Apple introduced its first major update to the MacBook Pro laptop in three years on Wednesday, adding a slightly larger screen to the top-end model, improved speakers, a better keyboard and faster processors from Intel.
The new computer has a 16-inch screen, bigger than the 15.4-inch screen on the previous version. That alone may not be enough to spur upgrades or elicit switchers from Windows PCs, but the new “Magic Keyboard” is designed to address a pain point that professional users have complained about for years. The new models start at US$2 399, Apple said.
The Mac Pro desktop computer, which Apple announced in June, will go on sale December, the company said. The Mac Pro starts at $5 999 and its optional screen and costs another $5 999, making the set one of the most expensive computer systems on the market.
The Mac continues to be a steady seller for Apple, generating about $26-billion in fiscal 2019 or about 10% of Apple’s total revenue, even as Apple pushes more portable devices like the iPad and iPad Pro.
The MacBook Pro laptop is Apple’s highest-end portable computer and it is differentiated by its faster processor and larger screen that are ideal for video editors, software developers, and gamers. The device saw its last major update in 2016, which added improved displays, a larger trackpad and a new design. The new models include main processors from Intel, not Apple-made chips that it plans to add to at least some computers as early as next year.
New keyboard
In 2015, Apple switched to a keyboard with what is known as a “butterfly mechanism”, which gives it less travel but makes it thinner. The new keyboard on the latest model is less prone to breaking than the current ones, Apple said. Due to several issues with the keyboards on current and earlier models of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, including sticky keys, Apple has opened up rare free repair programmes.
The MacBook Pro and Mac Pro cap a year of Apple product releases that also included the iPhone 11 line, Apple Watch Series 5 and AirPods Pro. — (c) 2019 Bloomberg LP