The 15-in. display provides a resolution of 2880 x 1880 pixels, or approximately 220 pixels per inch (ppi). The total number of pixels is four times that of existing MacBook Pros.

"This is the world's highest-resolution notebook display," Schiller claimed.

The next generation MacBook Pro comes stock with a quad-core third-generation Intel processor, the architecture code-named "Ivy Bridge;" Nvidia's newest graphics processor, called "Kepler" but officially designated the GeForce GT 650M; and can be ordered with as much as 768GB of flash-based storage.

The form factor is reminiscent of the MacBook Air, but somewhat thicker, and at 4.5-lbs., heavier. It ships with Lion and several Apple-made apps, including Mail and Safari, that have been updated to show off the higher resolution.

Prices start at $2,199 with a 2.3GHz quad-core i7 CPU, 8GB of memory and 256GB of space on the flash memory-based SSD (solid-state drive). The new model is available today.