The 2012 MacBook Pros vs. the 2011 models: what's changed?
Since the epic rise of the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro has become something of a dark horse in the Apple notebook family. Sure, it may not be Cupertino's thinnest, sexiest product, but it has the heavy-duty internals to handle intense graphics for artists and gamers alike. Apple just announced its updated 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros -- not to mention a new 15-inch model with a brilliant Retina display, and these new machines boast some pretty impressive upgrades. There's no shortage of spec changes to keep track of, so check out our comparison charts below to see what the new models bring to the table (hint: highlights include USB 3.0, Ivy Bridge and a thinner design for the new Retina model).
15-inch MacBook Pro (2011)  | 15-inch MacBook Pro (2012)  | Retina display MacBook Pro (2012)  |
Dimensions | 14.35 x 9.82 x 0.95 inches | 14.35 x 9.82 x 0.95 inches | 14.13 x 9.73 x 0.71 inches |
Display Resolution | 1440 x 900 | 1440 x 900 | 2880 x 1800 |
CPU | Up to 2.4GHz quad-core Core i7 (Sandy Bridge) | Up to 2.7GHz quad-core Core i7 (Ivy Bridge) | Up to 2.7GHz quad-core Core i7 (Ivy Bridge) |
Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 3000 + AMD Radeon HD 6750M / AMD Radeon HD 6770M | Intel HD Graphics 4000 / NVIDIA Kepler GeForce GT 650M with up to 1GB of memory | Intel HD Graphics 4000 / NVIDIA Kepler GeForce GT 650M with up to 1GB of memory |
Memory | Up to 8GB | Up to 8GB | Up to 16GB |
Storage | Up to 750GB | Up to 1TB or a 512GB SSD | Up to a 768GB SSD |
Ports | Thunderbolt, FireWire 800, two USB 2.0, SD card slot, MagSafe power port, Kensington lock slot, audio line in, audio line out | Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, FireWire 800, SD card slot, MagSafe2 power port, Kensington lock slot, audio line in, audio line out | Two Thunderbolt, HDMI, two USB 3.0, SD card slot, new MagSafe2 connector, Kensington lock slot, headphone port |
Battery life | 7 hours | 7 hours | 7 hours |
Weight | 5.6 pounds | 5.6 pounds | 4.46 pounds |
Price | $1,799 (2GHz Core i7, 500GB hard drive) / $2,199 (2.2GHz Core i7, 750GB hard drive) | $1,799 (2.3GHz Core i7, 500GB hard drive / $2,199 (2.6GHz, 750GB hard drive) | $2,199 (2.3GHz Core i7, 256GB SSD) / $2,799 (2.6GHz, 512GB SSD) |
13-inch MacBook Pro (2011) | 13-inch MacBook Pro (2012) |
Dimensions | 12.78 x 8.94 x 0.95 inches | 12.78 x 8.94 x 0.95 inches |
Display Resolution | 1280 x 800 | 1280 x 800 |
CPU | Up to dual-core Core i7 / 2.8GHz (Sandy Bridge) | Up to dual-core Core i7 / 2.9GHz (Ivy Bridge) |
Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 3000 | Intel HD Graphics 4000 |
Memory | Up to 8GB | Up to 8GB |
Storage | Up to 750GB | Up to 750GB |
Ports | Thunderbolt, FireWire 800, two USB 2.0, Gigabit Ethernet, SD card slot, Kensington lock slot, audio in/out | Thunderbolt, two USB 3.0, Firewire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, SD card slot, Kensington lock slot, audio in/out |
Battery life | 7 hours | 7 hours |
Weight | 4.5 pounds | 4.5 pounds |
Starting price | $1,199 (2.3GHz Core i5, 500GB hard drive) / $1,499 (2.7GHz Core i7, 750GB hard drive) | $1,199 (2.3GHz Core i5, 500GB hard drive) / $1,499 (2.9GHz Core i7, 750GB hard drive) |
