by Bradley Jones
As Apple’s October 27th event comes to a close, the word is finally out about the new MacBook Pro lineup. With what seems like faster everything in a smaller, better package, let’s get a closer look at what they have to offer.
The biggest, most interesting part of the whole event is the Touch Bar.
This multi-touch, sapphire crystal strip is an app specific, customizable, OLED bar that goes across the top of the new Macbook Pro’s keyboard. Almost everything is customizable per application, so you can go from switch between tabs in Safari to scrubbing through an editing timeline in Final Cut Pro.
The Touch Bar also includes Touch ID, which allows you to unlock your Macbook, make payments, and also switch between users by recognizing fingerprints.
With all the normal function of the previous function keys, you can still change volume, brightness, and the song all while adding more functions and being completely customizable.
SPECS
To dig a little deeper, the 13” Macbook Pro comes in two variations, one with the new Touch Bar and one without, i.e. standard function keys. The one without comes with a 2.0GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, an Intel Iris Graphics 540 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB to 2TB SSD, and two Thunderbolt 3 (USB C) ports. The version with the Touch Bar comes a 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Intel Iris Graphics 550, 8GB of RAM, 256 to 2TB SSD, and four Thunderbolts 3 (USB C) ports.
The 15” Macbook Pro was also announced and comes with the same Touch Bar, a 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, a Radeon Pro 450 graphics processor, 16GB of RAM, 256GB to 2TB SSD, and four Thunderbolt 3 (USB C) ports.
Both variations come with a trackpad that is twice as big as its predecessor and their screens are 67% brighter, has a 67% higher contrast ratio, has 25% more color, and is 14% thinner than the Macbook Air.
With all the new tech the can fit into a smaller package, Apple claims this is the best laptop ever. The 13” Macbook Pro without the Touch Bar starts at $1499, the one with for $1799, and the 15” Macbook Pro starts at $2399. All available for order starting today.
