Apple has finally brought the Cupertino tech rumour mill to a grinding halt, having announced a range of new products last night, including a new version of its 13" MacBook Pro and iPad Mini. After bringing its Retina Display to the 15" MacBook Pro earlier this year, the company now introduces this high resolution screen to a more compact form factor.

According to Apple, the 13" MacBook Pro with Retina display is 20% thinner (19 mm thick ;1.62 kg) than the current 13" MacBook Pro, but it still manages to pack in 8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM, and up to 768 GB of flash storage. It sports a 13" Retina display (2560 x 1600 native resolution; 227 pixels per inch).

Cupertino asserts that the Retina display’s pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels at a normal viewing distance, since it sports more than four million pixels or almost twice the amount you would find on an HDTV. The display makes use of IPS technology that delivers a wide 178-degree viewing angle, and has Apple added that it features 75% less reflection and 29% better contrast than the screen on the current generation.

This notebook is powered by either an 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 processor or snappier 2.9 GHz Core i7 CPU, with Intel’s HD Graphics 4000 handling the graphics front.

Flash storage and ports that are quicker than Flash

Besides its fast dual-core processor options, this new MacBook Pro also sports flash storage that Apple states is up to four times faster than traditional notebook hard-drives. The MacBook Pro comes standard with either 128 GB or 256 GB worth of flash storage, but buyers can upgrade this to either 512 GB or 768 GB when they order their device.

In terms of connectivity, users have access to 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, two Thunderbolt- as well as two USB 3.0 ports, and a new HDMI port that allows you to connect the notebook to an HDTV or monitor.

The Mac OS X Mountain Lion operating 13" MacBook Pro with Retina display further features a FaceTime HD camera and dual microphones for making video calls, and enhanced speakers. Apple stated that its battery will deliver up to seven hours of wireless productivity and is able to remain in standby for up to 30 days.

Cupertino’s new 13" MacBook Pro with Retina display is already available for order via Apple’s online store Stateside, unfortunately no local release info is available yet.

“The 13" MacBook Pro is our most popular Mac, and today it gets completely reinvented with a new thin and light design, fast flash storage and a gorgeous Retina display,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Marketing. “With vivid colours, razor sharp text and more pixels than anyone else’s 15 or 17" notebooks, the Retina display completely changes what you expect from a notebook.”

In related news, Apple also recently revealed the latest figures around iPhone sales, the latest version of its desktop OS and updated  iOS App Store stats.