Apple finally upgraded the MacBook Pro lineup making the Pro lineup more powerful. The new MacBook upgrades were surprisingly announced. So here’s everything you need to know about the new MacBook Pro’s.
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The only laptops getting updates are the most expensive models, the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Touch Bars. There are no updates to the base 13-inch MacBook Pro model. There are no updates to the MacBook or the MacBook Air either.
Apple MacBook Pro Lineup Upgrade
So, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple’s TouchBar secondary display are getting updated with Intel CPUs, new RAM and storage options, True Tone screens, a new T2 subprocessor for security and encryption and hands-free Siri. The upgrade also covers the butterfly keyboard making is quieter.
The Processors
The latest upgrade moves the older quad-core processor of 15-inch Pro to current-gen 6-core Core i7 and Core i9 parts. While the 13-inch Pro moves from dual-core CPUs to eight-gen quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 models.
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RAM, Storage, And Batteries
Starting from 15-inch MacBook Pro, Apple has doubled the RAM offering from 16GB DDR3 to 32GB DDR4. Much like RAM, Apple has doubled the storage from 2TB to 4TB in the 15-inch and 1TB to 2TB in the 13-inch.
No denying, the inclusion of DDR4 RAM will make the MacBook Pro faster and allows higher capacities, but could also lower down the battery life. To make up the battery life, Apple has induced a larger battery, crammed into the same chassis. The Cupertino company says that the combinations of faster RAM and a larger battery will get your work done.
True Tone Display Straight From iOS
The True Tones are featured on recent iPhones and iPad Pros uses the light sensor to automatically adjust the color temperature of the display to cope up with the viewing environment. What if you want the colors to be more precise while editing photos or videos? well, you can turn off the True Tone display feature from the settings menu.
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Second Gen Security
Apple has upgraded their MacBook Pro to the second generation of fingerprint-reading SoC processor for controlling certain security feature. Earlier, the T1 handled fingerprint sensing for TouchID, data encryption and more.
IMG: Cnet
The upgraded T2 version, which already available in the iMac Pro, adds an extra layer of security, like with a secure booth path to make sure that there is no malware knocking the bootup process. Seems like we have to wait for Face ID to enter into the Macs.
Siri And The Keyboard Makeover
Apple’s digital assistant Siri has been available on Macs since 2016, but couldn’t wake her up by saying “Hey Siri”, well now you can. Coming to the cluttery butterfly keyboard, the new MacBook Pro models have a tweaked third-generation version of the keyboard that is claimed to be quieter. Not to mention, the clutter remains the same.
IMG: Cnet
Loud, clacky typing (the kind produced by Apple’s current super-flat keyboards) threatening to attract sound-sensing monsters? The new MacBook Pro models have a tweaked third-generation version of that keyboard that purports to be quieter. Giving it a quick typing test, it wasn’t whisper-quiet, but it did lack the sharp click of the previous design.
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Blackmagic eGPU Boxes For Mac
Apple has added a third-party eGPU (External Graphics Processing Unit) from a company called Blackmagic. Unlike the most eGPU boxes, this one has a vertical design and built-in AMD Radeon Pro 580 graphics hardware. It is priced US$699 and has the potential to output directly to Thunderbolt display and feed 85W of power back to the MacBook.
15-Inch MacBook Pro Highlights
- 6-core Intel Core i7 and Core i9 processors up to 2.9 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.8 GHz
- Up to 32GB of DDR4 memory
- Powerful Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 4GB of video memory in every configuration
- Up to 4TB of SSD storage2
- True Tone display technology
- Apple T2 Chip
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
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13-Inch MacBook Pro Highlights
- Quad-core Intel Core i5 and i7 processors up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz and double the eDRAM
- Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics 655 with 128MB of eDRAM
- Up to 2TB of SSD storage2
- True Tone display technology
- Apple T2 Chip
- Touch Bar and Touch ID
Pricing
The two updated MacBook Pros is priced at US$1,799 (13-inch) and US$2,399 (15-inch). Apple is also offering two new accessories: A third-party external GPU option which is priced at US$699, and new laptop sleeve cases – $179 for the 13-inch and $199 for the 15-inch.
What About The Rest?
These updates are all about the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bars. What about the rest of the Apple lineup? Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will refresh nearly everything else the company produces that hasn’t yet been updated this year in Apple’s fall 2018 lineup. Hopes are high, let see what the fall 2018 lineup holds.
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