Apple held their “Hello Again” media event earlier today, and debuted their “thinnest and lightest MacBook Pro ever,” featuring a new Retina quality Multi-touch display called the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar replaces the traditional row of function keys at the top of the MacBook Pro keyboard, and adapts to offer various controls and options, according to the app and task at hand.
The Touch Bar places controls right at the user’s fingertips and adapts when using the system or apps like Mail, Finder®, Calendar, Numbers®, GarageBand®, Final Cut Pro® X and many more, including third-party apps. For example, the Touch Bar can show Tabs and Favorites in Safari®, enable easy access to emoji in Messages, provide a simple way to edit images or scrub through videos in Photos and so much more.
In addition to the new Touch Bar, the new MacBook Pro models also offer Touch ID integrated into the power button. Users can enroll their fingerprint in Touch ID on the MacBook Pro, and use it to quickly unlock their Mac, make Apple Pay purchases online, and even quickly switch user accounts on shared MacBooks. The new Touch ID capabilities are powered by the new Apple T1 chip, which includes the same Security Enclave found on Touch ID-enabled iOS devices.
While the new MacBook Pro is the thinnest and lightest MacBook ever designed – coming in at just 14.9mm thick and three pounds for the 13-inch model, and 15.5mm thick and four pounds for the 15-inch model – It also “weighs in” as the most powerful MacBook Pro yet, with sixth-generation Core i5 processors available for the 13-inch model, and quad-core Core i& processors available for the 15-inch model.
The new processors are combined with faster SSDs for storage, faster memory, and an advanced thermal architecture to deliver pro-level performance in a thinner and lighter enclosure. The new 15-inch models also feature Radeon Pro discrete graphics, and the 13-inch option offers Intel Iris graphics, both offering improved graphics performance over previous generations.
The new MacBook Pros also offer four Thunderbolt 3 ports, which allow data transfer, charging, and twice the video bandwidth from a single port, allowing users to connect a 5K display to their MacBook Pro, while also charging it with a single cable.
The new notebook’s also offer a greatly improved display, that is as thin as a MacBook display, while offering greater detail than ever. The new Retina display on the MacBook Pro offers a picture that is 67% brighter than the previous generation, features 67% more contrast, and is the first Mac notebook display to support a wider color gamut. The display also consumes 30% less energy than before.
Apple also announced it will also offer an entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with a traditional set of function keys, a 2.0GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of flash storage. The new entry-level MacBook Pro does not offer a CD/DVD drive.
Other features include:
- Much larger Force Touch trackpads — 46% larger on the 13-inch MacBook Pro and twice as large on the 15-inch MacBook Pro;
- More responsive and comfortable typing on the keyboard with a second-generation butterfly mechanism;
- Louder, more true-to-life sound through speakers with double the dynamic range and improved bass;
- macOS™ Sierra, the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, with new features like Siri® integration, Universal Clipboard, Apple Pay on the web and Photos, which helps you rediscover your meaningful memories, organize your library and perfect shots like a pro.
Pricing & Availability
- The 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,499 (US), features a 2.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage, and ships today.
- The 13-inch MacBook Pro with the revolutionary Touch Bar and Touch ID starts at $1,799 (US), and features a 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.3 GHz, 8GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage, and ships in two to three weeks.
- The 15-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,399 (US), features the revolutionary Touch Bar and Touch ID, a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.5 GHz, 16GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage, and ships in two to three weeks.
- Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at apple.com/macbookpro.
