5 ms·

Engadget Retina Macbook Pro Review

14 points by Nick5a1 14y ago

patman81 14y ago
Wow, that was fast! Great review (considering the short timespan). Seems like a great machine. But, beeing used to a Macbook Air, I don't want anything more heavy. I better avoid seeing that screen...
- aditya 14y ago
  The screen's OK, once you get used to it, it'll stop feeling like a big deal, the extra pound and a half is something you'll feel every day.
  - whyenot 14y ago
    How long have you been using the new MBP?
  - gks 14y ago
    I've not seen the display in person. But some initial take aways are this: People kept saying that the iPad's Retina display wasn't worth it and that they couldn't see the difference. Then quickly proclaimed after a week or more of usage that they cannot fathom going back to the iPad 1 or 2 display. I suspect the same is true of the new MBP display. While it may seem "ok" now. Give yourself time with it and you'll have a hard time going back to anything else.
    - notJim 14y ago
      My experience with the iPad 3 is kind of the opposite. Initially, I was floored by how great the display looked (for text, especially), but now, I hardly notice it. That being said, I haven't really spent enough time with previous iPads to compare. I strongly prefer reading on the iPad over reading on the crappy monitor I have at home, but the beauty of the text is only part of the reason for that.
      - gks 14y ago
        I think this is sort of similar to what I was explaining. I was mostly talking about the detractors, but those that do like the display aren't exactly different in the end. If I were a betting man, I'd say you would probably compare the old iPad to your crappy monitor. Perhaps not as crappy in terms of colors, but in terms of reading text. It was reading text and technical PDF files that really made me purchase the new iPad. It's such a drastic upgrade in this department that I can't imagine ever going back to the iPad 1 that I gave to my mother.
  - Tyrant505 14y ago
    I don't understand the WHOLE 1.5lb complaining.. Since when are men(and ladies) such wimps. If you want a strong machine, be a bit stronger yourself.
    - rayiner 14y ago
      LOL wut.
    - D3lt4 14y ago
      I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this.
    - gks 14y ago
      To be honest here. I carried a 5.5lbs PowerBook G4 around to college for a couple years. I hated it. I'm not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination (5'7", 120lbs) but as soon as I added books, paper, folders of hand outs and homework to the list of things I was carrying.. I really wanted the laptop to be lighter. My last year of college was spent carrying a 2010 Air around with me instead of the PowerBook and it was a signficiant difference in weight. You just have to realize that a laptop isn't the only thing people carry around. So 4.6lbs isn't a big deal, but when you add it all up then the number starts to increase. Extra savings is beneficial.
    - r00fus 14y ago
      Try holding one up to read at night while lying down. Or try taking pictures/movie on the device for extended periods. 1.5 lbs is a lot for one arm to keep held in place all the time. The tablet form factor makes it inviting, but the weight makes you feel it.
ntkachov 14y ago
The one thing that would make me buy this machine is the screen. But in apples usual "we know better than you" attitude they don't allow you to run the os at native resolution without scaleing. This is a huge deal breaker for me and is the one thing that is turning me off this machine.
- aristidb 14y ago
  Are you _really_ sure you'd want that (I think my eyes wouldn't like it)? You can run it at 1920x1200 though.
  - ntkachov 14y ago
    I might not. But at least give me the option to.
    - cma 14y ago
      why clutter the UI with completely useless options? If someone accidentally set it, they might not even be able to see to undo it.
      - masklinn 14y ago
        > why clutter the UI with completely useless options? A dropdown box does not clutter things. Seriously. It would take 10% of the space of the current weird graphics, and the new one actually frightens me: how is it going to handle setting the resolution of external displays or overhead projectors?
        glhaynes 14y ago
        "A dropdown box does not clutter things. Seriously." — things an Apple engineer would never say
        masklinn 14y ago
dlytle 14y ago
What I'm wondering about is how that Retina screen handles in Boot Camp Windows. I haven't seen any reviews that discuss that, and that's going to make or break things for me.
- Scene_Cast2 14y ago
  As for me - I'm waiting for a non-Apple laptop that can fit this screen, it's 1.6:1. (I'm writing this on a 1080p 15" thinkpad with a swapped screen)
ewanmcteagle 14y ago
Seems the anti-glare/glare issue has been turned into some kind of compromise. I don't think I'll be able to get this.
- bitwize 14y ago
  Not really a compromise. Glossy vs. matte is a function of whether the front glass of the LCD has an anti-glare coating on it. There is no front glass on the Retina MBP LCD. Apple removed it to save weight. Apple: So innovative, they solve problems they weren't even trying to solve.
BryanB55 14y ago
I bought one the day they came out, I really just needed a faster machine with more hard drive space. I currently use an AIR with 120gb SSD and I have to constantly keep deleting files to free HD space. The 4GB of ram I have also wasn't cutting it. So I went with the 500gb SSD and 16GB of ram in the Retina MBP. Expensive, yes, but I think it is a great machine and I spend 40+ hours a week on the thing and run my businesses through it so it's an expensive I'm willing to make. I also do a lot of design work so the Retina display seems like it will be worth it. The only thing I wasnt sure about was that it will be heavier and seem larger than my air, but 80% of the time it sits on my desk anyway... We'll see what happens when it gets here next week!
FixThisPOSSite 14y ago
Why is this on the front page of this site? We all know where Engadget is. Why not just re-post every story from every vaguely tech-related Web site on here then?
forgetcolor 14y ago
the review says almost nothing about apple's claim that they've reduced glare by 75%. considering there's no matte option, this is a crucial point i need answered before considering one. otherwise i may need to go with the old heavier model (w/ matte screen of course).

14 points by Nick5a1 14y ago

Wow, that was fast! Great review (considering the short timespan). Seems like a great machine. But, beeing used to a Macbook Air, I don't want anything more heavy. I better avoid seeing that screen...

aditya 14y ago
The screen's OK, once you get used to it, it'll stop feeling like a big deal, the extra pound and a half is something you'll feel every day.
- whyenot 14y ago
  How long have you been using the new MBP?
- gks 14y ago
  I've not seen the display in person. But some initial take aways are this: People kept saying that the iPad's Retina display wasn't worth it and that they couldn't see the difference. Then quickly proclaimed after a week or more of usage that they cannot fathom going back to the iPad 1 or 2 display. I suspect the same is true of the new MBP display. While it may seem "ok" now. Give yourself time with it and you'll have a hard time going back to anything else.
  - notJim 14y ago
    My experience with the iPad 3 is kind of the opposite. Initially, I was floored by how great the display looked (for text, especially), but now, I hardly notice it. That being said, I haven't really spent enough time with previous iPads to compare. I strongly prefer reading on the iPad over reading on the crappy monitor I have at home, but the beauty of the text is only part of the reason for that.
    - gks 14y ago
      I think this is sort of similar to what I was explaining. I was mostly talking about the detractors, but those that do like the display aren't exactly different in the end. If I were a betting man, I'd say you would probably compare the old iPad to your crappy monitor. Perhaps not as crappy in terms of colors, but in terms of reading text. It was reading text and technical PDF files that really made me purchase the new iPad. It's such a drastic upgrade in this department that I can't imagine ever going back to the iPad 1 that I gave to my mother.
- Tyrant505 14y ago
  I don't understand the WHOLE 1.5lb complaining.. Since when are men(and ladies) such wimps. If you want a strong machine, be a bit stronger yourself.
  - rayiner 14y ago
    LOL wut.
  - D3lt4 14y ago
    I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking this.
  - gks 14y ago
    To be honest here. I carried a 5.5lbs PowerBook G4 around to college for a couple years. I hated it. I'm not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination (5'7", 120lbs) but as soon as I added books, paper, folders of hand outs and homework to the list of things I was carrying.. I really wanted the laptop to be lighter. My last year of college was spent carrying a 2010 Air around with me instead of the PowerBook and it was a signficiant difference in weight. You just have to realize that a laptop isn't the only thing people carry around. So 4.6lbs isn't a big deal, but when you add it all up then the number starts to increase. Extra savings is beneficial.
  - r00fus 14y ago
    Try holding one up to read at night while lying down. Or try taking pictures/movie on the device for extended periods. 1.5 lbs is a lot for one arm to keep held in place all the time. The tablet form factor makes it inviting, but the weight makes you feel it.

ntkachov 14y ago

The one thing that would make me buy this machine is the screen. But in apples usual "we know better than you" attitude they don't allow you to run the os at native resolution without scaleing. This is a huge deal breaker for me and is the one thing that is turning me off this machine.

aristidb 14y ago
Are you _really_ sure you'd want that (I think my eyes wouldn't like it)? You can run it at 1920x1200 though.
- ntkachov 14y ago
  I might not. But at least give me the option to.
  - cma 14y ago
    why clutter the UI with completely useless options? If someone accidentally set it, they might not even be able to see to undo it.
    - masklinn 14y ago
      > why clutter the UI with completely useless options? A dropdown box does not clutter things. Seriously. It would take 10% of the space of the current weird graphics, and the new one actually frightens me: how is it going to handle setting the resolution of external displays or overhead projectors?
      - glhaynes 14y ago
        "A dropdown box does not clutter things. Seriously." — things an Apple engineer would never say
        masklinn 14y ago

dlytle 14y ago

What I'm wondering about is how that Retina screen handles in Boot Camp Windows. I haven't seen any reviews that discuss that, and that's going to make or break things for me.

Scene_Cast2 14y ago
As for me - I'm waiting for a non-Apple laptop that can fit this screen, it's 1.6:1. (I'm writing this on a 1080p 15" thinkpad with a swapped screen)

ewanmcteagle 14y ago

Seems the anti-glare/glare issue has been turned into some kind of compromise. I don't think I'll be able to get this.

bitwize 14y ago
Not really a compromise. Glossy vs. matte is a function of whether the front glass of the LCD has an anti-glare coating on it. There is no front glass on the Retina MBP LCD. Apple removed it to save weight. Apple: So innovative, they solve problems they weren't even trying to solve.

BryanB55 14y ago

I bought one the day they came out, I really just needed a faster machine with more hard drive space. I currently use an AIR with 120gb SSD and I have to constantly keep deleting files to free HD space. The 4GB of ram I have also wasn't cutting it. So I went with the 500gb SSD and 16GB of ram in the Retina MBP. Expensive, yes, but I think it is a great machine and I spend 40+ hours a week on the thing and run my businesses through it so it's an expensive I'm willing to make. I also do a lot of design work so the Retina display seems like it will be worth it. The only thing I wasnt sure about was that it will be heavier and seem larger than my air, but 80% of the time it sits on my desk anyway... We'll see what happens when it gets here next week!

FixThisPOSSite 14y ago

Why is this on the front page of this site? We all know where Engadget is. Why not just re-post every story from every vaguely tech-related Web site on here then?

forgetcolor 14y ago

the review says almost nothing about apple's claim that they've reduced glare by 75%. considering there's no matte option, this is a crucial point i need answered before considering one. otherwise i may need to go with the old heavier model (w/ matte screen of course).