Apple unwraps three new MacBook Pro models starting at $1,499 featuring Touch Bar instead of function keys
As rumored, Apple finally announced new gen MacBooks at its special event today, which is obviously the last in 2016. In the week that marks the 25th anniversary of the company’s first notebook, Apple is trying to redefine the modern notebook again with the introduction of a new “Touch Bar” secondary display above the keyboard. In a move that is fairly typical of Apple, the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros are thinner and lighter than their predecessors. It also continues Apple’s rollout of USB-C, which began with the MacBook last year, this time the number ports are increased to four from one. It has two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports along each side – that are used for both power and connectivity. However, there are no standard USB type A ports, which are still regarded as the global standard, and are used by Apple for their Lightning cable , which comes with the company’s iPhones. Any of the ports can be used for charging. Last, but definitely not least, these laptops have a 3.5mm headset jack.
Apple impressed everyone by going over its new Touch Bar and what it can do. Essentially, it is a replacement for function keys, though it adds more functionality than that, allowing apps to make use of it to display shortcuts. At the end of the bar is a space reserved for Touch ID, so you can use your fingerprint to log on to your profile or purchase items online with Apple Pay. More importantly Touch ID will let users with multiple profiles on their MacBook Pro quickly switch between them using a fingerprint. The new Force Touch trackpad is 2 times as big as the previous trackpad, giving you a lot more room for navigating and for gestures.
The new Macbook features an all new design and redesigned components. The aluminum body is metal on all sides. Both versions are thinner and a half pound lighter than their previous generation counterparts. The 13-inch is 23% smaller in volume and weighs just 3 pounds. The 15-inch is 20% smaller and weighs 4 pounds. They run macOS Sierra and get up to 10 hours of battery life. It comes in 13-inch and 15-inch models in silver and space gray.
There are two 13-inch models. The entry level option is aimed at fans of the MacBook Air. It doesn' have the futuristic OLED touch panel. It's 14.9mm thin, comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and weighs 3 pounds. It's powered by a sixth-gen 2 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, with Iris Graphics 540, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It is priced from $1,499 and is available today.
In the high-end 13-inch model you'll see Intel's Skylake Core i5 or i7, with Iris graphics and superfast SSD which is up to 50% faster, with read speeds hitting 3.1GB/s. Storage capacity options will go up to 2TB. The high-end 13-inch model will retail starting at $1,799.
But the new 15in MacBook Pro is by far the more powerful, with a quad-core version of Intel’s i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It also comes with an AMD Radeon Pro 450 graphics chip that offers up to 4GB of video RAM, with 130% faster 3D graphics, 60% faster gaming and 57% faster video editing. The company says it has improved the speakers on the 15-inch Pro, which now feature twice the dynamic range of audio. Base model price of 15-inch model is starting from $2,399 to $2,799 where CPU, Storage and GPU gets the boost.
The new MacBook Pros will be for sale immediately, shipping in two to three weeks.
Apple impressed everyone by going over its new Touch Bar and what it can do. Essentially, it is a replacement for function keys, though it adds more functionality than that, allowing apps to make use of it to display shortcuts. At the end of the bar is a space reserved for Touch ID, so you can use your fingerprint to log on to your profile or purchase items online with Apple Pay. More importantly Touch ID will let users with multiple profiles on their MacBook Pro quickly switch between them using a fingerprint. The new Force Touch trackpad is 2 times as big as the previous trackpad, giving you a lot more room for navigating and for gestures.
The new Macbook features an all new design and redesigned components. The aluminum body is metal on all sides. Both versions are thinner and a half pound lighter than their previous generation counterparts. The 13-inch is 23% smaller in volume and weighs just 3 pounds. The 15-inch is 20% smaller and weighs 4 pounds. They run macOS Sierra and get up to 10 hours of battery life. It comes in 13-inch and 15-inch models in silver and space gray.
There are two 13-inch models. The entry level option is aimed at fans of the MacBook Air. It doesn' have the futuristic OLED touch panel. It's 14.9mm thin, comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and weighs 3 pounds. It's powered by a sixth-gen 2 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, with Iris Graphics 540, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. It is priced from $1,499 and is available today.
In the high-end 13-inch model you'll see Intel's Skylake Core i5 or i7, with Iris graphics and superfast SSD which is up to 50% faster, with read speeds hitting 3.1GB/s. Storage capacity options will go up to 2TB. The high-end 13-inch model will retail starting at $1,799.
But the new 15in MacBook Pro is by far the more powerful, with a quad-core version of Intel’s i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It also comes with an AMD Radeon Pro 450 graphics chip that offers up to 4GB of video RAM, with 130% faster 3D graphics, 60% faster gaming and 57% faster video editing. The company says it has improved the speakers on the 15-inch Pro, which now feature twice the dynamic range of audio. Base model price of 15-inch model is starting from $2,399 to $2,799 where CPU, Storage and GPU gets the boost.
The new MacBook Pros will be for sale immediately, shipping in two to three weeks.
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