rMBP External Monitor

[MyAppleWorld]

So what is it like when you plug a rMBP into a standard 1080p monitor?

Does the UI look dreadful? blurry?

What happens in extended desktop mode when you move a window from the retina display over to your normal external display?

Can rMBP handle high-res external displays and treat them as pixel independent?

 

[Yahooligan]

So what is it like when you plug a rMBP into a standard 1080p monitor?

Does the UI look dreadful? blurry?

Depends on the size of the display, quality-wise it'll look like any other UI when run on the same display.

What happens in extended desktop mode when you move a window from the retina display over to your normal external display?

The window moves to the external display, just as you would expect to happen.

Can rMBP handle high-res external displays and treat them as pixel independent?

Yes...I have my rMBP connected to my Thunderbolt display right now. Works just fine.

 

[MyAppleWorld]

Depends on the size of the display, quality-wise it'll look like any other UI when run on the same display.



The window moves to the external display, just as you would expect to happen.



Yes...I have my rMBP connected to my Thunderbolt display right now. Works just fine.

so what is the native pixel of your thunderbolt display and what is it actually displaying at?

 

[Yahooligan]

so what is the native pixel of your thunderbolt display and what is it actually displaying at?

2560x1440.

It sounds like you think the rMBP is going to somehow turn external displays into Retina displays or something. Plugging an external display into an rMBP works just like plugging one into any other Mac, nothing special happens.

 

[MyAppleWorld]

2560x1440.

It sounds like you think the rMBP is going to somehow turn external displays into Retina displays or something. Plugging an external display into an rMBP works just like plugging one into any other Mac, nothing special happens.

no, i thought thats what you were saying.

what I'm asking is when you plug in an external display do things looks ugly in comparison?

 

[ASKendrew]

It will always look ugly in comparison, as the quality of the screens is so different. I have a standard 1080p monitor plugged into my rMBP, and yes it does look horrible side by side with the Retina display.

 

[snaky69]

no, i thought thats what you were saying.

what I'm asking is when you plug in an external display do things looks ugly in comparison?

Put an iPhone 4 or younger side by side with an iPod Touch or iPhone 3GS or older, display the same information on both.

It'll look just like that.

 

[Yahooligan]

It will always look ugly in comparison, as the quality of the screens is so different. I have a standard 1080p monitor plugged into my rMBP, and yes it does look horrible side by side with the Retina display.

Being 1080p isn't what makes it "ugly." Display size vs viewing distance. I sit approx 2.5 feet from my ATD and rMBP (They are next to each other on my desk) and really see no difference in display/image quality. The Retina display makes a difference to people that use it as a laptop and/or who have the display much closer to their eyes.

A 55" 1080p TV also looks just fine from ~10 feet, but look at it from 2 feet away and it'll look like crap.

Bottom line, if you can't see the pixels from your normal viewing distance then it doesn't matter if you have a Retina display or not, IMO.