A heavyweight contender...
PLUGGED IN WITH ANDY O’DONOGHUE
Apple’s MacBook range needed a refresh for some time. The new toptier Mac Book Pro has arrived and while it’s aimed squarely at high-end users, Apple hopes it will win kudos for both design and performance.
Available in two colours, Silver or Space Gray, it has all the style and grace of design that has defined Apple products over the years.
It’s slim, at just 1.62cm. However, you do immediately notice the heft as it weighs a full 2KGs.
The first and most obvious upgrade is the screen. Apple has cleverly designed this so the body is similar in size to the old 15in, but the immersive Retina screen measures 16in (40.6cm).
Apple hasn’t compromised on the bigger screen, and the resolution is 3072x1920, with resolution of 226 pixels per inch. Those specifications, in the real world, mean its colours are life-like, with excellent contrast and while using it, I felt immersed in the onscreen world.
The standard model comes with 16GB of RAM, but can be ordered with up to 64GB. That entry level version is powered by a 2.6GHz i7 processor and has 512GB of disk storage. However, Apple have made avaiable an 8-core, Intel i9 processor option, and also SSD disk sizes of up to 8TB.
Previous MacBook Pro models received some criticism for their keyboards. Apple has replaced the mechanism in this model and the new back-lit keyboard with Touch Bar is a huge improvement. The clever scissor mechanism is one of the reasons Apple has managed to keep this model so slim.
There’s also a new, more powerful 100W battery, which can give you an impressive eleven hours of wireless web browsing. The included battery charger is also beefed up and charging is quick.
Surprisingly there’s no Face ID, which would allow you to log-on just with your face. Also, while Apple has kept this as slim as possible, lugging this around or holding it at presentations will give you an unexpected workout.
That said, this is a serious upgrade. and the best MacBook Pro Apple has ever made.
Pros: Wonderful screen l Great new keyboard l Cons: Heavy to carry l Expensive l