The New MacBook Pro

In mid-July, Apple released its newest edition of the MacBook Pro series. It was the first product to be released after the death of Steve Jobs, and it took some major renovations. Both its outer appearance and interior design were changed in order to keep the MacBook Pro number one as the market's most powerful notebook.

Apple never fails to make their products look better, and the new MacBook Pro is no exception. It is a fourth of an inch thinner than its predecessor and only weighs 4.46 pounds. The next major change in the MacBook Pro would be the removal of a DVD slot for burning or reading CDs and DVDs. This change was a risk, that left many people devastated, and others indifferent. However, doing so allowed Apple to reach its potential in making the MacBook Pro only .71 inches thick. While the MacBook is thinner, it is not any physically weaker than the older MacBooks thanks to the support and rigidity slots inserted on the lower left and right hand sides of the notebook. In short, the new MacBook Pro is stunning in appearance.

Perhaps the most important upgrade to the MacBook Pro is its new Retina Display screen. With a resolution of 2880 by 1800 pixels, the MacBook Pro can produce sharper images than some HD TVs. It is by far the most advanced of any other notebook on the market.

While the outside appearance and the screen were beautified, Apple's work in the interior have left some even more stunned. The new MacBook Pro can be made to have a 2.7-gigahertz quad core processor and 16-gigabytes of ram. These additions make it the fastest MacBook Pro yet. Other additions include dual microphones and dual speakers on either side of the MacBook to allow for better sound and crisper recordings.

With the extra space from the DVD slot, Apple was able to customize its own battery to make use of every inch of space and increase the battery life to a respectable 7 hours of use. Even more interesting is the argument Apple made by removing the DVD slot and ethernet connection. Apple is making a point that the next generation of technology will be run on Wi-Fi and USB connections. I have the 2011 version MacBook Pro and can attest that the ethernet connection has been of no use to me, however, I am glad to have the DVD slot. Apple did include USB 3.0 connections which allow for faster transferring speeds and an HDMI slot installed directly into the notebook, preventing any need for cables and connections.

Realistically, the new MacBook Pro is not too different from the old MacBook. For extreme users, they will find the faster CPU (central processing unit or processor), GPU (graphics processing unit) and USB 3.0 connections to be very helpful and useful. However, for the average user, such changes are undetectable. If you are one that really enjoys sharp screen resolution, longer battery life, or sleek, slim and light products however, the new MacBook pro was made for you and the performance that it offers tops any other notebook in the market.

iPhone 5 (4s)

The iPhone 5 was released on September 21, 2012, already boasting pre-orders of over 2 million. Clearly, there is a strong demand for this smartphone in society. Apple estimates that iPhone sales will reach 50 million by December. Thus, the question rises: why is everyone head over heals for this new smartphone?

Of course, Apple makes any product they release look revolutionary through their advertising and appearance, but when it comes down to the actual product, how much better is the iPhone 5 from the iPhone 4s? Perhaps the most noticeable of changes would be its dimensions. The iPhone 5 took on a longer frame while staying the same width. It's thinner than its predecessor and weighs significantly less. While many people think its resolution has become more defined, it is merely the difference in the size of the screen. The iPhone 4s had 960 by 640 screen resolution and 326 pixels per square inch (ppi). The newer iPhone has 1136 by 640 screen resolution but still only has 326 ppi. In appearance and size, the iPhone 5 is slightly different from the iPhone 4s, but not revolutionarily.

For some people, looks are only the surface, but it's whats inside that makes all the difference. According to its specifications, the iPhone 5 is much faster and efficient than the iPhone 4s. It boasts an A6 processing chip as opposed to an A5 chip and it now supports a 4G LTE internet connection. Its battery life is slightly longer than before and the iPhone 5 comes in your choice of a 16, 32 or 64 gigabyte version. The front camera moved to the center of the phone and was slightly modified to improve resolution, focus and face recognition. In short, the interior of the iPhone has undergone some remodeling.

On paper, the iPhone 5 looks exactly like Apple wants it to look: simple, better, and revolutionary. However, realistically, Apple hasn't done anything too revolutionary. In fact, the differences made are barely noticeable and easily adaptable. Before its release date, a test was done in the streets where random people were asked to try the new iPhone 5 and say how they liked it. The video on the right explains it all.

In short, the iPhone 5 is the iPhone 4s with a hand full of noticeable, but mostly unnoticeable modifications. However, it is still a great smartphone that is the top of the market of smartphones.