[Every time a hot new gadget is announced, the buzz can reach a boiling point before anyone stops to think about what all the fuss is all about. In our Scouting Report series, we’ll cut through the marketing jargon and examine what makes a certain product special—or in some cases, simply overhyped.]

No matter what you think of Apple, it’s silly to ignore a company which has had such an impact on technology. The latest MacBook Pro (see Roman Loyola’s in-depth review at Macworld), unveiled earlier this week at Apple’s annual WWDC, demonstrates exactly why. The company has elevated skating-to-where-the-puck-will-be to an art form, and the MacBook Pro is the latest example of how the company continues to push its own products—and the industry—forward.

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Accessory maker Moshi has released a new ultra-thin plastic shell protective case for the 11" and 13" MacBook Air models. This type of plastic case tends to be especially popular among students, protecting their machines from bumps and scratches. Moshi claims its case offers better heat dissipation than competing cases because it doesn't block the rear heating vent.

Many MacBook Air cases offered today feature bulky, obtrusive designs, and are often composed of materials which may not last the life of a device. The iGlaze for MacBook Air is an ultra-thin, stylish case created from the same polycarbonate material that’s been proven for durability throughout Moshi’s iGlaze line of cases for iPhone, iPad and MacBook devices. The iGlaze is surface-treated with a specialized coating that not only offers better scratch resistance than alternatives, but also accentuates the device's elegant design.

The iGlaze Air cases come in black, white, and translucent, and are available on Moshi's website for $55 and $60 for the 11" and 13" versions, respectively.

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With Apple's MacBook Pro line now widely rumored to be gaining ultra high-resolution "Retina" or "HiDPI" displays at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, CNET reports that such panels are already available in the supply chain and that they carry price premiums of up to $100 over their non-Retina counterparts. But what remains to be seen is whether that price difference will be passed along to consumers or if Apple will find ways to cut costs in other areas in order to maintain its existing price points.

DisplaySearch Senior Analyst Richard Shim says that super high-resolution 13.3-inch and 15.4-inch panels that Apple would be a prime candidate to use are already available from suppliers.

"We're seeing it at 15.4 (inches)," Shim said in an interview yesterday. "You can get it."

According to Shim, a Retina 15.4-inch display at 2880x1800 resolution for a density of 220 pixels per inch (ppi) currently costs approximately $160, a $92 increase over Apple's estimated cost of $68 for the current display in the 15-inch MacBook Pro. In the smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro, a Retina display at 2560x1600 costs $134, a $65 premium over the display used in the current model.


Unaddressed is the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which would require a display of 3840x2400 and undoubtedly carry an even higher price premium over the current display. It is unclear, however, whether the 17-inch MacBook Pro will be receiving the same upgrades as the rest of the family at WWDC, as most rumors so far have pointed to only 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models being in production. In addition, Apple has been rumored to be following the pattern of its transition to the unibody MacBook Pro design in moving the 17-inch model to the new form factor several months after its smaller siblings.

Shim notes that with these Retina resolution displays available in the supply chain, Apple is the most likely customer for the screens, although he has been unable to confirm what company or companies are purchasing them for use in their computers.

Also unclear is how Apple will handle the cost increase associated with the Retina displays. While some cost savings will be achievable by the removal of the optical drive, Apple will almost certainly see increased costs for storage as the MacBook Pro reportedly moves from traditional hard drives to solid-state drives. While such drives are used in the lower-priced MacBook Air models, higher-end users expected to be drawn to the MacBook Pro will likely demand higher-capacity drives at significantly greater costs. Consequently, it will be interesting to see how Apple ends up pricing the redesigned MacBook Pro given all the changes involved.

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