Everything Apple Announced at the MacBook Event That Really Matters
Apple’s special event today focused on hardware. The big news is a new version of the MacBook that includes a fancy touchscreen instead of function keys, but they’ve also announced a new TV app and some minor Apple TV improvements.
MacBook Pro has a touchscreen on the keyboard and is thinner
The MacBook was the main focus of the event. It is slightly thinner and lighter than the previous version, comes in an all-metal body and is available in two models: 13 “and 15”.
A big new feature is the Touch Bar, which replaces the function keys, called the Touch Bar. It’s a Retina display and a touchscreen that changes depending on which app you’re using. So, if you use Photos, you can navigate between images, and if you browse the Internet, you will see a list of your favorite websites. Apps can customize what is displayed here, so the touchpad icons change depending on what you are doing and where you are doing it. Third party apps will be able to add support for the Touch Bar. Apple has demonstrated Photoshop, Pixelmator, Office and others with it. The Touch Bar also includes Touch ID support for signing in to your MacBook or using your fingerprint to pay with Apple Pay.
Alongside this touchpad is a new, larger force-tap trackpad, a new keyboard that uses an updated version of the MacBook’s toggle mechanism , an improved screen, a faster SSD, and better speakers. Overall, performance is improving thanks to the new Intel Core i5 / i7 chips and new Intel Iris graphics cards.
However, there is a small catch. The MacBook Pro comes with four ThunderBolt 3 ports, any of which can handle power, ThunderBolt, USB C, DisplayPort, or HDMI. This means there are no traditional USB 2.0 or 3.0 ports. The SD card slot is also gone, but so far there is a headphone jack.
New MacBook Pros with Touch Bar range from $ 1,799 to $ 2,399. There is also a $ 1,499 MacBook Pro available without Touch Bar. You can order it starting today .
TV app combines videos from multiple services
Apple has announced a new app called TV that lets you watch videos from many different apps and services in one place. So, if you watch a TV show on Showtime, pause your HBO video, or stop watching a movie on iTunes, all of that will be available on the TV app. Likewise, you will be able to view all the videos available on different services in one place. That said, neither Netflix nor Amazon have made an appearance here, so this is only useful if you’re using iTunes or any of the premium cable apps like HBO or Starz. The app will be available for free on Apple TV, iPad and iPhone in December.
Apple TV gets better Siri support, Twitter integration
Siri has received some improvements to Apple TV, allowing you to use it to watch live TV broadcasts. They demonstrated this with college football, showing that you can play a live game simply by asking, for example, “play the Auburn game.” This will at least make it a little easier to find what you are looking for. Twitter also came out to show a live Twitter feed that can work in conjunction with the broadcast, where you can see and interact with live comments.