Apple has updated its MacBook Pro range with new processors.
The MacBook Pro is now available with faster 8th- and 9th-generation Intel Core processors, introducing eight cores to MacBook Pro for the first time, which will no doubt have a significant impact on professional users.
According to Apple, the new MacBook Pro now delivers “two times faster performance than a quad-core MacBook Pro and 40 percent more performance than a 6-core MacBook Pro,” which makes it the fastest notebook Apple has ever sold.
“Whether it’s college students mastering a course of study, developers building world-class apps or video editors creating feature films, we’re constantly amazed at what our customers do with their MacBook Pro,” said Tom Boger, Apple’s senior director of Mac Product Marketing, in an Apple press release ahead of the launch.
“Now with 8-core processors for an incredible performance boost, along with its stunning Retina display, fast storage, all-day battery life and running macOS, MacBook Pro continues to be the world’s best pro notebook and we can’t wait to get it into our customer’s hands to see what they do next.”
Apple’s MacBook Pro line has been updated a number of times in recent years, first introducing an all-new design and Touch Bar integration, and since then with new processors and performance bumps.
The latest iteration means that producers can play back massive multi-track projects with up to two times more Alchemy plug-ins in Logic Pro X, and 3D designers can render scenes up to two times faster in Maya Arnold.
Apple also highlighted that designers can render their 3D scenes twice as fast using Maya Arnold than with the old MacBook Pro, whilst photographers will be able to apply complex edits and filters up to 75 percent faster in Photoshop, and developers compile code up to 65 percent faster in Xcode.
Brand new keyboard
What’s perhaps most interesting about the new MacBook Pro is the introduction of a new keyboard. Apple has changed the material in the keyboard’s butterfly mechanism that should substantially reduce problems that some users have seen – a sticking point, quite literally, for many professional users over the past couple of years.
Apple didn’t confirm what new materials it would be using in the MacBook Pro keyboard, but it’s likely that future MacBook and MacBook Air models will also see these new keyboard designs introduced to reduce complaints.
In an effort to improve customer relations, Apple has also extended its Keyboard Service Program to all MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models with a butterfly mechanism keyboard. Users who experience sticky or inconsistent keys can now receive free repairs for up to four years after they purchased their MacBook.
Priced at $1,799 and $2,399 respectively, the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar are available to purchase online from today, and in Apple Stores later this week.
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