Posts tagged with "macbook pro"

The Next Generation MacBook Pro: Retina Display, Thinner Design, And More

Following updates to the MacBook Air and old MacBook Pro line, Apple’s Phil Schiller formally took the wraps off the “next generation MacBook Pro” at WWDC today. Featuring an “architecture for the future”, the all new MacBook Pro comes with a new thin and light design that is inspired by the MacBook Air, and carries over the tradition of powerful specs of the Pro family.

To “be bold and embrace new technologies”, the new MacBook Pro is a true breakthrough in engineering: it’s 0.71 inches thin, and weighs only 4.46 pounds. It’s the lightest Pro notebook Apple ever made, and it carries a 15.4-inch, 2880x1800 “Retina” display for high resolution. at 220 pixels per inch, the new MacBook Pro has 5,184,000 pixels and it’s the highest resolution notebook in the world. According to Schiller, the quality of the display is “the best Apple has ever made”. Glare and reflection have been reduced by 75%, and the display features deeper blacks, higher contrast ratios, and higher view angles. Shipping with Lion, all Apple apps have been updated to take advantage of the Retina display: Mail, Safari, iPhoto have received updates; Aperture and Final Cut are receiving major updates as well. Final Cut, for instance, can show 9 simultaneous streams of pro-res video or 4 uncompressed streams.

Third-party apps will have to be updated for the Retina display on the new MacBook Pro. Apple says it is working with key developers, including Adobe, to have Retina-ready versions of popular apps soon.

The MacBook Pro with Retina display pushes the limits of performance and portability like no other notebook,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With a gorgeous Retina display, all flash architecture and a radically thin and light design, the new MacBook Pro is the most advanced Mac we have ever built.

The new MacBook Pro features a 2.7Ghz quad-core i7 CPU, with turbo boost up to 3.7 GHz; up to 16 GB 1600 MHz RAM; GeForce GT 650M Kepler graphics; flash storage up to 768 GB. With battery life up to 7 hours and 30 days of standby, the new MBP also comes with SD card slot, HDMI, USB2/3, MagSafe 2, two Thunderbolt ports, another USB2/3 port, and the standard headphone jack.

The MagSafe had to be made thinner to fit into this new design; the machine also comes with a completely new stereo system, FaceTime HD camera, and dual microphones.

The new MacBook Pro Retina display is the world’s highest resolution notebook display with over 5 million pixels, 3 million more than an HD television. At 220 pixels-per-inch, the Retina display’s pixel density is so high the human eye cannot distinguish individual pixels from a normal viewing distance, so text and graphics look incredibly sharp. The Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 29 percent higher contrast than the previous generation.

In a video shown on stage, Apple’s head of design Jony Ive suggested the new MacBook Pro may seem like a contradiction. Built for performance but extremely portable, the new MBP features typography sharper than a printed page, and insanely fast performances thanks to solid state storage. One of the most important challenges Apple engineers had to face was designing the new display, which is built into the unibody construction and assembled through state of the art automated robots.

The new 15.4” Retina-ready, 2.3 GHz quad-core i7, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB flash next generation MacBook Pro ships today at $2199. The higher-end version with 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz, 8GB of memory and 512GB of flash storage starts at $2799. Configure-to-order options include faster quad-core processors up to 2.7 GHz, up to 16GB of memory and flash storage up to 768GB.

Starting today, customers who purchase a Mac will also get a free copy of Mountain Lion when it ships later this summer.

Moscone West Photos

Apple is showcasing the new MacBook Pro with Retina display to WWDC attendees.

Apple Updates MacBook Pro Lineup: Ivy Bridge, USB 3, New Kepler GT650M, and More

Apple announced a major update to their MacBook Pro line at today’s WWDC 2012 opening keynote.

Featuring an nVidia GeForce 650M with the Kepler architecture and up to 1 GB of video memory, graphics performance improves over 60%. Connection possibilities include two USB 3.0 slots, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, a Thunderbolt port, audio line in/out (separated in the 15” model), SDXC card slot, and a 8x SuperDrive (they cancelled the Superdrive for the NextGen MacBook Pro with Retina display). In terms of wireless connectivity, Apple update the MacBook Pros to Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11n as the remaining Wi-Fi standard.

The 13” starting model features a 2.5GHz dual-core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive, starting at $1199. The second, bigger version comes with a 2.9GHz dual-core i5 processor, 8GB of memory and a 750GB hard drive starting at $1499.

The 15” starting model comes with a 2.3GHz quad-core i7. 4GB of memory, Intel HD4000 graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT650M, and 500GB hard drive, starting at $1799. The upgraded 15” Macbook Pro features a 2.6GHz quad-core i7, 8GB of RAM, Intel HD4000 graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT650M, and a 750GB hard drive starting at $2199.

Other extra configurations include faster i7 processors up to 2.7GHz, additional hard drive capacity up to 1TB, up to 8GB RAM, and SSDs up to 512GB. The 15” models can also get glare or antiglare displays with 1680-by-1050 resolution.

All these MacBook Pro models start shipping today. There is no 17” model. MacBook Pros, shipping today, come with Lion, and new customers will be able to upgrade to Mountain Lion for free. Below you can investigate the price and main hardware changes in comparison to the old MacBook Pro line (with the 17” model included). Past the break, we’ve also included the full press release.

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Bloomberg: Apple Announcing Thinner MacBook Pro at WWDC→

Bloomberg: Apple Announcing Thinner MacBook Pro at WWDC

Following today’s report from The Wall Street Journal about new iCloud features set to be announced at the upcoming WWDC in June, Bloomberg has weighed in confirming a rumor posted today by 9to5Mac about the company’s new MacBook Pro line.

The MacBook Pro machines, to be unveiled at Apple’s annual developers conference starting June 11, also will feature high- definition screens like those on the iPhone and iPad, as well as flash memory to cut startup times and extend battery life, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public.

According to Bloomberg, Apple may also announce the release of the next version of OS X, Mountain Lion, at WWDC. Previously, Apple had simply confirmed the desktop OS upgrade would be coming “late summer”, without specifying a release date. The publication also suggests Ivy Bridge chips from Intel will be used, as previously reported. Retina displays for Macs is something Apple has been experimenting with in software releases for quite some time now, too, albeit such hardware implementation will require app and website developers to update their graphics for the new screens.

As many are speculating, two distinct reports about WWDC in one day seem to suggest a “controlled leak” by Apple to set expectations for the event, something the company did in the past. Prior to the iPhone 4S’ announcement, for instance, The Wall Street Journal pinpointed the device’s release timeframe and carrier support in the US, a move that several blogs connected to a “controlled leak” amidst rampant rumors during the summer. Apple itself went on the record saying those rumors negatively impacted the iPhone’s performances during the quarter.

WWDC ‘12 kicks off in San Francisco on June 11.

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The 15-inch MacBook Air Appears on the Horizon

MacBook Air

MacBook Air

Rumor has it that Apple’s current lineup is going to be refreshed early next year with a new addition to the Air family. Digitimes reports that panel suppliers are currently pumping out 11.6-inch, 13.3-inch, and 15-inch displays for inclusion in the next lineup of MacBook Airs.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple added a big brother to the MacBook Air family. Morgan Stanely and NPD figures are estimating that the MacBook Air now accounts for 28% of Apple’s notebook shipments as of October. MacBook Airs are selling in volumes.

The latest 15-inch rumor comes just two weeks after Digitimes reported a new 15-inch model was slated for March, as upstream suppliers started moving components.

Estimated by the product planning, mass shipments of the notebook device will start in March and could be cataloged in either the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro line and could be cataloged in either the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro line.

Apple’s 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs were last updated in July with Sandy Bridge processors and the inclusion of Thunderbolt.

It wasn’t known at the time if the 15-inch model was for a slimmer MacBook Pro or an updated MacBook Air. It looks like the rumors are pointing towards the latter, and it would make sense given the popularity of Apple’s ultralight laptops. It’s previously been suggest thated Apple’s line of MacBook Pros would get thinner sooner than later, but it’s possible Apple’s going to offer a bigger Air before the Pros are reinvented. [Digitimes via Macgasm]

Apple Updates MacBook Pros with Faster CPUs, More Storage, Better Graphics

Earlier today Apple quietly updated its online store to include upgraded MacBook Pro models, which feature improved Sandy Bridge processors, more storage, and other tweaks such as better graphics for the 15-inch and 17-inch Pros. As the rumors suggested in the previous weeks, this is indeed a minor refresh for the line that doesn’t yet come with Bluetooth 4.0, rumored to be making its debut on the MacBook Pros but still nowhere to be seen in the product’s Tech Specs page.

First off, the late-2011 MacBook Pros (the line was last updated in February of this year) feature improved processors: the 13-inch model goes from 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 and 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5 (both dual-core) to 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core and 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 dual-core; the 15-inch model jumps from 2.0 GHz Intel Core i7 and 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7 (both quad-core) to 2.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 and 2.4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7; last, the 17-inch variation has been upgraded from 2.2 Ghz Intel Core i7 (quad-core) to 2.4 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7.

As for storage, the MacBook Pro 13-inch now starts with 500 GB or 750 GB of internal storage (up from 320 GB and 500 GB for the previous base configurations), whilst the 15-inch and 17-inch models haven’t seen any storage upgrades. Graphics, however, have been upgraded in these two models, with the 15-inch now getting AMD Radeon HD 6750M and AMD Radeon HD 6770M alongside the Intel HD Graphics 3000(previously, the 15-inch got AMD Radeon HD 6490M and AMD Radeon HD 6750M) and the 17-inch now available with an AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB GDDR5 (previously AMD Radeon HD 6750M 1 GB).

The late-2011 MacBook Pros are mostly a CPU and GPU upgrade, perhaps in preparation of the big line refresh that’s been rumored for quite some time to be on track for 2012. Prices are unchanged from the early-2011 models, and you can find the refreshed line on Apple’s online store now.

Full-size comparison chart here.

New MacBook Pro Part Numbers Suggest A Minor Refresh Soon

According to 9to5 Mac, supply for all current MacBook Pro models are constrained in anticipation of an imminent refresh. They claim that new part numbers have appeared in Apple’s inventory system for all three MacBook Pro sizes. The new model numbers are K90IA for the updated 13 inch model, K91A for the 15 inch and K92A for the 17 inch.

These model numbers, combined with last month’s rumour of a refresh, suggest that these models will be just a minor specification bump - rather than the rumoured redesign of the MacBook Pro. MacRumors reported earlier this year that such a redesign will probably debut sometime after Intel’s Ivy Bridge line of processors is released.

[Via MacRumors]

Apple Releases Mac mini, MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Updates

Two days ago we reported Apple was moving closer to the release and retail distribution of Thunderbolt Displays (announced in July) with an EFI firmware update for the MacBook Air, which improved performances in Lion Internet Recovery and added a number of Thunderbolt-related fixes. Today Apple has released two additional EFI firmware updates for the Mac mini and MacBook Pro.

Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.3

This update includes fixes that enhance the stability of Lion Recovery from an Internet connection, and resolve issues with Apple Thunderbolt Display compatibility and Thunderbolt Target Disk Mode performance on Mac Mini (mid 2011) models.

Macbook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.2

This update enables Lion Recovery from an Internet connection and includes fixes that resolve issues with Apple Thunderbolt Display compatibility and Thunderbolt Target Disk Mode performance on MacBook Pro (early 2011) models.

Notably, Apple has enabled Lion Internet Recovery in the new MacBook Pro models introduced back in February. Lion Internet Recovery debuted alongside Lion in July, but it was exclusive to the updated mini and Air models; the feature allows Mac users to reinstall Lion over the air from Apple’s servers.

Both updates are available on Apple’s website or through Software Update. Direct links below. The Thunderbolt Display, priced at $999, is shipping in 2-3 weeks from Apple’s website.

- Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.3 (4.26 MB)

- Macbook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.2 (4.17 MB)

Shake-To-Undo On A MacBook Pro→

Shake-To-Undo On A MacBook Pro

Paul Horowitz at OS X Daily writes:

The tiny app works by activating Command+Z when movement is detected by the SMS.

If you’re concerned about accidental undos from moving your Mac laptop around, you can prevent this by enabling the ‘Confirmation Overlay’ from Shake To Undo.app’s menubar.

This is basically useless unless you’re really into shaking your MacBook while writing, but the technology behind it is what intrigues me. I first learned about Sudden Motion Sensors (SMS) last year, when I opened my MacBook Pro to install a brand new SSD, and had done a bit of research online before replacing my hard drive. It turns out, this sensor was first implemented by Apple in a refreshed PowerBook line in 2005, and later in the July 2005 iBook. Since then, every portable Mac came with a Sudden Motion Sensor, albeit with differences between G4 laptops and Intel MacBooks.

The SMS acts as a security measure for the spinning hard drive. By calculating sudden acceleration in real time through an accelerometer, the SMS can “predict” when a computer is about to drop off a surface or your lap, and thus tells the hard drive to disengage the drive’s heads from the platters. In theory, this should prevent data loss or at least make for less damages to the drive.

As you can imagine, a number of hacks have arisen around SMS – tilt-based games and utilities like Shake To Undo. If you want to try it out for yourself, you can download the app over at GitHub. I don’t recommend it (it’s bad for your hard drive), but it sounds so ridiculous it might just be fun to test for an afternoon.

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Apple Updating Keyboards and Packaging for MacBook Pros: No Install Disc or Internet Recovery

Remember when Leopard came out in 2007? Apple quickly refreshed their line of MacBooks to include a new keyboard layout to accommodate the changes made in Lion. The Exposé and Dashboard keys were added, and integration with OS X 10.5 and 10.6 has remained until now. As of Lion and the new MacBook Airs, Apple has introduced Mission Control and Launchpad keys, while removing the Dashboard key from its F4 spot.

MacTrast is giving us a glimpse at Apple’s new packaging for their MacBook line that reveals the Lion desktop, Andromeda Galaxy. Manuals are also being updated to accommodate the new OS and Apple is removing the install disc. As for MacBooks (and as spotted before), Apple is tweaking keyboards to fit the new functions. Previous Macs should soon be updated to come with Lion preinstalled. As before, Apple is keeping the packaging elegant and is pursuing reducing the amount of clutter to be found in box.

One concern that MacTrast noted is that while MacBooks are coming without the install disc, they don’t include the ability to install Lion over-the-air (likely this ability will come with a hardware revision to the MacBook Pro line). Apple will offer a USB thumb drive in the future for $69 to users who want to maintain their own machines, and only the current MacBook Air and Mac Mini include Internet Recovery for users who need to reinstall OS X in case of a failure — Apple is encouraging users to visit the Apple store for hardware failures.

[MacTrast via MacRumors]