Macbook Pro 15' (Retina 2012) vs Macbook Pro 15' (Late 2011)

[Mac-Tech]

The Retina and Late 2011 Mac Book Pro's have the same specs and will boot up the same time. All the hype is on the Retina display itself and being thinner that's all.

 

[TickleMeElmo]

The Retina and Late 2011 Mac Book Pro's have the same specs and will boot up the same time. All the hype is on the Retina display itself and being thinner that's all.

New MBP's have faster SSDs, they will most definitely boot faster.

 

[heyimandy]

Mac Book Pro (Retina 2012)

Con's: Can not upgrade Ram, No CD drive, No Gigabit Ethernet port, No Audio line out, No Battery indicator, No IR receiver.

CD Drive
This really depends on the user. As a video editor I'm satisfied with this. If I need to do any extensive burning I'll use another machine. As well most games, drivers and other softwares are now digital download.

Ethernet Port
There's a firewire to ethernet port adapter. Not sure why people make such a big deal of this. The solution is right in front of you if you miss it.

Audio
No audio line out. Not sure what is meant by this but you can certainly plug in speakers or head phones to get your audio.

Battery Indicator
Seriously how lazy are we... it says it in the top right. This should not be a make it break it feature.

RAM
Totally agree with the RAM con. Its unfortunate but maybe this has something to do with design and the only way it could be achieved. Yeah it costs more to upgrade the ram through apple but I don't think they planned it as a money ploy. Probably has something to do with the new board and design perhaps.

There are horrible cons to base the Macbook Pro Retina off of. Have we forgotten about how much of a work horse it is with its intel ivy bridge and flash drive. This is a wonderful machine. People are way to uptight about little cosmetics. The beauty salon is down the street...

 

[Mac-Tech]

New MBP's have faster SSDs, they will most definitely boot faster.

The late 2011 Model also uses SSD/Flash Storage drive its an option when you order online. So the speed should be the same as the Retina Mac's.

 

[PeopleTheseDays]

CD Drive
This really depends on the user. As a video editor I'm satisfied with this. If I need to do any extensive burning I'll use another machine. As well most games, drivers and other softwares are now digital download.

Ethernet Port
There's a firewire to ethernet port adapter. Not sure why people make such a big deal of this. The solution is right in front of you if you miss it.

Audio
No audio line out. Not sure what is meant by this but you can certainly plug in speakers or head phones to get your audio.

Battery Indicator
Seriously how lazy are we... it says it in the top right. This should not be a make it break it feature.

RAM
Totally agree with the RAM con. Its unfortunate but maybe this has something to do with design and the only way it could be achieved. Yeah it costs more to upgrade the ram through apple but I don't think they planned it as a money ploy. Probably has something to do with the new board and design perhaps.

There are horrible cons to base the Macbook Pro Retina off of. Have we forgotten about how much of a work horse it is with its intel ivy bridge and flash drive. This is a wonderful machine. People are way to uptight about little cosmetics. The beauty salon is down the street...

rMBP has a combined audio in/out like the 13 mbp and no dedicated port like the classic style 15.

 

[Mac-Tech]

CD Drive
This really depends on the user. As a video editor I'm satisfied with this. If I need to do any extensive burning I'll use another machine. As well most games, drivers and other softwares are now digital download.

This I agree with. Forget CD Drive then.

Ethernet Port
There's a firewire to ethernet port adapter. Not sure why people make such a big deal of this. The solution is right in front of you if you miss it.

This means you would need to spend $29.99 for the adapter. Me personally I never had to use the Ethernet port its all about WiFi connections.

Audio
No audio line out. Not sure what is meant by this but you can certainly plug in speakers or head phones to get your audio.

The Retina only comes with headphone jack and the dual mic is built in to the left speakers.

Battery Indicator
Seriously how lazy are we... it says it in the top right. This should not be a make it break it feature.

I think before you open your laptop you press the side to see how much charge it has. Yes it does come back to being lazy. But for some its the convenience of checking it before opening the lid.

RAM
Totally agree with the RAM con. Its unfortunate but maybe this has something to do with design and the only way it could be achieved. Yeah it costs more to upgrade the ram through apple but I don't think they planned it as a money ploy. Probably has something to do with the new board and design perhaps.

There are horrible cons to base the Macbook Pro Retina off of. Have we forgotten about how much of a work horse it is with its intel ivy bridge and flash drive. This is a wonderful machine. People are way to uptight about little cosmetics. The beauty salon is down the street...

The late 2011 model mac book pro max out is similar to the retina mac book pro they both run on 2.7 i7 processors with SSD/Flash storage.