Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display – Review and Test Report

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THE GOOD

The screen resolution is Apple’s main selling point with the MacBook Pro Retina and credit is certainly due. What impressed me the most,however, is the speed of the machine, undoubtedly in great part due to the flash memory, as well as the excellent audio quality from the speakers. The MacBook’s 2.6GHz Ivy Bridge Intel i7 processor has a slower clock speed than my previous computer, but the near instantaneous response of the SSD memory results in a significant boost in effective speed.

I found I was able to work simultaneously with several CPU- and memory-intensive applications open at once, in addition to several tabs of web browsing and only saw with a few appearances of Apple’s whirling ball hourglass equivalent. Files open quickly and the entire system is ready within 15 seconds of pressing the power button, compared to approximately 90 with the hard-disk based model. The computer’s convection-based cooling system is highly effective, as I have only heard the fan operate once or twice under extreme load while converting video, something that would make the previous model sound as though it were taking off.

Apple’s latest iteration of OSX (dubbed Mountain Lion) has several improvements that increase productivity and make sharing and presenting elegant. Notification Center alerts the user to new messages and  reminders in a manner similar to how notifications are received on an iPhone or iPad,offering a non-intrusive preview before disappearing. The Multi-Touch track pad allows efficient switching between full-screen apps and the notification center, although I (along with an increasing number of other users with whom I collaborate) prefer the Magic Mouse, which is a proprietary Apple mouse that has a touch-sensitive top that allows the user to use precise finger-swipe gestures as they would on the track pad..

The new version of OSX allows users to connect an iMessage account, which allows sending and receiving text, picture and video messages to and from iOS devices using their mobile Internet connection or Wi-Fi, as well as Google Chat and other instant message services. I find this feature to be extremely convenient, as typing on the full-size keyboard is much faster than on an iPad or iPhone.

Click here to continue to Page 3Retina Display and Solid State Storage, Putting the Genius Bar to the Test

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