On October 27, 2016, Apple announced updates to its MacBook Pro notebook line, two related 13-inch notebooks and one 15-inch notebook. Major changes include a smaller, lighter frame, an increased quality Retina color display, USB-C ports for all connections, Intel’s Skylake chipset, and most notably, a new “Touch Bar” that replaces the function keys on the keyboard.
What is not included in the new MacBook Pros are any kind of ports other than USB-C ports and a headphone jack. The lowest-end 13” MacBook Pro gets two USB-C ports; the other two get four. While lack of older USB ports and the MagSafe charging port may be less of a surprise, the elimination of the SD card slot is notable.
This update is the most significant revision to the MacBook Pro line since the third-generation MacBook Pros were announced in 2012.
Design and Changes
The new MacBook Pros are significantly smaller and lighter than those of the previous generation. They are around 15% smaller in volume than previous revisions of the MacBook Pro of the same screen size, and weigh 3 and 4 pounds for the 13-inch and 15-inch versions respectively. Especially notable is that the 13-inch MacBook Pro weighs virtually the same as the MacBook Air now, putting the mid-term future of that notebook line and its low-resolution displays even further in question. Apple has announced that the 13-inch MacBook Airs will continue to be sold, while quietly retiring the 11-inch version for all but institutional educational purchasing.
Connectivity has changed completely with this new generation of MacBook Pros. Following the example of the MacBook, the MacBook Pro features only USB-C connectors—two for the low-end 13-inch notebook and four for the other two. The USB-C ports serve as connectors for both power and external peripherals. For other non-USB-C native devices, including the now-absent SD card reader, dongles will be necessary.
The trackpad on the new MacBook Pros are notably larger than before, at about twice the size. They are enabled with Apple’s Force Touch technology, in line with the most recent MacBooks.
All three of the MacBook Pros feature Intel’s Skylake chipset, the sixth-generation Core i3/5/7 technology. The low-end 13-inch MacBook Pros ship with only Core i5 options, and likewise the 15-inch MacBook Pros ship only with Core i7 processors. The high-end 13-inch models ship with Core i5 processors by default, but can be configured with a Core i7 for an additional $300.
The graphics chips of all three models are upgraded from previous MacBook Pros—the 13-inch models have improved Intel Iris integrated graphics, and the 15-inch model has auto-switching dual Intel Iris and AMD Radeon cards like the previous generation. Interestingly, the Intel Iris card on the 15-inch model is less capable than the Intel Iris cards on the 13-inch devices, possibly to conserve battery life on the device when significant GPU power is not required.
Base RAM on the 13-inch MacBook Pros is 8.0 GB and 16.0 GB on the 15-inch, so none of them needs special configuration to meet the RAM specifications in the Notebook Purchasing Guide. The 13-inch MacBook Pros can be configured for 16.0 GB for an additional $200; the 15-inch MacBook Pros do not offer configurations past the base 16.0 GB provided. Initial reports from testing with the low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro indicate that the RAM is directly soldered onto the logic board on the new models, making any potential upgrades non-trivial.
The most notable design change is the addition of a new “Touch Bar” on the high-end 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros. The Touch Bar is a contextual, customizable touch screen that lies above the keyboard, taking the place of the more traditional top row of function keys. The contents of the Touch Bar change dynamically based on the application being used, and some third-party developers have already started its adoption. The contents of the Touch Bar can be reverted to a more traditional row of function keys with a simple keypress. In addition, the Touch Bar allows for both TouchID for online purchases, and touch authentication to the computer. One especially useful feature of TouchID on the Touch Bar is for user switching, based on the user’s fingerprint. The Touch Bar is absent from the low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro; a more traditional row of function keys replaces is.
Battery life for all three models remains the same as before, at 10 hours.
The solid-state drives included with this generation of MacBooks remain a proprietary format, much like previous models. The default configuration is 256GB for the 13-inch and 512GB for the 15-inch models, but can be configured for a maximum of 1TB and 2TB respectively.
The low-end 13-inch MacBook Pros lack many of the notable features announced with the other two notebooks, including the absence of the Touch Bar. This may be Apple’s intent as a replacement to the MacBook Air in the future.
At present, only the low-end 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar is available for purchase, with the other models slated to ship within the next few weeks. ISC has ordered one of the Touch Bar models and will have additional information in the future after sufficient testing of the notebook.