This 13-inch laptop belongs to the third generation of MacBook Pro with Retina display. The first was built on the Intel Ivy Bridge platform and was equipped with drives with a SATA bus. The second generation switched to Haswell processors and brought support for the PCIe interface for solid state drives. At the same time, mid-2014 Haswell models differ from their predecessors only in increased CPU frequencies within the same 28 W thermal package. Processors with the Broadwell microarchitecture in the Broadwell-U variety began commercial life only in February of this year, so we are only now seeing a truly new MacBook Pro. By the way, its brother with a 15-inch screen will appear even later, following the quad-core Broadwell variants, and maybe not even Broadwell, but Skylake - Intel has not yet revealed its plans in this direction.

Apple timed another significant innovation to coincide with the next upgrade of the processor platform: SSDs with PCI interface e x4. Finally, there's a slight change to the MacBook Pro's ergonomics, with the intriguing Force Touch technology that debuted on the 12-inch MacBook ultraportable. But let's start, as expected, with the hardware specifications.

⇡ Technical characteristics, prices

In general, the Broadwell architecture is a development of the Haswell architecture, but on a 14 nm process technology and with minimal changes to the x86 core. In Intel terminology, Haswell refers to the "tock" phase corresponding to the emergence of a new architecture, and Broadwell is the "tick" phase associated with the development of a new technological process.

Accordingly, a significant increase in performance per clock is not required from Broadwell, although Intel is talking about an increase in IPC (Instructions per Cycle) by 5% compared to Haswell. The main benefits stem from the change in process technology and the concomitant reduction in operating stresses. MacBook Pro, thanks to the platform change from Haswell to Broadwell, acquired a line of three CPUs - Core i5-5257U, Core i5-5287U and Core i7-5557U, base frequency which are 100 MHz higher than similar positions in the 2014 MacBook Pro. The thermal package is still the same - 28 W.

The processors have an integrated eighth-generation Intel GPU in the maximum configuration for today - Iris 6100, including 48 execution units (EU). For comparison, the Iris 5100 graphics core in the MacBook on Haswell contains 40 EU. In addition, the GPU architecture in Broadwell has been optimized. According to Intel, graphics performance in Broadwell-U is up 22% compared to Haswell-U.

Along with fully hardware decoding of H.264 video format, there is partially software decoding of H.265 (HEVC): some of the operations are performed on shader ALUs. However, last function unlikely to be available on OS X.

The processors used in the MacBook Pro are almost the same in terms of GPU frequencies (1.05-1.1 GHz). And by the way, welcome the long-awaited support for 3840x2160 resolution at 60 Hz via DisplayPort.

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display 13" Early 2015
Display	13.3 inches, 2560 × 1600, IPS
CPU	Intel Core i5-5257U (2 cores, 2.7-3.1 GHz) / Intel Core i5-5287U (2 cores, 2.9 -3.3 GHz) / Intel Core i7-5557U (2 cores, 3.1 -3.4 GHz)
Chipset	PCH-LP on CPU substrate
RAM	LPDDR3 SDRAM, 1866 MHz, 8/16 GB
GPU	Intel Iris 6100 Graphics
Storage device	SSD, PCIe 2.0 x4, 128/256/512/1024 GB
I/O ports	2 × Thunderbolt 2, 2 × USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 × 3.5 mm TRS (mini-jack), 1 x SDXC
Net	AirPort Extreme IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0
Battery, Wh	74,9
Weight, kg	1,58
Overall dimensions (L × H × D), mm	314 x 219 x 18

The most noticeable benefits from Broadwell are in the area of ​​energy consumption. The CPU chip itself uses energy more efficiently within its TDP. In addition, some of the optimizations were made to the built-in south bridge. Broadwell-U processors, relatively speaking, are systems on a chip, since the PCH-LP southbridge is soldered on the same substrate as the CPU. PCH is still produced using the 32 nm process technology (a small contribution to the total power of the SoC allows us not to chase a more progressive norm), but has undergone changes that have reduced the power consumption of the chip at idle and under load by 25% and 20%, respectively. Thanks to the updated audio DSP, power reduction is achieved when playing music and movies.

It's not for nothing that Apple tells the time battery life 10 hours of web surfing (an hour more than the previous generation) and 12 hours of watching videos in iTunes. However, a slightly larger battery (74.9 versus 71.8 Wh) also contributed to this parameter.

The second, if not the first significant innovation in the new MacBook Pro is an SSD with a PCIe x4 interface. The drive is made in a proprietary form factor common to Macs and is equipped with a Samsung S4LN058A01 controller. The latter supports the PCIe 3.0 interface, but the laptop SoC ( How unusual it is to talk about SoC in articles about laptops! — approx. ed. ) limited to version 2.0.

Samsung SSD with PCIe x4 interface (photo iFixit)

At the end of the conversation about technical specifications We'll announce the prices for the new MacBooks. In the USA, the cost of three configurations with the specified CPU and SSD capacity of 128, 256 and 512 GB, respectively, is $1,299, $1,499 and $1,799. Apple Store these amounts are transformed into 99,990, 115,990 and 138,990 rubles.

⇡ Delivery set

The set of MacBook accessories has not changed. The computer still charges from the 60W MagSafe power supply. In addition to it, the box contains an extension cable, a set of paper documentation and a cleaning cloth.

⇡ Appearance, ergonomics

By appearance The 2015 MacBook Pro is indistinguishable from its predecessors. The model is determined only by the markings on the bottom side.

Even the updated Force Touch touchpad is the same size and shape as MacBook touchpad Pro for the last two years. However, it is worth telling about it in more detail.

When you click on the touchpad, you would never guess that it is somehow different from the usual mechanical design. It just seems that the touchpad platform is evenly immersed in the body in all corners, making it easy to click at any point. The click is softer than the touchpads of previous generations of MacBooks - that's the whole difference. But if you look closely, although the touchpad platform moves when pressed, it does so by an insignificant distance, and neither a click nor a response to a click occurs if you replace your finger with a hard object at hand. That is, the touchpad actually detects finger pressure electronically and somehow (we’ll tell you how exactly below) creates mechanical feedback. But the illusion of pressing a real key is so strong that this observation does not dispel it at all.

If you press harder after the first click, a second one will occur. It can run some actions like quickly searching the highlighted word in the dictionary. And here, again, it’s impossible to get rid of the feeling that your finger is pushing the touchpad plate deeper into the body. All this may seem like nonsense and self-hypnosis, but only until you feel the magic with your own fingers. Several editorial staff tried it and were fooled by the Force Touch touchpad, which skillfully imitates a mechanical key.

Resistance touchpad adjustable in the OS X settings. The author of this article found the most convenient medium hardness, which at the same time eliminates accidental pressing and does not require too much pressure on the plate.

An arsenal of old gestures not related to new feature, remained untouched. The only change: the option to move (drag) objects with three fingers was moved from the main section of the touchpad settings to the Accesibility section (“Universal Access”). If you don't know about this, you might think that this is useful feature disappeared altogether. Clicking with pressure and holding, of course, has become more convenient due to the fact that any point on the touchpad is “pressed”, but it still requires more concentration and physical tension of the hand, even with a low hardness setting.

⇡ Internal structure

Inside, the new MacBook Pro looks essentially the same as the old one. Of all the components that a user might want to improve, for self-replacement Only SSD is available. Everything else is soldered to the motherboard.

Internals of Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display 13" Early 2015 (photo iFixit)

Colleagues from iFixit, having disassembled the laptop down to the screw, penetrated into the secrets of the Force Touch touchpad. The block of electromagnets is attracted to the opposite metal plate, causing a click and recoil. But it is possible that the individual coils of the electromagnet are actually activated in a complex order.

Pressure on the panel is recorded by four electronic sensors in its corners, and the location of the press is determined by the touchpad's touch surface itself.

Today we are reviewing a 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina beginning of 2015.

The laptop in this configuration is equipped Intel processor Core i5 2.9 GHz, 512 GB SSD, 8 GB random access memory. The new MacBook has a 13-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels.

The main feature of a professional laptop from Apple is the trackpad, which understands the pressure applied, this technology called Force Touch.
Now pressing hard on the trackpad in Safari opens a preview of the page, this is just one example of several, Force Touch works with almost everything standard applications on Mac OS X.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina has two USB ports, two Thunderbolt ports, one HDMI output and a slot for a memory card.

The integrated graphics have also improved compared to the previous model, the new Mac received an Intel Iris Graphics 6100 graphics card, and no problems were noticed with graphics while using the laptop.

Since the MacBook has an SSD drive, the speed of the computer has increased, for example, the computer starts from scratch in 10 seconds, Photoshop opens in about 3 seconds, and the Final Cut Pro X video editor in 5 seconds.

Many people are interested in the question of autonomy, but as you know, Apple laptops have never suffered low time battery life, so the MacBook 13″ early 2015 can last up to 12 hours, which is a unique result.

In conclusion, I want to say that the MacBook is created purely for work, and not for games, so if you are a gamer, then you should not even look in the direction of the Mac when choosing a computer. It can easily handle simple games, for example, online games, but complex modern projects will severely lag and, moreover, there are few games on Mac OS.

Video review:

Today we are reviewing a 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina from early 2015. The laptop in this configuration is equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor with a clock frequency of 2.9 GHz, a 512 GB SSD drive, and 8 GB of RAM. The new MacBook has a 13-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2560x1600 pixels. The main feature of a professional laptop from Apple is a trackpad that understands the force of pressing, this technology is called Force Touch. Now, pressing hard on the trackpad in Safari opens a preview of the page, this is just one example of several, Force Touch works with almost all standard applications on Mac OS X. The 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina has two USB connectors, two Thunderbolt...

Timur

FINAL GRADE

• Retina display
• 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
• Supported scaled resolutions:
  • 1680 by 1050
  • 1440 by 900
  • 1024 by 640
• 300 nits brightness
• Standard color gamut (sRGB)
• 900:1 contrast ratio

Processor

• 2.7GHz - 128GB
  
  
• 2.7GHz - 256GB
  2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor ( Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
  Configurable to 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache or 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz) with 4MB shared L3 cache.
• 2.9GHz
  2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
  Configurable to 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz) with 4MB shared L3 cache.

Memory

• 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
  Configurable to 16GB.

Storage 1

• 2.7GHz - 128GB
  128GB PCIe-based flash storage
• 2.7GHz - 256GB
  256GB PCIe-based flash storage
• 2.9GHz
  512GB PCIe-based flash storage
  Configurable to 1TB flash storage.

Size and Weight

• Height: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm)
• Width: 12.35 inches (31.4 cm)
• Depth: 8.62 inches (21.9 cm)
• Weight: 3.48 pounds (1.58 kg) 2

Graphics and Video Support

• Intel Iris Graphics 6100
• Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on up to two external displays, both at millions of colors.
• Thunderbolt digital video output
  • Native Mini DisplayPort output
  • DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI, and HDMI output supported using Mini DisplayPort adapters (sold separately)
• HDMI video output
  • Support for 1080p resolution at up to 60Hz
  • Support for 3840-by-2160 resolution at 30Hz
  • Support for 4096-by-2160 resolution at 24Hz

Camera

• 720p FaceTime HD camera

Connections and Expansion

• MagSafe 2 power port
• Two Thunderbolt 2 ports (up to 20 Gbps)
• Two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)
• HDMI port
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• SDXC card slot
• Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter (sold separately)
• Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (sold separately)

Wireless

• WiFi
  802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking; IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
• Bluetooth
  Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology

Audio

• Stereo speakers
• Dual microphones
• 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone
  • Support for audio line out (digital/analog)

Keyboard and Trackpad

• Full-size backlit keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys and 4 arrow keys (inverted “T” arrangement) with ambient light sensor
• Force Touch trackpad for precise cursor control and pressure-sensing capabilities; enables Force clicks, accelerators, pressure-sensitive drawing, and Multi-Touch gestures

Battery and Power 3

• Up to 10 hours wireless web
• Up to 12 hours iTunes movie playback
• Up to 30 days of standby time
• Built-in 74.9-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
• 60W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter with cable management system; MagSafe 2 power port

Electrical and Operating Requirements

• Line voltage: 100V to 240V AC
• Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz
• Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
• Storage temperature: -13° to 113° F (-25° to 45° C)
• Relative humidity: 0% to 90% noncondensing
• Operating altitude: tested up to 10,000 feet
• Maximum storage altitude: 15,000 feet
• Maximum shipping altitude: 35,000 feet

Operating System

macOS Sierra
macOS is the operating system that powers everything you do on a Mac. macOS Sierra introduces Siri to Mac 4 — along with new ways to enjoy your photos, shop more securely online, and work more seamlessly between devices.
Learn more

Accessibility

Accessibility features help people with disabilities get the most out of their new MacBook Pro. With built-in support for vision, hearing, physical and motor skills, and learning and literacy, you can create and do amazing things.
Learn more

Features include:

• VoiceOver
• Increase Contrast
• Reduce Motion
• Siri and Dictation
• Switch Control
• Closed Captions
• Text to Speech

Built-in Apps 5

• Photos
• iMovie
• GarageBand
• Pages
• Numbers
• Keynote
• Safari
• FaceTime
• Messages
• Notes
• Calendar
• Contacts
• Reminders
• Photo Booth
• Preview
• iTunes
• iBooks
• App Store
• Time Machine

Limited Warranty and Service

• Up to 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz, with 4MB shared L3 cache
• 16GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
• Up to 1TB PCIe-based onboard SSD 1

MacBook Pro and the Environment

Apple takes a complete product life cycle approach to determining our environmental impact. Learn more

MacBook Pro is designed with the following features to reduce its environmental impact:

• Mercury-free LED-backlit display
• Arsenic-free display glass
• BFR-free
• PVC-free 6
• Beryllium-free
• Highly recyclable aluminum enclosure
• Meets ENERGY STAR 6.1 requirements
• Rated EPEAT Gold 7

Apple and the Environment
Learn more about Apple's dedication to reducing the environmental impact of our products and process. Or read our Product Environmental Reports for detailed information on the environmental performance of every Apple product.

Recycling
Apple takes a holistic view of materials management and waste minimization. Learn more about how to recycle your Mac.

Acoustic Performance

Declared noise emission values ​​in accordance with ECMA-109

	Sound Power Level L W A,m (B)	Sound Pressure Level Operator Position L p A.m (dB)
Idle	1.25 (K v= 0.25)	3.5
Wireless web	1.25 (K v= 0.25)	3.5

1. L W A,m is the mean A-weighted sound power level, rounded to the nearest 0.05 B.
2. L p A,m is the mean A-weighted sound pressure level measured at the operator position (rounded to the nearest 0.5 dB).
3. 1 B (bel) = 10 dB (decibel)
4. K v is the statistical adder for computing upper-limit of A-weighted sound power level.
5. The quantity, L W A,c (formerly called L W Ad) may be computed from the sum of L W A,m and K v.
6. The Wireless web test browses 25 popular websites.
7. Configuration tested: 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB memory, 512GB storage, Intel Iris Graphics 6100.

Accessories

Mac Software

• Final Cut Pro X
• Logic Pro X

Displays and Adapters

• Apple Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter
• Apple Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter
• Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter
• MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter

AirPort and Wireless

• AirPort Express
• AirPort Extreme
• AirPort Time Capsule

Other Accessories

• Apple USB SuperDrive
• Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter
• Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter
• 60W MagSafe 2 Power Adapter
• AppleCare Protection Plan

1. 1GB = 1 billion bytes and 1TB = 1 trillion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.
2. Weight varies by configuration and manufacturing process.
3. Testing conducted by Apple in April 2015 using preproduction 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-based 15-inch MacBook Pro systems with 256GB of flash storage and 16GB of RAM. Testing conducted by Apple in February 2015 using preproduction 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5-based 13-inch MacBook Pro units (wireless web test and HD movie playback test) and preproduction 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5-based 13-inch MacBook Pro units (standby test). The wireless web test measures battery life by wirelessly browsing 25 popular websites with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75%. The HD movie playback test measures battery life by playing back HD 1080p content with display brightness set to 12 clicks from bottom or 75%. The standby test measures battery life by allowing a system, connected to a wireless network and signed in to an iCloud account, to enter standby mode with Safari and Mail applications launched and all system settings left at default. Battery life varies by use and configuration. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information.
4. Siri may not be available in all languages ​​or in all areas, and features may vary by area.
5. iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are available on the Mac App Store. Downloading apps requires an Apple ID and a device that is compatible with the OS version required for each app.
6. PVC-free AC power cord available in all regions except India and South Korea.
7. MacBook Pro achieved a Gold rating from EPEAT in the U.S. and Canada.

2 years ago

Small dimensions, great touchpad, awesome display

2 years ago

Screen (everything except the bad resolution)) Battery life. Build quality and materials. Keyboard and touchpad. Speed ​​and responsiveness Absolutely silent under light to moderate loads. During operation, no lags, freezes, etc. were noticed. Everything works quickly, the animation is smooth and even. There is no shortage of 8 gigs of memory, even if you share 4 gigs on a virtual machine with Windows. He comes out of sleep instantly. I was sitting in a cafe, connected to the local wifi, closed the laptop, came home, opened it and my home wifi instantly appeared in the connection bar. The laptop is ready to use even before you open the lid completely. It seems like a small thing, but it’s nice. The keyboard and touchpad are incredibly comfortable. Looking at your old laptop is painful. The screen quality is simply amazing.

2 years ago

What was I looking for? If you want to convince yourself that you need this particular model, then next I will tell you what was important to me in this computer and what I finally got. This is not advice or a recommendation, this is completely my opinion, which I am just sharing. So, in order: I am a coach, an organizational consultant, that is, a person who periodically lives on the road, prints a lot, and the following parameters are important to me: 1. Weight no more than 1.5 kg - the previous one was HP Elite 840 1.8 2. Availability USB connectors, VGA for a projector 3. Work without charging 8 - 9 hours with breaks for moving 4. Sufficient power for processing videos and online broadcasts 5. Presentable appearance 6. Ability to work with office software - Word, Excel, pp 7. Normal touchpad - mouse I haven’t used it for 6 years now, and it’s a struggle

2 years ago

Excellent screen, battery life, performance, comfortable trackpad - fully replaces the mouse.

2 years ago

really good screen, battery life is about 5 hours, very comfortable touchpad.

2 years ago

I’ll say right away that I’m not a fan of Apple at all, especially when it comes to phones. Well, first things first. I chose a laptop for a very long time - I read a lot of reviews for about a month, looked at a bunch of reviews, consulted with friends, I needed the laptop specifically for work. After analyzing a ton of information, I came to the conclusion that better than a laptop Can't find one for the job. Other models have constant problems either with build quality, or with the screen, or with cooling, etc. And this applies to almost any company - the number of defects in any of them is decent. So the pros: - This is undoubtedly the screen - one of the important factors of choice - bright rich colors, excellent viewing angles, excellent resolution. - Battery. With active use, I have enough hours for 7-8 at almost maximum brightness. - Quality collection

2 years ago

Screen, body material

2 years ago

Assembly, of course, screen, touchpad, design, keyboard, performance, battery, OS, decent sound. All this gives good almost limitless multimedia possibilities

2 years ago

Fast charging(5% - 100% 1.5-2 hours) + Long battery life (2 days of active surfing) + Compact + Excellent stereo sound + Keyboard backlight + Silent (when surfing and working in MS Office) + Compact charging + Large touchpad + SSD ( system boots in 5-7 seconds) + Force Touch (not used very often, then press hard to make a preview, very cool) + no cons

2 years ago

The screen, at home on a stationary one, is a 2K monitor (2560x1600) for the cost of half a laptop and it lived up to expectations. + Battery charge, no laptop can boast such autonomy, with the exception of those that are equal in price or higher on Windows. + The weight of a laptop with such characteristics was chosen for study and it is not difficult to carry. + Hardware performance and optimization. If they tell you that you can buy more powerful ones for the same money, then look at laptops from other companies with the same characteristics (weight, screen, materials, hardware, etc.) and make sure that the difference reaches 10k at best, while others will be outdated in a year or two , and yours will live 3-4 years. + This may be stupid, but Charger beyond all praise. It is compact (2 times more than charging an iPhone), convenient to wind up

2 years ago

Poor performance during everyday tasks, the sound of the speakers is like from a cave, the price.

2 years ago

2 usb port(well, why don’t you need these two Thunderbolts, instead of them there would be 1 more usb)
Under high load it starts to blow and makes a little noise.
Problems with anti-reflective coating (but I don’t seem to have any))

2 years ago

There are not many disadvantages, but they are:
1. When I installed the keyboard layout, I turned on the computer one and I practically like it except for some of the “:”, “?” and ".", "," in the Russian keyboard - they are not easy to find. But because of this, I had doubts about Mac. I want to find the point not at 6 and 7, but in my usual place to the right of Shift, and I have them there now! Sign? and: I just had to remember
2. It freezes occasionally when I drag files from mail to dropbox
3. I haven’t learned how to use the cloud yet and I don’t really understand why I need it. After the collapse of the outer hard drive I don’t use anything else except dropa.
4. The screen is very clear and bright, but easily soiled. When the screen is on, this is not critical, but when you just open the lid, you can see all your fingers
5. Preset

2 years ago

Yosemite out of the box could not cope with professional tasks; when connecting an additional FHD monitor, the system began to freeze (with the transition to El Capitan, the problems are completely resolved)

2 years ago

HORRIBLE graphics system performance. The built-in Iris 6100 does not support the retina, hence the lags and freezes even in the native OS. Scrolling through the browser makes you angry and want to smash your laptop to hell.

2 years ago

Not enough disk space for my work. But I solved the problem quickly - I bought a 2TB external hard drive, installed all the programs there, everything works fine.
-It was unusual to switch from a 24-inch monitor. I got used to it in a couple of days.
-Not all programs for my work run on OS X. But the problem is solved very quickly, just install Windows. Moreover, the transition from Windows to Mac OS and back is carried out without problems.

2 years ago

Lags, 2 USB, 8GB RAM, price, easy to scratch the screen, weak processor, sucker - not a mammoth

2 years ago

of course the price, the almost complete absence of free software

2 years ago

Also MAC OS X is a minus, due to the fact that most computers on Windows will initially have some hiccups in use, but will go away over time.
- A laptop with a large amount of memory is very expensive. The solution is external HDD or flash drives for storing long-term files, but still, although the memory is the fastest for the laptop market, I would agree to be slower and cheaper, like in the 2014 version. For a 256 GB laptop to cost the same as 128 GB.
- It’s better to install everything licensed, since free software, but downloaded “supposedly” from unverified sources at first refuses to install, but is installed in the end.
- A little less of a program for programmers, but everything is almost interchangeable, you just have to get used to it.

2 years ago

2 usb
X OS (I love Windows)
price
125 gigs

First acquaintance with Force Touch technology

At the event on March 9 Apple company introduced a stunning MacBook laptop with an ultra-thin body and Retina display. Among the most interesting features of the new product was Force Touch technology, which can significantly change the scenarios for using the trackpad on laptops. However, Force Touch has appeared not only in the new 12-inch MacBook, but also in the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina. Since the 12-inch MacBook is not yet available, we decided to test the updated MacBook Pro Retina and, firstly, get acquainted with Force Touch, and secondly, evaluate the performance increase compared to earlier models.

Since the design and screen of the new MacBook Pro remain unchanged compared to previous versions, we won't talk about that and will go straight to describing Force Touch and testing its performance.

New trackpad with Force Touch

So, Force Touch is a technology that allows the laptop trackpad to recognize the depth of pressure. In the case of the standard MacBook Pro trackpad, we have a short click that works like a left click, a long click (that is, a click and hold) that works like a right click, and taps and gestures. Touching with one finger is a left click of the mouse, touching with two fingers at the same time is a right click of the mouse. Plus, clicking and holding and simultaneously moving your finger along the surface of the touchpad allows you to select text or some area.

Now Apple has decided to introduce a new type of click: let's call it a deep click (Apple itself calls it “force click”). In practice, it looks like this: you press the trackpad, hear a characteristic click, and then, without releasing your finger, press even deeper. The feeling is that the trackpad under your finger sinks a little lower, and you hear another click. You can press in any zone of the trackpad - the result will be the same.

Let's go to " System Settings" and look at the "Trackpad" item.

We immediately see two new elements: firstly, the “Strong pressure and tactile response” item at the bottom (it has a checkmark by default, which means the Force Touch function is working), and secondly, a slider under the word “Force”. With it, you can adjust how strong the force must be for the system to perceive it as a deep press.

And here we come to the first important feature of Force Touch: it is not only hardware, but also software function, unlike a standard click. If we turn off the MacBook Pro and simply click on the trackpad, we will feel the click and hear a characteristic sound. This will work in any programs and operating systems. Whereas deep pressing is only possible when the computer is turned on and OS X is running. Yes, yes, in Windows technology does not work. Moreover, not only nothing happens, but you cannot hear this second click at all and feel the deepening of the trackpad.

The hardware component of Force Touch is that under the trackpad (the same as before) there are now additional sensors that recognize the force of pressure on the trackpad, as well as a mechanism that allows you to emulate a tactile response (that very click). Let us emphasize that this is precisely emulation, as evidenced by an experiment with the computer turned off.

Much more interesting is the software component, which here can be said to be two-level: firstly, the actual recognition of pressing force and generating a response when the required depth of pressing is achieved - based on user settings (see screenshot above); secondly, the reaction of the operating system and specific applications to deep pressing, its duration and strength.

In different applications, this deep click can perform different tasks. For example, one of the most effective applications is previewing an address on a map. If you see an address in the text, just deep-click on the address and an Apple Maps mini-window will open, where this address will be shown on the map. Surprisingly, the system easily identifies the part of the sentence that contains the address. That is, you can deep-click on any word (no need to select the address!), and the system will correctly determine how many more words before and after it need to be captured in order to get the address.

The downside is that in Russia, for example, Apple maps are not nearly as good as, say, Yandex or Google maps. In the screenshot above you can see that houses are not shown on the map. But you cannot set Google Maps as the default mapping service.

Another example is getting information about any word on a web page or in text document(information is downloaded from Wikipedia or a dictionary). We also really liked the use of Force Touch in QuickTime: depending on how deep you press, the scrolling speed can increase or decrease.

We will not list in detail all applications where Force Touch is supported - an exhaustive list in Russian can be seen. But what I would like to talk about is the subjective impressions of using the function. They are mixed.

On the one hand, the idea is interesting, fresh, and the prospects here are very great, especially when Force Touch support is added to their applications third party developers. Apple, for its part, has done everything necessary for this by providing access to the Force Touch API in Xcode 6.3 and OS X 10.10.3 SDK.

On the other hand, there are two problems here. The first problem: it is quite difficult to remember exactly what function a deep press performs in a particular application. Although the author of these lines belongs to the ancient Mac users, but he still hasn't mastered all the gestures MacBook trackpad(especially three-fingered ones). And now Apple wants to encourage him to remember a bunch more information (or rather, not just remember, but get used to using it every day).

The second problem, even more significant: sometimes on a new trackpad, out of habit, you make a deep press, although you need a normal one. We're just not used to adjusting the click force. Therefore, at first, Force Touch will most likely be annoying - for example, when you cannot select text for the tenth time, because your left hand makes deep presses instead of just pressing and holding. But, most likely, in the future, each user will be able to find the optimal scenario for using Force Touch.

Configuration

Well, let's move on to studying the hardware of the new MacBook Pro. As follows from the information on, there are several various models updated (Early 2015) 13-inch Apple laptop MacBook Pro with Retina display. These are three basic versions and possible options for each of these versions. Basic configurations differ in processor model and SSD storage capacity.

During testing we had junior model Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) laptop with the following configuration:

CPU		Intel Core i5-5257U (Broadwell)
Chipset		N/A
RAM		8 GB (2x4 GB) LPDDR3-1866
Video subsystem		Intel Iris Graphics 6100
Screen		13.3 inches, 2560×1600, IPS
Sound subsystem		Cirrus Logic CS4208
Storage device		1 × APPLE SSD SM0128G (128 GB)
Optical drive		No
Card reader		SD(HC/XC)
Network interfaces	Wired network	No
	Wireless network	802.11a/g/n/ac
	Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0
Interfaces and ports	USB (3.0/2.0)	2/0
	HDMI 1.4	There is
	D-Sub	No
	Thunderbolt	2 (up to 20 Gbit/s)
	RJ-45	No
	Microphone input	yes (combined)
	Headphone output	yes (combined)
	Audio line out	No
	Line audio input	No
Input Devices	Keyboard	island type with lighting
	Touchpad	Force Touch
IP telephony	Webcam	HD
	Microphone	There is
Battery		non-removable 4-cell, (65 Wh)
Dimensions		314×219×18 mm
Weight without power supply		1.58 kg

Here is information about this model in operating system OS X

So, the basis of the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) laptop is a dual-core processor (Broadwell). This processor has a nominal clock speed of 2.7 GHz, which can be boosted up to 3.1 GHz in Turbo Boost mode. Its L3 cache size is 3MB and its rated maximum power is 28W. This processor has integrated graphics Intel core Iris Graphics 6100 basic clock frequency which is 300 MHz, and the maximum (in Turbo Boost mode) is 1.05 GHz.

Note that the older basic model of the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina laptop (Early 2015) is equipped with a more powerful Intel Core i5-5287U processor, and optionally laptops can be equipped with an Intel Core i7-5557U processor.

The laptop is equipped in the basic configuration with 8 GB of LPDDR3-1866 memory, which operates in dual-channel mode. But optionally you can order a configuration with 16 GB of memory.

The laptop's storage subsystem is one SSD drive APPLE SSD SM0128G (Samsung), with a capacity of 128 GB with a PCIe x2 interface. But such a drive is installed only in the younger version of the laptop. The middle and older versions are equipped with SSD drives with a capacity of 256 and 512 GB, respectively. Moreover, optionally for the older version, the capacity of the SSD drive can be 1 TB.

The communication capabilities of the laptop are determined by the presence of dual-band wireless (2.4 and 5 GHz) network adapter, which complies with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac specifications.

It remains to add that the laptop is equipped with a built-in HD 720p webcam located above the screen, as well as a non-removable battery capacity 65 Wh.

Performance testing in OS X environment

Let's see how this configuration performs in tests. We'll first test the MacBook Pro Retina in its native OS X environment, and then run a series of tests using our standard laptop methodology designed to run on Windows. The tests on Windows are more of a theoretical value, allowing us to get data that we can't get in the OS X environment and compare it to other configurations we have tested. But performance in OS X is paramount, and here we have a mini testing method in Final Cut Pro X.

A detailed description of the methodology and test files are available here. Here we also provide a table with the results of the most revealing tests: stabilization and export to Compressor. For clarity, we compared them with the results of two previous 13-inch MacBook Pro Retina (all in the lower configuration) and, for contrast, with the maximum configuration of the 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina from mid-last year.

	MacBook Pro Retina 13″ (Early 2015, junior configuration)	MacBook Pro Retina 13″ (Late 2012, low-end configuration)	MacBook Pro Retina 13″ (Mid 2014, low-end configuration)	MacBook Pro Retina 15″ (Mid 2014), Intel Core i7-4870HQ, 4 cores, 3.2 GHz (Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz)
Stabilization (Final Cut Pro X)	37:26	47:32	43:15	26:52
Export 720p (Compressor)	41:18	42:21	44:32	24:14
Export 4K (Compressor)	5:51	6:39	6:00	3:50

As we can see, the new MacBook Pro outperforms its immediate predecessor (also a low-end configuration) in Final Cut Pro X by 13.45%, while in operations with Compressor the gap is smaller. But still there is an increase, and this cannot be ignored. Although the 15-inch MacBook Pro is still like the moon here.

For synthetic tests, we used Geekbench 3 and GFXBench. Geekbench 3 helped us evaluate the performance of the processor and RAM.

We see a similar picture in Geekbench - with the only difference that for some reason the new product managed to lose to last year's MacBook Pro in multi-core mode.

However, we’ll talk about the computer’s operation under load and the efficiency of the cooling system, but for now let’s see how things stand with the performance of 3D graphics in games. The multi-platform benchmark GFXBench 3.0 will help us with this.

The most interesting result for us is in the top line in the “On Screen” column. Manhattan is the latest 3D scene using OpenGL 4.1, and the result it produces shows whether the Macbook Pro can handle such a scene if it is rendered at its native resolution. Answer: no, unfortunately, it won’t work. This is indicated by the number of frames per second (14.5 FPS) that are shown in the scene. The result is below comfortable. Even if this scene is displayed in Full HD resolution, the MacBook's performance will still be slightly lacking.

But, of course, the laptop handled the simpler T-Rex scene without any problems. We'll talk more about using games on the MacBook Pro below.

Windows Performance Study

Many readers have a question: how can the performance of a MacBook be compared with Windows laptops? To answer this regarding new MacBook Pro (Early 2015), as well as in order to test a number of other MacBook parameters (noise, memory performance, etc.), we installed the Windows 8.1 Pro (64-bit) operating system on it using a standard utility Boot Camp 5.1.5640 and used our new technique and . To install Windows, we took the official ISO image, which can be downloaded from the Microsoft website (this is important to note, since there are a huge number of different builds of the Windows 8.1 system on various resources).

We emphasize that we do not consider it correct or advisable to use Apple MacBook laptops to work with Windows applications (except for those cases when Windows is used specifically as a second OS, exclusively for working with specific applications and games that are not available on OS X). And there are quite a few arguments here - starting from the less efficient use of hardware by the Windows operating system (we will show this below) and ending with rather painful problems associated with driver flaws. Let's list the problems we encountered.

Firstly, the wireless adapter driver was not installed and after installing Windows 8.1, the laptop remains without the ability to access the Internet (of course, this only applies to Windows, not OS X). Actually, the problem that arises with Wi-Fi driver when installing Windows on a MacBook is not new. Many users are complaining about this problem. Of course, there is a solution, but it takes time. Well, no one has canceled the opportunity to purchase a Thunderbolt-Ethernet adapter and connect the laptop to the Internet with a cable. But the problem cannot be ignored either.

The second drawback is that the keyboard backlight does not work in Windows. But that's not all. The third problem: after installing Windows, there is no sound through the built-in speakers (while the sound comes through the connected headphones).

Of course, we have no doubt that the drivers will be improved, and at least the problems with speakers and Wi-Fi will be resolved. But those who buy a MacBook specifically for use with Windows (as they say, “monsieurs know a lot about perversions”) must be prepared for various surprises. However, these problems did not stop us from testing the MacBook Pro Retina. The results are in front of you.

Let's start with the iXBT Application Benchmark 2015.

Logical test group	Reference system	Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015)
Video conversion and video processing, points	100	147,9
MediaCoder x64 0.8.33.5680, seconds	458,1	302,3
SVPmark 3.0, points	922,2	1330,7
Video content creation, points	100	160,9
Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2014.1, seconds	1794,4	1099,6
Adobe After Effects CC 2014.1.1 (Test #1), seconds	2036,3	1382,3
Adobe After Effects CC 2014.1.1 (Test #2), seconds	1116,8	567,3
Photodex ProShow Producer 6.0.3410, seconds	991,6	700,5
Treatment digital photos, points	100	150,8
Adobe Photoshop CC 2014.2.1, seconds	2215,8	1506,4
ACDSee Pro 8, seconds	770,4	498,6
Vector graphics, points	100	117,8
Adobe Illustrator CC 2014.1.1, seconds	515,0	437,1
Audio processing, points	100	148,2
Adobe Audition CC 2014.2, seconds	1046,9	706,5
Text recognition, points	100	141,3
Abbyy FineReader 12, seconds	548,6	388,2
Archiving and unarchiving data, points	100	125,9
WinRAR 5.11 archiving, seconds	313,8	259,7
WinRAR 5.11 unzipping, seconds	12,9	9,8
Speed ​​of installation and uninstallation of applications, points	100	134,1
Application installation and uninstallation speed, seconds	339,4	253,0
File operations, points	100	282,0
Data copying, seconds	89,7	26,6
UltraISO Premium Edition 9.6.2.3059, seconds	32,8	13,9
Integral performance result, points	100	151,5

So, in terms of integrated performance in Windows applications, the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) laptop is 52% superior to the reference system based on the Intel Core i5-3317U processor. And in terms of performance, this laptop can be classified as a productivity solution.

For reference, we note that the Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) laptop with an Intel Core i5-5257U processor demonstrates higher performance in Windows applications than a laptop with an Intel Core i7-5500U processor. An example is Dell laptop Inspiron 15 7548 with an Intel Core i7-5500U processor, for which the integrated performance result is 140.7 points, or the Gigabyte Brix s mini-PC (GB-BXi7-5500) with the same processor, for which the result is 133.8 points.

But the Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) laptop, of course, does not reach the performance of laptops based on fourth-generation quad-core Intel Core processors. For example, a 13-inch MSI laptop The GS30 Shadow with an Intel Core i7 4870HQ processor shows a result of 212.5 points.

Now let's look at the results of testing the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) laptop in games.

All gaming tests were run at 1920x1080 resolution.

Game test	Maximum quality		Minimum quality
	Average FPS	Minimum FPS value	Average FPS	Minimum FPS value
Aliens vs Predator D3D11 Benchmark v.1.03	6,3	-	19,5	-
GRID 2	25,0	20,4	64,9	48,5
World of Tanks 0.9.5	12,2	2,0	59,9	44,0
Metro: LL Redux	4,1	1,4	14,4	5,9
Metro: 2033 Redux	4,6	1,3	17,1	7,5
Hitman: Absolution	2,8	2,3	15,9	12,9
Thief	6,1	2,9	11,0	4,4
Tomb Raider	5,1	2,2	31,7	24,2
Sleeping Dogs	5,1	2,7	15,1	11,3
SniperEliteV2-Benchmark 1.05	5,0	5,0	19,6	9,9

So, as can be seen from the testing results, even with minimum quality settings, most modern games cannot be played comfortably in a Windows environment. That is, at a resolution of 1920x1080 with settings at minimum quality, the speed in most games is less than 40 FPS. The only exceptions are two games: GRID 2 and World of Tanks 0.9.5. Therefore, the idea of ​​installing Windows on an Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) just to play, by and large, does not justify itself.

Interestingly, some of these games presented in the Mac App Store (Hitman: Absolution, Tomb Raider, GRID 2) ran on the MacBook Pro without any problems in the OS X environment. But Metro: 2033 Redux and Metro: LL Redux were not even installed due to the MacBook Pro configuration not meeting the minimum system requirements. The games Sleeping Dogs, Thief and World of Tanks are not presented on the Mac platform (for WoT there is a third-party client for connecting to the game server, but without optimization for the Mac platform, so, obviously, the result will not be much different from the Windows version).

In general, games in the native environment are not entirely bad, but far from ideal. The laptop is, of course, not a gaming laptop.

Work under load and in idle mode

In idle mode, as it should be, the processor frequency in the laptop is 800 MHz (naturally, we are talking about a balanced power consumption scheme), that is, to Intel technologies SpeedStep has no complaints.

When the processor is loaded with the Stress CPU test (AIDA64 Extreme Edition utility - a system stability test), which uses integer calculations, the processor frequency is 3.1 GHz. The processor temperature in this loading mode increases to 93°C, that is, it actually reaches its maximum value.

When the processor is loaded with the Stress FPU test, which uses floating point calculations and heats up the processor to a greater extent, the core temperature reaches a critical threshold and throttling mode begins. At the same time, the processor frequency is reduced to 2.7 GHz, and the temperature of the processor cores stabilizes at around 99 °C.

In the mode of simultaneous loading of both processor cores (Stress FPU), and graphics core(Stress GPU), the processor cores operate at a frequency of 2.3 GHz and a throttling mode is also observed. The temperature of the processor cores is close to critical and is 95-97 °C

In general, it must be stated that the cooling system in a laptop is using Windows doesn't work very correctly. Of course, the laptop is very quiet, but in this case it is more of a minus than a plus. When the processor is loaded, its temperature always reaches a critical value. Moreover, it’s not just about the cooling system. In a good way, when the processor temperature reaches a critical value, its clock frequency should decrease. In the case of the MacBook Pro Retina, it is reduced, but not enough. There is a strong suspicion that Turbo Boost mode does not work quite correctly in WIndows. For example, it is not very clear why in the Stress CPU test the processor core frequency is 3.1 GHz? After all, this maximum frequency for Turbo Boost mode, which is achieved if only one processor core is loaded and the temperature, current and power consumption conditions are not exceeded. But in our case, both processor cores are loaded.

In a word, all this is strange. And if such a laptop is used daily to work with resource-intensive applications that heavily load the processor, then it is unlikely to last long. But let us emphasize once again that we are talking only about the operating room. Windows system. And perhaps the fact that in Windows the processor operates under critical conditions will make users wonder if it's worth it.

Memory subsystem and drive performance

According to the AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark utility, the memory write speed is 29203 MB/s, and the read speed is 23804 MB/s. For DDR3-1866 memory (peak throughput in dual-channel mode 29856 MB/s) these are quite typical figures.

As already noted, the data storage subsystem in the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina laptop (Early 2015) is an SSD drive with an interface PCI Express x2 (in our case - APPLE SSD SM0128G).

The ATTO Disk Benchmark utility determines the maximum sequential read speed at 1400 MB/s, and the sequential write speed at about 670 MB/s. It should be noted that this is a very good result for an SSD drive.

The CrystalDiskMark and AS SSD utilities give approximately the same result for maximum sequential read and write speeds, which is consistent with the results of the ATTO Disk Benchmark utility.

We also present the results of testing the SSD drive using the HD Tune Pro utility. Here the results are similar to those demonstrated by all other utilities.

Sound path

The audio subsystem of the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) laptop is based on the Cirrus Logic CS4208 HDA codec. The laptop itself has two speakers, as well as a combined mini-jack audio jack (microphone, headphones).

To evaluate the output audio path intended for connecting headphones or external acoustics, we resorted to instrumental testing using an external audio Creative cards E-MU 0204 USB and RightMark Audio Analyzer 6.3.0 utilities. Testing was carried out for stereo mode, 24-bit/44.1 kHz and, of course, with the Windows 8.1 operating system installed (similar testing under OS X is simply impossible). According to test results, the audio path in the MacBook Pro Retina (Early 2015) laptop received a “Very Good” rating. The full report with testing results in the RMAA 6.3.0 program is posted on a separate page, followed by a short report.

Battery life in OS X and Windows

Now let's see how the new product fares with battery life. In OS X, we used the movie “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” for this, purchased from the iTunes Store and downloaded to the laptop in Full HD resolution. QuickTime was used as a player. The movie played in loop, starting from 100% until the laptop was turned off. Wi-Fi did not turn off. On Windows, we used the iXBT Battery Benchmark v.1.0 script.

In addition to purely practical value, such a comparison will also allow us to draw conclusions about energy efficiency when using one or the other OS. Let us remind you that in all cases we measure battery life at a screen brightness of 100 cd/m² (this is a value that is comfortable for working indoors during the day or under standard artificial lighting). The results are below.

Load scenario	Working hours
Watching videos (OS X)	13 hours 51 minutes
Watching videos (Windows)	8 hours 38 minutes
Working with text and viewing photos (Windows)	11 hours 09 minutes

And here's the real sensation. The duration of movie playback in OS X exceeds a similar scenario in Windows by more than one and a half times! Yes, yes, this is not a mistake. We set the laptop to play a movie at 11:30 pm. He spun it all night and morning and only discharged at 13:21. It is clear that such a result is only possible thanks to very good optimization of the film in the iTunes Store and the maximum correct operation QuickTime Player: with a movie from any other source or with another player, the result will be worse (which, in particular, can be seen in the test in Windows). And still the result is amazing. Although even the battery life of this laptop in Windows can be considered a role model.

conclusions

Well, let's summarize the testing results. Apple has released an overall successful and very interesting update to its last year's model, which (like its two predecessors) is itself one of the most successful laptops on the market, combining an excellent screen, excellent design and good performance.

The 2015 model with the Intel Broadwell processor has seen a slight increase in performance (although we can't say that this increase will be much felt if you've used any other MacBook Pro Retina model - even the oldest one). We also note the excellent sound path, very fast SSD and silent operation of the laptop.

The main feature of the new product, which distinguishes it from all its predecessors, is support for the new Force Touch technology, which expands the capabilities of the laptop's trackpad, but is not easy to get used to. On this moment it's only available on this model and the just-launched 12-inch MacBook.

As a minus, we note very weak gaming capabilities (even from the Mac App Store, many games are not compatible with the new product, not to mention Windows games) and strange problems when using Windows. However, we have said this many times and will repeat again that buying a MacBook for use with Windows is not advisable. Install a second OS on your MacBook only when it is vital for you to run certain applications that are not available on OS X, and there are no worthy analogues. Using Windows on a MacBook as the main OS not only deprives you of this model's signature advantages (such as remarkable energy efficiency, Force Touch technology), but can also threaten the longevity of the computer, as we showed in our tests.

WiFi