It looks like you're using an older version of Internet Explorer.
To best view our site — and for a better experience overall on the Web — please update your browser using the links below. It's free and it takes just a minute. Download the latest version of Chrome, FireFox or Internet Explorer.
Best Buy is dedicated to always offering the best value to our customers. We will match the price, at the time of purchase, on a Low Price Guarantee product if you find the same item at a lower price at a Designated Major Online Retailer or at a local retail competitor's store.
Here's how:
If you find a qualifying lower price online, call 1-888-BEST BUY and direct a customer service agent to the web site with the lower price, or when visiting a Best Buy store, one of our employees will assist you.
On qualifying products, Best Buy will then verify the current price to complete the price match.
Some exclusions apply. See the list of Designated Major Online Retailers and full details.
Posted by: orlic from Houston, TX on 05/19/2013The solid state drive combined with the retina display makes this mac a great light and bright computer.
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Sleek, reliable, long battery, slower performance
5
Posted by: Deuteranopia from Westminster, CO on 05/18/2013What I first noticed about the MacBook Pro was that it was pretty heavy. Not heavier than my windows laptop (which was a desktop-replacement model), but it had a good weight, and I liked that it didn't feel cheap. It's a well-built machine. Everything is put together very professionally. The screen looks great, but it's nothing I'd brag about, honestly. The *Retina Display* thing is a gimmick. Sure, it looks great, but the resolution still looks like 1280x800 by default. You can scale it, though, so no worries. All I can say is that pictures are sharper, but it doesn't really make for a better system unless you're a graphic designer. In that case, go for the 15 inch Retina MacBook. Stop looking at this one. Either way, the screen is a fingerprint magnet, so you obviously shouldn't be touching it, since it isn't a touchscreen, anyway.
The keyboard is pretty well done, if you don't mind chiclet style keyboards. My previous Windows machine used a chiclet keyboard, so the migration was no real issue. The function (fn) key is used to access the F1-F12 keys, which by default, are volume, brightness, music controls, etc. The backlit keyboard works great, and has adjustable settings. The command key is much like your control key in Windows. After grasping that concept, shortcut keys have made more sense in closing apps, closing & opening tabs in browsers, etc.
The fact that there are only 2 USB ports is too bad, but it's compromise with a smaller machine. However, the fact that there are 2 thunderbolt ports means I can easily get an expansion bay if I want to pay a hefty price. The system does have onboard HDMI, which is nice. The thunderbolt ports acts as DisplayPorts, too, so if you want to use more external monitors, it's no problem. I've used 2 external monitors in addition to the Retina Display without any issues.
The SD card slot works as it should, but like many laptops, the SD card does not go all the way into the machine. There are some adapters for MicroSD cards that will have a flush fit, but for standard SD cards, you just have to deal with it sticking out.
The sound quality from the on-board speakers? Tons of people love it, but I think the quality is *just* above average for a laptop. I have a $45 keyboard with built in speakers that sound phenomenal compared to the speakers on this. The 13 inch MacBook Pro has a lot more bass response than the 15 inch model, which has a "flatter" sound. However, my largest complaint is that there is too much treble. For the average person, this won't be a problem, as you probably aren't an audio engineer. I'm a recording engineer and producer, so I have used professional reference monitors, professional headphones, and tons of laptop speakers and stereo systems. The speakers on this are LOUD, but the sound quality isn't anything to rave about.
The trackpad is great, very responsive, and the oils from your fingers won't decay the material, since everything's aluminum. Still, clean your keyboard and trackpad properly, weekly, if possible. The controls and gestures are very useful, since it's a multi-touch trackpad. YES, you can enable right-click, if you just go into the settings. There's quite a bit of control over the trackpad, so don't worry about that. It's very large and done very well.
The OS and performance? It's a pretty fluid experience, I would have to say. I get over 7 hours of battery life fairly often, but that does depend on *what* it is that I'm doing. Still, far better than most current generation Ultrabooks. My biggest complaint is that they used Intel HD 4000 graphics in this machine. It's nor horrible, but when you have a lot of pictures displaying in the browser, scrolling up and down becomes choppy. Gaming is a no-no with intel graphics, unless you're a casual, light gamer. I've also had strange horizontal lines running across graphics in web pages. I'm not sure why this happens, but it has happened a few times. Thankfully, if it's a serious problem, Apple will take care of the issue with their 1 year warranty. I've had other apple products, and their warranties are pretty reliable. Beyond that minor issue, sometimes I hit a CPU bottleneck in which I get poor performance. This is only a dual-core processor, so don't expect to do very complicated processing tasks. Is this good for programming? Yes, this machine does great for programming. I'm a senior getting his B.S. in Computer Science degree soon, and I'm using my machine for this very purpose. But if you use a lot of applications that utilize quad core multi-threading (audio/video rendering, graphics, music production, etc.), go with an i7 MacBook Pro. You won't regret the decision.
So while I sometimes feel I paid for an under-powered product that can't be upgraded, it was my choice to go with a 13 inch device where the specifications were clearly laid out. But even the 15 inch MacBook Pros are rather expensive. Is it worth it? Well, if you want a machine that's reliable, has great resell value, comes from a reputable company, and has decent performance, great battery life, and solid build quality, then I would say yes --if you are willing to pay the hefty pricetag. If not, there are plenty of other options out there. But Apple has a strong reputation for a reason.
4 out of 4 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Great computer. I love it!
5
Posted by: newmacuser1955 from Des Moines, IA on 05/17/2013I was skeptical that I could learn how to use a Mac, but my daughter talked me in to it and I'm glad she did! I love this computer! So quick to respond. I just downloaded office this week so will be using it even more now.
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Great for my first Macbook
5
Posted by: dredeuce from guadalupe, ca on 05/17/2013Loving the macbook pro 13' retina display.
Its great for photos videos and music production which is what i usually do in this macbook.
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Best macbook yet for personal or professional use
5
Posted by: DOAZ from Vienna, VA on 05/13/2013As a Mac user for about 5 years, I am extremely pleased with this product. Fast, light, durable. The lightness of this new mac makes it perfect - not as light as the air - still have usb and other input features, but the lack of the CD drive allows it to be thinner than the older Pro.
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Much better than my PC
4
Posted by: vendettavik from Saint Paul, MN on 05/12/2013Made the switch from PC to MAC. Can't stop thanking myself. I don't think I will ever go back. The Mac does everything I want it to plus more.
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
My first Apple
5
Posted by: spasmoid from Toledo,OH on 05/11/2013Previously had a desktop,but wanted a laptop for quick and easy use. Apple rep was there the day we decided to check them out. He guided us through the ease of set-up and usage. I liked the size,feel and quality of the product. The retina display is a nice added feature. So much stuff in a small package!
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Great computer but has a terrible front camera
3
Posted by: Thinkerer from Capital District, New York on 05/11/2013The Good ...
I was in the market for a new laptop and found Windows 8 to be repulsive, so I decided to shell out the extra cash for a Retina Mac Book Pro. I have owned the 3rd Gen iPad for about a year and was quite happy with the Apple experience. For the most part, I am happy as a new Mac user. Everything works well on the computer. Even Windows 7 works great on it through Bootcamp. The Mac OS X experience has been a pleasure and I love the multi-touch features on the trackpad. The laptop is light and fast and has a great battery life. The battery recharge time is also pretty good. Apps on the Mac were great and easy to learn even for a long time PC user. The retina display is a pleasure to use. Overall a good computer.
The Not Good ...
The hard-disk size is very small for today's era of high resolution photographs and 1080p videos. This is especially an issue since I have to also run Windows 7 on the laptop. I am able to live with it by using external storage. Since USB 3.0 interface is very fast, the limited storage is a minor annoyance and not a deal breaker.
The Bad ...
The only unacceptable feature of the laptop is the front camera. The picture quality is absolutely terrible even with good lighting. I end up having to use my 3rd gen iPad for FaceTime and Skype calls even though it has a VGA camera instead of the 720P camera on the rMBP.
Bottom-line ...
Great computer as long as you are willing to supplement the hard disk storage with USB 3.0 external drives or cloud storage and not planning on using a lot of FaceTime or Skype.
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
It is amazing!
5
Posted by: Cfinch1221 from San Francisco, CA on 05/10/2013I bought this to replace my 11 inch MacBook air which i loved. The air couldn't handle my video editing software. Upgraded to a beefier slightly bigger 13 inch Retina. Computer is super fast, single state drive is quick. Handles everything I need it to do. Love it!
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Amazing Display!
5
Posted by: zepola43 from Chicago on 05/10/2013Overall another great product from apple. Retina Display is amazing!
0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful?
Product images, including color, may differ from actual product appearance.
