What are the six years of evolution of MacBook Pro Retina?

The Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro has come a long way since the first Retina models were unveiled in 2012. AppleInsider is looking at all the changes that have lasted six years.

Apple on Thursday unveiled the latest update of the MacBook Pro line. The new line includes a number of new features that enhance the latest MacBook Pro lines, introduced in 2016 and 2017.

The new line includes Apple's True Tone technology, previously only available on the iPad Pro, while adding "Hey, Siri" feature and a new version of the key butterfly mechanism. And while the basic 13-inch model is virtually unchanged, the Touch Bar model now uses the T2 chip.

AppleInsider has already compared the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2018 to its immediate predecessor

Although there are significant differences between the 13 inches 2017 and 2018 MacBook Pro models, the differences between the new 15-inch MacBook Pro and the 2012 model with Retina Display are much more pronounced.

Birth of the Retina Display Mac

While the Retina Display debuted on the iPhone 4 in 2010, it made its first appearance on a MacBook with the Retina MacBook Pro line introduced in 2012.

This line was unveiled at WWDC in June this year by Phil Schiller.

"You want a next-generation MacBook Pro to have a new killer screen," Schiller said cheers. "You want the architecture to be built for the future, you want it to be radically thin and light, and of course you want it to be bold and that it adopts the most recent technologies, to be willing to give up old things so that you can do something different from any other notebook that has been done to date. "

Schiller touted both the display and the smoothness of the 2012 version, but six years later, both the Retina MacBook Pro.

Let's look, one by one, the biggest differences between the original Retina MacBook Pro and the current, through the 15-inch models:

Screen

Editions 2012 and 2018 Apple's Retina Display offer, but the latest version is more advanced.

The 2012 version offers a resolution of 2880 by 1800 to 220 pixels per inch, with a brightness of about 300 nits. The new version starts at a native resolution of 2880 by 1800 at 220 pixels per inch and a brightness of 500 nits.

The new version, meanwhile, offers TrueTone technology, which was not available in any of the previous models.

As AppleInsider explains on July 12, TrueTone technology is an innovation from Apple that keeps the white balance of the screen in appearance to the user, which whatever the ambient light around the screen. The system operates using four-channel sensors to detect ambient light that can affect the perception of the display.

The purpose of the technology is to avoid the tension of the eyes or other genes, as well as to avoid the exposure of the user. blue light.

On the graphics side, the 2012 edition featured Intel HD Graphics 4000, with NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory and automatic graphics switching, with automatic graphics switching. The new Retina MacBook Pro version offers Intel UHD Graphics 630, with Radeon Pro 555X or 560X with 4GB of GDDR5 memory and automatic graphics switching.

Processor

The Retina MacBook Pro 2012 model is equipped with a 2.7-GHz Intel Core i7 quad-core processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.7 GHz).

The new model offers an Intel 6GHz processor at 2.2GHz Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz, with 9MB shared L3 cache, or Intel Core i7 processor 6-core 2.6 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 4.3 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache, depending on the model. The 2018 edition is configurable to Intel Core i9 6-core at 2.9 GHz, Turbo Boost at 4.8 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache.

This is an increased clock speed, but not a significant amount. This is probably due to Intel 's slowdown in the innovation cycle of its chips, which is expected to continue into 2016 between MacBook refreshments. Reports earlier this year said that Apple is looking to abandon Intel in favor of its own chips from 2020.

Apple claims "70 percent faster performance" with the 2018 MacBook Pro compared to 2017. Indeed , the first Geekbench scores for the The new 15-inch MacBook Pro displays a range of between 4343 and 5317 for multicore and 14375 to 22439 for multicore depending on the configuration.

Geekbench released a 3456 single-core and 13484 multi-core score for the $ 3400 2.7 GHz high-end configuration of the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro.

Battery

At the time of its release, the 2012 MacBook Pro has promoted up to seven hours of wireless web browsing, with a built-in 95-watt-hour built-in lithium-polymer battery.

The 2018 edition announces up to 10 hours of wireless playback on the Web and iTunes, with a 83.6-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery.

Size and Weight

The 2012 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro weighs 4.40 pounds (2.02 kg) and measures 0.71 inches (1.8 cm) in thickness.

The new version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro is lighter and thinner. It weighs 4.02 pounds and is only 0.61 inches thick.

In addition, the bezel is much thinner on the 2018 MacBook Pro.

Ports & Chargers

This is a category that illustrates how the design of the MacBook has changed over the past six years.

The 2012 MacBook Retina 15-inch used a MagSafe 2 power port, two original Thunderbolt ports, an HDMI port, two USB 3.0 Type A ports of 5 gigabits per second, and an SD card reader. .

The new 15-inch MacBook Pro offers four 40-Gigabit Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports using the USB-C connector. It can also connect to VGA, HDMI and Thunderbolt 2 via adapters or USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort cables.

Apple's use of fast charge USB-C ports, while continuing to use basic 5-watt adapters, has sparked fierce controversy among Apple users. However, USB-C to other cable adapters are widely available, as are Thunderbolt 3 documents.

Audio

The 2012 edition featured stereo speakers with subwoofer, dual microphone and input and output audio.

The new MacBook Pro features stereo speakers with high dynamic range, a trio of microphones and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Additional Features

In addition to all this, the 2018 MacBook Pro offers a variety of features that did not exist yet during the unveiling of the 2012 model. This includes the touch bar, "Hey Siri" and the # 39; TouchID authentication.

And while the 2012 MacBook Pro Retina was contemporary with OS X Mountain Lion and will support Mojave in the fall, the 2018 edition will support High Sierra now, and Mojave on its way out this autumn.

Is it time to upgrade?

So, you've been the owner of a 2012 Retina MacBook Pro Retina and you're thinking about the upgrade. Deciding whether or not the time has come depends on several factors.

If you're not a fan of USB-C, or if you're not happy with the speed of Intel's chip innovations, or new features like the TouchBar or "Hey, Siri" do not matter to you, or you I'm just happy with what you get from the 2012 model, you might be better off not doing it right now. But, getting it repaired by Apple could be a problem.

While the Retina MacBook Pro 2012 remains a fine machine that holds reasonably well over time, the 2012 device is no longer supported for repairs in Apple stores.

On the other hand, the new Retina MacBook Pro is a clear improvement over the original. The display, the speed and the life of the battery are better, and you will have the advantage of a brand new machine over several years. And, Thunderbolt 3 with USB-C can be painful at first, but will not kill you.