Apple has launched the first new
version of its MacBook Pro laptop with a new OLED touchscreen on the keyboard
capable of inserting emoji into text, as well as updates to the rest of its
laptop line.
The new
MacBook Pro is thinner, lighter and comes complete with fingerprint scanner. It
also continues Apple’s rollout of USB-C, which began with the MacBook last
year.
It has two
USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports along each side – four in total – 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.
The new
laptop does not come with the SD card reader, HDMI port, the two Thunderbolt
ports that doubled as a mini DisplayPorts, or the two USB-A ports that the last
model did, so will require adapters to use existing accessories. It also lacks
the MagSafe power adapter, instead relying on USB-C. It does have a 3.5mm
headphone socket and the biggest change to the design of the machine is
a new OLED touch panel above the standard keyboard, which replaces the
multi-function “F” keys, and allows dynamic shortcuts to functions such as
volume control and window management.
Phil
Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Apple, said: “It’s a
retina display, multitouch, responding to gestures and taps. We call it Touch
Bar. First it replaces the standard system functions, but it goes way beyond
that. It adapts to whatever software you’re using.”
Craig
Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering for Apple, showed that
the Touch Bar could be used for navigation in browsers, photo manipulation and
text suggestions when typing. It can also suggest and insert emojis without
leaving the keyboard.
The right
end of the strip now contains Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner integrated
into the power button, which is similar to the one fitted to the iPhone and
iPad and can be used to unlock the laptop and confirm payments. The new Force
Touch trackpad is also twice the size of the old one.
Apple said the new 13in MacBook Pro can be equipped
with dual-core versions of the Intel i5 or i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB
storage and Intel’s Iris 550 integrated graphics chip with 103% faster gaming
performance and 76% faster video editing and 3D graphics performance than the
previous version.
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.
Both models
have up to 10 hours of battery life, Apple said.
The new
MacBook Pro will be for sale immediately, shipping in two to three weeks, with
the 13in version costing $1,799 in the US and £1,749 in the UK and the 15in
costing $2,399 in the UK and £2,349 in the UK. Apple is also making a lower
specification 13in version without the Touch Bar, Touch ID and only two
Thunderbolt ports costing $1,499 in the US and £1,449 in the UK, which will
ship immediately.
Apple has
kept the 13in MacBook Air, but dropped the smaller 11in version. The company
did not announce updates of its Mac Pro or iMac desktop computers.
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