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"Retina", according to Apple, just means that the eye is unable to see individual pixels at a normal viewing distance. Every MacBook, iMac, and Apple display is already "retina".

I can easily see pixelation on Macbook and iMac screens. Can't wait for the retina revolution! :D
 
We're talking about the company that charges $200 for 4GB extra RAM here ;) I doubt they'll absorb the costs.

This really is all just speculation. The thing is that there's more than just costs that set the price. They try to guess how many they can sell at a given price point. Regarding your example of the macbook air, that's for both the ram and hard drive upgrade, and it's toward the end of the cycle. It was high last year. At this point it's starting to look ridiculous. With the possible exception of a netbook, I don't think any computer running a modern desktop OS (clarification for the trolls) should ship with 2GB of ram in 2012. It does slow things down. If you're not doing any heavy work, which you wouldn't be on that computer anyway, the SSD might make up for it. If your drive gets too full, that becomes even more of an issue, and it's a real possibility with a 64 GB drive (not sure of usable formatted capacity).

Even though the DVD drive and some ports are coming off, USB3+2nd thunderbolt+SSD+retina will undoubtedly cut apple's profit margin tremendously if sticking to the current price points. This is Apple's chance to offer a bang for your buck, something they are not known for doing, but a move that would keep them ahead of the competition for 2+ years. It is interesting to watch which direction they end up going. Also wouldn't be surprised if entry level 15" is discontinued as a result.

I'm not sure they'll move entirely to SSDs. My guess would be either a cheap SSD option or a base SSD with a cheap 1TB HDD option. They won't make SSDs standard unless they're using something that costs roughly what they were paying for an HDD when the last generation debuted. This means your You can't really compare costs at the end of a cycle to costs at the beginning when they amortize over the entire cycle at the same price point. They also have the advantage that if they stick with 4GB of ram (which they probably will), their ram cost will be next to nothing. Ram has gotten really cheap. If they are removing the optical and/or whatever ports, you save both costs on the parts and labor cutting out those areas and installing them. Before anyone mentions retooling the line, that's something that happens either way, and considering the volume of macbook pros/airs, it should be absorbed fairly quickly.

What would seem like a big problem is if so many people really are returning ipads looking for a perfect screen. Once returned they can't sell the item as new anymore. If anything, that is eating into margins, but their numbers keep growing so no one will remember that a year from now.

They can't. Have you seen what AAPL has been doing lately? If they announce lower profit margins the stock will plummet.

The stock shot way up, and people most likely started cashing in. Considering it's still on the macs (which make up a decreasing percentage of profits, although they help hold you in the Apple dungeon/ecosystem) , I don't think you're correct. They did raise the price when they transitioned to the unibody enclosures. There are different ways they could go with this assuming they actually hit macbooks this year (and the technology is still under baked, so that wouldn't really make me want one). It could be an upgrade like they do with the high res currently on the 15". The high res on the 15" should really be standard, and you could make that one the new high res. I really wish they'd stop calling it "retina" though. The math isn't as simple as people on here think. It just makes for pretty marketing materials.

Are you suggesting colors aren't as accurate on glossy screens? If so, have any data? That sounds suspicious to me.

This is one of those misunderstood things. What tends to be considered "accurate" is somewhat relative to an accepted standard regarding color temperature values and gamma encoding within a certain level of tolerance. None of them are really perfect in this regard, but displays are basically designed to look good. If you use your macbook every day for a year at the same settings. At the end the colors will have shifted, and the display will be dimmer. You're unlikely to notice because it's a gradual effect. If he's finding colors seem less accurate on glossy, it's most likely because the reflections are not completely monochrome, and your eyes can't really separate them entirely. You think they can, but there's still some bias in terms of perception.
 
Ha ha. Yeah. I don't remember anyone complaining that glass CRTs were hard to read and we used those things for 20 years.

But suddenly glass is impossible to use on a computer screen? I don't get it either.

None of mine (IBM, Sony, Viewsonic) were shiny. I recall them more as semi-mat. Also their screens were curved so they didn't reflect the same way as a huge flat panel of glass.
 
macbook

I think the new lineup will reflect Apple's naming the iPad, just the new iPad. I see Macbook Air and Macbook Pro names going away and name Macbook taking place of all sizes. 11", 13" and 15". No 17"
 
Exactly. Macs already are somewut overpriced anyway. They are cool. I have a macbook pro. But its more of a nifty thing then anything else. Plus doing games on it is a hassle (which I recognize that gaming isn't why most people buy computers, but it does cancel out macs). Adding a super high rez screen would give the macbook's a certain quality thats hard to find on PC.

THERFOR this should come at no price increase. If apple wanted to make their platform even more appealing, they would cut the prices by 100 and throw in the retina screens. Make the ecosystem more popular.

"Overpriced" is a subjective thing, and can't be based purely on component mark-up costs. Given Apple's enormous financial success over the past few years and their expanding user base, it would seem that most people find Apple products to be fairly priced. Even "coolness" is a value-add for many people. At the moment, I don't see much incentive for Apple to lower prices if it would adversely affect their overall profit margin. But I won't complain if they do. :)
 
I would not be surprised at all to see 15-20% price increases, normalized for part costs due mainly to currency destruction from Federal fiscal and monetary policy. Apple prices in US Dollars.

If the displays are $90 more, the SSD $200 more, the Intel chip $40 less, and memory $100 more we might see a 15" Good with 15% baseline currency debasement go from $1799 to $2399. But it would have stock SSD, 8gb memory, maybe an auxiliary HD, a retina display, and advanced graphics.

I remember paying well over $5k for Powerbooks and that was with dollars that were a whole bunch more valuable than now.

I wish they came with LTE and a second SSD slot.

Rocketman
 
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Graphics ?

My biggest fear is graphics performance. Mac has never been cutting edge on GPUs (IMO), and now you will be pushing as many pixels as a 27 inch monitor with a mobile GPU. Hmmmmm?

I'm still longing for an upgrade option for my very dated 5870 in my Pro, and that was the top offering - two years ago, and still is. :( Similar fears for Retina desktop monitors being pushed by Apple laptop or desktop GPU offerings.
 
I saw and played with the new iPad and the retina display was not a mayor factor at all.

I tried a friend's the other day. The screen looked nice. What I really remember is all of the smudges and finger prints on the screen after it was passed around awhile. Ugh, no thanks touch screens. That goes for you too, Metro!
 
None of mine (IBM, Sony, Viewsonic) were shiny. I recall them more as semi-mat. Also their screens were curved so they didn't reflect the same way as a huge flat panel of glass.
It's funny how you're spreading misinformation.

Actually, the first CRTs were curved because of technical limitations. They had to be outwards-curved in order to withstand the pressure of air from the outside, since there is vacuum inside. As CRTs progressed, the glass was made stronger and they were able to start making flat CRTs, which were primarily an advantage PRECISELY because they generated less glare/reflections, since a flat surface reflects less area than a curved one.
 
$65-90 for a "retina" display on an MBP seems like it wouldn't be a huge deal on a $1,800 machine. Particularly for photographers and visual artists.

If the cost of the display to Apple is $90 more, what do you think will it add to the retail price?
 
My biggest fear is graphics performance. Mac has never been cutting edge on GPUs (IMO), and now you will be pushing as many pixels as a 27 inch monitor with a mobile GPU. Hmmmmm?

I'm still longing for an upgrade option for my very dated 5870 in my Pro, and that was the top offering - two years ago, and still is. :( Similar fears for Retina desktop monitors being pushed by Apple laptop or desktop GPU offerings.

Which is why I hope they offer something more then the GT650M and instead offer the GTX660-675M
 
According to Shim, a Retina 15.4-inch display at 2880x1800 resolution for a density of 220 pixels per inch (ppi) currently costs approximately $160, a $92 increase over Apple's estimated cost of $68 for the current display in the 15-inch MacBook Pro. In the smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro, a Retina display at 2560x1600 costs $134, a $65 premium over the display used in the current model.

ffs... THESE RESOLUTIONS AT THIS SIZE IS STILL AWFUL. Just give us more real estate before retina dammit.
 
I've seen many people express concern that the retina screen may overtax any video card. I'm no hardware expert, but this would only be true if you were running at "retina" resolutions, correct? If you set the resolution to, say, 1440x900 the fact that the screen is "retina", and capable of much more, wouldn't hamper performance at that lower resolution, correct?
 
I've seen many people express concern that the retina screen may overtax any video card. I'm no hardware expert, but this would only be true if you were running at "retina" resolutions, correct? If you set the resolution to, say, 1440x900 the fact that the screen is "retina", and capable of much more, wouldn't hamper performance at that lower resolution, correct?

Correct. If you were trying to run a game at like 2880x1800, that would tax the card hard...but if you went into 1920x1080 or ran it in windowed mode at that resolution, I believe it would be ok.

But I still think they need to offer the highest end GPU in there...the GTX series.
 
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ffs... THESE RESOLUTIONS AT THIS SIZE IS STILL AWFUL. Just give us more real estate before retina dammit.

That may well be the problem here. I hope they still offer a 15" non-Retina hi res option, like a 1900 x something 1 to 1 display and not just a shiny new 2x retina display. That would be a step backwards from the current hi res option (which I'm passing on because it's no real improvement over my current PC laptop at about 125 ppi).
 
We're talking about the company that charges $200 for 4GB extra RAM here ;) I doubt they'll absorb the costs.

It's also the company who put out an iPad with a retina display at the same price as the old model.
 
Exactly. Removing features and ports is NOT innovating.

Great post!

Actually it is innovating.

Have you noticed that whatever Apple does, others follow. That is being the innovative leader in your field.

You don't have to 'create' something...you have to be the one to really first do it to be innovative. Apple does exactly this.

Just deal with the fact that most people are not using ODD, certain ports anymore and move into the future. Or are you still complaining that the horse and buggy got replaced by the automobile.
 
I'm all for a matte option, but I'm confused as to why we used to support glass CRTs heavily over LCD monitors in the professional world if the reflection level was SO AWFUL as many would have you believe.

I for one freelance in photography and design quite successfully with a glossy iMac. Now if I had a MBP that I used outside, I'd look for some kind of glare-reducing option... but that's kind of an extreme situation.

I'll take double DPI over matte any day for my personal workflow.

We're talking about laptops here where the screen is going to be under various light sources.

Even if it were a stationary LCD, I still prefer matte as there is always less glare. Look into the Dell U2410.
 
Please don't spread misinformation.

Matte screens have WORSE color repurduction... That's why Designers use Glossy duh.

You obviously don't know what you're talking about. I have both a matte screen and glossy screen. When looking at both with the same image, the glossy screen's color is a bit more saturated (although not as much as I thought it would be). But not too bad. Plus the glossy screen wasn't calibrated.

But to say "Matte screens have WORSE color reproduction and that's why designers use glossy duh" is just plain ignorant. A properly calibrated matte screen will give you accurate colors matching CMYK printing. And I'm sure the same is true with a glossy screen.

Besides, and this is subjective, matte screens are preferable since they don't act like a mirror. I hope Apple ditches the gloss screen for the MacBook Pro. I don't need to be looking in a mirror.
 
With the macbook pro getting a thinner design, does anybody know if the internals will still be user serviceable? HD, Ram upgrade?
 
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