Apple’s MacBook Pro event: all the news from the October 2016 keynote – The Verge

Apple says new MacBook Pro has only 16GB of RAM to save battery life

2016-10-28T15:42:02-04:00

Much has been said about the cost, trade-offs, and compromises involved with purchasing Apple's new MacBook Pro. Apple unveiled the device, which comes in three new iterations, yesterday at a press event, and people pouring over its spec sheets and purchase options have complained that its limiting 16GB memory option is severe given the price tag. Apple has now come out and explained that any more RAM in a notebook of its size would have a detrimental effect on battery life.

The answer comes from up high. When a MacRumors reader emailed a general Apple line about a 32GB RAM option, he got a surprise response from marketing chief Phil Schill …

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All the places a DJ might actually need to use the new Apple Touch Bar

2016-10-27T17:27:44-04:00

The top two tiers of Apple's newest MacBook Pros have one hell of an eye-catching feature: a touchscreen that runs across the top of the entire keyboard. Known as "Touch Bar," it changes dynamically depending on whatever application is being used at the time. (Example: type out a text in iMessage and Touch Bar will give you an interactive row of emoji to choose from!) Apple showed off a handful of Touch Bar demos on stage today, but the most curious came from Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim. He used Touch Bar to control his company's Djay Pro app. As far as Apple event demos go, it fell a little flat. (You can watch it above.)

Early impressi …

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The 7 biggest announcements from Apple’s MacBook event

2016-10-27T15:42:29-04:00

Apple's keynote today focused on the Mac and the company's vision idea for the future of TV. New MacBook Pros are coming, including one that's thinner than the Macbook Air, as is a new feature called the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar replaces the function keys and adjusts to the software a laptop is running. Overall, it was a small event with not a lot of news, but hey, new laptops! Exciting!

The MacBook Pro has an all-new update

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the original PowerBook, Apple's first laptop, making it a particularly fitting time for (finally) an update to the MacBook Pro. As previously leaked, the new MacBook Pro has made t …

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You need an adapter (or a new cable) to plug your iPhone into the new MacBook Pros

2016-10-27T15:21:27-04:00

Apple just announced a lineup of three new MacBook Pro laptops, each of which is decked out with four (four!) USB Type-C ports. And as is the case with all things Apple these days, you know what that means - you're going to need more dongles.

More specifically, you now need purchase either a USB 2.0 (old USB) to USB Type-C dongle or a Lightning-to-USB-C cable to connect your shiny new iPhone 7 - or any old iPhone, to be clear - to use any of these new MacBook Pros. (There's also currently no dongle that will let you use the new Lightning EarPods on the new MacBook Pros. You'd need to daisy-chain a few together.)

Now, do you need to plug yo …

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Here’s everything you can do with the new MacBook Touch Bar

2016-10-27T15:20:26-04:00

Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Pro and the most interesting part of it by far is the Touch Bar - a strip of touch-sensitive, context-aware display that replaces the function keys above the keyboard. Buttons on the Touch Bar change depending on the software you're using, so that when you're in your mail app, for example, it'll show you a button for deleting emails, whereas in a photo app it'll let you crop or rotate an image.

The most useful keys will stick round in most contexts (that includes brightness and volume controls on the far right, and the escape key on the far left), but the rest will change based on what you're doing, with t …

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Apple’s new TV app is an important half-step to the future

2016-10-27T15:18:18-04:00

I just got a chance to play with Apple's new TV app on the Apple TV, which is… just called TV. It's more of a second home screen than an app, really - when you open it up you see a bunch of shows and movies that you can watch based on the video services you've subscribed to either directly or through your cable provider. If you don't have the apps installed, you won't see the stuff. That's the big thing to know - this is another frontend to apps, not a service on its own. And importantly, there's no Netflix content anywhere in sight, although Apple says it's working to sign up more partners soon.

Netflix isn't here yet

Clicking on a show or …

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The new MacBook Pro looks and feels so good it’s unreal

2016-10-27T14:56:54-04:00

The new MacBook Pro is here - literally available for preorder today - and I've just tried it. The best thing I can say about is simple: everything about it looks and feels so good I almost didn't believe it.

We'll start with the marquee feature, the Touch Bar. What you might not have gathered from the keynote is that it has a matte finish, which makes the buttons on it somehow feel a little more physical. It's bright, but not so bright that it distracts - it seems to be about on par with the brightness of the backlit keyboard.

The Touch Bar looks really good, the screen looks incredible

I have questions about whether or not all these chang …

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Apple stops selling computer released in June 2012

2016-10-27T14:50:30-04:00

Apple just announced a new generation of MacBook Pro laptops, which means it's probably time to stop selling the prior range. Or at least the the one before it. Yes, the 13-inch MacBook Pro from June 2012, which made up for its lack of Retina display with an optical disc drive and an extra pound or so in weight, has finally been killed after inexplicably remaining on sale at $1,099 for years without a spec bump. New models are no longer on sale, although some refurbished units are still available.

So, pour one out if you really wanted a portable Mac with a DVD drive - you'll have to use Apple's USB SuperDrive accessory now. Possibly with a …

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Apple’s $1,499 13-inch MacBook Pro has an escape key, but no Touch Bar

2016-10-27T14:36:46-04:00

Alongside the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, Apple just introduced a third new MacBook Pro model that's something of an unofficial successor to the MacBook Air. It slots in as a cheaper option next to the 15-inch and 13-inch Touch Bar models. The company plans to continue selling its 13-inch Air, Phil Schiller said, but this specific MacBook Pro will likely be a preferable option for those who can afford its $1,499 price. (The 13-inch Air remains priced at $999.) It's 13 percent smaller in volume than the existing Air and weighs the same 3 pounds. It retains traditional, physical function keys - yes, like escape - so there's no Touch Bar on …

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Apple says LG’s new 5K displays were designed for the new MacBook Pro

2016-10-27T14:11:57-04:00

If you want the greatest external monitor for the new MacBook Pro, Apple says your best bet is the new 27-inch, 5K UltraFine Display from LG. The iPhone-maker unveiled the $1,299.95 display onstage at its Mac event today, saying it had worked closely with LG to make the product a perfect match for the Pro. This may not be the new 5K Apple Cinema Display some had hoped for, but it is, apparently, the best we're going to get.

The MacBook Pro can support two LG UltraFine 5K displays, with Apple exec Phil Schiller describing the screens as the "ultimate docking station" for the MacBook. The IPS display has a 5120 x 2880 resolution, and comes wi …

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