The keyboard and trackpad are essentially the same as those seen on the last several generations of MacBook Pros. This unibody chassis has the benefit of being thin, but strong and flex-free at the same time. The basic building block should be familiar by now: a solid chunk of aluminum, which is carved down into a shell with support struts. It's still one of the best overall laptop designs around, and still one of the thinnest full-power 15-inch models, but thanks in part to competition from ultrabooks (an Intel marketing program to design and promote thinner laptops across several screen sizes), Windows laptops are catching up quickly. While its internal components have been updated to include the latest hardware from Intel and Nvidia, the 2012 version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro looks and feels the same as previous iterations. That model is clearly the new flagship MacBook, while this 15-inch Pro exists to serve those who are tied to what Apple may consider legacy features - DVD drives, Ethernet cables, and even FireWire.

That starts at $1,799 (as reviewed here), but is easily upgraded to $2,199 or more.Įxcept for the optical drive, higher storage capacities, and lower staring price, it's hard to think of a way in which the full-size MacBook Pro is superior to the new, thinner Retina Display version. The other is the same 15-inch MacBook Pro we've known and loved for a couple of years, but upgraded to Intel's third-generation Core i7 processors (both models have Nvidia graphics and USB 3.0 ports). One is nearly ultrabook-thin, with solid-state storage, an HDMI port, dual Thunderbolt ports, no optical drive, and a unique 2,880x1,800-pixel display. Despite the similar names, these are two very different beasts. That logic has shifted with the release of Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display.

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