What is the point of having Retina Display?

[Power Macintosh]

This is really confusing.

The reason why you want Retina Display is because you want a clear display, right? Yeah. And with the Retina Display, you couldn't distinguish the individual pixels, yes? Yes. But what about the standard displays? Even I couldn't distinguish the individual pixels. I doubt that you can see the individual pixels. Can you see them? No.

But when you look closer, you'll see pixels. But do we really need to look closer? No.

So what's amazing with this Retina Display? How is this different to the others out there?

 

[Snesley Wipes]

If you can't distunguish individual pixels on a standard screen you must have poor vision... Are you of "advanced age"?

 

[iLog.Genius]

If you compare them side by side, you'll notice/see the difference. It might not be as big as people are describing the retina panel but there is a difference.

 

[NTurner42]

Well, my MacBook Pro 13 inch looks like a big pile of **** and so does my external display. Can't wait to get the Retnia, my iPhone and iPad have spoiled me.

 

[Power Macintosh]

If you can't distunguish individual pixels on a standard screen you must have poor vision... Are you of "advanced age"?

Maybe just a little bit but seriously. Are those details so important?

 

[eron]

Maybe just a little bit but seriously. Are those details so important?

For most of the population no. Most of the population don't own Apple products anyway. Each person decides what's important for his or her life.

 

[Melih]

Obviously you have never seen a RMBP. Once you see it, there's no turning back.

 

[Power Macintosh]

The difference you are talking about is the 40% saturation increase in a Retina Display. Apple said that. It means that any other display with a 40% saturation boost will look like a Retina Display.

So there really isn't any much difference after all.

 

[surjavarman]

You just went full retard with that post.

How about the fact that the difference IS noticeable. Not only that but it is also the only macbook with a IPS panel. It has deeper blacks, better contrasts, better color accuracy, less glare, wider view angles and all the other pros that I might have forgotten. It is a superior screen in every way. Also you dont have to run it at 1440x900. If you don't like the screen real estate you are getting than just put the resolution higher. I believe it can even go all the way up to 2880x1800.


That and the fact that the RMBP is thinner and lighter than the original one makes it just a better machine.

 

[sammich]

To advance consumer technology beyond what is available now.
To improve the user experience in computing.

It has been stated: going from 'non-retina' to 'retina' is not a big deal. Going from 'retina' to 'non-retina', the 'deal' is much greater.

We don't perceive what we're missing in detail. It's like looking at a photo with a shallow depth of field, and only the people are in focus. But compare it to a photo with the background more in focus as well, and we'll appreciate things like how nice the scenery is. We don't miss what is missing, because we don't know it's there.

And yes, there are also other improvements related to the change to IPS and the bonded screen, but that's not talking about the retina.

I was a skeptic before I got my iPhone 4.

I was shocked once I looked a screenshot that was synced onto the phone from my 3G. How pixellated that image was. Just shocking.

 

[ennui613]

let's just say once u properly sit down and use a retina display for a bit then try to go
back and use a normal screen, you are going to have trouble doing so. I've been using it for a week or so and it's just so amazing every time I look at it. bright, crisp, sharp, vibrant, etc. I don't have a single friend who disagrees. no exaggerations, it is clearly a pretty display.

 

[Randomoneh]

This is really confusing.

The reason why you want Retina Display is because you want a clear display, right? Yeah. And with the Retina Display, you couldn't distinguish the individual pixels, yes? Yes. But what about the standard displays? Even I couldn't distinguish the individual pixels. I doubt that you can see the individual pixels. Can you see them? No.

But when you look closer, you'll see pixels. But do we really need to look closer? No.

So what's amazing with this Retina Display? How is this different to the others out there?

Not seeing pixelation doesn't mean you can't perceive higher quality with higher resolution. You can benefit from even higher [angular] resolutions than "Retina".

So:

1. Enhanced quality
2. Slowly approaching (not there yet) point where anti-aliasing is obsolete
   
   

 

[double329]

Simply a high resolution for me.

 

[JohnDoe98]

Maybe just a little bit but seriously. Are those details so important?

Work on one for a week, then go back and work on an old display. Come back and let us know what you think. In my experience, the display is worth every penny and is not over-hyped. The hype is real and well warranted.

 

[OSMac]

Work on one for a week, then go back and work on an old display. Come back and let us know what you think. In my experience, the display is worth every penny and is not over-hyped. The hype is real and well warranted.

Dont even need a week, at the Apple store I used the rMBP for about 30mins, then all the other displays looked poor.

The only thing being over hyped is the negative comments about lag, etc.

The retina display in best for retina mode is simply amazing compared to other devices.

 

[iFanboy]

This is really confusing.

The reason why you want Retina Display is because you want a clear display, right? Yeah. And with the Retina Display, you couldn't distinguish the individual pixels, yes? Yes. But what about the standard displays? Even I couldn't distinguish the individual pixels. I doubt that you can see the individual pixels. Can you see them? No.

But when you look closer, you'll see pixels. But do we really need to look closer? No.

So what's amazing with this Retina Display? How is this different to the others out there?

Stop thinking about pixels and start thinking about clarity.

No-one developed a retina display because individual pixels were bothering them. I am currently typing on a 2008 Core 2 Duo with 15 inch 1440x900 glossy screen, and I can't see the pixels. This screen is great.

The new retina displays have 4X as many pixels, so the screen is clearer, and text is noticeably sharper. This is great for people like me who spend most of my time reading walls of text and typing documents on my computer, and designers who get a clearer digital image than ever before to work on.

For some people it even reduces/eliminates eye strain and stops them getting headaches through long periods of use.

This is the "point" of retina. It's sharper and clearer, and if the technology is available to have sharper and clearer screens, why not? Why intentionally remain with screens that are not a sharp or clear?

 

[JohnDoe98]

Dont even need a week, at the Apple store I used the rMBP for about 30mins, then all the other displays looked poor.

The only thing being over hyped is the negative comments about lag, etc.

The retina display in best for retina mode is simply amazing compared to other devices.

It took a couple of hours working on it and surfing the web for the experience to really sink in for me. By day 3, my eye strain was reduced so much, my vision was significantly better than it ever was in the past. I've even been sleeping better now as a result of all that reduced strain. But those are probably idiosyncrasies.

In any case, some people like you seem to be able to appreciate the new tech really quickly, like in 30 minutes, some of us though, and probably more so the older you get, take a little longer to adjust. But once you do adjust, it is overwhelming really.

 

[OSMac]

In any case, some people like you seem to be able to appreciate the new tech really quickly, like in 30 minutes, some of us though, and probably more so the older you get, take a little longer to adjust. But once you do adjust, it is overwhelming really.

Last night I used a standard 1366x768 15" windows laptop, the eyestrain it must induce compred to the rMBP would be significant I'd think.

Of course it sells for a 1/4 of the price.

 

[cube]

Last night I used a standard 1366x768 15" windows laptop, the eyestrain it must induce compred to the rMBP would be significant I'd think.

Of course it sells for a 1/4 of the price.

That is not a standard resolution for a 15" laptop.
It is standard for 11".

 

[aristobrat]

This is really confusing.

The reason why you want Retina Display is because you want a clear display, right?

It sounds like Apple is doing some amazing things with the extra resolution. They're able to display higher-res photos/videos on the new 2880 x 1800 retina screen, but keep the controls of that app you're working with at normal size. That's awesome. If everything on the screen were shown at 2800x1800, you'd never be able to see the buttons in those apps!!!!

This sounds HUGE for people who edit photos/videos, and it really doesn't have anything to do with not being able to see individual pixels.

Where things get really exciting is when you have an application that not only handles scaling properly, but also takes advantage of the added resolution. Take Aperture 3.3 for example. With OS X set to its “best for Retina display” mode, this is what Aperture looks like with a 2880 x 1800 image open and displayed at full size:

Here Apple is scaling the UI elements like the menus and widgets on the screen (backing scale factor = 2.0), but displaying the open image unscaled (backing scale factor = 1.0). As a result we can fit almost an entire 2880 x 1800 image on the screen without zooming out. Remember the backing scale factor isn’t global, individual elements on the screen can be scaled independently depending on their purpose.

The same thing happens when you look at applications like iMovie or Final Cut HD. The UI elements are scaled up but the video window is displayed unscaled, thus allowing us to display a full 1080p video alongside text and tools that are still legible.

It’s all handled amazingly well. It just works.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/6

 

[ovrlrd]

But what about the standard displays? Even I couldn't distinguish the individual pixels. I doubt that you can see the individual pixels. Can you see them? No.

This argument is flawed because you are making the assumption that everyone is exactly like you.

Sorry but I can easily see the pixels on every display ever made, except for HiDPI displays.

 

[Spicedham]

its like going from sdtv to hdtv.

 

[kdoug]

You just went full retard with that post.

How about the fact that the difference IS noticeable. Not only that but it is also the only macbook with a IPS panel. It has deeper blacks, better contrasts, better color accuracy, less glare, wider view angles and all the other pros that I might have forgotten. It is a superior screen in every way. Also you dont have to run it at 1440x900. If you don't like the screen real estate you are getting than just put the resolution higher. I believe it can even go all the way up to 2880x1800.


That and the fact that the RMBP is thinner and lighter than the original one makes it just a better machine.

Seriously, a better machine? For some people, including myself who use a retina display iPad, the rmbp isn't a big deal. Having an Ethernet port, the ability to upgrade, an anti-glare screen, a slot lock is. At least it was for me.
I could have spent the same amount of money on a 2.3 rmbp with 16gb as I did on my 2012 2.6. But I considered the unibody a better machine for my use. If I need retina I'll use my iPad, if I need power, I'll use my 2012 unibody.

 

[leenak]

Personally, I bought the rMBP because I liked the overall design. Never use ethernet, never use a DVD player.

 

[NeilSpoon]

First time post on here, long time lurker. I am in the market for the rmbp but are holding out for now, basically because:

Work on one for a week, then go back and work on an old display. Come back and let us know what you think. In my experience, the display is worth every penny and is not over-hyped. The hype is real and well warranted.

Of course the screen is brilliant when used with retina optimized apps..... But if you use everyday software like MS office, iWorks, as well as photoshop, the quality is significantly worse on the rmbp compared to a normal MacBook. I, for instance, do a lot of report writing and looking at the very blurry text the retina display produces for hours on end, will mean eye strain and headaches.

Even more so, the way this thing is marketed suggests that everything will be retina quality. I wonder how many ppl will feel cheated after they remortgaged their house to buy one of these things and realize the quality is simply awfull.

Untill main apps like mentioned above are updated, you are left in the odd situation where you have the sharpest screen ever made, which displays the vast majority of content in a worse, blurrier form compared to standard notebooks. I wouldn't hold my breath either for a company like Microsoft to swiftly update their Office suite.

I did consider buying the normal 2012 15" MacBook pro, but it turns out that the retina actually works out cheaper...... Ie. the normal MacBook pro is a bit of a rip-off. I will sit on my hard earned cash a little while longer.......