Next Generation MacBook Pro Announced with 15″ Retina Display

It’s the start of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (or WWDC) today in California, and while huge new product announcements don’t always accompany Apple’s conferences, this year we’re all in for a bit of a treat. The MacBook Pro line is being updated with a brand new design that eliminates the optical drive to get a slimmer form factor, reducing it from nearly an inch thick to about three quarters of an inch.

The weight of the laptop has been reduced as well, but the battery life has been bumped up to an estimated 7hrs. As well, tons of other new specs to drool over: USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-microphones, etc. etc.

But the big news is that the 15″ MacBook Pro will now been shipping with a beyond-HD 2880×1800 Retina display. Starting at $2199, this new 15″ MBP will clearly be the one to own this year for photographers, graphics professionals, video editors, and anyone who will appreciate reading crystal-clear Retina text on their laptop.

We’ll be updating throughout the day with pictures of the new products, and our take on what it means. But if you’re already salivating and can’t wait to get ahold of the new generation MacBook Pro, the Apple Store is taking orders as we speak.

Latest News on the Retina MacBook Pro

Exciting software is already ready to use the 15″ Retina-display MacBook Pro, indlufing:

– Apple apps that take advantage of the display: Safari, Mail, iPhoto all updated
– Pro apps like Aperture and Final Cut Pro also make use of every pixel on the display
– Adobe working closely with Apple to make sure Photoshop and other apps are Retina-ready
– Retina-ready AutoCAD
– Even Diablo III is retina-ready!

Changes to the hardware:

– Asymmetrical fans mean less noise when the fans come on
– For the first time ever on a Mac, an HDMI port to plug into your HDTV or Projector
– Quad Core i7 processors up to 2.7 Ghz (latest Ivy Bridge architecture)
– Up to 16GB of 1600Mhz memory (RAM)
– Same 7 hours of battery life
– 100% solid state hard drive (SSD) tech means ultra-fast read and write times
– 2x Thunderbolt ports, as well as USB 3.0, and the standard SD card slot
– New Thunderbolt adapters that give you Gigabit ethernet or FireWire 800 ports
– MagSafe 2, the latest in Apple’s MagSafe power adapters, the MagSafe 2 is even thinner than before