Hands On: 15-Inch Apple MacBook Pro With Retina Display

SAN FRANCISCO—The next-generation MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina display carries the same Jony Ive-designed DNA as the previous and systems. It feels similar in your hand, albeit much thinner than previous Mac laptops with screens this large. If you've handled a 13-inch MacBook Air, you're not too far off.

We're running our usual set of tests and checks on the new system and will have a full review shortly. For now, here's our first hands-on look at Apple's newest flagship Pro laptop.

The new MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina display still looks like a MacBook Pro. That's good news, because a look and feel that says "Apple" is part of the reason people go nuts over the company's products. And this machine is all Apple, only more so than its predecessors. The 15-inch screen now appears more seamless, if that's possible. The bezel around the screen is black, but it blends more with the screen glass, unlike previous MacBook Pros and the MacBook Air models. Apple mentioned that the screen is less prone to glare than previous MacBooks, but there is still some glare present if you look closely. If you want a matte finish screen, you'll have to go with the updated MacBook Pro with Ivy Bridge. (For more on the Retina display, stay tuned for our review.)

As seen in the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina display has the power button on the keyboard proper, and the island-style keyboard has keys that feel shallower than on the previous MacBook Pro models. The function keys also match those on the MacBook Air, which may mean some adjustment for people looking to upgrade from older-generation MacBook Pros, particularly ones made before the advent of Mission Control and the Launchpad in Mac OS X Lion.

There is a full-size HDMI port on the side. I was able to connect the MacBook Pro to an HDTV quickly and easily, with audio and video showing up in 1,920-by-1,080 resolution. The new MagSafe 2 port is wider, yet shorter than the old MagSafe port, so you'll need an adapter for existing LED Cinema and Thunderbolt displays, as well as older power adapters. The USB 3.0 ports aren't colored blue like they are on some Windows PCs, but since there aren't any USB 2.0 ports on these laptops, you won't need color coding to tell the difference.

Copying a 1.22GB test folder from a USB 3.0 drive took 21 seconds, which is half the time it took to copy the same folder using a USB 2.0 drive on the previous MacBook Pro model. The two Thunderbolt ports are a boon for the video editor: You can hook up to 14 Thunderbolt-compatible devices, seven devices per port. The system can also support at least two for more connectivity. SDXC and a headphone audio jack with headset support round out the side-mounted ports.

The system comes with Mac OS X Lion 10.7.4, so you'll get all the same iLife apps and that familiar Mac OS interface. Systems purchased now will be eligible for a free upgrade to Mac OS X Mountain Lion (Mac OS X 10.8 in all but name) when it is .

We'll have more details on the MacBook Pro's performance once I'm done testing it tomorrow. For now, check out Sascha Segan's unboxing slideshow of the MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina display above and the from the show announcement. Also from this morning's keynote at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) here, and the slideshow below.