This week marked 25 years since the
launch of Apple's first laptop, the
PowerBook 170. Hence Apple has
chosen today's date to launch its new MacBook
Pro, 6.8 million times faster, in an
event for the press specialized in its headquarters in Cupertino, California.
The expected update of Apple's line of laptops comes just a
day after the announcement of the new Microsoft computers, both desktop
computers and laptops. The new MacBook
Pro is the thinnest and lightest
yet. The presentation of 13 inches will be only 14.9 mm thick, will be 17%
thinner than its predecessor, with a volume 23% lower and weigh just under 1.4
kg, which makes it almost half a kilo lighter.
The 15-inch, will have a thickness of
15.5 mm (2.5 mm less than the previous), will be 14% thinner, 20% smaller in
volume and weigh only a little more than 1.8 kg.
In the new MacBook Pro, the
trackpad (panel with which the cursor is guided) will be twice as large, thanks
to the elimination of the function keys. But these are the least revolutionary
changes of the computer keyboard: the inclusion of an OLED technology touch
panel, which shows functions according to the software in use and even works to
preview photos and video, is perhaps one of the most significant changes in
this computer.
Called the Touch Bar, it registers
the touch in multiple points and is completely adaptable to the needs of the
user, who can configure what tools and functions are displayed in the bar
according to the program used. Casey Newton, journalist of the specialized
portal The Verge, defined the Touch Bar as the new "right click", for
the functionalities that it grants and that facilitate the use of any software.
Navigate your finger through galleries of thumbnails of photos or documents; of
options and Photoshop tools (which, announced today, will have an update for Apple's operating system before the end
of the year, like the Final Cut Pro video editing program), mix music and
manage audio levels with two or more fingers on the bar; and even make payments
virtually will be possible to do, more easily, thanks to the Touch Bar.
In addition, for the first time Apple has included TouchID technology,
recognition through the user's fingerprint. How could it be otherwise, has been
the power button designated for this function, usable to unlock the computer
and make payments through Apple Pay,
the app previously available only for iPhone and iPad and today comes to the MacBook Pro thanks to the new operating system Sierra (it is the first
computers to have it).
In fact, it is not the only thing that
the MacBook Pro has imported from its relatives iPhone and iPad: also Siri, the
personal assistant of the mobile phone, has an active presence on the new
computer, with an exclusively dedicated button on the keyboard. With a
brightness and contrast ratio 67% higher, the screen of the new Mac can show
25% more colors than its predecessor. It has an Intel Core i7 quad-core
processor and a Radeon Pro graphics processor with up to 4 GB of video RAM, 2.3
times faster, always compared to the previous MacBook Pro. Your solid
state hard drive will come with capacity of up to 2TB, with a data transfer
rate of up to 3.1 GB per second. While the speakers of the new computer will
have twice as much power.
Phil Schiller, Apple's vice president of global
marketing, explained during the launch event that MacBook Pro performance
will now be 130% better for processing 3D graphics; 60% to process video games;
and 57% better in video editing. Your battery will last up to 10 hours. The new
Mac comes with up to four Thunderbolt ports for connecting USBs, HDMI or VGA
cables and chargers. However, it does not have memory card readers. The new
computer will come in three presentations: one of 13 '', with dual-core
processor Intel i5, without Touch Bar and with 8GB of memory, from US $ 1,499;
another similar, only with the Touch Bar, from US $ 1,799; and the 15 '', with
Intel i7 quad-core processor and 16GB of RAM, from US $ 2,399. All are
available to be purchased. The cheapest one is ready to be sent, while the
other two will start being sent after two to three weeks. In the event there
was no announcement about updates in the line of the MacBook Air, computer
thinner than the Pro also produced by Apple.
