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| New MacBook Pro With Retina Display |
It is once again about time for Apple to update its line of Macbook Pros, and rumor has it the new device could feature a retina screen, much like the iPad and iPhone. Were Apple to go this route with the device, it could mark a serious turning point in the tech giant’s overall development strategy. The computer is also rumored to be seriously thinned down, in comparison to the latest MacBook Pro releases. Along with a thinner form factor, the computer could potentially feature several new technologies, such as lightning fast USB 3 connections.
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Moving towards thinner notebook computers has been Apple’s M.O. for a while, with all of its new devices routinely proving thinner than their predecessors. Of course, with a thinner computer comes certain compromises. For example, the MacBook Air is thinner than any other notebook on the market, but uses flash memory for storage purposes, instead of the traditional hard drive. Furthermore, the computer’s size means that it cannot hold the optical drive used for watching DVDs and installing software.
In fact, according to rumors around the new device, the MacBook Pro could potentially lose its optical drive when the new version is released. A MacBook without an optical drive is not able to play CDs or DVDs without an external attachment.
Apple made a USB Superdrive available when the MacBook Air hit the market, for those users who simply must have a DVD drive available to them. It is also possible to link with another computer that has an optical drive over a wireless network, meaning the second computer can access the content of the disk being read by the first computer.
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Apple made a USB Superdrive available when the MacBook Air hit the market, for those users who simply must have a DVD drive available to them. It is also possible to link with another computer that has an optical drive over a wireless network, meaning the second computer can access the content of the disk being read by the first computer.
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For digital content needs, Apple is only to happy to fill the gap. Without the ability to read traditional DVDs, consumers will need to download and purchase content they wish to enjoy. iTunes is steadily gaining ground as more consumers shift to digital reading materials and movies, although there is plenty of competition in the marketplace. The Mac App Store, which comes standard on all new Macs, can also help to fill the void left behind by the optical drive. All of Apple’s proprietary software is available on the App Store, along with many different programs from other developers.
A shiny new screen and missing optical drive are not the only changes being made to the MacBook Pro, if the rumors are to be believed. In addition to these changes, the MacBook Pro will reportedly move the power button to the keyboard. This button would replace the current eject button, which will not be needed if an optical drive is not in place.
USB 3 is also slated to make its arrival on the Mac with the new computer. According to sources familiar with the matter, Apple has been testing devices with USB 3 for some time. This is great news for those who rely on peripherals that use USB connections, as devices that are optimized for USB 3 run at a much faster speed than traditional USB devices. If this rumor is true, it could potentially mean that other Apple devices, such as the iPad and iPhone could support this technology in the future. This would mean consumers who are still syncing their devices over USB would benefit from the shift.
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OS X beta codes available also suggest that the new computer could be packing a seriously powerful graphics card, further improving the computer’s ability to be used as a gaming powerhouse. While there are certainly a fair share of games developed specifically for the Mac, up until this point, the computer has been seen as a poor alternative to Windows and Linux-based machines in the gaming department. The Mac certainly has some ground to catch up on other operating systems in this department, but this could be a step in the right direction for Apple.
With all of the rumored changes and additions to the MacBook Pro, there is little doubt that the device will be a hit like all of Apple’s other products. It would appear that these subtle shifts to digital content could also further benefit the tech company, who will profit from increased sales through the App Store and iTunes. Of course, we’ll have to wait until the product is officially announced to see whether the rumors are actually true.
