Class 2 - Review of MacBook Pro with Retina Display hardware system

The MacBook Pro , in its first form, was introduced in 2006 by Apple. The most recent iterations, know as the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, were announced on October 22, 2013. The user has a choice between a 13" and 15" system, and further choices with regard to processor, storage, and ram, among others. The entire MacBook Pro line runs OS X Mavericks (also known as Version 10). The current form of the MacBook Pro is a beautiful system not only to marvel at but also to use. It functions wonderfully both in the living room and in the production room. Mavericks provides a simple but extremely robust atmosphere in which to work. With the exception of a powerful office suite (and the author will grant that this is a big exception), the MacBook Pro comes ready for everyday use right out of the bag. The computer displays versatility at a innumerable tasks: displaying and playing media, basic word and spreadsheet operations, surfing the web, interacting with social media, communicating with others via text and other means, and lifestyle tasks, such as calendaring, making and sharing lists, and note taking, among many other things.

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display boasts a formidable internal setup. At the lowest possible end, the base 13" version still comes with a 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with speeds unto 2.9GHz, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB PCIe-based flash storage. This setup provides amazing speed, wonderfully utilized by Mavericks, all with a 9 hour battery life. On the opposite end, the highest end 15" version comes standard with a 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with speeds up to 3.5GHz, 16GB of memory and 512GB PCIe-based flash storage, as well as an Intel Iris Pro GraphicsNVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics card. All while maintaining a formidable 8 hours of battery life.

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display does, however, have a number of good competitors, including the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus and the Levono IdaPad Yoga 2 Pro. This computers provide a good alternative to the MacBook Pro but in the end do not match up to the beauty and power of the Apple Device. The MacBook Pro with Retina Display starts at $1,299 for the base 13" model and can be as expensive as $2,599 (or more, with upgrades).

MIDTERMS

These are the direct links to my midterms...

1. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/09/class-3-midterm-1-red-eye-assignment_19.html
2. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/09/class-3-midterm-2-adding-caption.html
3. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/09/lass-3-midterm-2-multiple-formats.html
4. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/10/midterm-4-matt-metzger.html
5. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/09/midterm-5.html
6. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/09/midterm-6.html
7. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/10/midterm-7-updated-matt-metzger.html
8. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/10/midterm-8-updated-matt-metzger.html
9. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/10/midterm-9-updated-matt-metzger.html
10. http://mmetzg.blogspot.com/2013/10/midterm-10-updated-matt-metzger.html

Midterm #10 Updated - Matt Metzger

This is a house I created (and that i'm pretty proud of). It is all vector graphics created in Microsoft Word. It is a midterm exercise from the Immersive Education course that I am taking at Boston College. The course is called Discovering Computer Graphics. For details, visit the immersive BC portal at http://ImmersiveEducation.org/@/bc .

Screen Shots:

Midterm #9 Updated - Matt Metzger

This is a "course diagram" using vector graphics in Microsoft Word. It is used to describe visually some of the progression of a course I am taking in computer graphics. It was created in Gimp. It is a midterm exercise from the Immersive Education course that I am taking at Boston College. The course is called Discovering Computer Graphics. For details, visit the immersive BC portal at http://ImmersiveEducation.org/@/bc .

Screen Shots:

Midterm #8 Updated - Matt Metzger

The original photo:

The Edited Photo:

This above pictures are an original and an edited picture of me. The first picture was taken by a friend and has no edits. The picture below it was edited (by myself) in Gimp. I used the clone tool to take color from my forehead and place it on my cheeks to make them look less red. I then blurred the colors to make them look more realistic. It is a midterm exercise from the Immersive Education course that I am taking at Boston College. The course is called Discovering Computer Graphics. For details, visit the immersive BC portal at http://ImmersiveEducation.org/@/bc .

Screen Shots throughout the Process:

Midterm #7 Updated - Matt Metzger

This is an edited picture of a painting of Niccolò Machiavelli. It was created by adding layers upon the original picture. Each part of the painting (viz. each logo over the eyes, the black box, and each line of text) is a different layer. It is a midterm exercise from the Immersive Education course that I am taking at Boston College. The course is called Discovering Computer Graphics. For details, visit the immersive BC portal at http://ImmersiveEducation.org/@/bc .

Screen Shots of Progress:

Class 7 - Part 2: Text

This is a picture of different text. I used different colors, styles, fonts, sizes, and alignments.  It is an assignment from the Immersive Education course that I am taking at Boston College. The course is called Discovering Computer Graphics. For details, visit the immersive BC portal at http://ImmersiveEducation.org/@/bc