Apple® - MacBook Pro with Retina display - 13.3" Display - 8GB Memory - 256GB Flash Storage - Silver

This is my 3rd MacBook. I got it on sale and saved several hundred dollars. Once I got used to Mac, I much prefer it to the PC. My first MacBook never got a virus in 2-1/2 years. My second somehow froze, HD crashed -- but had most backed up on the cloud. This one got hit with malware after a month, which didn't harm anything but was a bit of a pain. The Geek Squad chatted me through it and got rid of it and tweaked my Virus Protection. As long as I back up, I'm good. This one is smaller and lighter than my last -- I finally gave up the disk drive. I had to admit to myself that I almost never used it. This fits in a medium messenger bag and I carry it with me wherever I go. I'm happy with the screen, resolution, everything. And today I just connected it to my wireless network via Apple TV (kind of an adaptor that lets you mirror your computer TV screen). I can now play Amazon Kindle Fire movies and personal videos on my 54" TV screen, look at pictures, presentations, etc. (Apple TV does a lot of other things, but I'm just talking about what it does with my Mac.) When I say I wish it was a bit more user friendly, there are things, e.g., that I find easier to troubleshoot on a PC, etc. Regardless, I'm staying with Mac.

Love this computer--meets all needs for school and personal life. Plan to keep it as long as my last mac, 8 yrs!

When my seven year old Windows machine started acting sketchy (an HP running Vista that performed flawlessly until recently), I decided that it was time to consider making the move to Apple. After finally having a smartphone for the past year (yeah, I know, I'm old and cheap), and loving the quality of it, I decided now was the time to make the change. Yes, the iPhone 5s convinced me to try a MacBook Pro...that and my wife also has an iPhone and and iPad, so the continuity of similar platforms was appealing. Was the change easy? Absolutely. Were some things a little difficult to figure out? Yeah, but that is what Google is best at. This machine is fast, light, cool running and a real pleasure to use. I have given up my cordless mouse for the great track pad Apple has developed. I have not missed the optical drive...yet. The SSHD is great. The fast boot time is wonderful. I did have some reservations about downsizing from a 15 inch screen to a 13, but it has not been an issue. I may never give another dollar to Microsoft. I know, I sound like an Apple fanboy, but at 57 years of age I'm not that passionate about anything. I would make this change again in a heartbeat.

So, my journey to finding this computer was a long one. Needless to say, for the first time in quite awhile, I am truly satisfied with a tech purchase, something that I see lasting for at least a few years. My primary need for a device stemmed from media consumption: news websites, social media, Netflix, etc. I started a few years ago with a Chromebook that just wasn't enough (lacked the offline experience I wanted), then sold it. Tried a few different Android tablets with add-on keyboards, but it just didn't do it for me. I had always been a Windows-guy, and though I found the Apple products appealing (multiple iPads, iPhones, iPods in my purchase history...), I had trouble justifying a purchase that was easily close to double what I'd pay for a Windows equivalent. But--equivalent is not what I got. There is no Windows PC that matches the experience of running a Macbook Pro...and anything that comes close is priced just as high (or higher) than Apple's product. My review involves the following elements: - Tactile experience - Visual experience - Computer performance - Physical Aesthetics - OS Experience TACTILE EXPERIENCE: On a Macbook, the touchpad and keyboard experience cannot be matched, save for maybe e some Logitech products. Dell and Lenovo are also coming around--but the best "hands on" experience is still Apple. VISUAL EXPERIENCE: Retina displays are very good. BUT...they are not by any stretch the best thing you can pack into a 13" screen. I spend most of my time with the display scaled to show a simulated 1680x1050 resolution, which is the "smallest" I can make the text and images (or, conversely, the "largest" I can make the screen). There are days when I drop the resolution down to the native suggested resolution, especially if all I'm doing is watching Netflix. But make no mistake: the display is crisp, clear and gorgeous. Performance in sunlight isn't the best, but no glossy screen will perform well in those situations. COMPUTER PERFORMANCE: Most of the time I spent researching this purchase was concentrated on whether or not I should upgrade the RAM and Hard Drive. I went with 8GB RAM and the 256GB SSD, and have been nothing but pleased with the decision. In the past, I purchased a Macbook Air with 4GB of RAM and the experience left me wanting a bit better performance, so I ended up returning that computer. The best way it can be explained is this: because Apple controls every aspect of the manufacturing process for their products, the hardware has been optimized to use the processor and RAM in an efficient way that outperforms similar specs with Windows-based machines. In that sense, 4GB RAM should have been just fine. Fortunately, I got this on sale so was able to maximize the upgrade versus additional cost. I would suggest "future proofing" yourself with at least a bit more RAM, but keep in mind that Macbook Pro's can always be upgraded at a later date (not so much for the Macbook Air's). PHYSICAL AESTHETICS: This is a bigger deal to me than it should be. The machine itself weighs in at just under 3.5 pounds, and considering the body is 100% aluminum (NOT PLASTIC), there is an obvious premium feel to the unit. I carry it and my work computer with me every day, and between the two don't feel it's too much weight. If you're stuck between this and a Macbook Air, it's a no brainer to me to go with the Pro...it is more money, but barely adds any weight, gives you upgradability in the future, and if I'm being honest, is a much cleaner design...I don't care much for the "wedge" look of some ultrabooks. It's a beautiful, simple, elegant design that I want to be seen carrying. That's important to me. OS EXPERIENCE: Real quick here...I know this review is for the machine, not the OS, but they go hand-in-hand. As a life-long Windows user, I've had no difficulty adjusting to a different OS. Also...OS X Yosemite is awesome, especially paired with an iPhone running iOS 8.1. Anyway, there are a few Windows shortcut keys that I still find myself using, but beyond that, I'm loving what Apple has put together. If you're unsure...spend some time at an Apple store or at Best Buy playing around with it...it is a fun experience.

As far as value to performance goes this one's the perfect MacIntosh for the average guy, it's got the retina IPS display (reason 1 over the air), HDMI output another lack for the air ( you could use an adapter, not a fan though), it's also got 8gb of ram stock vs the air's 4gb (for future updates the pros going to have the upper hand), and lastly often overlooked both the air and pro may have i5 processors though the pro in an ultrabook body gives the clock speed that rivals alienware intro models vs the air that rivals the ultrabook lineup. Air may have better battery life though for me the compromise was to high, this by the way was my first Mac and wanted a no compromise experience as once you've chosen there is no option to upgrade components! Just to be safe and ready for the future I did go with the 256gb model as in my experience falling short would be a big risk.

I LOVE MY MAC BOOK PRO! I WAS INITIALLY APPREHENSIVE ABOUT SWITCHING FROM A PC TO A MAC, BUT WHEN MY PC SLOWED TO A SNAILS PACE I DECIDED TO MAKE THE LEAP. I FIRST HAD AN IPAD, THEN I GOT AN IPHONE. I REALLY LIKED THE FACT THAT YOU CAN MAKE YOUR SETTINGS SUCH THAT THE 2 DEVICES ARE IN CONSTANT SYNC MODE, SO I FIGURED I WOULD REALLY FEEL THE BENEFIT OF HAVING A MAC LAPTOP SO THAT ALL OF MY DEVICES WOULD BE ON ONE ACCORD. MY EXPECTATIONS HAVE BEEN SUPERSEDED. MY MAC LAPTOP WAS ABLE TO SYNC WITH MY OTHER 2 DEVICES WITH GREAT EASE FROM THE MOMENT I TURNED IT ON. I ALSO ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE FEATURE THAT ALLOWS ME TO SEND AND RECEIVE I-MESSAGES, TEXT MESSAGES, AND PHONE CALLS FROM ALL OF MY DEVICES. THEREFORE I DON'T NEED TO BE TETHERED TO MY PHONE WHILE AT HOME BECAUSE PHONE CALLS AND MESSAGES WILL COME TO MY COMPUTER. I ALSO LIKE THAT I CAN SURF THE NET ON 1 DEVICE AND CONTINUE IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT FROM MY OTHER DEVICES. WHILE THE MAC BOOK DOES WEIGH MORE THAN THE MAC BOOK AIR, THE WEIGHT IS NOT BAD AT ALL, ESPECIALLY FOR ALL OF THE FEATURES YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE TO HAVE THE AIR. ALTHOUGH THIS MAC BOOK PRO MODEL DOES NOT HAVE A BUILT IN DVD-RW DRIVE, YOU CAN PURCHASE ANY EXTERNAL ONE. I PURCHASED AN LG BLUE DVD-RW DRIVE FOR $40 VS THE APPLE BRAND FOR $79 AND IT WORKS PERFECTLY OVERALL, APPLE COMPUTERS ARE MUCH MORE USER FRIENDLY. I DON'T HAVE TO CLICK ON DROP DOWN MENU AFTER DROP DOWN MENU TO ACCESS ANYTHING ON MY APPLE PRODUCTS.

This product replaced an older MacBook Pro. The performance improvement is amazing, between the increase in RAM, processor upgrade, and the SSD storage. However, I find the transition to the current touch pad a challenge and continue to prefer using a mouse. The reduced screen size, while featuring improved resolution, is smaller than I'm used to and a challenge when viewing spreadsheets. Nevertheless, given the performance benefits, plus the substantially reduced cost compared to my mid-07 machine, I have no hesitation recommending this computer to fans of Apple products and their design.

I bought this for graduate school and the battery life is as good or better than advertised at 9 hours. The trackpad is incredibly easy to use, and the gestures make me more productive by allowing me to easily navigate between programs and browsing in general which I thought would be a hassle on such a small screen. The laptop definitely gets taxed while streaming high qualify video or opening really large excel files but it runs very smoothly and loads extremely fast if you're just using it for school use, which is what I'm doing. I reserve my Windows computer to handle the heavy video streaming and playing games. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase and am glad to be able to type my notes in class again. Also the difference between the air and this is only half a pound, but the screen upgrade is absolutely worth it, and 9 hours of battery is more than enough for me though I was nervous about not having the 12 from the air at first.