Along with the $200 price drop, which extends down to the new 13-inch model, Apple's latest flagship notebook features faster PCIe flash, as well as an optional GeForce GT 750M graphics processor. The refreshed laptop boasts the latest Intel quad-core Haswell processors with battery life extending to eight hours. Contributing some of that extra time is the latest edition of OS X — Mavericks — which comes with power-saving features
With the base configuration, the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display ships with a 2.0 gigahertz quad-core Intel i7 processor, 8 gigabytes of memory and 256 gigabytes of storage. This model drops the discrete GPU for integrated Intel Iris Pro graphics, though higher-end versions can be kitted with the GeForce GT 750M discrete graphics chip with 2 gigabytes of dedicated video memory.
Also available as an add-on option is a faster 2.6 gigahertz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8 gigahertz.
Coming along for the ride on both models is next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which Apple says delivers wireless performance improvements of up to three times that of 802.11n. The 15-inch model also boasts two second-generation Thunderbolt ports capable of transmitting data at up to 20 gigabits per second to each connected device.
At the same time, Apple quietly discontinued the non-Retina 15-inch MacBook Pro. The 13-inch MacBook pro variant is now the only remaining Apple laptop to feature an optical drive and a spinning hard disk.
For those upgrading to a new Mac who may still be using OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or OS X 10.8 Lion, Apple has provided Migration Assistant software to ease data transfer to your new system.
