Apple on Thursday released a new MacBook Pro design, the first time the model line has seen a refresh in four years. The company has all but killed off its popular MacBook Air line of portable computers, replacing it with the 13-inch version of the MacBook Pro or previously launched 12-inch MacBook.
The biggest change to the new lineup comes in the form of touch control capabilities. Apple said it has found an alternative to touch screens found in Windows PCs with what it calls “Touch Bar,” a Retina display bar that sits where traditional keyboard shortcut buttons reside. Touch Bar is designed as an adaptive solution to shortcuts, changing functionality based on the application being used by the user. Examples shown during the Apple keynote include using Touch Bar to move through a movie while editing in Final Cut, or sending emails from one folder to the next. Its buzziest feature comes in the form of emojis, which can be easily searched through and selected with the tap of a finger.
Apple is also bringing TouchID to its computers, a security feature found in all of its new iPhones. The Touch ID sensor is integrated into the power button, and allows for reading of a fingerprint. Apple also demonstrated the fingerprint sensor can be used to switch between multiple Mac users on a single device.
The new MacBook Pros are also much lighter than their aging predecessors. Rest assured, this has not caused Apple to abandon the headphone jack. Apple claims they are the thinnest and lightest Pros ever with the 13-inch model just 14.9 millimeters thick and weighing 3 pounds. The 15-inch version isn’t much bigger in weighing 4 pounds, comparing favorably to the lightest of Windows competitors. Both models will come in Apple’s traditional silver color with a space gray color option new to the line.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro without the touch bar is the closest replacement to the MacBook Air in Apple’s arsenal. It starts with a 2.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor and Intel’s integrated Iris Graphics 540. The base model will also ship with 8 gigabytes of 1866 MHz RAM and a 256 GB PCle-SSD hard drive. The two 13-inch Touch Bar versions of the MacBook Pro run on a 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with “turbo boost” up to 3.3 GHz and Iris 550 graphics. They also have 8 GB of RAM, but at 2133 MHz. The $1,799 version will come with a 256 GB SSD hard drive, and a $1,999 version is equipped with 512 GB SSD hard drive.
The 15-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pros come in three flavors. The least expensive model, at $1,999, has a 2.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with turbo boost up to 3.4 GHz, 256 GB PCle-based SSD hard drive, 16 GB 1600 MHz RAM and Intel Iris Pro graphics. The most expensive MacBook Pro has a 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with turbo boost clocking in at 3.6 GHz. It comes with 512 GB PCle-based SSD hard drive and 2 GB of Radeon Pro 455 graphics. The highest-end model is priced at $2,799.
Other features include:
- 13-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch.
- Or 15.4-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2880-by-1800 native resolution at 220 pixels per inch.
- Two Thunderbolt 3 Â (USB-C) ports
with support for:- charging
- DisplayPort
- Thunderbolt (up to 40 gigabits per second)
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gbps)
- 802.11a/b/g/n compatible
- Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology
