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Comparison between Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air and Apple MacBook Air. MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? Thinking about what to choose

Fair, not overpriced or understated. There should be prices on the Service website. Necessarily! without "asterisks", it is clear and detailed, where it is technically possible - the most accurate, final.

With the availability of spare parts, up to 85% of complex repairs can be completed in 1-2 days. Modular repairs take much less time. The website lists the approximate duration of any repairs.

Warranty and liability

Any repairs must be guaranteed. Everything is described on the website and in the documents. The guarantee is self-confidence and respect for you. A 3-6 month warranty is good and sufficient. It is needed to check quality and hidden defects that cannot be detected immediately. You see honest and realistic terms (not 3 years), you can be sure that they will help you.

Half of the success in Apple repair is the quality and reliability of spare parts, so a good service works with suppliers directly, there are always several reliable channels and your own warehouse with proven spare parts of current models so that you do not have to waste extra time.

Free diagnostics

This is very important and has already become a good form for the service center. Diagnostics is the most difficult and important part of the repair, but you should not pay a dime for it, even if you do not repair the device as a result.

Repair in service and delivery

A good service values ​​your time and therefore offers free shipping. And for the same reason, repairs are carried out only in the workshop of the service center: correctly and according to technology, it can only be done at a prepared place.

Convenient schedule

If the Service works for you, and not for itself, then it is always open! absolutely. The schedule should be convenient so that you can catch up with before and after work. Good service works both on weekends and on holidays. We are waiting for you and working on your devices every day: 9:00 - 21:00

The reputation of professionals consists of several points

Age and experience of the company

Reliable and experienced service has been known for a long time.
If a company has been on the market for many years, and it has managed to establish itself as an expert, people turn to it, write about it, recommend it. We know what we are talking about, since 98% of incoming devices in the SC are being restored.
We are trusted and passed on by other service centers for difficult cases.

How many masters in directions

If several engineers are always waiting for you for each type of equipment, you can be sure:
1. there will be no queue (or it will be minimal) - your device will be taken over immediately.
2. You are giving Macbook repairs to an expert in the field of Mac repairs. He knows all the secrets of these devices

Technical literacy

If you ask a question, a specialist must answer it as accurately as possible.
So that you have an idea of ​​what exactly you need.
They will try to solve the problem. In most cases, the description tells you what happened and how to fix the problem.

The introduction of the MacBook Air in early 2008 revolutionized the laptop market. At that time, "laptop" was equal to "suitcase". Or, even worse, "netbooks." In this historical context, Apple showed the world a very compact and lightweight laptop. And, as it turned out, this is exactly what everyone was waiting for.

The warm welcome of the new format laptop by the public prompted competitors to create numerous models with the same weight and thickness, but at the same time on very vigorous, albeit economical processors. Sales of the MacBook Air 13 itself are still high, but ten years later this is due to other reasons: this is the cheapest model among Apple laptops. In Russia, the younger version of 2017 can be bought for 65 thousand rubles, while, for example, the younger MacBook Pro 13 without the Touch Bar will cost 94,000 rubles.

What's wrong with the mid-2017 Apple MacBook Air 13?

For 65,000 rubles, it is quite possible to take a good ultrabook on Windows. But, unfortunately, Apple was very stingy with the stuffing for these models. And spending so much money on them in 2017 means condemning yourself to constant ridicule on the part of the owners of "Windows". And not only this. It's not just the number of megahertz, cores and other numbers, which do not always have a direct correlation with how the final product works. Although it will not do without numbers either. For example, Full HD screen resolution (1920x1080 pixels) has long been ubiquitous - this (and even higher) you will find in the vast majority of laptops. And the MacBook Air 13 has some 1440x900 pixels, and in 2017 it is already a real retro. And even in 2013, in my opinion, it would be doubtful to take a 13-inch laptop with such a low resolution.

What's the best Apple laptop? A fluffy MacBook Air, or a robust and powerful MacBook Pro? Have you decided it's time to swap out your old Mac for one of Apple's newer laptops? Have you finally decided to move to the Mac platform? MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro with Retina display - tons of options. Please note that these models cover a wide range of prices. What will you get for the money that you have planned to part with? And which model is right for you? Let's figure it out.

New MacBook models and price tag

Apple's MacBook line consists of two products: the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. The two laptops vary in size, weight, performance. Well, for the price, of course.

MacBook Air is Apple's lightest laptop. It comes in two different screen sizes - 11 "and 13". This is the most inexpensive Apple laptop. Pricing starts at $ 999 for the 11-inch model and $ 1099 for the 13-inch model.

Base models of both sizes of this year's MacBook Air are powered by 1.3GHz Intel Haswell processors, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. In the 2013 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Retina models, the hard drive is now connected via PCI Express or PCIe. This is significantly faster than the Serial ATA (SATA) interface used in last year's systems.

You can order MacBook Air with a faster processor, more RAM, and a larger hard drive. Please note that the processor cannot be changed in the future. The SSD hard drive can be upgraded, although this is tricky - Apple doesn't sell separate SSD drives for sale, so if you decide you need more storage space, you'll either have to get a hard drive from another MacBook Air or go to a service center. which will help to do this.

The latest generation "standard" 13-inch MacBook Pro retails for $ 1,199. These Macs have an internal "SuperDrive" optical drive. It has 4 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive that works with a SATA controller. This makes the MacBook Pro quite nimble, despite the fact that it still uses a regular hard drive rather than an SSD. The processor runs at 2.5 GHz. This is a fairly fast processor that works well when paired with decent RAM. Also, various storage options are provided, including a classic hard drive or SSD.

For $ 1299, you can get the new MacBook Pro with Retina display. It features a 2.4GHz Intel i5 dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. The Retina displays on the MacBook Pro are interconnected by an internal optical drive, making Retina models thinner and lighter than “traditional” firmware.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display completes Apple's laptop lineup. It is powered by a 2.0GHz Intel i7 quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It uses Intel Iris Pro integrated graphics. This year, the Retina model is the only 15-inch model Apple makes. It retails for $ 1999.

The more expensive 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is worth mentioning separately - it is the only model equipped with a fast discrete graphics chip. It is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor and also includes Nvidia GeForce GT 750 discrete graphics. This is Apple's top-of-the-line model, so it is priced at $ 2,599. Like other MacBooks, the Retina MacBook Pro can be custom made with faster processors or a larger hard drive.

Comparison of screens by size and pixel density

MacBook Air is not yet available with Retina display - both 11-inch and 13-inch models feature classic LED panels. The 11-inch MacBook Air has a resolution of 1366 x 768, while the 13-inch model uses 1440 x 900 pixels.

The 11-inch display on the MacBook Air is slightly out of the ordinary - the screen has a different aspect ratio than any other MacBook model. Most MacBooks come with a 16:10 aspect ratio; and the 11-inch MacBook Air has a 16: 9 screen. This has resulted in the 11-inch MacBook Air having a taller display than other MacBook models.

In any case, the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs have 135 pixels per inch (PPI) and 128 PPI, respectively. They are sharp, crisp displays that are capable of displaying millions of colors, even though they are not in Retina resolution.

As well as the $ 1199 MacBook Pro. It is a speedy model with a native resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and a 13.3-inch display. It's in the same segment as the MacBook Air, with a pixel density of around 113 PPI.

Retina displays came into vogue with the iPhone 4, and soon Retina displays appeared on the iPad. Also, since 2012 we have seen a MacBook Pro with a Retina display. This does not mean that the MacBook Pro has the same pixel density as, say, the iPhone 5S or iPad Mini Retina - it just means that you cannot make out individual pixels when looking at the screen from a medium distance.

In this particular case, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display has a standard "Retina" resolution of 2560x1600 — even higher than the iPad Air. Although the screen is the same size as a standard 13-inch MacBook Pro, the pixel density is double at 227 PPI. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display has a resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels. That's about 220 PPI.

The difference between a Retina display and standard screens is huge. Retina displays show details in photos in greater detail and are much easier to read because they have smaller pixels. Naturally, you can judge the difference yourself at any Apple store or reseller.

Haswell platform

With the exception of the "standard" 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is a holdover from 2012 in Apple's product line, all MacBooks now come with a fourth-generation Intel processor, codenamed "Haswell."

Haswell is an improvement on the Ivy Bridge chips used in last year's models. They include a smaller die and have better power management, which is why this year's MacBooks have such an extended battery life.

Haswell-equipped MacBooks also have a decent graphics subprocessor. According to Apple, tests conducted showed Haswell integrated graphics in the processor up to 40 percent faster than before.

In the MacBook chain, the graphics power gradually improves along with the price. The MacBook Air uses Intel HD 5000 graphics, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display uses the Iris chip, which is faster than the Intel HD 5000. The 15-inch MacBook Pro uses Iris Pro, which is even faster thanks to the added memory EDRAM. The most expensive 15-inch model uses the Nvidia GeForce GT 750 discrete graphics chip, which is automatically activated when you launch graphics-intensive applications such as games or Photoshop.

Battery life

An important consideration in laptop performance is how long you can operate it away from an electrical outlet. After all, what's the point of carrying around a power pack that adds weight to your bag all the time. So the main idea is lost - to have a laptop.

The tiny 11-inch MacBook Air lasts about 9 hours on a single charge when surfing the web, and about 8 hours when watching videos. The 13-inch MacBook Air has nearly a third more battery capacity and can last up to 12 hours on a single charge. This model reigns supreme in battery capacity tests.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, despite its high-resolution screen, has an impressive 9 hours of battery life. And the 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina lasts 8 hours, despite all its powerful hardware inside.

A standard 13-inch MacBook Pro, packed in 2012, has a battery life of approximately 7 hours.

Wireless connections

This year's entire line of laptops except the $ 1199 MacBook Pro comes with 802.11ac wireless. In practice, an 802.11ac-equipped Mac can transfer data wirelessly up to three times faster than the 802.11n Wi-Fi found in older machines such as the standard MacBook Pro.

Naturally, signal transmission must come from 802.11ac base stations, such as Apple's new AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule, or other equipment operating in the same band. Otherwise, your new MacBook Pros won't take full advantage of 802.11ac speeds.

The Bluetooth 4.0 module is installed in the entire line of Apple laptops.

External connectors

MacBook Air has two USB 3.0 ports and one Thunderbolt port. Thunderbolt connector can be used to connect to an external monitor, RAID system and other devices. The 13-inch MacBook Air adds an SDXC card slot, making it easy to import photos and clips from SD cards to your computer.

SDXC card slots are standard on MacBook Pro with Retina display. They also became the first Apple laptops to support Thunderbolt 2. It is a high-speed interface with up to twice the data transfer speed of the original Thunderbolt. What's more, there are two Thunderbolt 2 ports. There are also two USB 3.0 ports and an HDMI connector, so you can connect your MacBook Pro directly to your HDTV if needed.

The $ 1,199 MacBook Pro has built-in Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, one Thunderbolt port, two USB 3.0 ports, and an SDXC card slot.

Operating system

All new Macs come with OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Mavericks, released in October 2013, has new UI elements like Finder tabs, as well as new apps like a redesigned calendar, and Maps and iBooks. ICloud integration has increased dramatically, so you'll see an improvement in workflow efficiency as you share files and data between Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

But what really makes Mavericks an exceptional operating system is how Apple has redesigned its internals to improve performance and battery life. Laptops powered by Mavericks will last longer than before, thanks to such important changes as Timer Coalescing and App Nap. Thanks to them, it turned out and more efficient use of processor resources.

Who should buy a MacBook Air?

I would compare the MacBook Air to a roadster like the Mazda Miata. It looks airy and flying over the waves. But when you get behind the wheel, you get a completely different feeling - it is flexible, nimble and delivers a lot of driving pleasure.

For the same reason, the MacBook Air is very pleasant to use, its holistic architecture coupled with PCIe makes it fast and responsive. Mac users who surf the Web will enjoy the productivity of the software, graphics, and design. The MacBook Air is a perfectly balanced machine that does a lot, but doesn't cost a lot of money.

The disadvantage is the limited memory space. 128 GB may not be enough for everyone. But there is an inexpensive solution - an external hard drive.

Who should buy the standardMacBook Pro?

The standard MacBook Pro fits the gap between the MacBook Air and the Retina MacBook Pro. It plays an important role in the Apple ecosystem: it is a laptop for people who need much more space than they can afford with an SSD-equipped system or built-in optical drive.

The downside is that it lacks fast Wi-Fi, high-speed graphics and better battery life like this year's models. Thus, it is a compromise solution. We can say that the 13-inch MacBook Pro remains a popular choice for many users. This is the Mac for those looking for a good, reliable laptop with a lot of features. This is why Apple has kept it in its current lineup. If you are looking for a powerful computer with a lot of memory, then this is a great option.

Who should buy a MacBook Pro withRetina display?

At $ 1,299, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is best-in-class. Its size fits most people. The price is also not overpriced. Don't forget this year's MacBooks are faster than ever, thanks to powerful processors and Mavericks.

If you work with heavy graphics and video, you must be working on a laptop that can quickly edit large files, such as Photoshop. Well, if you are looking for maximum performance, then the 15-inch MacBook Pro is your best bet. The Iris Pro graphics on it are amazing, and the discrete Nvidia graphics on the pricey 15-inch MacBook Pro take no compromises.

Not decided yet?

If you're still having trouble choosing between a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Pro with Retina display, check the forums for more information before you shop. Either way, you are considering the best MacBook lineup of 2013, better than ever, and no matter which one you choose, you will end up with the best laptop on the market.

We hope this article will help you make your choice. If you have any questions or wishes, be sure to leave them in the comments.

At the end of 2015 / beginning of 2016, the lineup is represented by six devices and if Cupertinians do not plan to reduce and replace individual products, it will soon become quite difficult to navigate in it. We will describe below how it is most convenient to do this in the realities of today.

Types of Apple laptops
MacBook

Main characteristics:

12-inch Retina display (high-definition screen). The laptop is available in 3 colors: silver, gold and space gray. The thinnest and lightest Apple laptop ever. The trackpad features Force Touch technology. The laptop lacks the usual USB ports (the USB-C interface is used for charging and data transfer). Macbook is equipped with a 1.1GHz, 1.2GHz, or 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor (Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz). The amount of RAM is 8 GB. Flash drive up to 512GB



Main characteristics:

Available with 11- or 13-inch non-Retina display. Ports: two USB 3 and one Thunderbolt 2. Silver color. Macbook Air is powered by 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 or 2.2GHz Intel Core i7 dual-core (Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz). The amount of RAM is 4 GB or 8 GB. Flash drive up to 512GB.

Main characteristics:

The most productive Apple laptop. Available in three versions: a 13-inch or 15-inch Retina display and a 13-inch non-Retina display. Retina MacBooks are equipped with a Force Touch trackpad. Ports: two USB 3 and two Thunderbolt 2.

Macbook Pro with 13-inch display Powered by 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz). Silver color. The amount of RAM is 4 GB. 5400 rpm hard drive with a capacity of 500 GB.

Macbook Pro with 13-inch Retina display Equipped with an Intel Core i5 2.7 GHz or 2.9 GHz dual-core processor, or 3.1 GHz Intel Core i7 dual-core processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz). Silver color. The amount of RAM is up to 16 GB. Flash storage up to 1 TB.

Macbook Pro with 15-inch Retina display Equipped with a 2.2GHz, 2.5GHz or 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor (Turbo Boost up to 4.0GHz).

Silver color. The amount of RAM is up to 16 GB. Flash storage up to 1 TB.

From the list proposed by Apple, you can immediately remove two models, 11-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, non-Retina display version. The reasons are more than prosaic, both configurations have long ago become obsolete morally, and in fact already physically. One involuntarily wants to wonder why Apple has not yet withdrawn them from sale? The laptop of the Pro series is equipped with a frankly old type of processor, a mechanical hard drive with a rotational speed of 5400 rpm, which is primitive by today's standards, and a screen whose resolution is limited to the ceiling of 1280 × 800 pixels. Quite a good configuration for a budget workstation, but the gadget seems to have to compete with stronger machines, which this model is clearly not capable of.

The 11-inch MacBook Air is simpler - it was initially deliberately kept in the shadow of its prestigious sibling with a larger display. Such an unambiguous offer for those who are strapped for funds, but certainly want to have a branded laptop from the apple brand. Earlier, before the mass adoption of Retina displays, this approach was more than justified, but after the release of the brand new 12-inch MacBook, and then the iPad Pro and 27-inch iMac with incredible displays, all this is a thing of the past. Apple has unambiguously set a course for the development of families of promising monitors - old, budget laptops simply do not fit into the new paradigm.

Advantages and disadvantages of the MacBook model

The newest, most advanced and cutest, lightest and thinnest member of the lineup. The 2015 MacBook is the silent, innovative and ambitious precursor to the laptops of the near future. As you can see, just two sentences are enough to describe the strengths of this device, but the study of the cons will take more time. For example, a battery of a special design, spread out in an ultra-thin case, provides the gadget with only 9 hours of battery life. Let's compare - similar in configuration and price. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and the 13-inch MacBook Air last 10 and 12 hours, respectively.

The used Intel Core M processor is designed with an emphasis on extremely low power consumption, which promises not so much low battery consumption as the absence of catastrophic heating. That is why we managed to abandon conditionally noisy fans in favor of passive cooling. The victim of such a decision was a significant decrease in performance, which reaches only 60% of the actual indicators of conventional, non-"mobile" 5th generation Intel Core processors.

It's not a disaster yet, but coupled with the Intel HD 5300 graphics module, which has the status of one of the slowest integrated solutions of our time, it is already a reason to think. The test results, as always, are contradictory enough to leave room for discussion and maneuver. And when comparing with the products of other companies, you need to take into account the difference in the API of the Windows OS family and OS X - the former tend to use the DirectX package, the latter are adapted for OpenGL. And yet the latest MacBook is likely to fall short of its siblings when it comes to performing really big tasks.

There is a catch with the use of the most advanced, but the only USB-C port. Reversible, high-speed, versatile and almost useless in the absence of an adapter - interaction with peripherals in the case of the MacBook, contrary to the assurances of marketers, forces users to be creative. This is the kind of discomfort at your own expense.

Macbook Specifications and Price (Click to Enlarge)

Fair criticism of the 15-inch MacBook Pro

Before us is the most productive member of the Mac family of mobile computers - that's a fact. If other models compete to one degree or another, possessing characteristics that overlap in a number of parameters, then the 15-inch "professional" laptop clearly looks down on these disputes. If you need a powerful and transportable workstation made by Apple, the choice seems to be obvious. However, there is one "but".

Well built overall, the 15-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with 4th, not even 5th, generation Intel Core processors. Meanwhile, last September it became known for certain about the upcoming transfer of promising products of the apple company to the use of Skylake chips. And the top-end laptop is likely to undergo a major redesign, during which everything old, including the AMD Radeon R9 M370X GPU, will be replaced with a new and advanced one.

This will naturally entail a colossal overall performance gain for a mobile device and, possibly, new records in specific tests. So does it make sense to spend a considerable amount of money if the model becomes outdated within a few months? If you need a solid laptop with your favorite logo here and now, then yes, it does. And vice versa - such funds can be disposed of in a more interesting way.

Macbook Pro Specifications and Pricing (Click to Enlarge)

The final duel - MacBook Air 13 vs MacBook Pro 13

The deep meaning of the term "Air" - "airy, weightless", has been thoroughly discredited by the achievements of Cupertin's engineers in recent years. Because the MacBook has been on the market six months ago without any prefixes in the name, which is much easier. And the representatives of the Pro family have lost so much weight that only the 15-inch model is noticeably different from the Air brothers. As for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the 0.5kg difference is only noticeable while holding it. But inside a bag or suitcase, the laptop is the same burden as the 13-inch MacBook Air - their dimensions are almost identical.

Macbook Air Specifications and Pricing (Click to Enlarge)

The extra weight means the presence of much more solid filling, for example, the difference in the clock speed of the processor of 1.1 GHz in favor of the MacBook Pro, and the model of the integrated graphics module is a notch, but also higher. It has twice the volume and RAM, 8 GB versus 4 GB for the MacBook Air, and permanent memory - up to 0.5 TB in the top configuration. With an identical set of external connectors and wireless communication systems, the "pro-laptop" boasts the presence of an advanced touchpad with support for Force Touch technology. In fact, his “aerial counterpart is inferior to his colleague in everything, demonstrating only a longer time of continuous work. And that's not much, 12 hours of active surfing the Internet using a wireless connection versus 10 hours for the MacBook Pro, although the figures are the same when working with video.

From subject-matter comparisons to summary evaluations, the 13-inch MacBook Air is the culmination of the Air subfamily. Having squeezed everything possible from the concept, Apple did not consider it appropriate to prolong the agony. Notebook not received neither the already widespread Retina display, nor the innovative force-gesture touch input system. Almost the exact opposite, the 13-inch MacBook Pro looks like a solid mid-range, the company's main target at this price point, for which the company has ambitious plans. This means, at least, that the model will remain relevant and competitive for another year or two, justifying the investment in the purchase.

The last nuance - the difference in price between the finalists of the impromptu competition exceeds 50,000 rubles, judging by the official price tags of the domestic Apple Store. And this greatly simplifies the choice, because if a financial gap is not included in your plans, then it makes sense to buy a 13-inch MacBook Air.

In all other respects, the current MacBook Pro 13 with Retina display is best laptop made by Apple based on the ratio of performance / innovation / usability.

Based on materials from yablyk

What have come for 10 years.

The year is 2016, and already 10 years have passed since the release of the first professional notebooks from Apple! Let's remember together how it all began and what we have come to today.

We'd better not remember how they rose in price in terms of rubles. Especially when you can buy anything in installments without additional payment. There is no better way to update your working Mac. Moreover, they have always been considered the ultimate laptops of busy people.

How it all started

On June 6, 2005 at the Worldwide Developer Conference, Steve Jobs announced the imminent arrival of a new era in the world of Apple - the transition from PowerPC processors to Intel.

Steve Jobs said about two main disadvantages of PowerPC: too high heating of the processor during operation and banal failure to fulfill promises. Heating was a very serious disadvantage for notebooks, which require additional energy to cool, and the processors themselves were not at all economical (performance per watt was too low). At the same time, the company was still in no hurry to provide new models of processors for Apple, and the long-awaited release of the PowerBook G5 was postponed indefinitely.

It is impossible to say unequivocally whether the transition to Intel took place only for these two reasons, or there are other aspects. Perhaps Apple has decided to cooperate with a more promising, in its opinion, company in the future. Or maybe the company wanted users to be able to install ... Windows on its products?

But it was precisely this moment that became the starting point for Apple's creation of the new MacBook Pro laptops.

First generation MacBook Pro

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Release date: 2006 year
Main characteristics:

  • Intel Core Duo processor 1.83 GHz - 2.16 GHz
  • Hard drive from 80 to 120 GB
  • LCD display from 15 "(1440 x 900) to 17" (1680 x 1050)
  • ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 Graphics Card
  • Two memory slots up to 2 GB RAM

The very first MacBook Pro was presented as a laptop for professional users by Steve Jobs at the Macworld Conference & Expo in January 2006.

The renaming of the laptop name from PowerBook to MacBook Pro happened, as you might guess, for two reasons: firstly, Apple decided to abandon all associations with the PowerPC processor, and secondly, to add the word Mac to the name.

The MacBook Pro is similar but not at all identical to the PowerBook G4. Outwardly, it has become a little larger (by a centimeter in length and 3 mm in width) and a little thinner (by three millimeters). It also has a lot of new features:

  • The graphics and display brightness were significantly improved due to the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600, which had 128 or 256 MB of video memory and ran on GDDR3 SDRAM.
  • There is a built-in iSight camera located above the display.
  • An infrared sensor has appeared for working with the Front Row multimedia player through the remote control that came with the kit.
  • The MagSafe power connector has been replaced. The company paid special attention to it, demonstrating that if someone accidentally touches the power cable, it will safely disconnect from the laptop and will not drag it along in an unknown direction. This is realized thanks to a special magnet and a very shallow connector.
  • The adapter has become more powerful (85 W instead of the previous 65), and the battery is more energy-intensive (60 W / h instead of 50).
  • According to tests from Apple, the performance of the MacBook Pro has quadrupled compared to the PowerBook G4.
  • Special praise from future users was awarded to the backlit keyboard, large trackpad and virtually silent operation of the computer.

Despite this, several drawbacks were noted in the new product: the FireWire 800 port and PCMCIA slot were completely removed (a smaller ExpressCard / 34 appeared instead), and the SuperDrive turned out to be much weaker than the one installed in the PowerBook G4.

In October 2006, in addition to the new Intel Core 2 Duo processors, the entire MacBook Pro line received double the amount of RAM. The capacity of hard drives has also been increased.

In June 2007, models appeared equipped with a backlit LED display, an Nvidia Geforce 8600M GT video card and support for 802.11n Wi-Fi networks.

And between mid-2007 and early 2008, models appeared with an improved Core 2 Duo processor with a frequency of up to 2.5 GHz, an FSB bus with a frequency of 667 MHz to 800 MHz (which increased the speed of communication between the memory and the central processor), an even larger amount of hard disk and RAM up to 8 GB.

These were just the first MacBook Pro models, and their display was surrounded by a wide plastic bezel, which is now even difficult to imagine on Apple products. The next significant step was a complete redesign of the case, and this is how we come to the second generation of MacBook Pro laptops.

Second generation MacBook Pro (Unibody case)

Release date: 2008 year
Main characteristics:

  • Intel Core 2 Duo processor 2.26 GHz to 2.53 GHz
  • HDD from 160 to 320 GB
  • 15 "(1440 x 900) to 17" (1920 x 1200) LCD with LED backlight
  • NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
  • RAM 2 GB, expandable up to 4 GB

On October 14, 2008, during a press conference held at Apple headquarters, a new MacBook Pro model was unveiled, the key difference from previous versions was use of new Unibody enclosures.

The essence of this technology boils down to the gradual "grinding" of the laptop case from a single piece of aluminum, and not to the connection of previously created parts. This allowed new notebooks to be made smaller and more durable.

In addition to the new case, the MacBook Pro has also changed in its technical equipment:

  • The new line has a choice of two graphics cards: the Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT with 256 or 512 MB of dedicated memory and the GeForce 9400M with 256 MB of shared system memory.
  • The FSB bandwidth has been increased from 800 MHz to 1066 MHz.
  • Increased hard drive capacity with solid state drive option.
  • The optical drive began to fit not in front, but on the side of the case.
  • The keyboard has been completely redesigned and is now black with bright backlighting.
  • The trackpad has become larger, which provides additional space for scrolling and using multi-touch gestures.
  • The lid now has magnetic pads instead of mechanical latches, so that when closed, there is a small gap that allows you to conveniently open the laptop.
  • This is not to say that the performance has increased slightly, be it the performance of the processor or video card.
  • The battery has become removable, and there is also access to the hard drive.

Unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro introduced in January 2009 at the MacWorld conference by Phil Schiller. This model differed from its 15-inch counterpart with a matte display option and a non-removable lithium-polymer battery.

In June 2009, it was announced that all models will be equipped with a non-removable lithium-polymer battery that allows battery life to last up to seven hours.

In April 2010, when the line received another update, the models received Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, a GeForce GT 330M video card with 256 or 512 MB of memory, and the amount of RAM increased to 8 GB. Inertial scrolling was also added, making the use of scrolling bring up the UI of the iPhone and iPad.

In February 2011, a new lineup was released, featuring Intel Core i5 and i7 Sandy Bridge processors, the latest Intel Thunderbolt technology and a high-definition FaceTime camera. Also in the new models it was possible to use discrete video cards from AMD: Radeon HD 6490M and Radeon HD 6750M.

Related articles:

Third generation MacBook Pro (Retina display)

Release date: year 2012
Main characteristics:

  • Intel Core i5 and i7 processor 2.4 GHz to 2.6 GHz
  • Hard drive from 256 GB to 1 TB
  • Retina display 13 "(2560 x 1600) to 15" (2880 x 1800)
  • Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 and discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1GB
  • RAM 4, 8 and 16 GB

The generation of MacBook Pro laptops with Retina display was introduced on June 11, 2012 at WWDC. Apple has positioned this laptop as a completely new direction for MacBook Pro laptops.

It might seem that the most significant difference from the previous generation is the Retina display. Of course, this innovation was an important step, because the quality of the picture has increased significantly, the image has become more contrasting, and the glare is much less. However, these are not all the new generation features:

  • The size and weight of laptops have changed - they are thinner and lighter. In addition, there was a MacBook Pro model with a 13-inch display.
  • Increased productivity and performance.
  • An important change was the joint work of the integrated GPU Ivy Bridge processor (Intel HD Graphics 4000) and a discrete graphics card in the form of the GeForce GT 650M.
  • The battery life has also increased.
  • The new model offers two Thunderbolt ports, a pair of USB 3.0 ports, an SDXC card slot, an HDMI port and a new MagSafe 2 connector.
  • The built-in camera has been upgraded to 720p.
  • The hard drive has been replaced with a full-fledged SSD drive.
  • The increase in RAM is a big plus.
  • The keyboard has slightly changed, which is now more protected from falling into it crumbs, due to which the pressing of the buttons became more dense.

Among the shortcomings, we can note the absence of an optical drive, which may not be so important for users now, and an Ethernet connector. And also in the case in the bottom panel there are holes for ventilation, which upset those who like to use the laptop, holding it on their laps.

In 2013, the MacBook Pro underwent another revision with Intel Ivy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) and 2.6GHz Intel Haswell (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) processors. In the fall of 2013, the GPU was also updated with Intel Iris Pro Graphics and NVidia Geforce GT 750M 2GB models now installed in the fully loaded models.

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