Does anyone need to know more than the fact that the new 13-inch MacBook Pro shifts data at 1,500 megs per second so it could read a full DVD’s worth of data in approximately three seconds?
The new Macbook Pro is fast, but let’s investigate why Macworld has hailed the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (early 2015, 2.7GHz) as follows.
“Just about the greatest upgrade any mobile computing user could ask for.”
As outlined in an an earlier article , we were expecting the Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro to be updated with new processor chips and the new Force Touch haptic trackpad.
We could also expect the dual core processor to be one of the latest Core Series chips from Intel and in line with the consistency of Moore’s Law, again we can see a reduction in the overall size of internal components.
Smaller components create less heat, so less use of the fan and they draw less power so you get increased battery life.
The Macbook Pro has been steadily improving since 2012, and this evolution has seen the Intel Haswell Processor in 2013 along with the 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and a PCIe-attached flash drive.
These changes were significant, improving the overall operating of the Macbook Pro, increasing processing speed. There was also a step up to Thunderbolt 2, but this could be explained as a general improvement as opposed to a major change.
The 2015 MacBook Pro’s most significant piece of new tech is its track pad, which has a two-stage click operation.
The guys at Apple have described the new Macbook Pro trackpad as a “Force Click,” or “a click followed by a deeper press.” In practical terms, this means the harder you press, the trackpad performs different tasks. For example, a stronger press would indicate you might want to look up a URL link or Wikipedia reference.
The screen on the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is largely unchanged, too: it’s still a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display with a Retina-class resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and a pixel density of 227 pixels per inch (ppi).
So what about price?
The new 13-inch Pro starts at £999 ($1,299), but prices vary widely depending on the spec you go for. Here are the prices for the three base configurations.
Macbook Pro configuration 1 at £999 ($1,299): 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache; 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard RAM; 128GB PCIe-based flash storage; Intel Iris Graphics 6100.
Macbook Pro configuration 2 at £1,199 ($1,499): 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache; 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard RAM; 256GB PCIe-based flash storage; Intel Iris Graphics 6100.
Macbook Pro configuration 3 at £1,399 ($1,799): 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache; 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 on board RAM; 512GB PCIe-based flash storage; Intel Iris Graphics 6100.
One note of caution: go for as much RAM as you can afford. These 2015 units have followed the trend that began with the Mac Mini and then duplicated in the Macbook Air: the ram is soldered in position. This means the RAM you buy is the RAM you will be stuck with.
Apple’s getting aggressive on selling upgrades. 2014 Mac mini has RAM soldered in place, cannot be user upgraded http://t.co/I6uvootoBH
— Michael Cole (@MCole1008) November 17, 2014
Of course, as ever, you can select and build your own MacBook Pro on the Apple Store. I think its safe to say that now is a good time to pick up your new 13-inch MacBook Pro, but maybe hold out if you’re thinking of a 15-inch, because there is a chance that the MacBook Pro improvements are set to continue.
[Image Credit: Getty Images and Apple]