The ultimate combination of power and
portability, beautifully engineered.
Ram is upgradable later in all MacBook Pros
except the Retina
The
ultimate combination of power and portability, beautifully engineered.
Keyboard
Backlit to make it easier to use in low
light. The backlighting adjusts automatically according to ambient light
Trackpad
The Multi-Touch trackpad supports OS X
Lion’s gestures
Webcam
A FaceTime HD camera is built into the
bezel at the top centre of the screen, as with the iMac
Battery life
All MacBook Pro models will last around
seven hours on a charge, based on Apple’s example of browsing the web via Wi-Fi.
Without Wi-Fi, you could get even longer, but apps that work the processors harder
will reduce battery life. Apple’s MagSafe connector ensures you won’t damage
your laptop if you trip over the power cable while charging – the lead just
pops out.
Ports
The 13in and 15in MacBook Pro each have two
USB 3 ports, one FireWire 800, one Thunderbolt and Gigabit Ethernet, as well as
802.11n wifi and Bluetooth 4.0, audio in/out and an SDXC Card reader. The
MacBook Pro with Retina Display has two USB 3 and two Thunderbolt ports, HDMI
and SDXC, but needs an adaptor for Ethernet or FireWire.
The
MacBook Pro with Retina Display has two USB 3 and two Thunderbolt ports, HDMI
and SDXC, but needs an adaptor for Ethernet or FireWire.
Optical drive
All Pros except the Retina have 8x
SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Screen
Like all Apple Displays, the MacBook Pros’
screens have a high-gloss finish. This maximises contrast and sharpness, but
reflections can be distracting. The 15in model has an optional
higher-resolution screen (more pixels packed into the same area), which in turn
has an anti-glare option, at extra cost. The 15in Retina Display has a
resolution of 2880 × 1800, the 13in 2560 × 1600
All MacBook Pros can also drive an external
Display at up to 2560 × 1600 via the Thunderbolt port. This can act as a Mini
DisplayPort to connect to earlier Apple monitors, or connect to DVI or VGA with
adaptors from Apple, or to HDMI with third-party adaptors
Configurations
MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.5GHz
·
Price: $1,498.5
·
CPU: 2.5GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5
·
Display: 13.3in 1280 × 800 16:10
·
RAM: 4GB (8GB +$120)
·
Hard disk: 500GB (750GB +$120, 128GB SSD +$240,
more options)
·
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.9GHz
·
Price: $1,873.5
·
CPU: 2.9GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7
·
Display: 13.3in 1280 × 800 16:10
·
RAM 8GB
·
Hard disk: 750GB (128GB SSD +$120, 256GB SSD +$480,
more options)
·
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
MacBook Pro 15-inch 2.3GHz
·
Price: $2,248.5
·
CPU: 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
·
Display: 15.4in 1440 × 900 16:10
·
1680 × 1050 +$120 or 1680 × 1050, with
anti-glare +$120
·
RAM: 4GB (8GB +$120)
·
Hard disk: 500GB (750GB +$120, 128GB SSD +$240,
more options)
·
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 650M with 512MB video
RAM
MacBook Pro 15-inch 2.6GHz
·
Price: $2,698.5
·
CPU: 2.6GHz Quad-core Intel
·
Core i7 (2.7GHz i7 +$360)
·
Display: 15.4in 1440 × 900 16:10, 1680 × 1050
+$120 or 1680 × 1050 with anti-glare +$120
·
RAM: 8GB
·
Hard disk: 750GB (128GB SSD +$120, 512GB SSD
+£1080)
·
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 650M with 1GB video RAM
MacBook Pro with Retina Display 13-inch
2.5GHz
·
Price: $2,248.5
·
CPU: 2.5GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5
·
Display: 13.3in Retina 2560 × 1600
·
RAM: 8GB (no upgrade options) SSD 128GB (256GB
+$375)
·
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 2.5GHz also
available at $2548.5
MacBook Pro with Retina Display 15-inch
2.3GHz
·
Price: $2,698.5
·
CPU: 2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
·
Display: 15.4in Retina 2880 × 1800
·
RAM: 8GB (16GB +$240) SSD 256GB
·
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB video
RAM 2.6GHz also available at $3448.5
MacBook Air
Quite simply the most desirable portable
computer ever manufactured.
Screen
Both screen sizes have a high dot pitch,
packing in more pixels. The incredibly slim surround doesn’t flex because it’s
made of aluminium, not plastic. A FaceTime camera (not HD) is built into the
bezel
Both
screen sizes have a high dot pitch, packing in more pixels.
Keyboard
The full size keyboard is backlit to make
it easier to use in low light for example, when taking notes in a darkened
auditorium
Battery life
The 11in Air will go for around five hours
in general use with wifi on; the 13in will run for seven hours. Standby time is
up to a month
Trackpad
Very different from the average laptop pad,
Apple’s Multi- Touch trackpad is highly responsive like an iPhone screen and
supports scroll, zoom and swipe gestures in OS X
Very
different from the average laptop pad, Apple’s Multi Touch trackpad is highly
responsive like an iPhone screen and supports scroll, zoom and swipe gestures
in OS X
Ports
All Airs have two USB 3 ports and one
Thunderbolt. The 13in has an SD Card reader, too. Ethernet needs a $37.5
adaptor
Shoehorned into its slim case, none of the
Air’s components is upgradable later, even RAM. 4GB is usable, but consider
paying extra for more rather than regretting it later. There’s no built-in DVD
drive, and a flash memory SSD takes the place of a hard disk; Thunderbolt
allows fast external storage too
Configurations
MacBook Air 11-inch 64GB
·
Price: $1,273.5
·
CPU: 1.7GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5
·
Display: 11.6in 1366 × 768 16:9
·
RAM: 4GB (8GB +$120) SSD 64GB
·
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
Best Deal
MacBook Air 11-inch 128GB
·
Price: $1,393.5
·
CPU: 1.7GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5
·
Display: 11.6in 1366 × 768 16:9
·
RAM: 4GB (8GB +$120) SSD 128GB
·
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
MacBook Air 13-inch 128GB
·
Price: $1,498.5
·
CPU: 1.8GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5
·
Display: 13.3in 1440 × 900 16:9
·
RAM: 4GB (8GB +$120) SSD 128GB
·
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
MacBook Air 13-inch 256GB
·
Price: $1,873.5
·
CPU: 1.8GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5
·
Display: 13.3in 1366 × 768 16:9
·
RAM: 4GB (8GB +$120) SSD 256GB
·
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000
