WWDC 2012: Apple updates MacBooks, introduces MacBook Pro Retina Display

Yesterday at Apple’s WWDC, Tim Cook announced the annual refresh to the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air with the latest generation hardware. But that’s not all. Apple also introduced a slimmer 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina Display and no optical drive.

With the annual update, all the devices now have Intel’s latest Ivy Bridge Core-i5 and Core-i7 processors. The 13-inch MacBook Air now supports a resolution of 1400x900 pixels, which was earlier only found on the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The look and dimensions of the Air remains the same. What has changed is the power under the hood.

Speaking of the 15-inch devices, they too have been upgraded with the latest processors. The refreshed 15-inch MacBook Pro sports 8GB RAM straight out of the box.

After what feels like a lifetime of waiting, all the updated devices also support USB 3.0 straight out of the box. Apple has updated the camera on the devices to support 720p HD Facetime.

But the device that really steals the cake is the new 15-inch MacBook Pro that supports a Retina Display. The 15.4-inch device has a resolution of 2880x1800 i.e. 5.1 million pixels i.e. 220ppi. Unlike its counterparts, the Retina Display MacBook Pro supports flash storage instead of the traditional HDD, gets rid of the optical drive and has a slimmer form factor.

MacBook Pro Retina Display

One of the best features of the Retina Display MacBook Pro is that it has HDMI out. You no longer need a proprietary adaptor from apple. This is a feature we wish Apple had integrated into all the MacBook Pro laptops.

For the Retina Display, Apple has updated the OS to support the resolution. Some apps such as iPhoto, Mail, FCP and Aperture have been updated to support the display.

Currently, all the launched devices run on Max OS X Lion but will receive a free update to Mountain Lion when the OS launches next month for $20.

Here is a quick look at the pricing and specifications of the devices.

Particulars	MacBook Pro				MacBook Pro With Retina Display
Screen Size	13.3-inch	13.3-inch	15.4-inch	15.4-inch	15.4-inch
Screen Resolution	1280x800	1280x800	1440x900	1440x900	2880x1800
Storage	500GB 5400-rpm hard drive	750GB 5400-rpm hard drive	500GB 5400-rpm hard drive	750GB 5400-rpm hard drive	256GB Flash	512MB Flash
Processor	2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) with 3MB L3 cache	2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz) with 4MB L3 cache	2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 6MB L3 cache	2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz) with 6MB L3 cache	2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache	2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache
RAM	4GB of 1600MHz DDR3	8GB of 1600MHz DDR3	4GB of 1600MHz DDR3	8GB of 1600MHz DDR3	8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory
Dimensions	Height: 0.95 inch (2.41 cm) Width: 12.78 inches (32.5 cm) Depth: 8.94 inches (22.7 cm)		Height: 0.95 inch (2.41 cm) Width: 14.35 inches (36.4 cm) Depth: 9.82 inches (24.9 cm)		Height: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm) Width: 14.13 inches (35.89 cm) Depth: 9.73 inches (24.71 cm)
Weight	2.06kgs		2.56kgs		2.02kgs
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Graphics			NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB of GDDR5 memory	NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory	NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
Ports	MagSafe power port Gigabit Ethernet port FireWire 800 port Two USB 3 ports Thunderbolt port Audio line in/out SDXC card slot Kensington lock slot		MagSafe power port Gigabit Ethernet port FireWire 800 port Two USB 3 ports Thunderbolt port Audio line in Audio line out SDXC card slot Kensington lock slot		MagSafe 2 power port Two Thunderbolt ports Two USB 3 ports HDMI port Headphone port SDXC card slot
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
Price	Rs. 81,900	Rs. 99,000	Rs. 1,22,900	Rs. 152,900	Rs. 1,52,900	Rs. 1,92,900

Particulars	MacBook Air
Screen Size	11.6-inch	11.6-inch	13.3-inch	13.3-inch
Screen Resolution	1366x768	1366x768	1400x900	1400x900
Storage	64GB Flash	128GB Flash	128GB Flash	256GB Flash
Processor	1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache		1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
RAM	4GB of 1600MHz DDR3 upgradable to 8GB
Dimensions	Height: 0.11-0.68 inch (0.3-1.7 cm) Width: 11.8 inches (30 cm) Depth: 7.56 inches (19.2 cm)		Height: 0.11-0.68 inch (0.3-1.7 cm) Width: 12.8 inches (32.5 cm) Depth: 8.94 inches (22.7 cm)
Weight	1.08kgs		1.35kgs
Graphics	Intel HD Graphics 4000
Ports	Two USB 3 ports Thunderbolt port MagSafe 2 power port		Two USB 3 ports Thunderbolt port MagSafe 2 power port SD card slot
Camera	720p FaceTime HD camera
Price	Rs. 67,900	Rs. 74,900	Rs. 81,900	Rs. 99,900