MacBook Pro updated
New, faster notebooks with enhanced security, quieter keyboards and TrueTone displays
Apple has updated both the 13-inch and 15-inch models of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Both feature eighth-generation Intel Core CPUs — six-core on the 15-inch model, delivering up to 70% faster performance than its predecessor, and quad-core on the 13-inch, for up to double the previous performance. Both also now have Bluetooth 5.0, along with 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The speakers have also been updated, reportedly producing improvements in bass and loudness. Additional options on the 15-inch model include up to 32GB of DDR4 memory, and up to 4TB of SSD storage.
Two features are entirely new to the MacBook range:
> An Apple T2 coprocessor chip, as introduced in the iMac Pro, delivers enhanced system security features such as support for secure boot and on-the-fly encrypted storage, plus enhanced FaceTime camera image quality, and also brings “Hey Siri” functionality to the Mac for the first time. (“Hey Siri” will become even more powerful this Fall with the release of macOS 10.14 Mojave, which incorporates control over HomeKit-compatible devices.)
> TrueTone adaptive display technology, as used in the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, is Apple’s system for adjusting the white balance of the screen to compensate for ambient lighting conditions, so that colors appear consistent to the user. The system uses four-channel sensors to detect when, for example, you move from daylight to a room lit by cooler, bluer, artificial lighting, and adjusts the color on-screen, delivering what Apple calls a “paper-like” viewing experience. In principle, this should mean that perceptual color matching
becomes easier for color-critical apps such as illustration or photo and video editing, although early reports suggest the most typical perceived difference is that the display appears noticeably warmer.
To drive the display, the GPU in the 13-inch model is upgraded from an Intel Iris Plus 650 to a 655 with 128MB of eDRAM. The 15-inch model boasts powerful Radeon Pro discrete graphics with 4GB of video memory in every configuration.
Despite all this extra power, Apple promises the same battery life as in the previous generation, thanks to an 18% bigger battery, now 83.6 watt-hours in the 15-inch model and 58Wh in the 13-inch, significantly increased from the 49.2Wh battery in its predecessor. The bigger battery is 1.3oz heavier, but the overall weight of the MacBook is unchanged.
Apple leather sleeves are now available for the new 13-inch and 15inch MacBook Pro, at $179.00 and $199.00 respectively, in Saddle Brown, Midnight Blue, and Black.
The new MacBook Pro is included in Apple’s Back to School promotion, available to students, their parents, faculty, and staff through the Apple Education Store. In addition to education pricing (on AppleCare and selected accessories as well as Apple devices), the promotion includes a pair of Beats headphones when you buy your MacBook Pro.
The previous generation 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys instead of a Touch Bar remains available, starting at $1,299.