This is the first laptop I've ever owned where I don't feel the need to hook it up to my external speakers. The sound appears to be directed to your ears when sitting in front of the machine, and it is very loud and crisp. It could use a tad more bass, but this is a HUGE improvement from the previous gen MacBook Pro, the speakers just sound amazing, and they did it without pulling an HP and trying to throw a brand on their computers like BEATS Audio or JBL.... Of course, secretly, I'm sure Apple did work with a major audio company to design these amazing speakers. They remind me of BOSE to be honest, tiny little laptop speakers producing such a huge sound.
Also, the display of course everyone has already said, AMAZING, but... I have to make a comment. This is the FIRST laptop I've had that I didn't feel the need to hook it to an external monitor. The text is so crisp that I can see, and don't feel the need to up size. I do have it hooked up to my 24 inch HP LED monitor at work only when I am doing some major tasks that need a 2nd display, but my Retina MBP display is the primary. That will probably change when Apple releases a Retina iMac (with target display mode) or a retina Cinema display, but for now I just can't stand looking at any other monitor any more...
I've always been a happy camper with Apple products, but this is the first one that has really WOWED me. If you are on the fence about jumping to the new Retina MBP, just do it, you'll be so glad you did...
And also... If you add the 8 gigs RAM and the 256 SSD to the regular Macbook pro, it will be more expensive then the retina Macbook pro, so it's like getting the retina and the thin case for free if you ask me..
BTW, I bought a BLU RAY DRIVE since there's no built in SuperDrive any more, and it works perfectly with my Mac. I haven't watched any movies, but I've burned CDs with it and it works great, it's the LG one. I don't burn CD's very often, when I do it's always at home, so I don't even have to lug the burner with me, I am enjoying the lighter weight in my bag... Plus I have BLU RAY playback on my burner which previous gen MacBook pros did not have.
Also, the display of course everyone has already said, AMAZING, but... I have to make a comment. This is the FIRST laptop I've had that I didn't feel the need to hook it to an external monitor. The text is so crisp that I can see, and don't feel the need to up size. I do have it hooked up to my 24 inch HP LED monitor at work only when I am doing some major tasks that need a 2nd display, but my Retina MBP display is the primary. That will probably change when Apple releases a Retina iMac (with target display mode) or a retina Cinema display, but for now I just can't stand looking at any other monitor any more...
I've always been a happy camper with Apple products, but this is the first one that has really WOWED me. If you are on the fence about jumping to the new Retina MBP, just do it, you'll be so glad you did...
And also... If you add the 8 gigs RAM and the 256 SSD to the regular Macbook pro, it will be more expensive then the retina Macbook pro, so it's like getting the retina and the thin case for free if you ask me..
BTW, I bought a BLU RAY DRIVE since there's no built in SuperDrive any more, and it works perfectly with my Mac. I haven't watched any movies, but I've burned CDs with it and it works great, it's the LG one. I don't burn CD's very often, when I do it's always at home, so I don't even have to lug the burner with me, I am enjoying the lighter weight in my bag... Plus I have BLU RAY playback on my burner which previous gen MacBook pros did not have.