Specs at a glance: 15-inch 2015 Apple Retina MacBook Pro | |
---|---|
Screen | 2880×1800 at 15.4' (220 PPI) |
OS | OS X 10.10.3 'Yosemite' |
CPU | 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-4870HQ (Turbo up to 3.7GHz) |
RAM | 16GB 1600MHz DDR3L (non-upgradeable) |
GPU | Intel Iris Pro 5200 (integrated), AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2GB GDDR5 |
HDD | 512GB solid-state drive |
Networking | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (up to 1.3Gbps), Bluetooth 4.0 |
Ports | 2x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2, card reader, HDMI, headphones |
Size | 14.13' × 9.73' × 0.71' (358.9 mm × 247.1 mm × 18.0 mm) |
Weight | 4.49 lbs (2.04 kg) |
Battery | 99.5 WHr |
Warranty | 1 year |
Starting price | $1,999.99 |
Price as reviewed | $2,499.99 |
Other perks | Webcam, backlit keyboard, dual integrated mics, Force Touch trackpad |
Apple released a new 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro last month, but it's not the update we were expecting.
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When the company held off refreshing the 15-inch model alongside the 13-inch Pro and both MacBook Airs earlier this year, we assumed it was waiting for the oft-delayed quad-core Broadwell processors from Intel. Those were just announced and should begin showing up at retail within the next 30 to 60 days. Assuming they follow the same pattern as the dual-core Broadwell parts, those chips would have provided small CPU and battery life boosts and larger increases to graphics performance.
Instead, Apple released the new MacBook Pros with the exact same chips they've been using for almost two years now, quad-core Haswell chips with Intel's Iris Pro 5200 GPU. How to get storage on macbook air. It's not clear why this happened—given the timing I'd guess Apple knows something we don't about how well Intel's quad-core parts are ramping up—but whatever the reason, the new model is neither as significant nor as interesting as it might have been.
The new MacBook Pros do include a handful of other upgrades, though. A different dedicated GPU in the high-end model, a marginally larger battery, and faster PCI Express-based storage are all welcome improvements. Apple sent us the high-end $2,499 model for review so we could at least test out all of those tweaks, but if you were hoping for something significantly better than the 2013 and 2014 models, you'll come away disappointed.
Look and feel, 4K and 5K, and the Force Touch trackpad
Nothing about the design of the new MacBook Pro is a surprise. This is the same unibody aluminum chassis Apple has been using for the 15-inch model since the Retina model was introduced back in 2012.
If you're upgrading from an older 15-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro, this laptop will still seem relatively thin and light. Those models weighed 5.6 pounds where the Retina version weighs 4.49 pounds; they were 0.95 inches thick where the Retina model is 0.71 inches thick.
Of course, compared to any other product in the modern MacBook family, the 15-inch version is chunky. The 13-inch Pro only weighs 3.48 pounds, the 13-inch Air weighs 2.96 pounds, and the MacBook weighs 2.06 pounds. The 15-inch model uses the extra space well—it's drastically more powerful than the other MacBooks even though none of its year-to-year updates since 2012 have been very impressive.
The display is the same 15.4-inch 2880×1800 display Apple has used in all the Retina MacBook Pros, and it still looks great—it's nice and sharp and has good-looking colors and great viewing angles. Out of the box, it's set to look like a 1440×900 screen, but you can set it to look like a 1680×1050 or 1920×1200 screen, too. When you're just using the internal display, the OS X UI and all its animations and transitions run fairly smoothly on the GPU in either of those scaled resolution modes even if you have more than a dozen windows open (we tested with Mission Control, which is one of the more intense animations in the OS once you're running a bunch of apps). It gets smoother when the system switches over to the dedicated GPU, though, assuming you spent the extra cash on the AMD Radeon-equipped model.
Since it's got relatively powerful Intel and AMD GPUs and DisplayPort 1.2 (thanks to Thunderbolt 2), the Pro also continues to be able to support external 4K displays—it can do 4K at 60Hz over DisplayPort or 4K at 24Hz over the HDMI 1.4 port. In the Radeon model with switchable graphics, hooking up an external display always causes the laptop to kick over to the dedicated GPU, which keeps animations and transitions nice and smooth if you're pushing an external 4K display and the built-in screen at its native resolution. Things get choppier if you use a higher scaling mode on either or both displays, though it remains more than usable.
The Radeon version of this new MacBook Pro is also one of the few Macs that can drive an external 5K display at 60Hz, though you'll need two DisplayPort cables to do it (the entry-level Iris Pro model can't). How to install software in windows 7 pdf. 60Hz 5K over a single cable will need to wait for DisplayPort 1.3, which provides the necessary bandwidth for driving these even-higher-resolution panels, though the newly announced Thunderbolt 3 is apparently able to do it independently of DisplayPort.
The 15-inch Pro has exactly the same port layout as the 13-inch Pro: an SD card reader, HDMI 1.4 port, and USB 3.0 port on the right side, and a MagSafe 2 connector, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, another USB 3.0 port, and a headphone jack on the left side. It would be nice if Apple could try to fit a few more USB ports on this thing since it's so much larger than the 13-inch model, but it's still a fine selection of ports for a laptop.
The sole physical change is the switch from the standard multitouch trackpad to the clickless Force Touch trackpad, which we've talked about several times at this point. Force Touch trackpads use strain gauges to provide pressure sensitivity. Electromagnets vibrate against a metal rail to provide haptic feedback that approximates a 'click.'
Going to the Trackpad preference pane lets you configure the amount of haptic feedback—at the 'firm' feedback setting, the Force Touch trackpad comes the closest to recreating the feeling of the regular trackpad that's in the MacBook Airs or the older Pros. It's not quite the same, but it's close enough.
While the Force Touch trackpad was first introduced in the new MacBook, where space is at a premium, its inclusion in the Pros seems like an effort to get developers to use the new Force Touch and pressure sensitivity APIs. Force Touch trackpads are now in three MacBooks, and the Apple Watch uses Force Touch as a primary input mechanism. Expect to see the feature proliferate across the rest of Apple's lineup over the next year or so. This is the new normal.
Your MacBook Pro was designed to complete a wide variety of different tasks with ease and speed. Apple is well known for leading the pack in new technological advancements and always seem to utilize cutting edge components and design in all of its products. Regardless of which model year of MacBook you might have, chances are when it was new, it was at the top of its class in function and form.
Storage is an important factor to consider with any computer. Regardless of how many nice features your MacBook Pro has, if you run out of storage, it can cause unwanted issues. Some people even believe that you can never have too much storage capacity on a computer. Your MacBook Pro came with built-in storage but depending on your model, it is possible to add more storage capacity to your computer.
Why Add More Storage?
More storage is a good thing. The more storage capacity you have on your computer, the more programs, apps, files, and data you can run and store. If you run out of storage space, you might have to delete files or programs in order to make room for new ones. While you can always place this data on something like an external hard drive, it can be a pain to run out of storage capacity on your computer.
When you reach the limits of your computer's storage capacity, you might also start to notice issues with performance. Things can start to run slowly and freezes can occur as your computer struggles to keep everything operating effectively without enough storage to do so. By adding more storage, you can avoid these potential problems while keeping all of the files and data you wish and not having your performance suffer.
Adding Storage – Things to Consider
When you buy a new MacBook Pro, you usually have options for what storage capacity you want to be included on your computer. More storage costs more money so oftentimes, buyers don't get a high amount of storage. While this cost may seem significant, the extra storage can really help with performance and other important operations on your computer so it's always good to consider a storage upgrade if you can afford it.
Another thing to consider is that not all MacBook models can have storage added to them internally. You can always use external storage methods, which we will discuss below, but some Apple computers won't allow the additional storage capacity to be added after the machine has been manufactured. This is another reason to get the most memory you can afford at the time of purchase.
How to Add Storage to MacBook Pro
There are several methods to gain additional storage capacity on your MacBook Pro. Some of these options are only available for certain model years and newer model MacBooks cannot actually add storage internally. The newest models come equipped with an SSD (Solid State Drive) storage which cannot be upgraded. These are the model years that can be upgraded which have and SSD:
- MacBook Pro Retina 2015 or earlier.
- MacBook Pro non-Retina 2016 or earlier.
- If you have a different style MacBook or want to learn more about this upgrade, check out this link.
Free audio filtering software. If you can't upgrade your SSD, there are other methods to increase the storage capacity of your computer including:
1. External Storage
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You can use external storage methods to add storage to your MacBook Pro. The most common way to do this is by using an external hard drive. These drives connect directly to your computer using an appropriate cable and will give you as much extra storage as you want or need. You can transfer files and data quickly and easily from your computer to this external hard drive to gain extra storage.
2. SD Cards
On older model MacBooks, you can use an SD card to gain extra memory. These cards aren't as common as they used to be, but that means they are really cheap. If your computer has an SD card input, all you have to do is slide an SD card in and you can easily gain a couple hundred GB or more in storage capacity.
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3. Cloud Storage
Another option to add storage to your computer is through the cloud. This is a good way to backup files or data and allows you to gain almost endless amounts of storage, although you will have to pay for it. One downside to cloud storage is that it can be slow to download or upload files depending on your internet speed. You can get up to 2TB of cloud storage with Apple's iCloud and that is a considerable amount to work with.
4. Network Storage
This isn't a very common method for increasing storage these days, but it does work and can offer an increase in storage capacity if you have another computer or hard drive laying around the house. By utilizing the storage capacity on another device, you can connect it to your MacBook pro and gain added space. The downside to this method is that you have to be on the same network as the added device so you might not be able to leave your house.
Final Thoughts
I still think that the easiest way to add storage to your computer is to start with a lot of it from the get go. This means upgrading the storage on your MacBook Pro from the time you buy it. You don't have to go with the absolute highest amount of storage available but you should get more than the basic option. All of these added storage options will cost some money so getting more from the start is a good option.
If you don't want to pay as much upfront, you can use any of the methods above to gain added storage on your computer. I find the easiest method to do this is an external hard drive and usually carry one with me everywhere I take my computer, just in case. It also functions as a backup for any important files or data you have.
How much storage do you have on your computer? Do you think it will be enough or will you need to upgrade?