Earlier this month, Apple unveiled two MacBooks powered by its powerful new M2 chip. While the redesigned MacBook Air isn’t available for another month, today (June 17 at 5 am PDT) Apple opened pre-orders for the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro.
That means you can now place an order on Apple’s website for it to ship a week later on June 24. Prices for this model start at $1,299/£1,349, or slightly less for those who qualify for an education discount.
It’s a great computer, but unless you’re desperate for this specific form factor and want it right away, it’s not a purchase we recommend diving into.
Casual users may be better off waiting for next month’s MacBook Air. It’s a slicker design, lighter, has a slightly bigger screen, and rocks the same M2 chip – for $100 less.
The Pro has slightly better GPU performance, more storage, and a fan-based cooling system to help with intensive workloads – but if those kinds of things are important to you, last year’s 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros are probably a better choice. They have double the memory, double the storage, and more customization options – albeit with an M1 Pro chip instead of M2.
Still, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro is nothing to sniff at. Especially if you’re one of the few people who likes the Touch Bar.
Apple offering this much choice means there’s a perfect notebook out there for everyone – just be sure you understand the comparisons before taking the plunge with a preorder.