macbook pro

macbook pro

Apple has updated their (Touch Bar) 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros with some pretty big improvements.  The laptops now feature Intel’s latest eighth-generation processors, with a six-core option on the 15-inch model.  The new 15-inch MacBook Pro can also be purchased with the 32 GB RAM, and a DDR4 configuration.  The new models are available to start ordering now.  Of course, they are costly and will start at $1799 and $2399 respectively.  What’s great about these new laptops is that they use Apple’s True Tune display technology – which hasn’t been used before by Macs.  Apple says that they’ve updated the keyboard, to allow for quieter typing, which is good news.  (She says as she types incredibly loud on her MacBook) All that said, there are no changes to the MacBooks without the Touch Bar.

The new laptops can be configured with up to 32 GB RAM and up to 4 TB SSD. In addition to adding True Tone from iOS, the laptops also bring ‘Hey Siri’ to Mac for the first time. ‘Hey, Siri’ is enabled with the Apple T2 chip coprocessor, which also delivers enhanced system security and secure boot — just like the iMac Pro. Exact specifications vary on screen size. The 15-inch machine can be built with 6-core Intel i7 or i9 processors, topping out at 2.9GHz with 4.8GHz Turbo. It maxes out at 32 GB RAM and 4 TB SSD storage, with Radeon Pro discrete graphics on every model. The 13-inch MacBook Pro features quad-core Intel i5 and i7 processors, paired with Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics. The 13-inch maxes out at 2 TB SSD and 16 GB RAM.

In theory, the shift in RAM options will mean that there would be a negative battery life hit.  But Apple has actually increased the battery capacity by 7.7-watt-hours in order to compensate.  The average user will be able to see the difference in the battery life.  That’s for sure.  Overall, Apple is claiming that these MacBooks are 70% faster because of the new processors. Which seems like a difficult feat, considering that MacBooks themselves are pretty fast, to begin with.  I mean, in general, if you compare them to Windows, everything just seems to move faster.  Which is why I find it hard to believe that something faster exists.

It’s been a couple of years since we received these kinds of improvements from Apple, so it will be interesting to see how these new models are received by the community.

macbook pro

To summarize:

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

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