Apple Updates MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Insane New 2880x1800 Notebook Display

At today's WorldWide Developers' Conference in California, Apple just pushed the boundaries of laptop tech once more, updating their notebook lineup with 2880x1800 displays. The update comes as little surprise to anyone following the technology rumor cycle over the last several weeks; leaks of an ultra-high resolution display have been coming for some time.

Whether they were engineered by the normally ultra-secretive computer manufacturer or not, nobody knows.

As mentioned above, the biggest update came in the form of Apple's next-generation MacBook Pro line of laptops. The new 15.4-inch model comes with the ultra-high resolution display above, with Phil Schiller commenting that it also features better color, deeper blacks and "74% less glare" than the previous generation of displays.

The new model is also just 0.71 inches thick; Apple managed to get their Pro-level notebook thinner by removed the typical extra layer of glass they're known for placing on top of the display (which is why, I bet, the screen is suddenly less glare-worthy).

Credit to gdgt and their tremendous liveblog.

New MacBook Pro Specifications:

• 15.4-inch "Retina" display (2880x1800 resolution, or precisely twice the previous entry level 1440x900)
• 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU (2.7GHz max, Turbo Boost to 3.7GHz)
• 8GB RAM (16GB max)
• GeForce GT 650M 1GB
• 256GB flash storage (it looks to be the same sort as what's in the MacBook Air, not a traditional 2.5-inch SSD; 768GB max)
• 7 hour battery life
• 0.71 inches thick
• 4.46 pounds
• $2199 starting price

It's probable that you'll be able to upgrade a few more aspects of this next-gen MacBook Pro, but we won't know until the store comes back up. It's worth pointing out that Apple has done what the rumors suggested and removed the optical drive and Gigabit Ethernet ports. To help assuage the pain of the latter, Phil Schiller also showed off two new Thunderbolt adapters - one for FW800 and one for Gig-E.

As the image above shows, there are a full two Thunderbolt ports on this laptop, two USB 3.0 ports, a headphone adapter, a new, thinner, MagSafe AC port, an SD card slot, and an HDMI port (not the first one on a Mac, but I believe the first one on their laptops).

Given the high starting price and design compromises (Gig-E, optical drive), the company has decided to keep the traditional MacBook Pros around longer - in both 13-inch and 15-inch capacities. Apple didn't mention whether the 17-inch MacBook Pro model has been discontinued, but it's possible that its update will just come at a later date; it's something they've done before.

Traditional 15-inch MacBook Pro Specifications:

• 1440x900 display
• 2.3GHz quad-core i7 / 2.6GHz quad-core i7
• 4GB RAM / 8GB RAM
• GeForce GT 650M 512MB / GeForce GT 650M 1GB 
• 500GB HDD / 750GB HDD
• 7-hour battery life
• 0.95 inches thick
• 5.6 pounds
• $1799 / $2199

13-inch MacBook Pro Specifications:

• 1280x800 display
• 2.5GHz dual-core i5 / 2.9GHz dual-core i7
• 4GB RAM / 8GB RAM
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• 500GB HDD / 750GB HDD
• 7-hour battery life
• 0.95 inches thick
• 4.5 pounds (just a hair heavier than the new 15-inch model)
• $1199 / $1499

Like the new MacBook Pro, the 13- and 15-inch models both get updated to USB 3.0 (as do the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models).

Speaking of the MacBook Air, they didn't get a new design or, regrettably, a ridiculously high-resolution screen. They did get new internals, however:

13-inch MacBook Air Specifications:

• 1440x900 display
• 1.8GHz dual-core i5
• 4GB RAM
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• 128GB flash / 256GB flash (512GB max)
• 7-hour battery life
• 0.68 inches thick, tapering to 0.11 inches
• 2.96 pounds
• $1199 / $1499 (that's a substantial price increase for what looks like only an updated SSD)

11-inch MacBook Air Specifications:

• 1440x900 display
• 1.8GHz dual-core i5
• 4GB RAM
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• 128GB flash / 256GB flash (512GB max)
• 7-hour battery life
• 0.68 inches thick, tapering to 0.11 inches
• 2.96 pounds
• $1199 / $1499 (that's a substantial price increase for what looks like only an updated SSD)

All of the new laptops will be available starting today, after Apple's WWDC keynote finishes.

For more information on the updates to OS X Mountain Lion ($19.99!) and the likely new Apple desktops, be sure to keep refreshing our sister site, DesktopReview!