Apple unveils 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display starting at $1699

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Apple on Tuesday took the wraps off its redesigned 13-inch MacBook Pro, featuring a high-resolution Retina display.

MacBook Pro


Apple executive Phil Schiller noted that the 13-inch MacBook Pro is Apple's No. 1 selling Mac in its entire product lineup. With that in mind, the company has high expectations for its new MacBook Pro with Retina display.

The pixel count on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is so high that it is now the second highest resolution notebook, ahead of all competitors' models with larger 15 or even 17 inch screens, the company said. The new screen features rich color, deep blacks, a 29% higher contrast ratio, a 75% reduction in reflection, uses IPS for 178 degree viewing, and delivers 300 nits of brightness.

"The 13-inch MacBook Pro is our most popular Mac, and today it gets completely reinvented with a new thin and light design, fast flash storage and a gorgeous Retina display," Schiller said. "With vivid colors, razor sharp text and more pixels than anyone else?s 15 or 17-inch notebooks, the Retina display completely changes what you expect from a notebook."

MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro


The new model weighs just 3 lbs, almost a full pound lighter than the previous 13-inch MacBook Pro, and is 0.75 inches thick, 25% thinner than before and the lightest ever. Schiller noted that the MacBook Pro's Retina display has more than 4 times as many pixels than its predecessor.

The 13-inch Retina display has a pixel density of 227 pixels per inch. It also uses IPS technology for a 178-degree-wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection with 28 percent higher contrast than the current generation.

MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro


Beyond the screen, it has a FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones, stereo speakers, a backlit keyboard, and glass multi-touch trackpad, as well as the new MagSafe 2, dual Thunderbolt ports and USB 3.

Schiller said the "most exciting" part of the computer is on the inside: It's been re-engineered from scratch, with asymmetric battery technology, Intel Core i5 or i7 "Ivy Bridge" processors, and Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics.

It also has up to 7 hours of battery life and comes with 8 gigabytes of RAM. Like its 15-inch brethren, the new MacBook Pro is only available with flash storage, which can be upgraded to 768 gigabytes.

MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro

Pricing & availability

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starting at $1,699 (US); and with 256GB of flash storage starting at $1,999 (US). Configure-to-order options include faster dual-core Intel Core i7 processors and flash storage up to 768GB. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at apple.com/macbook-pro. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available today through the Apple Online Store (apple.com), Apple?s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro


MacBook Pro
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 26


    Sorry, but you guys have it wrong. I want the new MacBoom Pro!


     


     


     


     



     


     


    BOOM shakalaka!

  • Reply 2 of 26


    Out of everything that was introduced today this is the only product that I feel the price point is too high. 

  • Reply 3 of 26
    If it wasn't for Intel integrated graphics, I'd have bought this straight away...
  • Reply 4 of 26

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    Out of everything that was introduced today this is the only product that I feel the price point is too high. 



     


    Just like the 15" price point is too high.


     


    Retina is awesome but its not something that most people can afford, at least right now.


     


    I would say more people will now be debating over a 13" Retina vs a regular 15", rather then upgrading from a regular 13".

  • Reply 5 of 26
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SherlockHerbert View Post



    If it wasn't for Intel integrated graphics, I'd have bought this straight away...


     Same.

  • Reply 6 of 26
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    I love my MBA due to its size and weight. After using my co-worker's retina MBP for a few weeks, I fell in love with it and looked forward to the 13" version.

    There is a noticeable difference in performance when switching from the Intel HD4000 graphics to the Nvidia discreet chip. The Intel graphics is adequate, but not great.

    Sadly, I am going to pass on the 13" rMBP. I really, really wanted to like it but the "pro" moniker for me means it has the graphics horsepower. They should have at least used the same setup as its 15" brother.

    Still looks like a very nice machine though.
  • Reply 7 of 26


    Didn't see the price right off the bat.  They've really made a mistake here.  May as well get the 15-inch model, seeing as $100 more in the education channel buys you quad-core, discrete graphics and the larger display.  And they persist with the ludicrous markups for flash upgrades.  $500 is the cost of an entire 512GB drive, not the difference between the two, in the high-end retail SSD market.  And, to cap it all off, NO 16GB RAM option on the 13.  That's the deal-breaker, right there.  Did they really not have enough space in the computer or is this market segmentation run amok?  With integrated graphics more RAM would be especially helpful, I'd have thought.  But this is just another example of Apple-style market segmentation instead of putting customer needs first.  The Macbook Air is let down by its display; contrast and color gamut are not what they should be; but should people have to go all the way from that to the proofing-standard displays on the Retina models when they simply need a more or less Epson photo inkjet-standard representation on screen in a standard laptop?


     


    The "value" option in the Retina models, if there is such a thing, appears to be the standard 15 incher, paired with a 16GB upgrade (strictly speaking this part is terribly overpriced, but seeing as you can't upgrade it yourself, what are you to do), and an external drive of some kind.  Frankly, I smell a bit of arrogance in the pricing.


     


    Let's see Apple make 256GB the standard SSD even in the 13, position that at 1799 retail/1699 edu, and offer 16GB and 512GB SSD upgrade options at about half their current prices.  Then we'll be back to their traditional 30 to 40 percent gross margin which is still amazingly good.  They don't HAVE to make iPhone levels of profit on everything -- and increasingly, I suspect, the market won't allow it.


     


    Rant over.  The new mini, iMac and iPads all look pretty good, although the jury is still out on how to repair the new iMac.

  • Reply 8 of 26

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by extremeskater View Post


    Out of everything that was introduced today this is the only product that I feel the price point is too high. 



     


    Agreed.  256GB flash is bare minimum, although I would not buy without 512GB.  A 256GB 13" rMBP is $1,999.  For $200 more, the 15" rMBP is a better value.  You get quad-core processor and discrete graphics.


     


    After the initial surge, Apple will not be selling many 13" rMBP's.

  • Reply 9 of 26
    drowdrow Posts: 126member
    cool. it looks like mrs potato head packed the new macbook's angry eyes.
  • Reply 10 of 26


    where's the display's image ghosting feature?

  • Reply 11 of 26


    I find it absolutely shocking that Apple removed the optical drive and STILL doesn't have discrete graphics. Sure the battery is bigger, but the machine doesn't get better battery life. 

  • Reply 12 of 26


    Not having discrete graphics wasn't the deal breaker for me like I thought it would be - having a UK £1449 price point which works out $600 more than in the US is a farce.

  • Reply 13 of 26


    Lets compare the 13" MBP to the same rMBP and then the 15" MBP to the rMBP in the same fashion to see what your extra cash gets you in addition to the thinner chassis.


     


    For $500, the 13" rMBP has:


    an extra 4GB RAM,


    a 128GB SSD,


    and a Retina screen.


     


    For $400, the 15" rMBP has:


    an extra 4GB RAM,


    a 256GB SSD,


    an additional 512MB VRAM,


    and a Retina screen


     


    This doesn't add up at all...


    What gives?

  • Reply 14 of 26


    I must say I agree with other commenters, IF Apple would have added in discrete graphics, then I could see the price point

  • Reply 15 of 26
    zozmanzozman Posts: 393member


    If i didn't have the 15inch rMBP, id probably go for the spec'd up 13 inch air, aside from the display & HDMI port & high spec'd CPU option, the 13 inch rMBP looks pretty similar to me :S 

    the new rMBP doesn't have a quad-core option that i could find, a little surprised by that 

  • Reply 16 of 26
    I am so happy with the Air. I don't need anymore resolution that 1440x900 (13") I'm upset the iPad Mini isn't Retina. I think that we should focus on making our mobile devices hi res, then laptops and monitors.
  • Reply 17 of 26
    nerudaneruda Posts: 439member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by peach123 View Post


    where's the display's image ghosting feature?



     


    Hoping this release means that Apple has resolved the IR issues the the (mostly) LG retina displays. I really need to replace my 2008 MBP, but have decided to wait until version 2 of the 15" rMBP because of the many issues with the screen that users have reported.

  • Reply 18 of 26

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by enjourni View Post


     


    Just like the 15" price point is too high.


     


    Retina is awesome but its not something that most people can afford, at least right now.


     


    I would say more people will now be debating over a 13" Retina vs a regular 15", rather then upgrading from a regular 13".



    I don't feel the 15" is priced too high. I believe the 15" comes standard with a 256 solid state drive and a GT650M. The 13" comes standard with 128 solid state and HD4000. At 500.00 extra the 15" is a no brainer.

  • Reply 19 of 26


    I agree with the general consensus.  I was almost certain that I'd buy this new MacBook Pro but having seen the pricing and specs I think I'll pass.  A maximum of 8 Gb RAM is the one that killed it for me.  Sure 8 Gb might be fine now, but what about in a year or two?


     


    I'm sure some will argue that if you need more than 8 Gb you'll probably want the 15" for its faster processor, and that's a valid point, but for a laptop monikered as "Pro" it's not unreasonable that some people might want to run some serious memory-hungry applications whilst also wanting the greater portability of the 13" form factor.  From looking at the internals there simply doesn't appear to be any room for another 8 Gb.  It's pretty much jam packed in there.


     


    Then look at the pricing.  The 256 GB and 512 GB models of the 13" are both about 87-88 % the cost of their respective 15" counterparts, while if you go one step further and upgrade the processor to the i7 to better match the 15" model it hits a whopping 95 % the cost of the 15" 512 GB model!


     


    I may pick up one of the new new iPads though, since at least they look like a pretty good deal.

  • Reply 20 of 26
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    peach123 wrote: »
    where's the display's image ghosting feature?

    In your face!
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