October 5, 2012 at 10:20A detailed review of the new generation MacBook Pro (with Retina display)
Salute, Earthlings!
I found that there is no post on the hub that will combine everything you need to know about this miracle computer. Therefore, I decided to thoroughly approach the analysis of user-experience, hardware, performance and other impressions. After a month of full and independent use, I’m ready to introduce you ...
Many of you who were interested in the new product probably watched the promotional video of this product from the creators:
Full HD video (english)
In the promotional video, the main emphasis is on the display, and only then on the design and processing power. As you may have guessed, this is no accident.
Let the figure 2880x1800 pixels lend itself to imagination without any particular difficulties, but you can fully appreciate what 5 million pixels on 15 inches can only be done after working at the computer for some time. After working with a laptop, especially after a long work, the only thing manifests itself - the incident typical for Retina screens - is 100% getting used to the new quality. Do you have a mobile device with a high display density? So you probably came across the awkward feeling “I see pixels instead of letters” when you looked at your granny's phone with the standard 72 PPI. My first experience was two years ago: for the first time picking up an iPhone 4 with a Retina screen, I instantly realized - yes, this is the future standard for all manufacturers, because such a screen is verypleasing to the eye! Now let's scale it all down to a laptop and get the same Deja Vu that I experienced when I sat down for the new MBPr. This is the same standard, but in its next, no less beautiful embodiment.
Of course, I did not discover America, by such a conclusion, but simply tried to describe the whole logic of impressions that you will definitely feel in your own way ... will it be a MacBook Pro Retina or any other computer with similar technology.
In Apple presentations, you might come across various visual comparisons:
So, the most plentiful salivation awaits those who are fond of photography and design. When you open your favorite photos on a new screen, they will instantly take on a new meaning, and I declare this with full responsibility. Previously, on a screen with a resolution of 1920x1200, any photo in resolution, for example, 3840x2400 in full-screen mode, lost its depth (this is when 4 pixels got in place of one by means of hardware compression), now photos are opened at 200% of expectations. This is especially evident in the photo where there are small details, animal hair, grass in the background, etc. Now there is no ladder of pixels that destroys the smoothness of the curved line and kills small bends, now there are clean bends in any proportions and this is amazing. It affects to the very depth of perception!
This retreat in the form of impressions was necessary, since the screen deserves attention from all sides. Now I want to tell you more about the screen what is mentioned in the presentations in passing.
To begin with, I note such a pleasant trifle as smoothness when changing the brightness of the display, it now changes not jerkily, but smoothly, as if you were adding brightness to the iPhone by smoothly moving the knob. The nuance is small, but it looks great. And the highlight of the program, of course, is the IPS matrix. This decision allowed Apple designers to make a number of important improvements. Firstly, the cover is now much thinner (4 mm). They achieved this by removing the extra layers of glass and gluing the details in such a way that they could solve the glare problem on the glossy screen a little less than completely. Let's dwell on this issue more closely. After all, I - like many other owners of matte screens - was very worried about this issue.
To start a photo comparison of screens of two different generations:
“Still glare!” You say. “Computers are off in the photo,” I will answer. Everything with glare on the new screen is in perfect order. In other words: I, as a user of frosted screens in three generations of MBP (starting with PowerBook G4), have never been disappointed with their new anti-reflective coating in alloy with the new glass bonding technology they sing about in a promotional video. The screen is really resistant to light drops and artifacts. If you have a window without curtains right behind your back, then on a sunny day it will probably be inconvenient when the screen brightness is below 50%, but by and large it should not be distracting, I experimented in the most extreme conditions and ceased to notice the brightest lights almost immediately . The main anti-glare trump card of the screen is not even the coating, but the contrast and black level, by the way about them:
The brightness seems to be underestimated - compared to last year's model; but improvements in black levels make this loss invisible. Since contrast has taken a huge step forward! Due to the combination of the above indicators, the glare problem, in my opinion, turned out to be solved. Such an estimated opinion was formed not at the expense of numbers, of course, but at the expense of personal feelings based on the results of working at the computer for a long period.
The mesh density in the new MBP is 220 PPI, in the iPhone - 326 PPI; the difference of 100 pixels is quite distinguishable when comparing:
Both pictures in 1: 1 scale // 640 x 960 px
But "by sight" this difference, in reality, is not perceptible. Thus, the retina marketing cartoon justifies itself.
After the summer presentation, I was indignant, no, I was maximally disappointed when I realized that I wouldn’t have to wait for 17 "MBPretina. For me it was a blow from the bottom, as my three previous laptops were 17-inch (professional necessity). I even started to think that Apple is no longer a “cake”, that they have scored on professionals and are increasingly thinking about housewives ... BUT no. Fortunately, I was mistaken. As soon as I got to the window with MBP - the first thing (after sighs and aahs) - I got into monitor settings, there was a pleasant surprise waiting for me:
It is worth paying tribute to the guys from Cupertino, those who were responsible for adapting OS X to the new display did their best! Not only did they very carefully render the OS itself, so they thought up scaling on the screen in such a way that there was simply nothing to complain about. Scanning is not given on a scale of 1: 1 (2880x1800), but in excellent form it simulates all the scales that are familiar to modernity (screenshots follow the links):
- 1024 x 640 - apparently this option is just for symmetry, I did not understand it
- 1280 x 800 - for reading leaning back in the chair when the computer is on the table
- 1440 x 900 - recommended (standard for 15 "models of past generations)
- 1680 x 1050 - workspace 15 "version of the previous generation with a matte screen
- 1920 x 1200 - Here she is the fish of my dreams! Analog 17 "sweep.
Thus, choosing the “Looks like 1920 x 1200” mode, the workspace begins to fully correspond to the usual seed. To the possible question “is it not too small?” I’ll answer this way: it’s better to see better than before! It's Retina ... The difference in inches is almost not felt, I remind you that this difference is not 2 "but symbolic 1.6", since the real diagonal of the display working area is 15.4 ". Nevertheless, situations when something in the browser looks small - it happens , and if earlier I had to zoom in, now you can just bend to the screen at a distance of 20 cm and look at it point-blank with bated breath, because the pixel grid is barely visible even from a distance of 10 cm.
Lifehack:The GPU is so programmed that when you select any of the scales, the video card generates an image four times the conditional scale. In other words: if you choose the organization of space as 1440 x 900 (recommended), then the GPU generates a pixel in the pixel double magnification, it is 2880 by 1800. But if you select 1920 x 1200, then the original render corresponds to a resolution of 3840 x 2400 px, now - just taking a screenshot from the screen - you can send A4 to print without additional prepress (of course, if your typewriter is modern and it has a sane PostScript compiler that easily cheats RGB)
Most of all, unpreparedness for a future trend is felt on the Internet. Yes, the number of “ready for Retina” sites is negligible, even www.apple.com is not completely finished. But this is a matter of time, since the trend will very soon begin to confidently advance on all fronts, when Apple competitors start releasing products with similar solutions. In my opinion: maintaining this standard is not so difficult ... According to my calculations, the basis of such a site as Habr to drag on the Retina standard will take a day on the strength. By the way: all the projects that we will release in the near future from the walls of our small studio will be ready for the new format, and who if not us? We, the inhabitants and designers of the Internet, have everything for this and even more ... desire, for example.
Of course, the very first provider of rendered applications is Apple itself, everything is fine inside the system. For a month I did not find a single jamb. Software manufacturers are also not far behind. There is even a site that is dedicated to applications ready for the future standard. He quite comprehensively answers the question of what is ready and what is not. Along with this, some applications initially do not require support, as they are designed on the principle of vector graphics. For example, iStat menus , an extremely useful utility got up as it should, and in the announcements about Retina not a word. But Adobe in the best traditions of the genre collects rays of hatred. Yes, Creative Suite 6
absolutely not ready for the future standard, even in the little things and the most recent contextual menus, pixels creep out that look more or less tolerable in the “Like 1920 x 1200” operating mode, but are still noticeable, because of the duty I have to work a lot with these applications :
The Adobe blog has a whole topic and promises that they are now very actively working on the proper update, which is due out shortly (in the fall). We wait. We believe. We tolerate this disgrace:
To assess the scale of the disaster, I recommend that you look at the picture on a 1: 1 scale
If you are interested in looking at Windows 7 in the resolution of 3840x2400, go here .
Another example of how terrible non-Retina applications can look. Additionally, the official Twitter client for MacOS is no longer supported. I had to switch to paid Twitterrific .
Summary: no matter how eloquent the description of the screen turns out, I think you will agree that it is better to see once than hear a hundred times. Personally, I understood everything without words, when I took my favorite photo-wallpapers (in the most affordable HD) + distributions of the necessary programs, walked to the nearest storefront where this outlandish beast was exhibited, and found out by the “poke” method, which, by the way, I recommend to you . Enchanting look herethese three pictures , I prepared them from source codes of very high quality. Take with you, they will reveal to you all the charm of the new display.
I warn you! If you do this and get carried away (stick to the new screen for an hour or two), then you will not be able to calmly look at your real monitor. Checked by a group of people with visual perception of the world.
The transition to Flash architecture proved to be excellent even during the advent of the MacBook Air, even then it became clear that SSDs are the future of mobile computers and productive computers in general. Since it is SSDs that provide minimal power consumption and weight, excellent data exchange speed and do not heat up at all. There is only one minus - the cost. That is why in the basic configuration of the new MacBook Pro we see a small 256Gb drive. For me it was a certain test, since I could not afford 512 or 768Gb (did not see the point) for that kind of money. In the previous laptop, I had an 80Gb SSD + 1Tb HDD. Therefore, I was faced with the task of finding a compromise: how to carry with me everything that is necessary, and at the same time not to limit myself to the level of inconvenience. I found several solutions: firstly, it is cloud data storage. For example, Bitcasa 562 terabytes (native, but for $ 49, the first month is free) . There I transferred all the working archives (180GB) that may be needed on the road, since my external hard drive is too large to take with me. The second solution is: 
Technology is very promising, Wikipedia saysthat this standard has a capacity of up to 2Tb, now 256 Gb cards are announced, they cost $ 800, but we all know that flash memory is getting cheaper stably and quickly. Therefore, sane value is a matter of time. Not far off is the moment when you can buy yourself 512Gb and carry everything you want in your purse. I tested the work of SanDisk on 128Gb class 10, it gives honest 45Mb / s in both directions. Available on eBay for $ 145.99 today.
Everything would be fine, but I had to find a compromise with the music. Alas, none of the above solutions worked for my 450Gb Lossless collection, here I had to transfer everything to an external hard drive. So that it does not take up one of the two USBs, I bought a FireWire> Thunderbolt adapterThus, the external data bank, as before, works at a speed of 85Mb / s.
The built-in SSD is fast enough:
As you can see, almost 500 megabytes per second, both ways. This puts the integrated SSD in line with the 520 Intel series and the latest popular OCZ models. I can give two examples of how this is reflected in the work - when the computer boots up, this screen appears: The 
carousel under the apple does not have time to make one revolution, as the Desktop appears.
The second illustrative example is the speed of QuickView, if you open 100+ RAW files with photos via Quick view, then before (on the HDD) you had to wait fairly long for the preview to load:
Now this happens instantly if the photos are on an SSD drive. With an average size of one image ≈ 12 mb.
Tests! More tests !!! (all clickable)
But high speeds here are not only in SSDs, USB 3.0 will please you with excellent speed, of course, if you connect a regular HDD with a speed of 5400rpm, you won’t have to count on more than 54Mb / s, but if you connect an Intel x25M SSD, you will get a return of 146% its features:
Further I will tell you a story about random access memory. You probably know that in order to make the laptop lighter and thinner the guys from Apple had to make compromises, one of them is the crossed out concept of “ In order: I had a good chance, my close friend flies to the USA as a flight attendant and agreed to buy me a laptop right there. Initially, I asked her to buy a basic package with only one option - 16Gb SDRAM, since you can still replace the SSD if you wish (by purchasing a branded SSD on eBaywith the right amount), but you buy the memory once and for all. It's hard to believe, but she went to three stores in three flights, in Miami, Los Angeles and New York. EVERYWHERE there are only two trim levels: basic and grade for $ 3,700 (that is, the maximum). Any other, especially the one I wanted, must be expected from one month, since it will be taken from the factory specially for the order. Unfortunately, there was no time and I had to take the base. Therefore, if you decide to take a laptop with options: keep in mind if the desired version is not available, then you will have to wait a long time. It is also applicable if you intend to buy in Russia. For the experiment, I turned to Formoza, they said that they could bring the necessary equipment in 45 days, since they would order it from the USA, which fully confirmed my conclusions, which I decided to share with you. Forewarned is forearmed!
So, I have 8Gb and I thought that this could affect performance, since in the previous laptop with the same indicator - memory was periodically not enough, especially when 100500 tabs were opened in Safari, Windows in Parallels, Mac Office 2011 and half the package CS6. But fortunately nothing happened. The memory is really very fast. 1600MHz make themselves felt and, oddly enough, almost all the time I have 1Gb + free. I did not feel any problems with shortages for a month. The spinning beach ball of death was also seen unbelievable.
Nevertheless, if you plan to perform complex 3D-rendering and editing of films, then you should think about ordering a model with 16Gb and a cooler processor.
The third-generation Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge processors are based on a 22 nm microarchitecture and provide simultaneous operation of two threads on each core. Thus, 8 threads are obtained. Prior to that, I had i7 with two cores (4 threads) and it was possible to load it by 99% only by compiling video files. Now nothing has changed. You can load the processor by more than 50% only with Flash, more than 75% only with games and video conversion / rendering.
With the GPU, things are not so rosy. Despite the fact that the laptop has a really powerful card NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024 MB:
I already mentioned that I work in the “Like 1920 x 1200” mode, in this scenario the GPU renders a resolution of 3840x2400 and it is not easy for him. The load is almost always 100%. The interface slows down occasionally, in the form of trembling when calling Mission Control. FPS falls, but the response of the system does not change. Therefore, not very annoying.
The built-in Intel HD Graphics 4000 saw only a couple of times when it was running on battery and running ≈ 6 applications, of which the Safari browser was the heaviest.
This is how the standard picture of the CPU and GPU load looks:
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the GPU copes well with games. Tested on Diablo 3and at the last Deus Ex. In both cases, the lags are minimal, the FPS is kept at around 40 (this is if you select a resolution of 1920 x 1200 with vertical synchronization in the game), if you select 2800x1800, then ≈20-25 FPS. Games like Starcraft 2 and World of Warcraft do not slow down at all.
In conclusion, it can be noted that 3 external monitors, which he coped with, were already connected to the laptop .
About the battery, I can note that it is really hardy:
- 7 hours 23 minutes • Web browser + Wi-Fi // 60% of screen brightness
- 5 hours 39 minutes • Web browser + Flash + Wi-Fi // 75% of screen brightness
- 3 hours 08 minutes • High load (Parallels, CS6, Web-surfing, MS Office 2011) // 75% of screen brightness
- 2 hours 27 minutes • Total load (Diablo 3) // 100% screen brightness
Improving the quality of the camera was manifested in one thing (I apologize in advance for candor) if earlier, due to noise, skin defects were visible, sometimes even stronger than the real one, they were literally striking, but now this problem is not. The image is smooth enough so that even with room lighting noise in the picture was the very minimum.
The sound of the speakers is better compared to the previous generation MBP. The sound is more dull and even. The bass became brighter and deeper. High frequencies have become smoother ... But in general: as a standard option, for presentations or Skype-conferences is quite suitable. Watch a movie with dialogs, too. For the presentation of a good track or blockbuster - not sure.
Asymmetric coolers pleased! Their noise was not so much quieter. He has become different. When they work in standard mode, they are completely inaudible, even with complete silence in the room, in other cases it was the same before, only external HDDs are heard. But when they accelerate (when playing or from Flash) they sound dull, so that they do not distract attention, you notice them at first, of course, but after 20 seconds they seem to completely dissolve. And if you turn on the music, they completely disappear. In general, I would rate this as a beautiful solution, the efficiency is not as high as I expected, although the vector, of course, is correct. In addition to the fact that they rotate on a magnetic cushion - the next step should be the rejection of coolers in principle. I think it will be waiting for us soon in computers such as the MacBook Air and in a couple of years in such as the MacBook Pro. Serve with great fanfare, mark my words ...
Perhaps the only thing that the apple and phobia agrees is that the fruit company manages to make laptops that are not only beautiful, but also pleasant from a tactile point of view. Impressions from the appearance and from the work of the details of the interaction of the machine and the user (screen + keyboard + touchpad) are amazing in 99% of people.
Build quality is beyond praise. The device is a monolith! It is resistant to aggressive environments, has good thermal conductivity and is lightweight (≈2 kg). It’s nice to hold it in your hands, but it’s not hot on your knees.
The variety of the most modern ports pleases, the only hitch is that USB 3.0 is only two pieces, I have often had situations when another USB port is missing. If I hadn’t had the FireWire> Thunderbolt adapter, the real inconvenience would have started. And so, in general, it does not bother.
A few years ago, pushing the idea of abandoning optical drives and the Ethernet port in MB Air to the conservative forecasts, Cupertinogorsk residents confidently consolidated the position of this trend. The new generation of MBPr is fully consistent with the trend. Along with the fact that the computer does not have a disk drive, it also lacks Ethernet and a FireWire port. If the first, in my opinion, is completely justified by the obsolescence of the technology, then the lack of the above ports is more of a compromise.
Yes, we lived to see the ports becoming thicker than technology. No matter how absurd it may sound, but it is a fact. The laptop is 18 mm thick. of which the cover thickness is 4 mm, the thickness of the side edge on which all ports are located = 6 mm, this is not enough even for the standard MagSafe power plug, but if it can still be redone in MagSafe 2, then it is simply pointless to redo the aging Ethernet and FireWire technologies. The only thing that makes sense is to offer something new, fundamentally new. In this case, they offer us Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 4.0 to replace Ethernet; Thunderbolt to replace FireWire. Needless to say, that these technologies are an order of magnitude superior to the old people? Personally, I have not used Ethernet for more than 4 years and am looking forward to the release of the Belkin dock:
I never liked the mass of wires that sticks out of my laptop and I'm glad that Apple and Intel were able to offer a new interface that can easily cover each port in this dock with its bandwidth at the same time. It remains to teach him how to conduct electricity for food and he will not have a price.
But in the modern trend of Apple, there is also the fact that I, as a lover of fiddling with pieces of iron, are not happy. The guys from iFixit set the new laptop 1/10 points for maintainability. What can I say there, if you want to remove the cover - look for a special screwdriver, which is found only in authorized services. Not to mention that replacing the SSD will be an EPIQ quest, and RAM just like arms and legs - one for life. It’s difficult to put up with such compromises, and while the computer is working without failures, it’s possible, but my “toad” feels that she will soon choke me for the Apple Care plan, without which you can get in if something goes wrong. On the one hand, I understand that it is extremely difficult to make such a Power-house, weighing two kilograms, at the peak level of modern technology, and you have to sacrifice, but on the other hand, the back thought doesn’t leave, which is an additional guarantee,Well, almost ).
Conclusions:This update line of laptops can not be called intermediate. Do not call unexpected either. The novelty is quite meaningful. And along with this, to some extent - ahead of time. I mean that the Internet environment, for example, is not yet very ready for high-density screens, but it’s a matter of time and I personally am pleased to see that this issue is being raised, the trend will definitely be picked up by other manufacturers and soon we will see shifts in the industry producing monitors and laptops. The fact that in the near future all Apple computers will be equipped with Retina screens now also leaves no doubt. We are witnessing a gradual revolution, the idea that was originally embodied in the iPhone spreads its wings and in a few years it will confidently enter the category of norm on personal computers. For better or worse, I propose discussing it when you try to work with the tasks you are used to on a new screen. But worth a try!
Benefits:
- Retina Display
- Mac OS Ready for the New Screen
- Great performance
- Compact body with excellent build quality
- 2x USB3.0 + 2x Thunderbolt (compatible with Mini-DisplayPort)
- Full SDXC card slot
- Good battery performance
Disadvantages:
- High price (from 84'000 rub. In Russia)
- Bulky adapters if necessary FireWire and / or Ethernet
- Low maintainability and lack of self-upgrade capabilities
Thanks for attention! I will be happy to answer your questions.