MacBook Pro
Find out why Apple’s high-end mobile champion is still the king of notebooks
Notebooks make up about 80% of Apple’s Mac sales, and a huge chunk of that will be
made up of the MacBook Pro. It’s the computer to get if you need a powerful work machine wherever you are.
There were some big changes when Apple updated the MacBook Pro line in October 2016. Most notable was the new Touch Bar, which replaced the row of function keys at the top of the keyboard.
The Touch Bar is an OLED strip that features context-aware shortcuts. For instance, if you’re browsing through a photo album, the Touch Bar displays a row of thumbnails that you can quickly scroll through à la Cover Flow. Create a track in djay Pro and the mixing and track controls will display on the Touch Bar. It’s even got a Touch ID button to quickly log in or pay for purchases, for example.
The keyboard also got a revamp, and now comes with the second generation of Apple’s ‘butterfly’ switches. These first debuted in the 12-inch MacBook, and feature less travel than regular keyboard keys. It takes a bit of getting used to, but can be very comfortable once you do. The keys are also much larger than those on Apple’s past keyboards, helping you to make fewer errors when typing quickly.
Elsewhere, the trackpad has been expanded and is now up to twice the size of those in previous MacBook Pro models. It’s also Force Touch enabled, allowing for a wider range of gestures and actions.
And with new Thunderbolt 3 ports, a thinner and lighter design, plus a brighter Retina display, faster graphics cards and better speakers, the MacBook Pro is ideal for power-hungry work on the go.