iFixit’s MacBook Pro with Retina Display Teardown →

iFixit’s MacBook Pro with Retina Display Teardown

As expected, the guys at iFixit have posted their teardown of the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, announced by Apple earlier this week at WWDC. With an overall repairability score of 1 out of 10, iFixit notes how the latest iteration of the MacBook Pro makes it harder for repairers to replace internal components and disassemble the machine.

In particular, they note how Apple is using proprietary flash memory on the MacBook Pro now, and a fused display assembly without glass that, in case of anything falling inside the display, will need the user to replace the entire assembly. They also noticed a different battery layout:

The lithium-polymer battery is glued rather than screwed into the case, which increases the chances that it’ll break during disassembly. The battery also covers the trackpad cable, which tremendously increases the chance that the user will shear the cable in the battery removal process.

Check out the full teardown (with photos and technical comments) here.

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FaceTime Over 3G To Support iPhone 4 and iPad 2 In Australia? [Updated]

By Federico Viticci

As noted by poster “macrob” on MacTalk’s forums, the Apple Australian webpage for the recently announced iOS 6 suggests FaceTime over cellular will work on the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 in Australia. As indicated in a fine print at the bottom of the page (point 4), ”FaceTime over a cellular network requires iPhone 4 or later, or iPad 2 or later with cellular data capability. Carrier data charges may apply. FaceTime is not available in all countries”. This compares to Apple’s other iOS 6 Preview webpages, where Apple states ”FaceTime over a cellular network requires iPhone 4S or iPad (3rd generation) with cellular data capability”.

Announced earlier this week by Scott Forstall at WWDC, FaceTime over cellular wasn’t given exact specifications on stage during the keynote; on Apple’s iOS 6 Preview webpage, a number of features – such as VIP list and Shared Photo Streams – are shown as available only on newer devices, as collected by MacRumors in this list. It appears Apple’s Australian website is the only one to report FaceTime over cellular as compatible with the iPhone 4 and iPad 2; every other webpage says the feature will only work on the iPhone 4S and iPad 3.

It is unclear whether the fine print on Apple’s Australian website could have been posted by mistake, or if Apple really is planning on supporting older devices for Australian customers. While technically possible as a number of jailbreak tweaks have shown in the past years, some have speculated Apple might want to limit FaceTime over cellular to newer devices due to their improved antenna design and networking capabilities over older generation models.

We have reached out to Apple for comment and we’ll update this story with clarifications when available.

Update: Apple’s Australian website has been updated to clarify FaceTime over cellular will work on the iPhone 4S or iPad 3.

Apple Airs New MacBook Pro Commercial: “Innovation In Every Dimension”

By Federico Viticci

Following yesterday’s announcement at WWDC, Apple today aired a new commercial for the MacBook Pro with Retina display during the NBA Finals in the United States. Still not officially available on Apple’s website or YouTube channel, we managed to find a recorded version on YouTube.

Perhaps not as emotional as Apple’s other commercials for the iPad and iPhone, the ad showcases the “radical new MacBook Pro with Retina display” loading various video streams in Final Cut Pro (which has been updated for Retina) and switching between Lion apps like Mail. The commercial ends with “innovation in every dimension”, a subtle hint at the machine’s redesigned hardware and software components that take advantage of the new display resolution.

You can watch the commercial after the break.

Update: The commercial is now available on Apple’s YouTube channel and website.
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Ping To Be Removed From Next “Major Release” Of iTunes →

Linked By Federico Viticci

Ping To Be Removed From Next “Major Release” Of iTunes

According to John Paczkowski at AllThingsD, Apple’s social network for music, Ping, will be removed from the next major release of iTunes, likely coming this Fall. According to his sources, it will be replaced by integration with Twitter and Facebook, both to be supported in the next versions of iOS and OS X at a system level.

Sources close to the company say that Ping, which still exists today in iTunes 10.6.3, will be gone with the software’s next major release, likely scheduled for this fall. And at that point Apple’s social networking offerings will shift to Twitter and new partner Facebook entirely.

At the D10 conference last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook said “the customers voted and said they didn’t want to put a lot of energy into Ping”. Two years ago, NPR called Ping “one of the worst ideas” of 2010.

Ping is still available in iTunes 10.6.3, released yesterday.

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Apple: “New” Mac Pro Is No Longer New →

Linked By Federico Viticci

Apple: “New” Mac Pro Is No Longer New

As noticed by @setteBIT earlier today, Apple appears to have changed its mind in regards to putting a “New” label on its online Store next to the “new” Mac Pro that was silently updated yesterday. As shown in the screenshot above, only the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines are now indicated as “New” (recently updated) to customers; yesterday, as MacRumors points out and we noticed prior to writing about the update, Apple had decided to put a New tag next to Mac Pro in spite of its minimal hardware changes.

It’s not just about the wild rumors that had been circulating ahead of WWDC – the “new” Mac Pro really isn’t much of an upgrade after two years. As Marco Arment wrote:

After two years, the Mac Pro was “updated” today, sort of: now we can choose slightly faster two-year-old CPUs at the top end, and the other two-year-old CPU options are cheaper now. That’s about it.

No Xeon E5 CPUs, no USB 3, no Thunderbolt. They’re even shipping the same two-year-old graphics cards. Same motherboard, slightly different CPU options from 2010. That’s it.

Below, a comparison image we posted yesterday to compare the “new” Mac Pro to the “old” Mac Pro.

Official Mac Pro specs are available here.

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WWDC 2012: Tidbits & Links

By Federico Viticci

Yesterday’s WWDC keynote was packed with new information on Apple’s latest product releases. From updates to its notebook lineup to new developer seeds of Mountain Lion and iOS 6, Apple delivered to the goods to a rightfully excited Moscone West audience, as well as the entire Apple community online – and in the process, it also refreshed its online Store with quite a few “stealth updates” that, however, didn’t go unnoticed.

In this post, we have collected some miscellaneous tidbits and interesting links that we missed or only briefly mentioned in our coverage of the event. Read more

iOS 6: Our Complete Overview

By Federico Viticci

Taking the stage at WWDC, Apple’s head of mobile software Scott Forstall kicked off his iOS 6 presentation noting how, with over 365 million iOS devices sold through March, Apple’s mobile software is doing very well in the market. The latest publicly available version, iOS 5, has been installed on over 80% of available devices. Released in October 2011, iOS 5 has seen exceptional adoption: over 140 million iMessage users have sent over 150 billion iMessages to date, making it over 1 billion on average every day. Directly integrated into iOS 5, Twitter saw a 3x growth increase, with over 10 billion tweets sent from iOS 5. The numbers go on and on.

There’s no denying on Apple’s part that iOS 5 has been a success for developers, the companies involved, and, ultimately, the users. iOS 6, previewed and released to developers as beta today, is a major new release that, with over 200 new features, will take iOS devices in “entirely new directions”.

Jump past the break for our complete overview of the next major release of iOS, shipping this Fall. Read more

Apple Posts WWDC 2012 Keynote Video →

Linked By Federico Viticci

Apple Posts WWDC 2012 Keynote Video

Apple has posted a video for its WWDC 2012 Keynote that took place in San Francisco earlier today. The video can be streamed here, and a higher quality version should be made available in a few hours through iTunes. The video appears to have issues with Google Chrome on OS X, returning an “available shortly” message that won’t start a streaming session; it appears to be working fine on Safari for iOS and OS X.

Streaming:

• Apple Events

Download: (Update: now available)

• Apple Keynotes 1080p
• Apple Keynotes HD
• Apple Keynotes

Also, here’s a recap of our ongoing coverage for today’s event:

• The 2012 Apple Design Award Winners
• Aperture and iPhoto Libraries Now Unified in Retina Display Update
• The Stealth Updates: New AirPort Express, New iPad Smart Case, Updated USB SuperDrive, and More!
• Apple Silently Updates The Mac Pro
• Mountain Lion is Coming Next Month: Here’s What We Know
• The Next Generation MacBook Pro: Retina Display, Thinner Design, And More
• Apple Updates MacBook Pro Lineup: Ivy Bridge, USB 3, New Kepler GT650M, and More
• Apple Announces New MacBook Airs: Ivy Bridge, USB 3, and More

We will post additional news on the site’s homepage, or tweet as @MacStoriesNet throughout the day.

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The Next Generation MacBook Pro: Retina Display, Thinner Design, And More

By Federico Viticci

Following updates to the MacBook Air and old MacBook Pro line, Apple’s Phil Schiller formally took the wraps off the “next generation MacBook Pro” at WWDC today. Featuring an “architecture for the future”, the all new MacBook Pro comes with a new thin and light design that is inspired by the MacBook Air, and carries over the tradition of powerful specs of the Pro family.

To “be bold and embrace new technologies”, the new MacBook Pro is a true breakthrough in engineering: it’s 0.71 inches thin, and weighs only 4.46 pounds. It’s the lightest Pro notebook Apple ever made, and it carries a 15.4-inch, 2880x1800 “Retina” display for high resolution. at 220 pixels per inch, the new MacBook Pro has 5,184,000 pixels and it’s the highest resolution notebook in the world. According to Schiller, the quality of the display is “the best Apple has ever made”. Glare and reflection have been reduced by 75%, and the display features deeper blacks, higher contrast ratios, and higher view angles. Shipping with Lion, all Apple apps have been updated to take advantage of the Retina display: Mail, Safari, iPhoto have received updates; Aperture and Final Cut are receiving major updates as well. Final Cut, for instance, can show 9 simultaneous streams of pro-res video or 4 uncompressed streams.

Third-party apps will have to be updated for the Retina display on the new MacBook Pro. Apple says it is working with key developers, including Adobe, to have Retina-ready versions of popular apps soon.

The MacBook Pro with Retina display pushes the limits of performance and portability like no other notebook,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With a gorgeous Retina display, all flash architecture and a radically thin and light design, the new MacBook Pro is the most advanced Mac we have ever built.

The new MacBook Pro features a 2.7Ghz quad-core i7 CPU, with turbo boost up to 3.7 GHz; up to 16 GB 1600 MHz RAM; GeForce GT 650M Kepler graphics; flash storage up to 768 GB. With battery life up to 7 hours and 30 days of standby, the new MBP also comes with SD card slot, HDMI, USB2/3, MagSafe 2, two Thunderbolt ports, another USB2/3 port, and the standard headphone jack.

The MagSafe had to be made thinner to fit into this new design; the machine also comes with a completely new stereo system, FaceTime HD camera, and dual microphones.

The new MacBook Pro Retina display is the world’s highest resolution notebook display with over 5 million pixels, 3 million more than an HD television. At 220 pixels-per-inch, the Retina display’s pixel density is so high the human eye cannot distinguish individual pixels from a normal viewing distance, so text and graphics look incredibly sharp. The Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 29 percent higher contrast than the previous generation.

In a video shown on stage, Apple’s head of design Jony Ive suggested the new MacBook Pro may seem like a contradiction. Built for performance but extremely portable, the new MBP features typography sharper than a printed page, and insanely fast performances thanks to solid state storage. One of the most important challenges Apple engineers had to face was designing the new display, which is built into the unibody construction and assembled through state of the art automated robots.

The new 15.4” Retina-ready, 2.3 GHz quad-core i7, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB flash next generation MacBook Pro ships today at $2199. The higher-end version with 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz, 8GB of memory and 512GB of flash storage starts at $2799. Configure-to-order options include faster quad-core processors up to 2.7 GHz, up to 16GB of memory and flash storage up to 768GB.

Starting today, customers who purchase a Mac will also get a free copy of Mountain Lion when it ships later this summer.

Links

Official Tech Specs page here.
Design Gallery
Design
Features

Moscone West Photos

Apple is showcasing the new MacBook Pro with Retina display to WWDC attendees.