[Gear] The New Apple MacBook With Retina Display – A Game Changer For Photographers?

I think it is, or at least will be in the next future. Since Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Retina display was announced yesterday at WWDC in San Francisco, the hype is big, and it’s getting bigger by the day. Apple really had a radically innovative approach when engineering the new MacBook Pro flagship. Not only it’s thinner and lighter than all its predecessors and does it have sheer power never seen before on a portable computer, the real innovation, the thing that each and everyone would like to have is the Retina display. Let me explain this. The new MacBook Pro Retina has a resolution of 2880×1800 pixels (3 million more than HDTV) on 15.4 inches; that’s over 5 million pixels! Amazing, isn’t it? It’s easy to figure out what that means for photographers. It means that you can see every detail in your image, at a level you couldn’t before. Moreover, Apple claims that the Retina display has better contrast, better viewing angle, less reflections. Apple also updated its photo applications, iPhoto and the more professionally oriented Aperture. Both will very soon be ready for the Retina Display. Others are following, Photoshop CS6 is already amazing on this new display.  And now the good news: B&H has a limited quantity of Retina MacBook Pros available for pre-order (click here to see all available MacBook Pro Retina models):

• 15.4″ MacBook Pro Notebook Computer with Retina Display, nVIDIA GeForce GT 650M Graphics (1GB), 2880 x 1880 Native Resolution
  • 2.3GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 256GB Flash Storage $2,199 (click here)
  • 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 512GB Flash Storage $2,799 (click here)
  • 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 512GB Flash Storage $3,049 (click here)
  • 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core, 16GB of DDR3 RAM, 512GB Flash Storage $3,249 (click here)
  • 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 768GB Flash Storage $3,549 (click here)
  • 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core, 16GB of DDR3 RAM, 768GB Flash Storage $3,749 (click here)

There are lots of hands-on reviews and people sharing its thoughts about the new Retina MacBook Pro (I list some made from a photographers point of view): British Journal of Photography, DPreview, fstoppers, and engadget’s review: We just know one thing: the new display is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. Text is incredibly sharp and clear, 1080p video is amazing and images, of course, look great.

Apple Press Release

Apple Introduces All New MacBook Pro with Retina Display

SAN FRANCISCO — June 11, 2012 — Apple today unveiled an all new 15-inch MacBook Pro featuring a stunning Retina display, all flash storage and quad-core processors in a radically thin and light design. Measuring a mere 0.71 inches and weighing only 4.46 pounds, the completely redesigned MacBook Pro sets a new standard in performance and portability for pro users.

“The MacBook Pro with Retina display pushes the limits of performance and portability like no other notebook,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With a gorgeous Retina display, all flash architecture and a radically thin and light design, the new MacBook Pro is the most advanced Mac we have ever built.”

The new MacBook Pro Retina display is the world’s highest resolution notebook display with over 5 million pixels, 3 million more than an HD television. At 220 pixels-per-inch, the Retina display’s pixel density is so high the human eye cannot distinguish individual pixels from a normal viewing distance, so text and graphics look incredibly sharp. The Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 29 percent higher contrast than the previous generation.

Featuring a precision engineered aluminium unibody design and an all flash storage architecture, the all new MacBook Pro is the lightest MacBook Pro ever and nearly as thin as a MacBook Air. Flash storage that is up to four times faster than traditional notebook hard drives enables the all new MacBook Pro to play four simultaneous streams of uncompressed 1080p HD video from internal storage.* The flash storage architecture also delivers improved reliability, instant-on responsiveness and 30 days of standby time.

The MacBook Pro with Retina display features the latest Intel Core i7 quad-core processors up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.7 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M discrete graphics, up to 16GB of faster 1600 MHz RAM and flash storage up to 768GB. Two Thunderbolt and two USB 3.0 ports allow pro users to connect to multiple displays and high performance devices, and a new HDMI port offers quick connectivity to HDTVs.

The MacBook Pro battery delivers up to 7 hours of wireless productivity, and uses advanced chemistry and Adaptive Charging technology to provide up to 1,000 recharges.** The MacBook Pro also features a FaceTime HD camera, glass Multi-Touch trackpad, full-size backlit keyboard, dual microphones, enhanced speakers, 3-stream 802.11n Wi-Fi and a thinner MagSafe 2 power port.

OS X Lion, iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes and other Apple apps including Aperture and Final Cut Pro X have been updated to take full advantage of the new MacBook Pro with Retina display. The updated Aperture 3.3 also includes revolutionary new image adjustment features and now supports a unified photo library so photographers can move seamlessly between iPhoto and Aperture.

The all new MacBook Pro ships with OS X Lion. Starting today, customers who purchase a Mac are eligible for a free copy of OS X Mountain Lion when it becomes available. Mountain Lion introduces innovative features including the all new Messages app, Notification Center, system-wide Sharing, AirPlay Mirroring, Game Center and the enhanced security of Gatekeeper. With iCloud built into the foundation of OS X, Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to keep your content up to date across all your devices.