Apple

The 13-inch Retina display MacBook Pro has finally joined its big brother on the store shelves and is now available for purchase. The third generation MacBook Pro with Retina was unveiled earlier this summer (back in June) and boasted a 15-inch display. Customers were foaming at the mouth the remainder of the summer for a 13-inch version, which has finally arrived today.

Ars Technica has a good write up of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, saying it has “more pixels” but “less value.” It has a better battery life than the MacBook Air, is 23% smaller than the 15-inch MacBook Pro, and weighs nearly a pound lighter than the old 13″ MBP model. The new 13″ Pro with Retina is definitely more portable than the other Pros but still not quite as lightweight as the MacBook Air. Ars Technica noted that the base model comes with a “paltry” 128GB SSD and 8GB of RAM that you can’t upgrade when you purchase your new laptop. It has a gorgeous display but lacks the “raw power” that users have come to expect from the Pro line of MacBooks; hence the “less value” verdict.

Apple has a few 13-inch options available to the consumer, from the MacBook Air to the MacBook Pro with or without Retina Display. However, when it comes to performance, Ars Technica is encouraging their readers to stick with the 15″:

As it is, the 13″ MacBook Pro is hard to recommend, even though I thoroughly enjoyed using it. If you want light, I’d recommend the 13″ MacBook Air. If you want powerful, I’d recommend the 15″ Retina MacBook Pro. If you want cheap, I’d consider the non-Retina 13″ MacBook Pro. If you truly want something that’s sort of a compromise of all three qualities, then the 13″ MacBook Pro just might suit you.

Are you planning to pick up the new 13″ Retina display MacBook Pro? Do you have lofty expectations for the new laptop, or are you excited about Apple bridging the gap between the MacBook Air and the 15″ Pro?