Die-hard Apple fans with multiple devices in the household are not going to be very pleased about that. Older chargers or Apple monitors require the use of a special MagSafe adapter, which is available as an accessory for 10 Euro. Also included is a smaller MagSafe 2 power connector. FireWire and Ethernet ports are missing, but two Thunderbolt ports have taken their place. The port selection has been modified and updated to accommodate the new design. Overall this is one of the thinnest and lightest notebooks in its class. All things considered, Apple was able to design a slimmer chassis with no apparent weaknesses. Scratches and dings don't occur easily but we would still recommend a soft sleeve and some care while handling the notebook. Although the laptop's chassis feels quite resilient, it was not designed for extreme outdoor use. The thin chassis caught our eye during the unpacking process, while the display lid still sports the familiar big apple logo. The design of the notebook is evolutionary and not a departure from the past. It holds the display in place without allowing it to rock back and forth and is firm enough to allow working in a car or on a train. The display hinge is located in the middle and is hidden under black plastic. Despite the thin construction, the display lid offers very high torsional rigidity. The new model only has two layers, a design feature that is also supposed to reduce glare (more on that later). One of the features contributing to the lower weight is the missing glass cover over the display. On the other hand, the price of admission is only about half. The similarly equipped Asus N56VZ is much heavier and downright clunky (height of 37 millimeter / 1.46 inches). The wedge-like MacBook Air 13 has a maximum thickness of about 17 millimeter (0.67 inches) and is only marginally slimmer. The height is a uniform 18 millimeter (0.71 inches), the weight about 2 kilogram (4.46 pounds). This means that the new model is six millimeter (0.24 inches) thinner and about 500 grams (1.1 pounds) lighter than the Apple MacBook Pro 15 Late 2011. Compared to the 'normal' MacBook Pro, the Retina model is both slimmer and lighter. The chassis resists deformation and remains rock solid even when concentrated pressure is applied. The design feels great and conveys both high-end aesthetics and superb build quality. Apple continues to use a unibody chassis milled from solid aluminum. Phil Shiller didn't spare any superlatives when describing the chassis of the new MacBook Pro. So what are the pros and cons of the newest family member? Both FireWire and Ethernet are only offered via adapter. The new MacBook Pro now comes with USB 3.0 and HDMI and offers two Thunderbolt ports. In this review we will take an in-depth look at the performance of the components, the new display, and the overall features. In this review we will focus on the 2279 Euro (MSRP) expensive base model with no optional upgrades selected. The larger SSD is only an option for the more expensive model retailing at 2889 Euro (MSRP). For those looking to soup up their notebook even further, Apple offers BTO (Build-to-Order) options. 16 GByte RAM (onboard) or a 768 GByte SSD will set you back an additional 200 or 500 Euro, respectively.

Both models are equipped with the high resolution Retina display and the integrated / dedicated graphics combination with Intel GMA HD 4000 and Nvidia GeForce GT 650M (1 GByte GDDR5-RAM). The higher-end version includes the 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7-3720QM processor and a 512 GByte SSD. Our test system is the base model and features the Intel Core i7-3615QM Quad-Core processor (2.3 GHz), 8 GByte RAM and a 256 GByte SSD. Two models with different configurations are offered at launch. New Intel Ivy Bridge processors, a slimmer chassis, a revised cooling system, and a changed speaker system are all features that distinguish this new model from the regular MacBook Pro (which will stay on sale alongside the new offering - although the 17-inch version has been discontinued). The new 15.4-inch screen now packs a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels and a pixel density of 220 DPI.

The previous high-resolution version of the 15-inch MBP only offered a maximum resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels. The Retina display made its debut on the iPhone 4s and is also found in the iPod Touch and iPad 3. Apple uses this marketing term to refer to devices with a very high resolution and pixel density. Schiller not only introduced a completely reworked notebook portfolio and various other products, but also unveiled a MacBook Pro with 15-inch Retina display. This year, CEO Tim Cook and SVP Philip W. Apple uses the WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference) to showcase new products and technologies.

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