Apple has surprisingly announced a refresh of its MacBook Pro laptops, which include changes to the butterfly keyboard, following continued complaints well after the company claimed to have resolved the issues.
The company says the improved mechanism uses “new materials” and will reduce the irritating double and missed presses that have blighted users since Apple introduced the slimline design four years ago.
This new keyboard will appear on the brand new MacBook Pro 15-inch and MacBook Pro 13-inch that have been announced today. Those materials will also be used in replacement keys for owners of existing 15-inch and 13-inch MacBook Pro models brought in for service.
Related: Best MacBook
Speaking of that, Apple has expanded its keyboard repair programme to cover the 2018 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air devices that offer third-generation butterfly keyboards. Eligible models are listed below.
As for the new, 2019 MacBook Pros, there are also some under the hood improvements, namely when it comes to the 15-inch MacBook Pro, which is the first in the range ever to feature an 8-core 9th generation Intel Core processor.
“The 15-inch MacBook Pro now features faster 6- and 8-core Intel Core processors, delivering Turbo Boost speeds up to 5.0 GHz, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar features faster quad-core processors with Turbo Boost speeds up to 4.7 GHz,” Apple says in a press release.
According to Apple, that 8-core processor means 75% faster complex edits in Photoshop, while video editors can edit 11 multicam 4K video streams in Final Cut Pro X at the same time.
Aside from the keyboard and processors Apple doesn’t mention any more improvements, but there’s still the Retina display with 500 nits of brightness to enjoy, and powerful stereo speakers. Touch ID is still aboard, as is the Force Touch trackpad (which it’s still called, despite the massively pervy connotations).
It still features the improved T2 security chip while there are Thunderbolt 3 ports that can connect a pair of 5K displays and external GPUs. Naturally, they ship with macOS Mojave.
Prices start at Starting at $1,799 and $2,399 respectively for the MacBook Pro 13-inch with Touch Bar and the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
