AppleInsider Staff
Apple's premium 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display was refreshed on Tuesday with a lower starting price of $1,999, while adding features such as 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Intel Crystalwell graphics to the package.
Along with the $200 price drop, which extends down to the new 13-inch model, Apple's latest flagship notebook features faster PCIe flash, as well as an optional GeForce GT 750M graphics processor. The refreshed laptop boasts the latest Intel quad-core Haswell processors with battery life extending to eight hours. Contributing some of that extra time is the latest edition of OS X — Â Mavericks — which comes with power-saving features
With the base configuration, the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display ships with a 2.0 gigahertz quad-core Intel i7 processor, 8 gigabytes of memory and 256 gigabytes of storage. This model drops the discrete GPU for integrated Intel Iris Pro graphics, though higher-end versions can be kitted with the GeForce GT 750M discrete graphics chip with 2 gigabytes of dedicated video memory.
Also available as an add-on option is a faster 2.6 gigahertz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8 gigahertz.
Coming along for the ride on both models is next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which Apple says delivers wireless performance improvements of up to three times that of 802.11n. The 15-inch model also boasts two second-generation Thunderbolt ports capable of transmitting data at up to 20 gigabits per second to each connected device.
At the same time, Apple quietly discontinued the non-Retina 15-inch MacBook Pro. The 13-inch MacBook pro variant is now the only remaining Apple laptop to feature an optical drive and a spinning hard disk.
For those upgrading to a new Mac who may still be using OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or OS X 10.8 Lion, Apple has provided Migration Assistant software to ease data transfer to your new system. More information on the release can be found here.
AppleInsider will be updating the Mac Price guide with the latest MacBook Pro later today.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
70 Comments
yep I called it. No more discrete, integrated Iris Pro.
[quote name="un_plug" url="/t/160297/apples-updated-15-quot-macbook-pro-features-intel-crystalwell-graphics-starts-at-1999#post_2421732"]yep I called it. No more discrete, integrated Iris Pro.[/quote] Discrete is available on the 15"
discrete is optional.
@un_plug--No you didn't call it. Perhaps you should read a little more. "The new notebook features faster PCIe flash, as well as an optional GeForce GT 750M graphics processor." That is a discrete GPU.
The cheapest 13" MBP Retina might be okayish value for money.