Apple Releases iMac With 5K Display, 15-Inch MacBook Pro With AMD R9 M370X
Two months ago, Apple unveiled a new lineup of MacBooks featuring a new type of touchpad called Force Touch, which provides tactile feedback to the user and allows them to click anywhere on the keyboard. Apple announced that it brought the new touchpad to its updated 15-inch MacBook Pro, along with other features including the R9 M370X, which is the next generation of GPUs from AMD that were vaguely announced at team red's financial meeting a few weeks ago.
Apple also released a new version of the iMac that now comes with a 5K display.
Prior to the 15-inch MacBook Pro, the Force Touch trackpad was also added to the 13-inch model. With Force Touch now on both models, the entire line of MacBooks and MacBook Pros (with Retina Display) all have the new trackpad technology. The new generation of the 15-inch MacBook was also upgraded internally with flash storage that Apple claimed is 2.5 times faster than the previous generation.
The new MacBook Pro also has a battery that Apple claims will last for a total of nine hours during Web browsing or watching a movie on iTunes. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display starts at $1,999. There's also another version that starts at $2,499, but the price can go higher depending on your configurations.
Header Cell - Column 0 | 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display (starting at $1999) | 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display (starting at $2499) |
---|---|---|
Processor | Intel Core i7 2.2 GHz (3.4 GHz Turbo)Can be upgraded to Intel Core i7 2.5 GHz (3.7 GHz Turbo) or 2.8 GHz (4.0 GHz Turbo) | Intel Core i7 (2.5 GHz, 3.7 GHz Turbo)Can be upgraded to Intel Core i7 2.8 GHz (4.0 GHz Turbo) |
Graphics | Intel Iris Pro Graphics and AMD R9 M370X (2 GB GDDR5) | Intel Iris Pro Graphics and AMD R9 M370X (2 GB GDDR5) |
RAM | 16 GB LPDDR3 (1600 MHz) | 16 GB LPDDR3 (1600 MHz) |
Storage | 256 GB PCIe flash (SSD)Can be upgraded to 512 GB or 1 TB PCIe flash | 512 GB PCIe flash (SSD)Can be upgraded to 1 TB PCIe flash |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatibleBluetooth 4.0 | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatibleBluetooth 4.0 |
I/O | 2x Thunderbolt ports, 2x USB 3.0 ports, 1x HDMI port, headphone jack, SDXC slot | 2x Thunderbolt ports, 2x USB 3.0 ports, 1x HDMI port, headphone jack, SDXC slot |
Camera | 720p HD FaceTime camera (front) | 720p HD FaceTime camera (front) |
On the desktop side, Apple also released its new iMac with a 27-inch IPS 5K (5120 x 2880) display. The new iMac starts at $1,999, and depending on your preferences such as processor, storage and graphics, can run you up to $2,299 versions or even higher.
Header Cell - Column 0 | iMac with Retina 5K Display (starting at $1999) | iMac with Retina 5K Display (starting at $2299) |
---|---|---|
Processor | Intel Core i5 3.3 GHz (3.7 GHz Turbo) | Intel Core i5 3.5 GHz (3.9 GHz Turbo)Can be upgraded to Intel Core i7 4.0 GHz (4.4 GHz Turbo) |
Graphics | AMD R9 M290 (2 GB GDDR5) | AMD R9 M290X (2 GB GDDR5)Can be upgraded to AMD R9 M295X (4 GB GDDR5) |
RAM | 8 GB (2 x 4 GB DDR3, 1600 MHz)Can be upgraded to 16 GB or 32 GB | 8 GB (2 x 4 GB DDR3, 1600 MHz)Can be upgraded to 16 GB or 32 GB |
Storage | 1 TB HDD (7200 RPM)Can be upgraded to 3 TB HDD; 1 TB or 3 TB Fusion Drive; or 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB flash (SSD) | 1 TB Fusion DriveCan be upgraded to 3 TB Fusion Drive or 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB flash (SSD) |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatibleBluetooth 4.0 | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatibleBluetooth 4.0 |
I/O | 2x Thunderbolt ports, 4x USB 3.0 ports, headphone jack, SDXC slot, Gigabit Ethernet port | 2x Thunderbolt ports, 4x USB 3.0 ports, headphone jack, SDXC slot, Gigabit Ethernet port |
Camera | FaceTime HD camera (front) | FaceTime HD camera (front) |
Loading up the iMac with a 5K display is an interesting move by Apple. The wave of 4K content is slowly rising, but 5K content is still a long way down the road. Still, for those few people who want to stay ahead of the curve, the 5K iMac might be the way to go.
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therca This AMD graphics option looks almost like a downgrade form the (outdated but good) NVIDIA 750m. Would have really liked to see a 980m instead. I use a top-of-the-line Mac Pro with dual D700's at work and my video render times are only okay. Really not much better than my home hackintosh with a single GTX760 so it's hard to get excited about more OpenCL cards replacing arguably more powerful CUDA options.Reply -
gggplaya The 5k display is about 14 megapixels. A normal 1080p display is about 2 megapixels. So that's a huge jump for photographers and desktop graphics publishers.Reply -
dragonsqrrl This AMD graphics option looks almost like a downgrade form the (outdated but good) NVIDIA 750m.
It's almost definitely not a downgrade, but I'm also curious as to why Apple chose it over a 950 or 960M. The truth is not much is known about the M370X, but what is known is that the M375 uses Cape Verde, which would make absolutely no sense if rumors of the M370X performing similarly to the 960M are true.
Would have really liked to see a 980m instead.
I think your expectations are out of line with reality. -
porsche73rs 5K is not about staying ahead of the curve, it is so that user's working on 4K content can see the content + software menus. I don't think apple is using this resolution anticipating the next resolution standard to be 5k.Reply -
ammaross Here's a non-saddled version of the panel: http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/monitors/product-detail.html?oid=7130944#!tab=featuresReply
On Amazon for ~$1200. That leaves ~$800 for the laptop-in-a-box parts, which isn't too bad of a sale. -
dragonsqrrl 15889583 said:The 5k display is about 14 megapixels. A normal 1080p display is about 2 megapixels. So that's a huge jump for photographers and desktop graphics publishers.
Ya, it's almost a shame it's in an iMac, where the experience is limited by AMD's mobile dGPU's. -
SirTrollsALot Only idiots buy Macs. So if you are fussing with components then I hate to say it "You know nothing Jon Snow".Reply -
uglyduckling81 Would have really liked to see a 980m instead.
Once you applied the Apple Tax to a bit of hardware like that you would be looking to spend $200k for a 15" Laptop with an annoying OS and iTunes.