When Phil Schiller announced the MacBook Pro 13" with Retina Display, he showed photographs on Aperture, which has been rewritten to take advantage of the increased pixel density. Now there are two laptops with Retina (MBP 13" and MBP 15"). So, how are they different than Macs with a traditional LED display? Take a look.
Every icon, thumbnail, and letter in Aperture has been retooled to take advantage of the super high definition display. The details you can see in the thumbnails are stunning.
When debating between the 13" and 15" MBP, be sure to take a look at the tech specs. The 15" model also includes the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory and automatic graphics switching plus the Intel HD Graphics 4000, while the 13" only includes the Intel HD Graphics 4000 card.
Either way, however, you'll see your images like never before with this hardware/software combination.
Aperture Tips and Techniques
To learn more about Aperture, check out my Aperture 3.3 Essential Training (2012) on lynda.com. Also, take a look at our Aperture 3 Learning Center. Tons of free content about how to get the most out of Aperture.
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It is too bad the 13" version isn't a little beefier spec-wise because (in my opinion, obviously) there's a world of difference going from 15" to 13" in terms of portability. But given the engineering that goes into these laptops, I guess it's just not possible to squeeze it in.
Yes, the other thing that I noticed was that the 13" has a dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, while the 15" has a quad-core i7. That being said, if you were on the road a lot, I think the size difference might make it worthwhile.
I was also disappointed by the specs for the 13" retina. The mid-level 13" retina is equal to the cheaper and lighter 13" top of the line Air. You lose the retina display and a couple ports, but really that's it. No better RAM configuration or better GFX card. Do you think the maxed Air can handle Aperture adroitly? I have to decide between cost and portability or retina screen, basically.
Yes, the MBP Air can definitely handle Aperture and FCPX. IMHO, it's the battle between lighter vs Retina Display. I do like the Retina Display however...