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Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are the best selling notebooks in the industry. Being portable computing devices that are consistently improved to provide faster and more reliable functionalities, we can obviously see its place in the life of every student. Few weeks ago, Apple implemented a major ‘revitalization,’ so to speak, across their entire laptop which succeeded in boosting the RAM, the storage space and the transitioning of Intel’s “Ivy Bridge” line – the dual- and quad-core processors that they named the fastest in the industry. Additionally, the recent Apple’s new MacBook Pro engineering and hardware styling left a lot to be admired, including the high-resolution display technology which was introduced in 2010.

Last Thursday morning, Apple announced that their latest MacBook Pro Models now have a new connection technology called thunderbolt. If you have been using the earlier models of MacBook Pro, you may have noticed that some of its features are becoming increasingly irrelevant. Don’t get me wrong though, but here is the thing. For instance, can you remember the last time you actually used the DVD drive, the Firewire port, or perhaps even the Ethernet features in your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air? The truth is; most people run installations online, and wireless connections are becoming increasingly popular. So this makes people wonder if these features are of any value anymore being sparsely used. Always working towards a slimmer, more portable and reliable device, Apple seemed to have also seen this gap, and recently rolled out an answer with the thunderbolt.

What Is Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt is a new connection technology for computer peripherals which was developed out of the collaboration between Intel and Apple. It allows users to handle data, video, audio and power in a single connection. Hence it provides high-speed connection for hard drives, RAID arrays, video-capture solutions and network interfaces. It can also transmit high-definition video using the DisplayPort protocol. And for power, each of the thumberbolt ports comes with about 10 Watts of power for the connected device (peripheral).

Is thunderbolt really new? Yes it is. Though thunderbolt has been around for a while as it was being developed and perfected by Intel; during when it was called ‘Light Peak’ – Intel’s codename for thunderbolt. But yes, it is really new as this is the first time such connection technology is been rolled out to the public. Thunderbolt was designed to accept either electrical or optical connections, but electrical connections seem better for power and low cost reasons.

Take Retina MacBook Pro Back To School This Fall

Those ‘use-in-occasion’ features that come with the earlier models of MacBook are now traded with a pair of thunderbolt ports and HDMI out – High-Definition Multimedia Interface that carry digital audio/video signals to external displays. The Retina MacBook Pro also comes with a 256GB, 830 SSD and 8GB memory which when combined with its slimmer architecture is just a lighter, faster notebook with a better display. It also has a greater student discount than the MacBook Pro 15.

However, there is one feature you need to understand about rMBP. Users can’t upgrade anything in the Retina MacBook Pro, at least not yet. Hence a decision to own this machine may mean going for a lot of RAM and larger SSD – the 16GB costs extra $200. Most people see this as a flaw, but like every other product from Apple, we are hoping for a more versatile version that will provide users with even more functionality options.

An Improved Shipment Time for Retina MacBook Pro

Previously, the Retina MacBook Pro ships with a 3 to 4 week delay which became a major concern for customers. However, it now ships within 2 to 3 weeks to online customers covering those from different countries including the U.S, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan and many others. This improvement suggested that Apple is actually working towards satisfying their customers but can be interpreted as an indication of increased inventory, decreased demand or a sign of some balance between supply and demand. But whichever it is, it has gotten better, and more international customers, especially students, can take advantage of the improved shipment time. If you are a customer in Asia, Australia, Europe, North America or South America, this will allow you to gain some space between when you paid for your Retina Machine and when it actually gets to you.

While the Retina display technology has only been implemented on the older machines, we believe that the other MacBook Pro models, including the lower priced ones and the MacBook Air will be included sometime soon.

Has The Retina MacBook Pro Passed EPEAT Gold Rating? The Glued-Battery Debate

The Retina machine comes with a 23% increase in battery capacity compared to the previous Pro design. The battery is made of six-cell lithium polymer battery with a 95 Whr capacity. However in an attempt to maintain a slimmer, more portable product with the retina machine, the cells of this larger battery are rather attached directly to the upper uni-body casing with the use of an industrial-strength adhesive. Whether this design has made repair or replacement more difficult has caused a major debate when it was submitted for EPEAT Gold rating.

Specifically, Teardown experts at iFixit are against the decision and argued that the glued-battery design made the machine almost impossible to be repaired by users and third-party repair technicians. Looking at the battery replacement program that Apple does offer at $199, this may seem convincing. But on the contrary, there were several reports from third party bodies and individuals proving, alongside Apple, that the battery can be easily removed with common tools and therefore qualifies for EPEAT rating. Additionally, an internal memo sent to the AppleCare and certified third-party technicians has also proven this and supports that the battery should not be removed from the aluminum casing.

Apple has achieved the Gold rating for most of her products in the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, EPEAT but the new Retina machine is been held on the table longer than necessary because of the glued-in battery feature.