Apple's high-end laptop gets better battery life and a lower price
The Good
The second generation of Apple's Retina-screen MacBook Pro adds internal upgrades to its Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt, SSD, graphics card, and CPU. The result is a faster laptop with better battery life and a lower starting price.
The Bad
The changes are internal-only, and not significant enough to upgrade if you have last year's version. At $1,999 to start, this is still a very expensive laptop. Both the 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro have much better battery life.
The Bottom Line
The slimmer body and higher-res screen of the original Retina MacBook Pro were a revolutionary leap. This revamp adds modest internal upgrades for mod
est improvements, but price cuts to both the 13-inch and 15-inch models sweeten the deal.
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro, recently updated to current-generation Intel CPU's (just in time for the holiday shopping season), retains its position as a favorite premium laptop for power-users. But that long-awaited upgrade, introduced at an Apple press event in October 2013, happened just in time.
The high-end, high-price Retina Display versions of the previous MacBook Pro were stuck in an unusual position. While other systems, from budget laptops to premium hybrids, had all moved onto Intel's latest CPU platform, known as either the fourth-generation Core i-series or by the code name Has well, the MacBook Pro used last year's processors, until now.
The second generation of Apple's Retina-screen MacBook Pro adds internal upgrades to its Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt, SSD, graphics card, and CPU. The result is a faster laptop with better battery life and a lower starting price.
The Bad
The changes are internal-only, and not significant enough to upgrade if you have last year's version. At $1,999 to start, this is still a very expensive laptop. Both the 13-inch MacBook Air and Pro have much better battery life.
The Bottom Line
The slimmer body and higher-res screen of the original Retina MacBook Pro were a revolutionary leap. This revamp adds modest internal upgrades for mod
est improvements, but price cuts to both the 13-inch and 15-inch models sweeten the deal.
Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro, recently updated to current-generation Intel CPU's (just in time for the holiday shopping season), retains its position as a favorite premium laptop for power-users. But that long-awaited upgrade, introduced at an Apple press event in October 2013, happened just in time.The high-end, high-price Retina Display versions of the previous MacBook Pro were stuck in an unusual position. While other systems, from budget laptops to premium hybrids, had all moved onto Intel's latest CPU platform, known as either the fourth-generation Core i-series or by the code name Has well, the MacBook Pro used last year's processors, until now.
