Apple is quietly adding new options for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro, including SSD upgrades that will allow owners to squeeze more storage into their macOS desktop. Expected to be put up for sale later today, it'll add a new flagship GPU option for Apple's top-spec notebook, too.
Apple will soon move another MacBook to the official "obsolete" list, a list where old Apple products go out to pasture. Once a device has been added to the obsolete list, Apple no longer offers support at their official Apple Store repair desk. Older devices that'll soon be moved to the list of obsolete hardware can still be fixed now - until that day comes.
Apple has unexpectedly increased the price of a RAM upgrade on the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro, quietly doubling how much it takes to equip the notebook with 16GB of memory. The change only comes less than a month after the company actually launched the new notebook, with changes like the new Magic Keyboard first seen on the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro has a lot to prove, not least with its Magic Keyboard, but arguably just as much about whether it still fits the definition of what "professionals" are looking for. The new keyboard is about as close to a mea-culpa as Apple gets, but this flagship notebook needed to deliver more than just different keys. It's the sort of improvement that only time can tell whether it's worked or not - so that's just what I gave it.
Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro is the Magic Keyboard upgrade that many would-be buyers have been waiting for, but with those controversial keys out of the way, the wish-list moves on to another gap in the range. Unlike with the 16-inch MacBook Pro launched late last year, 2020's entry-level MacBook Pro didn't step up a screen size. That means many people will be wanting to plug in an external display.
Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro follows its bigger sibling with an improved keyboard and an uptick in performance, but there's a bigger decision to be made than just screen size. The 2020 refresh of the smaller MacBook Pro creates two distinct tiers within the 13-inch screen size, and the differences between them are arguably more obvious than ever. Here's what you need to know...
Apple has updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro, adding the Magic Keyboard from its 16-inch sibling, and giving the creator-favorite a performance boost inside. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro loses the controversial "butterfly" keys of the old 'board, and in their place gets Apple's latest scissor-switch based buttons which are expected to be more resilient over time.
Apple is changing how its MacBook batteries charge, with an upcoming update for macOS Catalina promising to learn from how the notebooks are used in order to maximize battery life. Currently, when you plug your MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro into its power supply, it automatically charges up to 100-percent. That, though, may not be the best strategy for a number of reasons.
A new MacBook Pro and a new MacBook Air design switching away from Apple's little-loved butterfly keyboards are tipped for the first half of 2020, with one analyst suggesting the new laptops would complete the Cupertino firm's transition away from the troubled switch mechanism. Apple moved away from its homegrown butterfly key switch with the launch of the 16-inch MacBook Pro last year, adopting a new version of the scissor mechanism.
This week analyst Ming Chi Kuo tipped the development of the next major Mac from Apple, complete with an Apple-designed ARM processor. This suggestion fits with other major projects in the pipeline with new processor tech, including 5nm process for the first 5G iPhone and new iPad later this year. This would be Apple's first Mac with an Apple-designed processor.
The new 16-inch MacBOok Pro is the answer to every MacBook Pro owner's prayer in almost all ways but one. It finally returns the old reliable scissors switches under the new Magic Keyboard moniker and introduced a new 16-inch sweetspot between existing MacBook Pro sizes. The only drawback, however, was the price that started at $2,400. Those who have held off buying one, however, may now have a bit of a reprieve now that Apple is selling refurbished MacBooks just three months after they first launched.
Forget the AirPods and the Mac Pro Cheese Grater. Apple's most reviled product may not have been a distinct product but a component instead. Fortunately, it seems that the company is ready to put its butterfly switches behind it and is spreading the good news of good old scissor switches. In fact, it may even spread that to a rather unexpected recipient, the iPad Pro. Hopefully not before it comes to other MacBooks first.