Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display First Look Discussion

When Apple unveiled the oft-rumored MacBook Pro with a ridiculous 2880x1800 display, no one was sure what to think. After playing with it for a day, neither are we. Here are a few thoughts about the platform.

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looking forward to the full review.

 

Same. Can't wait for the full review.

Looks like THE laptop to get as long as you don't mind the loss of upgradability, and the price.

 

I find it odd that a company which has built a reputation for long-lasting laptops with great resale value is now making them essentially disposable. I don't think most people who buy the MBP-R will truly understand the compromises they are making. I know they beta-tested this whole idea with the MBA, but those haven't been around long enough for many people to experience the expiration date.

 

Can you elaborate? I have no idea how this upgrade makes this laptop disposable...

 

I think he means the non-user-serviceability.

 

Exactly. One problem is the lack of upgradeability. You may be ok with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD right now but if your opinion changes down the road - > you are boned. Even @ 16GB RAM and 768GB SSD, I wouldn't feel comfortable knowing there's no way to add those in the future.

Another serious problem is that if any of the internal components ever fail - the system is dead irreversibly. With CPU/GPU/RAM/etc soldered into the mobo, the risk of bricking is multiplied manifold. One smart guy said, he's replacing his ipad with retina mbp and that's exactly the purpose for the new machine, IMHO. It can't replace an all in one mobile workstation. Those who need a business machine may find this new toy way out of the league especially if you consider that for 2.5k (retina MBP with average specs) one can get 2x power and 3 year of next business day support.

 

I disagree with this in part. The MBPR is the only machine you can currently buy in this form factor (weight, screen size, and thickness) that packs as much power as it does. No other company has a laptop that compares. Off the top of my head, the closest I can think of is the Sony S13/S15, which cost about as much when spec'd out similarly. Granted, this is achievable in the Mac largely due to what you already pointed out: nothing in the machine is user replaceable or upgradeable. But I bet these will hold their resale just like other MBPs, so if you find that what you bought doesn't suit, I'm betting you'll be able to replace it pretty easily down the road.

Now if only Apple Care provided NBD repair, these might truly become business class machines.

 

Well, if you stress the form factor - I agree. But I meant the screen size category only. Since the machine is in the 15" realm, would you still buy it if it was 1cm thicker and 0.5kg heavier? That's my point, I don't care if it's 2.2k, 2.6k or 3kg. Same goes for thickness - anything under 4cm is fine with me. You wouldn't believe how many people bring 17"/4-5kg machines to work on a daily basis these days. So, if you go by screen category, there are plenty of laptops out there that can beat RMBP in almost every aspect except for screen res. But yeah, if you say "1.8cm + 2.2kg is the bar" - then I agree with you. However, the thinness has it's compromises, I'd like to see the temps and clocks on the CPU/GPU/surface when under continuous and significant load like video encoding, gaming, etc.

 

Lazy and just used bold in the quote.

 

My main rig has 2TB of storage and almost half of it is work related stuff, which I need with me at all times, external storage won't cut it. 16GB RAM is barely enough to run 4-5 virtual machines. So basically a standard testing environment with 2 exchange servers, a TS, 2-3 DC's with various roles, etc (something that I do on a daily basis) would eat those 16GB for breakfast. So, yeah, 768GB of fixed storage and 16GB of RAM is barely enough for me. Unlike me, most users don't need that much.

 

The performance is interesting on the MBPR. I agree the thickness and weight are not major concerns for me. The glued in battery is my major concern. I purchased a MBP 13" while waiting for a more significant laptop. Already I have issues with the battery which will likely need replaced before I give the machine away. I am also having issues with my brand new iPhone 4S and Apple wants to charge me to send a replacement for a warranty issue.

I am looking forward to the full review to make my final decision. The lack of serviceability for battery and memory is a major concern. Likewise, what options do I have for disposal of the laptop long term? If I replace it down the road, I will not be able to remove and replace the hard drive. A requirement in most companies!

 

Actually, it's a pain but you'll eventually be able to get a 3rd party drive for this system, just like you can for the Air. Like the MBA, the rMBP has a slot for the drive; it's not soldered in.

In re: drive replacement, it's very unlikely you'd need to replace this drive to satisfy security issues. Unlike rotating magnetic storage, it's basically impossible to recover data that's been securely deleted from an SSD.

 

The retina display is nice, the marketing is nice, but i agree when it comes to lack of flexibility.

With the great help of this forum I went from my mbp to an Elitebook 8760w with dreamcolor @ highest res, 16gb ram, and about 615gb SSD. Plus a much better video card all for about half the price of the retina.

And it still plugs in nicely to my cinema display

 

The thing is though is that Apple actually charges solid rates to replacing the battery. It's just $99, and they support their laptops from the day you buy them to the day there is a redesign + 5 years, so you should be good for a theoretical 8-9 years (3-4 years of using this design, + 5 years of support afterwards).

But yeah, what if you want to replace the battery after your support is lost? I guess it turns into a desktop, which is lame.

 

It's $199 to replace the battery in the rMBP, as I understand it.

Which is - frankly - ridiculous.

 

Is it? Where is it posted? If so, that's ridiculous.

I believe it was $99 for the Unibody Pros.

 

Battery Replacement for the Retina MacBook Pro Costs $200 - IGN

all over
plus the darn thing is GLUED in

 

For me 199$ is totaly fine, checked with local mac shop and they will take 1795 (Swedish) kr and most batterys here at work (HP elitebooks and Lenovo) cost for us 1600-2500 (Swedish) kr.

Gona love to change out my brick (8560w) for workstation for this one, hate to have to carry ~6kg laptop+charger

Only thing i am gone miss i built in 3G, but now i get use for my USB LTE modem.

 

Does applecare cover the battery? I remember when i purchased my last new mac (somewhere around 06) I brought it in right before the expiration of my first year and they replaced the battery at no cost under warranty. I just complained that it didn't last as long as it had been in the past. If applecare covers the battery, then you can possibly do that every year for 3 years?

 

considering that my 17" (February) 2011 MBP's battery is still at 98% life...

...I'm not gonna worry about that.

 

How many charge cycles is that battery?

The built in li-poly batteries do tend to last a lot longer than normal batteries, but I don't really see 98% after 500-1000 cycles (a year and a half of 1 to 2 cycle/day) being possible. That tells me you either don't use your computer much or enjoy being chained to a wall.

As for the complaints about it being $200 to replace. Unless that doesn't include the battery itself, its actually isn't all that bad. An X220 9 cell direct from Lenovo costs a good $170.

 

Anyone know if the screen has gorilla glass?

 

Nope. It doesn't have extra glass in front of the display at all.

 

Eh, its gimmicky to me. I wanted to get a 17 eventhough the've been discont.. I'll stick with that original plan.