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Apple’s New Macbook Pro with Retina Display and LCD Repair – 2012

Apple recently announced the MacBook Pro with the Retina Display. If you have good eyesight – the display is truly stunning. Technically this 15.4″ display has a resolution of 2880 by 1800 pixels – roughly twice the competition. I would encourage you to check it out. If you buy a new Mac now, it comes with a free upgrade to the next release of OS X (Mountain Lion) when it arrives this summer.

Apple is shipping the Macbook Pro with Retina Display with solid state drives instead of hard drives. This is a faster and more reliable means of storage. Both the drives and the system memory are difficult to upgrade in the new version of the MacBook Pro so be sure to order enough for your future needs.

Finally – the battery in the MacBook Pro with Retina Display comes glued inside the case. In theory, it is not customer replaceable. Early models that have been disassembled show the video cable is also glued to the battery which means folks trying to replace the battery themselves may break other things. Unfortunately Apple’s extended care warranty does not cover the battery from normal wear out. Batteries have a typical life of 3-4 years. But many buy a MacBook Pro with the intent to use it for 5-6 years or even longer. I have not heard what Apple plans to charge for battery replacements. It probably will result in more business for your local computer repair shop since battery replacements will be a new service we will need to offer.

Bottom line: if your eyesight can take advantage of the higher resolution display – consider the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display but if that is not a major attraction – you may want to stay with the older model MacBook Pro that is still being sold. It allows for future upgrades in system memory as your needs change. It allows you to upgrade to a solid state drive as their costs drop over the next 1-2 years and you can replace the battery when it goes bad by yourself.