New MacBook Pro and iOS 6: Apple smiles

New MacBook Pro, Mountain Lion, iOS 6: we knew the program's inaugural keynote WWDC 2012. The order was respected, but the details were a rare show an Apple density and more ambitious than ever.

The App Store, a small country

Available in 120 countries, and soon 152, the App Store is a veritable little economic power according to Tim Cook: 400 million registered accounts are now with a credit card - to put in perspective, the largest social network in the world, Facebook has 800 million members. It includes 650,000 apps, including 225,000 for the iPad, which have been downloaded 30 billion times (it was $ 25 billion in March): the developers have seen no less than $ 5 billion.

New MacBook Pro: when the iPad, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are all junk

Phil Schiller, vice president of marketing for Apple, had the difficult task of proclaiming what many expected: an update of the entire range of Apple laptops.

As expected, the MacBook Air go to Ivy Bridge processors, and may well reach 2.0 GHz with dual-chip Core i7 heart or 3.2 GHz with Turbo Boost. Emphasis is placed on a general increase in performance: the MacBook Air go into high gear with up to 8 GB of RAM, up to 512 GB SSD, two USB 3.0 ports and a webcam FaceTime HD. They are available in two models in each screen size:

•     an 11 "Core i5 1.8 GHz with 64 GB of SSD (€ 1049)
•     another with 128 GB of SSD (€ 1149)
•     a 13 "Core i5 1.8 GHz with 128 GB of SSD (€ 1249)
•     and another with 256 GB of SSD (€ 1,549).

This will double the endowment RAM (4 GB by default) and move to a Core i7 option.

The MacBook Pro are entitled to the same treatment: they can be equipped with Ivy Bridge chips four cores clocked at 2.7 GHz up to a whopping 3.7 GHz on a heart with turbo boost, and take on board USB 3.0 ports. The 13 "uses an Intel Graphics HD 4000 with:

•     4 GB of RAM, a Core i5 2.5 GHz and 500 GB hard drive (€ 1249)
•     or a Core i7 2.9 GHz, 750 GB disk and 8 GB of RAM (€ 1549)

While the 15 "go to:

•     a GeForce GT 650M 512MB VRAM card and more integrated with a quad core i7 processor running at 2.3 GHz and 4 GB of RAM (€ 1879)
•     or 1 GB of VRAM with a Core i7 quad-core 2.6 GHz, 8 GB of RAM and a 750 GB drive (€ 2,279).

But while these machines are just changing the existing range, everybody expected a new model. 

It is called "new generation MacBook Pro" is a mixture of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and iPad. MacBook Air, it takes finesse (1.8 cm) and lightweight (2 kg). The iPad, it takes the Retina display: it displays 2880 x 1800 pixels 15.4 ", a resolution of 220 dpi - an update of OS X and Apple applications main mode supports HiDPI necessary to quadruple the number of pixels. That will please some people: the screen is 75% less bright than the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro just this new computer resumes its general appearance.

 But inside, it is the opposite of what the MacBook Pro: a machine that is completely closed, like the MacBook Air. The battery offers 7 hours of autonomy dominates the interior, and all components are soldered - at least they are the latest generation of Core i5 and i7 the GeForce GT 650M through the SSD and up to 768 GB memory can go up to 16GB The circuit has been completely redesigned, using Apple's many custom components: the fans have been particularly positioned to optimize airflow and lower the maximum noise level. We find much of the ethos of Apple's early 2000's, who did not hesitate to design specific components without worrying about compatibility with the PC world: on this point, Tim Cook completes the vision of Steve Jobs without computer maintenance, to the detriment of hackers.

Apple has reviewed its staffing ports, and has shown some pragmatism: this model has two USB 3.0 ports, two ports Thunderbolt, an HDMI port (on a first mobile brand), to an SD slot, a new MagSafe port. Why two ports Thunderbolt? Just because Apple wants to place it as the universal port which connect all devices. The Cupertino and propose two adapters, one for those who still need the FireWire 800 and one for those who swear by the Ethernet. Small disappointment elsewhere: the new MacBook Pro does not carry a Wi-Fi chip 802.11ac/ad, but limited to n: the rest of the machine is also very similar to the MacBook Pro as we know them from the years.

 The price is up to the ambitions of Apple: € 2 279 for the model with an Intel Core i7 Quad-Core 2.3 GHz, 8 GB RAM and GeForce GT 650M 1 GB The price of modernity tell some.