There is no doubt that Apple's line of MacBook products has helped solidify its standing in the tech world. Despite this, it has taken the company quite a while to update its MacBook Pro, which finally happened on October 27. But with the minimal updates made, is the 2016 MacBook Pro really worth its heavy price?
"The Mac is so incredibly important to us," Apple CEO Tim Cook during the reveal, as noted by Business Insider. And as if to prove this, the Cupertino-based company announced three new models of the 2016 MacBook pro. There is the 15 inch model and two 13 inch models, one that includes the new Touch Bar and another that does not.
The Touch Bar is as everyone suspected. It replaced the standard function keys with a morphing touchscreen that changes depending on the application or system currently in use of the ower. At the right hand corner of the bar, there is also a Touch ID fingerprint scanner, which allows users to unlock the new MacBook Pro and make online purchases.
In the Safari application, the Touch Bar will indicate various shortcuts, as well as volume and brightness. But when the Photos application is being used, it will allow users to quickly scroll through the various images and filters. On the other hand, users will have access to word suggestions and emojis while typing.
The 2016 MacBook Pro will reportedly last for 10 hours on a single charge. The various units also have four USB Type C ports, which will need to be used for charging purposes. And unlike the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the new notebook from Apple also sports the standard 3.5mm audio jack.
The keyboard on the device is thinner than its predecessors, as is the entire body of the device. The display on the 2016 MacBook Pro is also reportedly 67 percent brighter and has 25 percent more colors. Furthermore, Apple boasted about the new processors and graphic processing units that power its latest device.
The 15 inch variant, which is about 4 pounds heavy, is powered by the Intel Core i7 processor with 2133MHz of memory and a Radeon Pro GPU with Polaris architecture. Reportedly, this option is at least 2.3 times faster than its predecessor. On the other hand, the 13 inch variant is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor and Intel's Iris Graphics - reportedly making the 2016 MacBook Pro two times faster than the one before it.
The lowest end option, which is the 13 inch without a Touch Bar, goes for round US$1,499 and is already available. The 13 inch with Touch Bar model sells for about US$1,799 and goes on sale in about two to three weeks. Like 15 inch variant will also go for sale in a few weeks, but will be priced at US$2,399.
As C|Net points out, the new 2016 MacBook Pro devices may look the same on the inside, but they have a lot more power to offer than their predecessors. While the price is a little steep, it is not unheard of in Apple's long history with the Mac. And with the time it took Apple to release an update - and therefore might take for a new update - the unit definitely is worth the investment.
