Apple MacBook Pro Retina laptop: The new model vs. the old
Apple has upgraded the specifications of the MacBook Pro Retina. Here is a quick look at what the new machines have to offer.
At the Apple event last night, the MacBook Pro Retina got an update. Apple has removed the regular 15-inch laptop from its portfolio leaving only the Retina display devices. There is only one 13-inch non retina laptop available. The entry level 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina is priced at Rs. 99,900 where as the top of the Line 15-inch variant is priced at Rs. 1,99,900.
The upgraded machines bring with them a slew of features including Haswell, OS X Mavericks, better battery life, slimmer form factor, 802.11ac Wi‑Fi and more. Here is a specifications comparison between the 2012 Retina MacBook Pros and the ones launched last night.
Haswell Chipset
The 2013 MacBook Pros now run on the Intel Haswell chipset. Apple recently updated the MacBook Air with Haswell and the update for the MacBook Pro Retina was long overdue. With the new chipset, Apple claims that the 13-inch MacBook Pro will last for 9-hours and the 15-inch will last for 8-hours. Last years Retina 13 and 15-inchers claimed a battery life of 7-hours. So it’s clear that you will get better battery life from the new MacBook Pros.
| Particulars | 2013 MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch (entry Level model) | 2013 MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch mid-range model) | 2012 MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch (entry Level model) | 2013 MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch (entry Level model) | 2012 MacBook Pro Retina 15-inch (entry Level model) |
| Processor | 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache | 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache | 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache | 2.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache | 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache |
| RAM | 4GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory | 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory | 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory | 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory | 8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory |
| Storage | 128GB SSD | 256GB SSD | 128GB SSD | 256GB SSD | 256GB SSD |
| Weight | 1.57kgs | 1.57kgs | 1.62kgs | 2.02kgs | 2.02kgs |
| Thickness | 0.71-inches | 0.71-inches | 0.75-inch | 0.71-inches | 0.71-inches |
| Graphics | Intel Iris Graphics | Intel Iris Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 4000 | Intel Iris Pro Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11ac Wi Fi wireless networking | 802.11ac Wi Fi wireless networking | 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking | 802.11ac Wi Fi wireless networking | 802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking |
| Price | 99,900 | 114,900 | 99,900 | 149,900 | 152,900 |
13-inch is lighter and thinner
As you can see from the table above, the 2013 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina is 0.05 kgs lighter and 0.04-inches slimmer than its predecessor. This might not be much but the fact that some weight has been shed is a very good thing.
RAM cut on the entry level 13-inch
This is the only disappointing feature about the 2013 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina. Last years entry-level model housed 8GB of RAM but this year’s entry-level model has been reduced to 4GB and that is a bummer.
Better value for the 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina
The 2012 entry level 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina was priced at Rs. 1,52,900. The 2013 version has been priced at Rs. 1,49,900.
Next gen Thunderbolt
Both the 13-inch and 15inch 2013 MacBook Pro house the next generation Thunderbolt ports, Thunderbolt 2. Thunderbolt 2 brings with it better data transfer speeds. The Thunderbolt 2 has data transfer speed of 20GB/s where as the 2012 model had 10GB/s speed. Thunderbolt 2 also supports 4K displays.