First look: Apple's next-gen MacBook Pro with 15" Retina display

Once it's taken out of the box, it becomes readily apparent that the new MacBook Pro is considerably thinner and lighter than its 15-inch predecessor. At 0.71-inch thick and 4.46 pounds, the change in size stands out for someone who may be upgrading from a previous-generation MacBook Pro.

With that said, this notebook is labeled "Pro" for a reason, and the beefed-up internal components, including a minimum 256-gigabyte flash memory drive and Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics, make the new MacBook Pro noticeably thicker and heavier than Apple's largest MacBook Air at 13 inches. At their thickest points, the MacBook Air and new MacBook Pro are identical, but the MacBook Air features a tapered design that gets considerably thinner toward the front of the device.

Once it's turned on, the new Retina display is the obvious highlight of the notebook. Text is crisp, colors are vibrant, and all of OS X 10.7 Lion has been given a facelift to take advantage of the new high-resolution screen.

Like the MacBook Air, the new MacBook Pro boots quickly, goes to sleep as soon as the lid is shut, and turns on nearly instantly when reopened. The addition of flash-only storage to Apple's high-end notebook is a major performance boost.

AppleInsider will have its full review of Apple's next-generation MacBook Pro with Retina display in the coming days. For now, here's a look at the new notebook:

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