Apple’s iPad Mini event that is rumored to be taking place on October 23rd is going to be jam packed with goodies. The iPad Mini is coming. Some redesigned iMacs might be revealed too. And now we’ve gotten some solid info that Apple will also unveil a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display at the event.
It’s back to the Mac on this week’s CultCast, and on our newest episode, we’ll tell you everything we know about Apple’s rumored 13-inch Retina Macbook Pro, and why you might be seeing it before the year is through.
Then, is Apple’s Passbook really going to take over the world of tickets, coupons, and payments? It’s tough to imagine, especially with how little Passbook can do now. But imagine coupons on your lock screen right when you need them and making payments with nothing but your iPhone. Ready to leave your wallet behind? Passbook may soon let you do exactly that.
All that and our three favorite Mac apps on our latest CultCast! Subscribe now on iTunes, or easily stream The CultCast via Apple’s free Podcasts App.
Read on for the show notes!
When Apple first unveiled the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro back in July of this year, they used two images to specifically highlight the incredible resolution of the new display. The first was a shot of a herd of zebras running through the grass captured by photographer Steve Bloom. And the second? A photograph of an eye in full Ziggy Stardust make-up, taken by Swiss photographe Sabine Liewald.
The only problem with that latter photograph? According to the photographer, Apple never properly licensed it to be used in Retina MacBook Pro marketing materials. And she’s now suing over it.
It seems right now like Apple has a lot of prospective new products on the horizon. The 7.85-inch iPad mini. The 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. Updated iMacs. Yet despite the fact that all of these products have been highly rumored to debut this month in time of a busy holiday season, we’ve yet to see any of them. Now one report is suggesting a reason why: Apple’s having production problems on both the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro and iPad mini.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro has been rumored to be in production phases recently, but we’ve yet to see any reasonable leaks of the new Apple laptop. According to a new report though, the 13-inch MacBook Pros with Retina display are indeed on the way, and they should be in mass production sometime in the fourth quarter of 2012.
It’s not clear when the new MacBook will hit stores, but analyst Richard Shim of DisplaySearch speculates that it should be released sometime after the iPad Mini announcement that is rumored to take place on October 17th.
If you’re reading this website on a new iPad or MacBook Pro with a Retina display, you may have noticed how crisp the logo is. Go on; take a good look. Zoom in with your fingers. Also check out the navigation bar, and the graphics for Reviews, Tips and How-Tos. See how clear and crisp they are?
That’s because we’ve upgraded the site to Retina — Apple’s marketing term for screens that are so dense with pixels, they’re practically invisible.
We think it looks really sharp. And next week, we’ll be giving the mobile site a complete overhaul to make it pretty for the iPhone 5.
Here’s what the site looks like on Retina and non-Retina devices.
Hit the jump for some of the geeky details:
Steve Jobs was passionate about a lot of things: simplicity, challenging the status quo, creating products that people loved, etc. He was a man of many shining strengths and deep personality flaws. As one of the most dynamic titans to ever grace the tech industry, one can only imagine what Jobs would think of Apple in 2012. How would he have handled Mapgate? We’ll never know.
Based on what we do know about the late CEO, there are several things Jobs would have definitely been proud of at Apple in 2012.
Tons of Apple accessory manufacturers make cute little palm rest covers for MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs so the metal of your cherished MacBook doesn’t get all scratched and nasty and damaged. They make your MacBook standout, but Apple thinks you need to stop freaking using them because you’re going to break your display if you keep it up.
In a note published on Apple’s support blog, Apple warned users that using palm rest covers might totally interfere with all of Apple’s fancy engineering that went into making the MacBook Pro with Retina display super thin. The added thickness might mess up your display and crack your screen when you shut your MacBook, leaving you super sad.
Here’s what Apple said about the palm rests –
Have you ever looked at your iPad and wished it ran OS X, Apple’s desktop operating system? I have — like when I attempted to use WordPress in mobile Safari. But a Mac-powered tablet is no longer just a dream, thanks to the Modbook Pro. The Modbook Pro comes with all the benefits you get with an iPad, such as a touchscreen and excellent portability, but it runs Mountain Lion. And you can pre-order yours from October 3.
In the slew of software updates Apple released today, one EFI update has been pushed out for the 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display. EFI 1.0 is recommended for all MacBook Pro with Retina owners, and you can download it now alongside OS X 10.8.2. Here’s what it fixes, according to Apple:
This update is recommended to MacBook Pro with Retina display (mid 2012) models. This update resolves an issue which can cause the system to hang during heavy processor loads, and resolves an issue where NetBoot does not function properly when using an Ethernet adapter.
If you’ve been noticing any inconsistencies or random CPU hangups on the new MacBook Pro, then this update should do the trick. Grab EFI 1.0 now in the Mac App Store.
The always sketechy Digitimes has a new report out, and as usual, douse your taste buds with brine, because they say that a Retina Display iMac was supposed to debut this month, but has been delayed because of production problems. They also say the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro wil be out by October.
Itching to get a Retina Mac, but worried the 15-inch MacBook Pro is too big? Well you may not have to wait too long for the 13-inch model. According to one report, Apple’s suppliers have already begun shipping the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and refreshed iMacs ahead of their launch in the coming months.
Notefile, a popular note-taking app for iOS, developed by Junecloud, has made the leap to Mac. Priced at $4.99 in the Mac App Store, the app offers cross-platform sync between your Mac and iOS devices, high-resolution artwork for the Retina MacBook, and all the features you’ve been enjoying on iOS.
The Retina MacBook Pro is now “in stock” on the Apple online store for the first time since its release at WWDC on June 11. The device, which was delayed by up to four weeks for some time after its launch, can now be delivered within five business days with free, standard shipping — or within 2-3 business days with $15 shipping.
It’s a battle royal on our shiny new CultCast! Don’t miss our Apple Vs. Samsung trial breakdown, where Cult of Mac reporter Jose Fermoso tells us what it was like to be in the tension-filled courtroom, what the verdict means for consumers, and where Apple and Samsung go from here.
Then, a topic you suggested, dear CultCast listeners! We talk AppleCare, Apple’s extended warranty program, and tell you when it makes sense, when it doesn’t, and which gadgets you should always keep covered.
Subscribe to The CultCast now on iTunes, or easily stream new episodes right on your iPhone or iPad with Apple’s newly updated and freshly debugged Podcasts App.
Read on for the show notes!
We knew it wouldn’t be long before VMware’s Fusion 5 had a competitor. Today Parallels has announced the release of Parallels 8 for Mac, the latest edition of its flagship virtualization software, which includes support for Windows 8, and boasts Retina-ready visuals for the new MacBook Pro. Other improvements include support for Mountain Lion Dictation, Bluetooth sharing, and Launchpad integration.
Apple has now caught up with demand of its 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, with shipping estimates dropping to just 2-4 business days this morning. But if you’re holding out for the 13-inch model, your wait could soon be coming to an end. According to one analyst, 13-inch 2560 x 1600 Retina displays have now entered production ready for an October launch.
The Retina MacBook Pro is now shipping in just 2-4 business days from the Apple Online Store. This is the shortest shipping estimate the new notebook has seen since its introduction at WWDC back in June, and indicates Apple has now caught up with demand ahead of its iPhone 5 launch next month.
Now that OS X 10.8.1 is here, has battery life really improved, as rumored? The Mac Observer did some tests, and the answer is… sometimes?
U.K. retailer PC World has made some incredible reductions to Apple’s last-generation Macs, with prices starting at just £379 (about $670) for a refurbished Mac mini. It also has MacBook Airs starting at £499 (about $790), and MacBook Pros starting at £649 (about $1,028) — that’s £350 (about $554) off the original price tag.
VMware has announced the latest version of its popular virtualization tool, VMware Fusion. Version 5 is optimized for the latest technologies found in OS X Mountain Lion, Windows 8 and the latest Macs — including the Retina MacBook Pro — and includes more than 70 new features “for a Windows on Mac experience never seen before.”
We’re nosey as anyone here at Cult of Mac and right now we’re having a big contest where readers can win a free bag from Waterfield Designs. All you gotta do is pour out the contents of your bag, snap a pic, upload it, and maybe you’ll win.
It’s probably not fair of us to demand you reveal all the goodies in your bags without showing you some of our own toys, so today we’re jumping inside the bag of Cult of Mac Social Media Editor, Buster Heine, to see everything he carries with him to have a good time.
If you’ve got a fairly recent MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, you’ll know that typing in a dark room is a breeze thanks to its backlit keyboard. It now seems as though Apple is looking to extend this feature to the trackpad as well. In a new patent filing entitled “Illuminated Touchpad”, the Cupertino company describes a new touch-sensitive input technology that doesn’t just light up, but also provides an “improved feedback mechanism.”
Microsoft Office 2011 looks awful on the new MacBook Pro’s Retina display. But unfortunately for its customers, it seems Microsoft has no plans to add high-resolution graphics. While Outlook 2011 does have Retina graphics, the company has confirmed that the rest of the suite will have “the same viewing quality as on any non-Retina device.”
It’s widely know that that the MagSafe 2 connector found on the new Retina MacBook Pro likes to sever its connection at the slightest chance. But who cares, right? After all, if it comes loose, you just plug it back in – it’s not like it’s the cable to your boot drive or anything.
I’ll tell you who cares: Lukas Mathis. Lukas didn’t notice his weak Mag”Safe” connector disconnecting, and the result was a cracked and ruined Retina screen.