Pro users have been vying for it, and it’s finally here: Apple’s long-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro, a new entry in its laptop lineup.
The new model fixes a lot of problems pro users had with the previous generation of MacBooks. There’s a bigger battery, a powerful processor, and – perhaps most importantly – a complete redesign of the keyboard.
This 16-inch model replaces the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but doesn’t hike up the price – or the overall size of the product, with slimmed bezels making way for the larger screen. A screen which is the largest Retina notebook display ever, by the way.
Video editing on the new Macbook Pro
Under the hood, things have improved, too. This model comes with Apple’s latest 6- and 8-core processors – which perform up to twice as fast as the quad-core 15-inch MacBook Pro ever could. Combine this with capacity for 64GB RAM and a new thermal design that keeps the system running at higher power without overheating, and you’ve got a seriously powerful machine.
There’s also a beefed-up battery that promises an extra hour of usage, a fancy new graphics card perfect for video editing and game development, and a redesigned sound system with “the most advanced audio experience” ever seen in a notebook computer. Apple is also offering a whopping 8TB of storage for the first time ever – if you can afford the upgrade cost of almost two grand. Luckily the base storage has doubled from the previous generation, so there’s less need to upgrade in the first place.
But arguably the biggest change of all involves a rare admission of error from Apple. The ‘butterfly’ keyboard it introduced several years ago has come under immense criticism for various reasons, including its tendency to break down at the mere sight of dust. To its credit, Apple has finally ditched this design and developed a new ‘Magic Keyboard’ that uses old-school ‘scissor’ style keys for a quieter and more reliable typing experience. And although the somewhat-maligned Touch Bar is sticking around, there’s at least a distinct, physical ‘escape’ key this time around.
New keyboard, new escape key, same old Touch Bar
Combined, these changes should please the professional crowd Apple is targeting with the MacBook Pro.
“Our pro customers tell us they want their next MacBook Pro to have a larger display, blazing-fast performance, the biggest battery possible, the best notebook keyboard ever, awesome speakers and massive amounts of storage, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro delivers all of that and more,” says Apple’s marketing team.
The 16-inch Macbook Pro is available now, starting at $2,399/£2,399 for the base model. If you need Apple to crank out the absolute highest possible specs in every single department, you’ll be looking at a total cost of $5,769/£5,769 – but rest assured that for most pro users, that’s overkill.