Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch 2012-06 MD103LL/A

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Reviews for the Apple MacBook Pro 15 inch 2012-06 MD103LL/A

90% Apple MacBook Pro (Mid 2012) review
Source: Pocket Lint Archive.org version
Overall there's still a lot of love to be had for the MacBook Pro. Externally it might not be quite so fresh, but it's still a classic. Paired with the improved connections and all that internal power it's still up there with the best laptops on the market today. After a week of use it feels just as effortless now as it did when it first loaded with incredible speed - and it's things like that which make all the difference in day-to-day schedules.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/10/2012
Rating: Total score: 90%

80% Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Mid 2012)
Source: PC Mag Archive.org version
The Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Mid 2012) is still one of the best laptops around, with solid performance and a superb user experience, but after five-years with no change, the overall design is getting old.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/07/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

The 2012 MacBook Pro Review
Source: AnandTech Archive.org version
The 2012 MacBook Pro is a pretty intriguing product. It’s the latest and last in a line of standard-setting notebooks that helped shape the direction of the notebook industry over the last 5 years. This design has been around for a while, accompanied by the same general specsheet formula: the latest Intel processors, a performance-class GPU, a high quality display panel, and a $1799 starting price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/18/2012

80% Apple 2012 MacBook Pro 15 Laptop PC
Source: Comp Reviews Archive.org version
Apple's 2012 refresh of the aging MacBook Pro 15 design is pretty much underwhelming when compared to the new Retina Display version. Sure, this model is $400 cheaper and offers more storage space and an optical drive but it is heavier, thicker, slower and frankly dull compared to the new display. It is still a competent laptop for those looking at a performance laptop with high quality but it would have been nice to see a price drop or a few more changes beyond a new CPU, graphics and USB 3.0 ports.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 06/28/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

80% Apple MacBook Pro review (15-inch, Summer 2012)
Source: CNet Archive.org version
Not very long ago, to be the 15-inch MacBook was to be the life of the laptop party. Big and powerful, yet still slim and attractive, the college kids wanted MacBook Airs, while the designers and artists wanted the 15-inch MacBook Pro (or, in a few cases, the bigger 17-inch version). Another year of incremental improvements for the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro help it maintain its lead as a useful, powerful, attractive midsize laptop, but the competition is closer than ever to catching up.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/22/2012
Rating: Total score: 80%

Foreign Reviews

90% 2880X1800 해상도가 선사하는 신세계 - 맥북 프로 레티나 (윈도우 성능편)
Source: Notegear KO→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/13/2012
Rating: Total score: 90%

Comment

Model:

The Macbook Pro 15, which was introduced in January 2006 as a replacement for 6^th PowerBook G4 series, marks Apple’s transition into Intel processors. At the time of introduction, the Macbook Pro took a lot of feature from the PowerBook G4, except the Intel Core processors. In Q4 2008, Apple redesigned the Macbook Pro 15 with a "unibody" case, a case made from a single block of aluminum. Thanks to the "unibody" structure, it is one of the slimmest and lightest 15-inch laptops until the introduction of the Macbook Pro with retina display. Moreover, the unrivaled stability and workmanship of the "unibody" also stands above all other competitors. Together with the "unibody" case, Apple also redesigned the keyboard and glass trackpad, which is still one of the best of its kind.

However, one of the main disadvantages of the Macbook Pro 15 is its low resolution and glossy display. While competitors equipped there 15-inch laptops with full HD displays a long time ago, the Macbook Pro 15 still has its measly 1440x900 resolution from 5 years ago. Also, the latest hardware inside a slim case makes the Pro 15 very hot under heavy load. User who opt for the Macbook Pro should also take note of its restricted connectivity, namely lack of HDMI and only a limited number of USB ports and no Blu-ray optical disc.

Since it’s not a gaming notebook, the performance of the Mabook Pro cannot be compared to gaming notebooks like the Alienware series, but for multimedia and video editing, the macbook Pro will get the job done. Moreover, there is still no comparable Windows laptop on the market with a combination of high quality case, excellent input devices and a contrast rich display.

Series:

The Retina display is a display which has high enough pixel density that the human retina can’t distinguish individual pixels and was first introduced as a cutting edge technology together with the iPhone 4. Thanks to the retina display, the iPhone 4 was called "Best device in its class" by The Wall Street Journal, and "Best smartphone on the market" by Engadget. The MacBook Pro with Retina display introduced at the WWDC in San Francisco in June 2012 is a separate product line, independent of the original MacBook Pro and should continue the success of the iPhone.

Apart from just the retina display, this new laptop also features a new design similar to that of the MacBook Air, but without Super Drive as well as Ethernet and FireWire 800 ports. Unlike the original MacBook Pro series with standard hard drive, it includes a Solid State Drive. In short, every technological advantage of Apple are concentrated on this new MacBook Pro with Retina display, from the amazing display found in the iPhone, iPad to robust system performance of the MacBook Pro as well as the portability, design and flash storage - this laptop has it all.

In particular the retina display is the sharpest computer display and outclasses every other laptop or computer display by far at the time of its introduction. It is that important that Apple even decided to  call this laptop "MacBook Pro with retina display". In fact, the display alone outweighs the biggest disadvantage of the new MacBook Pro, the price – it's Apple we are talking about. If you can afford the steep entry price, this is the most amazing laptop money can buy.

NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M: A mid-range GPU and the fastest GeForce GT as part of the 600M series

Modern games should be playable with these graphics cards at low settings and resolutions. Casual gamers may be happy with these cards.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.

Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.  

3720QM: An Ivy Bridge-based quad-core processor clocked at 2.6 GHz with Turbo Boost support up to 3.6 GHz. Offers an integrated HD Graphics 4000 GPU running at 650-1250 MHz on a dual channel DDR3 memory controller.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.

15.60":

15-16 inch is a standard display size for laptops and offers the biggest variety of products.

2.5 kg:

Usually, old laptops with 14-16 inch display-diagonal weigh as much.

Apple: Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation which designs and manufactures consumer electronics and software products. Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating system but nowadays Macbooks are also able to run Windows. Apple has at least sporadically been considered the most valuable company in the world since 2011 and has consistently ranked among the Top 10 companies in the world.

In the laptop sector, Apple's market share was 9.3% in 2014 and 10.3% in 2016. The latter corresponds to the 5th place. In the smartphone segment, Apple achieved 15.3% in the first quarter of 2016, which means a market share loss when compared to the 18.3% in same quarter of the previous year.
Nevertheless, Apple ranked second place behind Samsung in both years.

There are tons of reviews on Apple laptops, smartphones and tablets. The ratings are significantly above-average (as of 2016).

84%: This rating should be considered to be average. This is because the proportion of notebooks which have a higher rating is approximately equal to the proportion which have a lower rating.

» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

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