

The bad news is things can look like garbage if you’re not looking at Retina-enhanced content. (Adobe’s also promised an update for many other apps, including Photoshop CS6 and Lightroom, in the fall.) And Apple maintains an entire section of Retina-enhanced apps in the Mac App Store if you’re looking for more, with indie favorites like Evernote, Day One, Pixelmator, and Tweetbot all offering support. All of Apple’s pro and consumer apps are enhanced, of course, and major apps like Office, Chrome, and Adobe Premiere have all been updated in the past few months. The good news is that lots of apps have been Retina-enhanced since the 15-inch Pro came out.

The vast majority of people probably won’t miss them, but if you’re a traveler you’ll probably want to spring for the $29.99 Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter in case of emergencies. And you can obviously still use mini DisplayPort cables and adapters with the Thunderbolt ports if you have an existing display or projector.ĭo keep in mind that the reduced size means you’re losing Ethernet, FireWire, and an optical drive. It’s a nice improvement over the previous arrangement that had all the ports crammed up on one side, and the HDMI jack is particularly welcome - it’s the first industry-standard video connector Apple’s built into a laptop in years, and I’m hoping it supplants VGA. On the right, there’s another USB 3.0 port, an HDMI port, and an SD card slot. Around the left side you’ll find the new thinner MagSafe 2 power connector, two Thunderbolt ports, a USB 3.0 port, and a headphone jack. The backlit keyboard and glass multitouch trackpad are up to Apple’s usual high standards, although if you’re coming to the Pro from an Air you’ll notice the increased key travel Apple employs on Pro machines. Everything’s just a little tighter than before. And the little indent in front of the trackpad has been slightly smoothed out and made less concave. It’s also extremely clean, with no branding on it apart from the Apple logo on the lid and the regulatory stuff on the bottom - even the "MacBook Pro" insignia under the screen has been done away with. You'll notice an improvement in Apple’s already industry-leading fit and finish, though: the 13 uses the same new riff on unibody MacBook design as the 15-inch Retina, and it’s an extremely stiff, solid machine.

MacBook Pro with Retina display (15-inch) MacBook Pro with Retina display (13-inch) Basically, you’re used to Apple making laptops of about this size, and the Retina 13 is a nice midpoint between the old Pro and the Air. And the Air is actually a little bigger in terms of height and width. Unlike the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, the size and weight reduction of the 13-inch Pro isn’t nearly as shocking in person - the older 13-inch Pro already felt quite small, and the ubiquitous 13-inch Air is just slightly thinner at its thickest point.
