2012 13" MacBook Pro Reviews... Where are they?

[SR71]

So, does anyone know what's up with reviewers recently? I can't find a single review for the non-retina 2012 13" MacBook Pro anywhere. Did they forget this was also released alongside the rMBP and 2012 MacBook Air? Reviews have been done for the 2012 MBA, but not for the non-retina 2012 MBP's.

Anyone have any ideas lol?

 

[yth]

Seeing as they didn't change much, just look at reviews of the 2011 MBP. You can look at benchmarks to see how much the performance has improved.

Basically, the 13" MBP is a very, very good computer. What did you want to know about it?

 

[SR71]

Seeing as they didn't change much, just look at reviews of the 2011 MBP. You can look at benchmarks to see how much the performance has improved.

Basically, the 13" MBP is a very, very good computer. What did you want to know about it?

The same could be said about the 2012 MBA's, but reviews were still put out fairly quickly for them. I don't really know what exactly I wanted to know about it... I guess I just like reading reviews haha.

 

[ayres]

generally, there is so much to review, reviewers choose wisely based on what they think many readers will want to know. the air is increasingly popular. and of course, most want to know about the rmbp. so little was changed with the regular mbp, that it is not as much a priority. that said, i have no doubt that the 2012 13 mbp is a great machine. i'm typing this on my 2011 13 mbp, and i imagine the new one is a hair snappier. so i'm not sure a review is really revelatory.

most reviewers would probably suggest the air or the rmbp upon review, as they don't see much that is special about the 13mbp. but remember, it is the big seller, and i think that it is the best compromise of features in the lineup (cost, size, power, etc).

besides, don't all reviews read about the same, after a while?!

 

[Tritons]

There are some youtube reviews for example

http://youtu.be/ib5mTMkpZZY

 

[FiremanMike]

So, does anyone know what's up with reviewers recently? I can't find a single review for the non-retina 2012 13" MacBook Pro anywhere. Did they forget this was also released alongside the rMBP and 2012 MacBook Air? Reviews have been done for the 2012 MBA, but not for the non-retina 2012 MBP's.

Anyone have any ideas lol?

I freaking love mine.. LOVE IT..

Hows that?

 

[Tombs]

Retina stole the show, so the 13's just arent the "fashion" at the mo in the media.

I had a 13" for 2 days from John Lewis after babysitting a 15" 2012 MBP and I almost kept it but it was just too small for what I wanted it to do. I'm now looking after a RMBP and to be honest I prefer the "meaty" URMP's with their proper on power button and the battery green diode display. Plus you know you’re holding it either in 13" or 15" guise as the shape and feel is like a chunky chocolate bar compared to a wafer thin mint.

The RMBP base model is good in some ways but just rubbish in others...what can you do with 256gb of hard drive now days? The screen is really nice in OSX but scrolling is still not that smooth (even with updates) and certain websites look a little off. Try Win 7 in bootcamp and it’s either to small (for me) or not quite right at 1920x1200. The glass screen isn’t as reflective as the non-retina mbp, in fact I don’t get a reflection at all so that’s a bonus. Its fast, but how much faster than an mbp with an ssd of equivalent spec I don’t know and I doubt fast enough to notice. I’m also curious to know what graphic designer/professional photographer would really want to be working on such a small screen in the first place to take advantage of the screen, most of the professionals in this field I know of want large screens to work with. I guess in the field it’s useful but to the average “Joe” it’s just a Nice/expensive feature to have. It’s absolutely a great piece of engineering the rmbp and one that Apple need a big “nod” from the rest of the PC world and I’m sure there will be more to follow.

 

[kofot]

I just upgraded to mid 2012 13" base model and I have to say this is a fantastic machine! It's super fast even without SSD (coming in a few weeks). My last macbook was the first unibody from late 2008.

One thing I've noticed is that the speakers are infact upgraded from earlier models, I compared these with a macbook 13" from 2011. These seem to have a clearer sound with crisper high ends, anyone else noticed this?

 

[FiremanMike]

I just upgraded to mid 2012 13" base model and I have to say this is a fantastic machine! It's super fast even without SSD (coming in a few weeks). My last macbook was the first unibody from late 2008.

One thing I've noticed is that the speakers are infact upgraded from earlier models, I compared these with a macbook 13" from 2011. These seem to have a clearer sound with crisper high ends, anyone else noticed this?

This is my first MacBook, so I can't compare to previous MacBooks, but I can say the speakers are exponentially better than any other laptop speaker set I have ever owned.

 

[JohnRN]

I just upgraded to mid 2012 13" base model and I have to say this is a fantastic machine! It's super fast even without SSD (coming in a few weeks). My last macbook was the first unibody from late 2008.

One thing I've noticed is that the speakers are infact upgraded from earlier models, I compared these with a macbook 13" from 2011. These seem to have a clearer sound with crisper high ends, anyone else noticed this?

I completely agree. I upgraded to the high end 2012 13" from a low end 2009 13". The 13" are absolutely fantastic machines. I loved my 2009 and I'm loving my 2012.

I agree the speakers are better and the screen is also brighter than my old 2009. I gave my old 2009 MBP to my dad (my plan to get my folks to switch from Windows to Mac), so far he loves it but I noticed that my screen was much brighter on my new one than on my old one.

I also noticed that my fans go on far less often than they used to with the 2009 model and it seems to run less hot than my old one used too, I can do just regular old surfing and basic sorts of things and my lap never gets hot.

Obviously it's much faster than my old MBP. I kept the EFI to 1.6 instead of upgrading to the 1.7, so I noticed that the HDD runs faster about 30MB/s on average between my new and my old. I have a Samsung 830 512 on the way should be here Friday. Can't wait to pop that thing into this laptop. I may want to get rid of my iMac and just get a Thunderbolt display if this thing is as fas as I think it's going to be.

I think the 13" is the most under loved model out there. It's also the most fantastic. I can't wait to upgrade this in a few 3-4 years to what should be another fantastic model I'm sure.

 

[DTF]

All you people with the new 13" MBP, anyone running parallels or fusion? Any problems running it with other applications running?

I'm debating on getting the high end 13" or the entry 15". I want performance but I'd like the lighter weight of the 13.

 

[SR71]

I completely agree. I upgraded to the high end 2012 13" from a low end 2009 13". The 13" are absolutely fantastic machines. I loved my 2009 and I'm loving my 2012.

I agree the speakers are better and the screen is also brighter than my old 2009. I gave my old 2009 MBP to my dad (my plan to get my folks to switch from Windows to Mac), so far he loves it but I noticed that my screen was much brighter on my new one than on my old one.

I also noticed that my fans go on far less often than they used to with the 2009 model and it seems to run less hot than my old one used too, I can do just regular old surfing and basic sorts of things and my lap never gets hot.

Obviously it's much faster than my old MBP. I kept the EFI to 1.6 instead of upgrading to the 1.7, so I noticed that the HDD runs faster about 30MB/s on average between my new and my old. I have a Samsung 830 512 on the way should be here Friday. Can't wait to pop that thing into this laptop. I may want to get rid of my iMac and just get a Thunderbolt display if this thing is as fas as I think it's going to be.

I think the 13" is the most under loved model out there. It's also the most fantastic. I can't wait to upgrade this in a few 3-4 years to what should be another fantastic model I'm sure.

This is my first MacBook, so I can't compare to previous MacBooks, but I can say the speakers are exponentially better than any other laptop speaker set I have ever owned.

Retina stole the show, so the 13's just arent the "fashion" at the mo in the media.

I had a 13" for 2 days from John Lewis after babysitting a 15" 2012 MBP and I almost kept it but it was just too small for what I wanted it to do. I'm now looking after a RMBP and to be honest I prefer the "meaty" URMP's with their proper on power button and the battery green diode display. Plus you know you’re holding it either in 13" or 15" guise as the shape and feel is like a chunky chocolate bar compared to a wafer thin mint.

The RMBP base model is good in some ways but just rubbish in others...what can you do with 256gb of hard drive now days? The screen is really nice in OSX but scrolling is still not that smooth (even with updates) and certain websites look a little off. Try Win 7 in bootcamp and it’s either to small (for me) or not quite right at 1920x1200. The glass screen isn’t as reflective as the non-retina mbp, in fact I don’t get a reflection at all so that’s a bonus. Its fast, but how much faster than an mbp with an ssd of equivalent spec I don’t know and I doubt fast enough to notice. I’m also curious to know what graphic designer/professional photographer would really want to be working on such a small screen in the first place to take advantage of the screen, most of the professionals in this field I know of want large screens to work with. I guess in the field it’s useful but to the average “Joe” it’s just a Nice/expensive feature to have. It’s absolutely a great piece of engineering the rmbp and one that Apple need a big “nod” from the rest of the PC world and I’m sure there will be more to follow.

I just upgraded to mid 2012 13" base model and I have to say this is a fantastic machine! It's super fast even without SSD (coming in a few weeks). My last macbook was the first unibody from late 2008.

One thing I've noticed is that the speakers are infact upgraded from earlier models, I compared these with a macbook 13" from 2011. These seem to have a clearer sound with crisper high ends, anyone else noticed this?

I freaking love mine.. LOVE IT..

Hows that?

Thanks for all the mini-reviews, guys! I'm ordering mine from MacMall on Friday to avoid sales tax and gonna upgrade it with 8GB of RAM from crucial.com as well as getting a 512GB Crucial M4 SSD off of Amazon in about a month or so. This machine is going to be SO fast, I can feel it!

I was going to get 16GB of RAM, but figured it was way overkill and the most I'd ever need is 12GB of RAM, if that. Not to mention that if I ever do need more RAM (probably not until college or until I start to code and stuff), I can easily order the 16GB of RAM and pop it in, no hassle. I'm mostly excited for the SSD, though. I used to own a 2010 MBA, and man was that SSD fast... to think that SSD's nowadays are running at DOUBLE the speed of the SSD that was in the 2010 MBA absolutely blows my mind.

Anyone else using the same setup of 8GB of RAM with a 512GB SSD? If so, how's it working out for you? Everything blazing fast as I expect?

 

[M5RahuL]

I love my 13" [ 2011 ] .. I would really like to buy the 15" version for some reasons none of which are due to any limitation [ except screen size ] of the 13 incher!

With 16GB Ram and still on the factory 320GB 5400 rpm HDD, it flies and I almost never hear the fans!

I agree the Retina is the show stopper right now, but the 13" MBP is just amazing!!

 

[zuckuss00]

I just bought a 13" Macbook Pro over a base retina 15". Reason: school. Portability is the main purpose of a notebook computer and the 15", I feel, is just too cumbersome. The new retina display is amazing and the machine is very powerful, however, I just felt it's unnecessary and too exspensive. So I went with a i7 13" instead. Actually a brand new Late 2011 13", which are much cheaper now. I'm sure the mid 2012 is slightly faster. But for the price, the late 2011 is a amazing deal for a still awesome machine.

 

[SR71]

Thanks again guys, I'm going to order mine tomorrow with the in store pickup option from Apple.

So pumped! With 8GB of RAM a 512GB Crucial M4 SSD, this thing is going to FLY!

 

[kofot]

To all of you who also went from 15" to 13",, Another difference I've noticed is that this 13" seems to have more/stronger colors. I've only noticed this when Im watching Starcraft II Streams, and the strong colors in this game seems to bleed now.

I've played around with the color correction but there's no option to lower this as far as I can tell. It's pretty significant when you compare the two computers. Is this simply a result of the lower resolution on the 13"?

 

[klex]

Here's one:

http://www.macworld.com/article/116..._retina_models_occupy_the_consumer_space.html

 

[DTF]

Here's one:

http://www.macworld.com/article/116..._retina_models_occupy_the_consumer_space.html

There's something wrong with those speed tests. If you look at them the 13" 2.9Ghz model is beating out the base 15" model and basically tying the 2.6Ghz model. Something's not right there.

 

[DVD9]

So, does anyone know what's up with reviewers recently? I can't find a single review for the non-retina 2012 13" MacBook Pro anywhere. Did they forget this was also released alongside the rMBP and 2012 MacBook Air? Reviews have been done for the 2012 MBA, but not for the non-retina 2012 MBP's.

Anyone have any ideas lol?

It's over for the two non-retina pros. You can get a new 2011 13 from Amazon for$999- now and the price might go lower. If Apple is still turning these out in last years volume then you can expect deep discounts by November on the 2012 models.

We're all waiting on the 13"Retina in October.

 

[SpyderBite]

I freaking love mine.. LOVE IT..

This. ^^

I added 16gb RAM to it today and my love increased accordingly.

 

[JohnRN]

Anyone else using the same setup of 8GB of RAM with a 512GB SSD? If so, how's it working out for you? Everything blazing fast as I expect?

Yes I bought the high end 13 with 8GB of RAM and my Samsung 830 512 comes tomorrow. Got it off of Ebay new for ~$200 lower than what Newegg sells them. Can't wait to get it into my MBP. Already got a Blackmagic shot of what the standard HDD is rated at. Can't wait to do it with the SSD. I have a feeling it's going to be scary fast it'll probably take me a few to get used too it.

Eventually I'll upgraded to 16GB of RAM, but right now I honestly don't normally use beyond 5-6GB at any one time and most of the time it's at 2-3GB used. I'm honestly not sure if getting 16GB would really even do anything with not going beyond 5-6GB???

 

[SR71]

Yes I bought the high end 13 with 8GB of RAM and my Samsung 830 512 comes tomorrow. Got it off of Ebay new for ~$200 lower than what Newegg sells them. Can't wait to get it into my MBP. Already got a Blackmagic shot of what the standard HDD is rated at. Can't wait to do it with the SSD. I have a feeling it's going to be scary fast it'll probably take me a few to get used too it.

Eventually I'll upgraded to 16GB of RAM, but right now I honestly don't normally use beyond 5-6GB at any one time and most of the time it's at 2-3GB used. I'm honestly not sure if getting 16GB would really even do anything with not going beyond 5-6GB???

I doubt that with 16GB of RAM it'd act any different, but in the future, prices will go down, so it will be cheaper to upgrade, but if you keep doing what you're doing and only using 5-6GB of RAM MAX, then just stick with the 8GB for now.

I'm ordering my MBP tomorrow from the Apple Edu store and gonna use the in store pickup option so I can get it right then and there an hour later. Can't wait!!!

 

[JohnRN]

So HOLY COW!!!! After upgrading to the Samsung SSD in the 13" high end.....this is a completely new computer. I don't' even know where to begin. it literally boots up in 10 secs. It shuts down in 2-3. Such a huge difference in speed. I was having some buyers remorse if I was being honest....well that's completely gone now. This is an AWESOME machine!!!

Here is the Toshiba HDD that came with the MBP


Here's with the Samsung 830 SSD!!!

 

[phyrexia]

So HOLY COW!!!! After upgrading to the Samsung SSD in the 13" high end.....this is a completely new computer. I don't' even know where to begin. it literally boots up in 10 secs. It shuts down in 2-3. Such a huge difference in speed. I was having some buyers remorse if I was being honest....well that's completely gone now. This is an AWESOME machine!!!

And now you know the meaning of the word "bottleneck"

 

[stevelam]

So, does anyone know what's up with reviewers recently? I can't find a single review for the non-retina 2012 13" MacBook Pro anywhere. Did they forget this was also released alongside the rMBP and 2012 MacBook Air? Reviews have been done for the 2012 MBA, but not for the non-retina 2012 MBP's.

Anyone have any ideas lol?

Just look at any review of the retina MacBook but add a pound and take away all the laggy performance issues.