Apple Unveils 13-inch Macbook Pro with Retina, Costs $1,699

Adding to the fanfare at today’s Apple event, the Cupertino company unveiled an all new 13-inch Macbook Pro.  The rumors pointed towards a retina version of the laptop, and as it turns out they were spot on.

The new 13-inch Macbook Pro with Retina is a powerhouse of a machine.  In many ways it’s similar to the larger 15-inch Macbook Pro with a Retina display.  However, since its resolution is 2,560 x 1,600 resolution, which is stuffed into a smaller display, it actually has a higher pixel density of 232 compared to 220 as found on the 15-inch version.  In addition to the new display, the 13-inch Macbook Pro with Retina will include a pair of Thunderbolt ports, a 2.5GHz i5 processor (base model presumably , 8GB of RAM, two USB 3.0 ports, and a full sized HDMI port.   All of this has been stuffed in a body that is now 20% thinner than its fatter, older 13-inch Macbook Pro sibling, which is to say it measures .75-inch thick, and also weighs one pound less.

Complete specs and pricing haven’t been disclosed, but we do know that the base model will cost you $1,699, which is a significant premium over the current gen Macbook air, a lighter and thinner machine.

The $1,699 model includes a 2.5Ghz Core i5 with Turbo Boost to 3.1Ghz, 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and Intel HD Graphics 4000.  The higher end model costs $1,999 and includes the same processor and twice the storage.

Update: so goodbye to an optical drive.