly as the Air.
The Retina part of the name isn’t just for show either. It packs 5.1 million pixels into the 15” display creating a resolution double what the standard MacBook Pro has. That is going to mean one beautiful, beautiful screen.
There has been some grumbling about the fact that the MBP with Retina cannot be upgraded, but that is the trade-off for the 4.46 pound body and a profile slimmer than my finger (and I have dainty fingers). And remember, the basic MBP with Retina display has almost as much power as a tricked out standard 15” does. Worth the wait? I think so.