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Apple has officially announced the new MacBook Pro
(Apple)
Apple announced a new line of MacBook Pro laptops on Thursday.
The most important feature on these redesigned computers is a new kind of keyboard with an integrated touch screen strip that replaces the traditional function keys. It's called Touch Bar.
"The Mac is so incredibly important to us," Apple CEO Tim Cook said at a media event held at Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters.
Apple launched three new models of the MacBook Pro: one with a 15-inch screen, and two 13-inch models — one with Touch Bar, one without.
Here's what you need to know:
Price and release date
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $1,799 and goes on sale in two to three weeks. The 15-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,399 and also goes on sale in two to three weeks.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar costs $1,499 or more and goes on sale today.
Battery life and ports
(MacBook Pro ports.Apple)
Apple says both new MacBook Pros with Touch Bar will manage 10 hours of battery life.
The two computers with Touch Bar are equipped with four Thunderbolt ports that use the USB-C connector. Any of the four USB ports can charge the computer. Both are equipped with a headphone jack, unlike the new iPhone.
Touch Bar
(Apple)
The new touch screen part of the keyboard is called Touch Bar. It changes and adapts to whatever software the person is using at the time.
For example, if you're in Safari, you'll see shortcuts. It can also adjust volume and brightness, for example.
In the Photos apps, the Touch Bar can scroll through photos, apply filters, and make some edits.
As you're typing, Touch Bar can show quick-type suggestions or emojis, like the iPhone keyboard does. It's also customizable with the most useful settings for a user.
Touch Bar is powered by a new chip that Apple is calling T1.
There is also a Touch ID fingerprint reader integrated into the Touch Bar, which enables purchases with your fingerprint, and, presumably, will lock your laptop in conjunction with a password. It doubles as the power switch for the laptop.
Some third-party apps will be able to display custom shortcuts on Touch Bar. Apple demoed versions of Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Djay, and other Mac apps that use the Touch Bar to adjust settings.
Touch Bar is also integrated with XCode, Apple's software for coders.
Specs
(Apple)
Both versions of the new MacBook Pro are thinner than Apple's old MacBook Pro. The 15-inch model weighs 4 pounds. Both have a trackpad that's twice as large as before. The keyboard has also been redesigned to be thinner.
Apple says the new MacBook Pro screen is 67% brighter and has 25% more colors.
Powering the 15-inch MacBook Pro is a Intel Core i7 processor with 2133MHz of memory and a Radeon Pro GPU with Polaris architecture. Apple says the graphics are 2.3 times as fast as the last MacBook Pro.
Powering the 13-inch MacBook Pro is an Intel Core i5 processor. It's equipped with Intel's Iris Graphics, which is two times as fast as the old 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Here's what Apple says about the performance of the two computers:
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(Apple)
Photos
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