Apple Introduces $2,400 USD 16-Inch MacBook Pro, Ditching the Butterfly Keyboard
Check out all the new features.
Apple has introduced the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, which will replace its now-discontinued 15-inch model. The laptop, officially unveiled this morning, features a bevy of updates, most notably a fully re-designed keyboard that returns to the scissor switch keys Apple ditched four years ago.
Responding to customer complaints about Apple’s butterfly keyboard, which was introduced in 2015 and touted flatter keys that were meant to reduce typing noise Apple has returned to its springier scissor switch keyboard design. Of course, the new Magic keyboard — named in line with Apple’s Bluetooth Magic Keyboard — has been updated with a few new features, including increased space between keys and and a shorter Touch Bar.
The body of the new MacBook Pro is almost imperceptibly thicker than last year’s model due to the new keyboard design. Screen resolution is 3072 x 1920, and its Retina Display retains the crystal-clear quality of past models.
Battery life on the new MacBook Pro has been extended for “up to 11 hours of wireless web browsing,” a one hour improvement from last year’s model. The new battery boasts 100-watt hours, the maximum for rechargeable batteries as per FAA regulations. Finally, the laptop has been upgraded to a six-speaker sound system, which reduces bass distortion using sub-woofers designed to cancel out internal vibration.
Apple also improved the MacBook Pro’s thermal performance, a pain point that emerged last year. To reduce whirring and address the laptop’s tendency to quickly heat up when working with heavy-duty software, Apple has redesigned its internal fans to push out 28 percent more air. In addition, the heat sink on the main CPU has been expanded to cover 35 percent more surface area.
Features that remain unchanged include the laptop’s Thunderbolt 3 ports (there are still four) and webcam quality (720p).
The 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro starts at $2,399 USD and can be purchased online now. For more information on the new model, head to Apple’s website.
