Apple announced its new and restyled MacBook Pro models powered by Intel’s Skylake class processors.
The sixth-generation quad-core and dual-core processors offer up to 2.3 times the graphics performance over the previous generation.
The new MacBook Pros, available in 13- and 15-inch sizes, also feature a completely new touch-sensitive control bar – a Multi-Touch enabled strip of glass built into the keyboard that automatically displays tools.
According to Apple, the touch bar replaces the function keys “that have long occupied the top of your keyboard.”
The display tools that appear on the control bar are based on what the user is doing to, which may include adjusting volume and brightness, interactive ways to adjust or browse through content, or intelligent typing features like emoji and predictive text.
Both sizes of MacBook Pro are available with up to four Thunderbolt 3 ports – capable of delivering up to 40 Gbps of throughput for twice the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2.
Thinner and lighter
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is 17 percent thinner than the previous generation model, at 14.99 mm, and ois nearly half a pound lighter at just three pounds. The new 15-inch MacBook Pro, at just 15.5 mm thin, is 14 percent thinner, and weights four pounds – half a pound lighter than before.
Apple also announced a more affordable version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar – the successor to the current 13-inch MacBook Air.
Video – “The new MacBook Pro featuring Touch Bar – So much to touch – Apple”
“This week marks the 25th anniversary of Apple’s first notebook; through the years each generation has introduced new innovations and capabilities, and it’s fitting that this all-new generation of MacBook Pro is the biggest leap forward yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
“With the groundbreaking new Touch Bar, the convenience of Touch ID, the best Mac display ever, powerful performance, improved audio, blazing fast storage and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity in our thinnest and lightest pro notebook yet, the new MacBook Pro is the most advanced notebook ever made.”
Pricier than the previous generation MacBook Pros
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.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with 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), with the Touch Bar and Touch ID, has 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.
