It’s not very often that you find substantial savings on MacBooks, so it’s always pretty noteworthy when you do. Case in point is this 13.3″ MacBook Pro with Retina Display. It just so happens to be on sale for a pretty substantial $499 off. That brings the price down to $1,419.99.

There are several SKUs and configurations of the MBP, so which version do you get for that price? This Retina MacBook Pro comes loaded with a dual core Intel Core i5 2.5GHz processor, an impressive 8GB of RAM, 256GB of flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 4000. This is certainly one of the higher spec’d models. You also get the usual things like Bluetooth 4.0, 720p FaceTime camera, USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, and a 74Wh lithium-polymer battery good for 7 hours of computing. And yes, the 13.3-inch screen is a Retina Display, boasting a resolution of 2560 x 1600. That’s better than your 1080p HDTV on a much smaller screen.

You can buy it now from MacMall.com. If that particular configuration doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can choose to customize the MacBook Pro from that same page, picking a faster processor and more flash storage, as well as adding Parallels, Office, a USB SuperDrive and more.

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According to sources with Taiwan-based Apple suppliers, AU Optronics is piloting the production of the iPad mini 2. More information on the topic tells us that the 2^nd gen iPad 7.9 inch mini will come equipped with an impressive 2048×1536 pixel resolution.

If true, the second iPad mini will double the screen ppi of the original mini, giving it a beautiful 324 ppi, putting the screen quality at a higher pixel-per-inch than the fourth generation iPad, and just a touch behind the iPhone 5’s retinal 326 PPI.

Although this is by no means an official confirmation, there’s really no doubt that the second iPad mini will come with a boosted display, as the original iPad mini’s grainy resolution certainly was its weak point. The iPad mini has proven to be quite popular, so it’s likely the 2^nd gen will follow in its footsteps. We aren’t sure when we’ll see the iPad mini 2, but I expect it will reach the shelves sometime in 2013, and hopefully Apple will have prepared enough stock to keep it there for a good few weeks.

I expect that the iPad mini will come equipped with some new and pretty hardware; although I think the main appeal will go towards the screen display. The new tablet may also be installed with a new, refreshing iOS design overhaul.

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In the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung, we continue to get inside looks of past, present and future products and designs from both Samsung and Apple. This is likely bad news for these two companies, but great news for those of us that like to look at concept devices and get a sneak peak at what the future might bring. In the California trial today, Samsung revealed that it is working on a new tablet, codenamed “P10”, which would feature LTE connectivity and a massive 11.8-inch display with a 2560×1600 resolution.

Considering that the new iPad hit not too long ago with its “retina” display, it was only a matter of time before Samsung hit back with something of a similar resolution. How big is too big though? Some might think this monster just isn’t practical, but it all depends on what you are using it for. Many people who prefer the idea of throwing a tablet in their purse and taking it everywhere feel that the 10-inch form factor is too big and that nothing over 7-inches is a truly portable device, others love the iPad and take it everywhere, and then there are even Toshiba Thrive owners that lug around 13-inchers

For use around the house, especially with the assistance of a stand, the 11.8-inch tablet could be a perfect fit for many users. Right now we don’t know a ton about it other than the court documents refer to it as a 2012 product. What do you think of an 11.8-inch tablet? Too big, or just the right size for family, business and around-the-house use?

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“We think consumers who initially planned to purchase the 13” MacBook Pro and Air will turn to the 13” Retina MacBook Pro instead because it has an attractive panel, its price is similar to MacBook Pro and it has a better balance between power consumption and form factor,” writes Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities. “However, as supply is limited due to panel and assembly yield rate issues, shipment of the 13” Retina MacBook Pro won’t be able to satisfy demand. And we think consumers’ budgets will transfer to new iOS products after Apple launches them, which suggests that overall MacBook shipments will not grow meaningfully on the 13” Retina MacBook Pro.”

Meanwhile, Kuo expects to see a new version of the iPod touch and the iPod nano also for this fall, as well as the rumored iPad mini, a modified new iPad, and new 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs. The new iMac will be powered by Ivy Bridge, but they’ve been delayed by screen lamination issues. And let’s not forget that the iPhone 5 is supposed to come out in September or October too.

It looks like Apple and its suppliers are going to be really busy for this back to school season. You’ve got to wonder, though, whether that will hurt potential sales because consumers will have to choose where to spend their money.

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That’s not as high a pixel density as the Retina display on iDevices, but the assumption is that your eyes are going to be a little further away from the screen, giving you the same kind of super crisp visual experience. They’ve also ditched the optical drive altogether, slimming the MBP down to 4.5 pounds and 0.71–inches thick.

As far as tech specs are concerned, you get a quad-core i7 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA Kepler GeForce GT 650M GPU. You also get 768GB of storage, a 7-hour battery, SDXC card slot, HDMI-out (!), USB 3.0, a pair of Thunderbolt ports, MagSafe 2, two microphones, and a headphone jack. Rounding it all off are WiFi-n, Bluetooth 4.0, backlit keyboard, and a multitouch trackpad.

And all this can be yours starting today. The new entry-level MBP gets a 2.3GHz quad-core i7, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $2,199.

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This super retina display LG was showing off at Display Week boasts a 1920 x 1080 resolution, with an impressive 440 pixels per inch of the crispest, smoothest RGB you’ve ever seen on a 5-inch screen.   Although we doubt Apple would go to LG for a display panel, this resolution would be in line with something we’d see out of Cupertino or Samsung’s labs in a next-gen smartphone. In fact, we’re pretty damn surprised Samsung didn’t reveal this first.  The Galaxy S3 has a 1920 x 720 resolution display, which is AMOLED mind you, and 306 PPI, and available right now.  We can expect one of LG’s upcoming Android handsets to pack this super retina with extremely high PPI count; it also features AH-IPS (advanced high-performance in-plan switching) which gives enhanced viewing angles.  Not something for private emails on the metro, but with a crowd around you watching a YouTube flick, it’ll be perfect.

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To put things in perspective, the current MacBook line has you choosing between a 1366×768 panel or a 1440×900 panel for your display, as well as the 1920×1200 panel in the 17-inch MacBook Pro. By contrast, the new iPad is able to make the substantial leap to 2048×1536 pixels in just a 9.7-inch display. Considering that the MacBook range goes from 11.6-inches to 17-inches, Apple would have to substantially increase the resolution again.

That said, they were able to justify the lower 264 ppi on the new iPad (compared to 326 ppi on the iPhone 4S) because they said you’d likely have the screen further away from your face. I imagine you’d keep a laptop display even further, so it’s possible that Apple could go lower and still call it a Retina Display. There are reports of “double-sized graphics in the most recent preview of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion” to further back up the possible presence of Retina Display tech in the 2012 MacBook line.

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The post Apple MacBooks with Retina Displays for Summer 2012 Launch? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

When it comes to mobile display resolutions, particularly in tablets, 2012 seems to be a year of major change. It wasn’t long ago that 1024 × 768 was a commonplace resolution and even 640×480 wasn’t that unheard of. Now we have the new iPad with its 2048×1536 Retina display, and at MWC 2012 Asus unveiled an updated version of the Transformer Prime that will feature a 1920×1200 resolution.

It is clear that the future lies with high-resolution mobile displays, something that Microsoft talked about recently in a new Building Windows 8 blog post.

In the blog post Microsoft’s David Washington detailed how Windows 8, which is on its way later this year, will handle a multitude of different equipment and display setups, including the way that Metro will scale itself with different resolutions. At the standard 1366×768, no scaling will be needed but at other resolutions this is going to change in order to make the UI look and work as best as possible. With a 1920×1080 resolution there will be 140% scaling applied and for 2560×1440 resolutions there would even be 180% scaling.

So what does this mean exactly? In laymen’s terms, you pretty much get the same amount of information onscreen regardless of the resolution you are in. This gives the Metro UI a consistent look, that hopefully translates over to an easier design optimization experience for app developers.

Washington’s blog post even included a picture that showed the most common resolutions and screen sizes, showing off that Windows 8 will indeed support higher resolutions. Will this result in as attractive or useable experience as the new iPad? That’s hard to say, but there are many who don’t think it will. One such fellow is the Windows guru, Paul Thurrott.

In his own words:

“Windows is just never going to be as simple and elegant as the iPad, and that’s particularly true in this (high-density display) area. Windows’ diversity of devices, as always, remains both a blessing (choice) and a curse (inconsistency).”

Either way it is great to see the Microsoft is forward-thinking about concepts like higher resolution displays, scaling, and how to give the most consistent and useable UI experience it can with Metro. Will any of it make a difference as Microsoft attempts to enter into the tablet space against Apple and the Android tablets? I have my own theory on that, but I’d love to hear what you have to think about it as well.

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Apple’s new iPad shipped with that awesome 2048×1536 Retina display. As expected, a lot of apps have been updated to take advantage of the high resolution display. The updated apps that are being highlighted on the front page of the App Store include mostly popular apps from the big names. These include  Kindle, NY Times, Flipboard, Reeder, Twitter, and Vimeo. All together there are 42 apps for you to choose from, and the selection includes games, productivity/learning software, among other types.

Apple has decided not to highlight Apple’s own updated software such as GarageBand and iPhoto as these apps get good promotion already. And, as you might have guessed by now, the average app price is quite high.

As for all the other apps which didn’t get updated, we are expecting those to get updated in the very near future. Non-Retina display apps will also work just fine on the new device, but developers have no choice but to update their apps when the hardware is upgraded to stay ahead of their rivals.

But, as we reported earlier, we are hearing a lot of complaints regarding an overheating issue with the new iPad. The problem is thought to be the result of the larger battery and the more powerful processor. We are expecting the newly released high resolution apps to play a big role in heating the device up even more. Is anyone out there using an updated app and feeling the heat?

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There is no denying that the new iPad (iPad 3) is impressive, it is faster, more graphically pleasing, and best of all has a killer retina display. So we understand, at least conceptually, that Apple has quadrupled the pixel count, but what does it all look like close up, with the aide of a microscope?

At Ignore The Code they decided to find out. So what does a true close up of pixels look like? A bunch of jumbled dots, but when you look at the new iPad versus the iPad 2 the difference in this pixel count becomes jarringly noticeable.

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