Apple’s Next Gen MacBook Pro 2012

[adam r]

They mentioned in the keynote that the screen was 75% less reflective than the previous MBP. They dramatically improved the issue of glare without giving it a matte finish. Not sure how.

First thing I did at Apple was pick up the new MBP and say out loud "75% less reflective, I don't think so", and yes the sales guy was standing right beside me lol.

[C.H.Haskell]

Is the extra 2.7 vs 2.6 bump worth the 250 EU that I am seeing on the FR apple website? My tech guru says it would not be a noticeable difference...although I tend to max out when I can as is am all about longevity, just seems like a tiny increase. Not sure why they even offer the option.

[Harrison Diamond]

I'm confirming this with Apple's engineers. Until then, while this typically how Thunderbolt/PCIe links are configured, I can't verify that this is how the MBPR is set up.

I'm about 99% sure that the intel TB controller chip Apple uses for multiple thunderbolt ports gives each one full bandwidth. It'd be just like the 27" iMac in this regard. The only controller that doesn't support as much is the one used by some smaller devices that only has one set of lanes, but they wouldn't be using that one for a notebook with multiple ports.

Anyways, we finally got our display model in of the MBPR yesterday and good lord that is a gorgeous notebook and a gorgeous screen.

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Is the extra 2.7 vs 2.6 bump worth the 250 EU that I am seeing on the FR apple website? My tech guru says it would not be a noticeable difference...although I tend to max out when I can as is am all about longevity, just seems like a tiny increase. Not sure why they even offer the option.

If you can justify the extra expense, go for it. But your tech guru guy is basically correct. For most everything you will not see any difference. Where you will see a difference is in very CPU-intensive tasks such as rendering, especially if all cores are used. The 2.7 is only 100MHz faster for its primary internal clock and in turbo mode as well, but the real advantage comes from the extra 2MB of L3 cache. This is also beneficial. In much of our R3D work we'll often see that we need every bit of CPU horsepower we can get. So, if you can swing it for this upgrade, you may as well.. In a real world sense, it only gains a few percent or so in peak performance over the 2.6GHz option and only under intense load where it can be seen. But if it shaves 9 minutes off a 3 hour render, (about 4%), it may just be worth it to you.

For those buying for R3D workflow use or other intense applications, the 16GB RAM is an absolute must-have and so is the 2.6GHz CPU. The two extras that are not necessary are the 768GB flash storage upgrade and the 2.7GHz CPU upgrade. I would go for the 2.7GHz CPU before opting for the 768GB SSD upgrade. That extra 256GB is negligible. 512GB is plenty of space to hold OS, apps and a few other rings. Adding another 256GB isn't enough to turn it into a real chunk of workspace storage or anything like that.... Now if you primarily work with audio only or smaller work that can easily fit within those confines, then it probably is a good upgrade. The 768GB is also something that should be considered for two other factors -- It can be advantageous if you will run bootcamp and keep a Windows partition on the system -- it will also be somewhat advantageous down the road in terms of resale value. I try not to think about buying for eventual resale though. If managed properly and if you're really using your systems, they should pay for themselves a few times over within their service lifespan.

[Jaime Vallés]

I ordered the RetinaBook fully loaded:

2.7GHz Core i7
16GB RAM
768GB Flash
27" Thunderbolt Display

My wallet hurts (a lot) but this is an investment in both my filmmaking career and my graphic design business. Can you say "tax write-off"? :)

[David Granger]

Damn, I need a new laptop for the field....unfortunately the ship times on this are a drag. Have a shoot coming up in 2 weeks that would really benefit from this awesome computer. Anyone found a way to get Apple to expedite orders

[Jeff Kilgroe]

If you have a local Apple Store, talk to them. They may be able to get you one in time for your shoot... Stores have stock coming in at regular intervals and the wait-list at your local store for the config you want may not be too long. You may score one quicker that way compared to ordering online now.

[Trevor Meeks]

First thing I did at Apple was pick up the new MBP and say out loud "75% less reflective, I don't think so", and yes the sales guy was standing right beside me lol.

did you just say that or is it actually NOT 75% less reflective?

[adam r]

did you just say that or is it actually NOT 75% less reflective?

You need to check it out for yourself. It's not as glossy as their advertised glossy monitors, but it's definitely not a matte finish.

Even though I'm not a fan of glossy screens, I'll probably end up buying it.

[Trevor Meeks]

You need to check it out for yourself. It's not as glossy as their advertised glossy monitors, but it's definitely not a matte finish.

Even though I'm not a fan of glossy screens, I'll probably end up buying it.

Yeah, I didn't get to spend much time with it when I went into the store the other day... bigass crowd around it in a tiny apple store lol.