[WWDC 2012] MacBooks Are Now on Steroids - Here's What You Need to Know

Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage at the 2012 Worldwide Developers' Conference in San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple Inc. on Monday said it's introducing a laptop with a super-high resolution "Retina" display, setting a new standard for screen sharpness.

The new MacBook Pro will have a 15-inch screen and four times the resolution of previous models, Apple executive Phil Schiller told developers at a conference in San Francisco on Monday.

Apple already uses "Retina" displays — with individual pixels too small to be distinguished by the naked eye — in its latest iPhones and iPads.

On the phones and tablets, the Retina display is a standard feature. On the MacBook, it's an expensive upgrade. The new MacBook will cost $2199 and up, $400 more than the non-Retina MacBook with the same-sized screen.

The new MacBook is part of a general revamp of Apple's personal computer line announced Monday.

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of
worldwide marketing, shows off the MacBook
Pro's new Retina display at WWDC 2012.

Apple also said the new version of its Mac operating system, Mountain Lion, will go on sale next month for $20. The update brings features from Apple's phone and tablet software, like the iMessage texting application, to the Mac.

Mountain Lion will also bring dictation to Macs. Users will be able to input text by talking to the computer, in any program. This is already a feature of Microsoft Corp.'s competing Windows software.

By Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer

Peter Svensson contributed from New York
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Along with the fancypants display upgrade, Ars Technica reports that the new MacBook Pros are hitting the gym. With quad-core Ivy Bridge processors up to 2.7GHz, up to 768 gigs of flash-only storage, space for 16 gigs of RAM and a serious weight reduction, these ain't your daddy's laptops.

Apple might be a coven of witches.

Here's a rough and dirty breakdown of the new specs and features:

MacBook Pro

Display: Up to 15.4-inch Retina display

Thickness: 0.71 inches thick

Weight: 4.46 pounds

CPU: Quad-core Ivy Bridge - up to 2.7GHz

RAM: Up to 16GB

Video card: GeForce GT 650M

HDD: Up to 768GB SSD

Optical Drive: None

Battery Life: 7 hours

Ports: SD, HDMI, USB 3.0 & 2.0, Magsafe 2 and two Thunderbolt slots

Connectivity: 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, no built-in Ethernet

Input: Glass trackpad, backlit keyboard

Software: FaceTime in HD

And don't forget about the Air, Apple's wafer-thin alternative - you there, skinny arm people, here are the specs:

MacBook Air


Display: Up to 13-inch Retina display
CPU: Ivy Bridge (1.7GHz for the 11-inch, 1.8GHz for the 13-inch)
RAM: 4 up to 8GB 1600MHz DDR3
Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4000
HDD: Up to 512GB SSD
Optical Drive: None (Duh.)


SOURCE: Associated Press | Ars Technica