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Apple is reportedly putting Mac development on the back burner
Apple only released one substantial update to its entire lineup of Mac computers in 2016, and what a controversial update it was. To many outsider observers, the last year made it feel like the Mac is far from a priority at Apple -- and a report from the reliable Mark Gurman of Bloomberg backs that up. According to Gurman's anonymous sources, the Mac team just isn't a priority with Jony Ive's design team, the company's software team or senior management at large. Additionally, both technical challenges and the departures of key members of the Mac team have also slowed things down.
Photoshop is ready to put your MacBook Pro Touch Bar to work
When Apple replaced the physical function keys on the new MacBook Pro with a swipe-friendly Touch Bar, the company touted its ability to make edits with apps like Final Cut Pro and Photoshop a breeze. While the new laptop has been available for a few weeks now, today Adobe announced that its flagship photo-editing app is ready to play nice with the machine.
Apple is dropping its battery life estimate on Macs
You probably don't trust your laptop's battery life estimates, and that's especially true if you happen to own the latest MacBook Pro. It's supposed to last for up to 10 hours, but the estimated time can vary wildly depending on what's running at any given moment. Apple has a very simple solution to that: get rid of the estimate entirely. The company has released macOS Sierra 10.12.2, which ditches the "time remaining" display from the menu bar. That's not so hot if you depend on that figure to determine when you'll need to recharge, but our TechCrunch colleagues understand that this might be necessary given evolving technology.
There's a tiny piano app for the MacBook Pro Touch Bar
Apple has showed off a number of uses for the newfangled MacBook Pro Touch Bar, including DJ and other music making controls. It also plays Doom, which is quite handy. When you need to do your best Elton John impression, there's an app that can help with that. Appropriately named Touch Bar Piano, the software brings 128 different instruments to that touch panel above the laptop's keyboard.
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on the new MacBook Pro
Good news: Apple finally revamped the MacBook Pro, after sticking with the same design for more than four years. The bad news: It's not quite the notebook we at Engadget had been waiting for. Though the refreshed MBP ushers in a series of improvements -- faster SSDs, a thinner and lighter design, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, brighter screen, more robust audio -- loyal Mac fans will also probably have to make some changes to the way they work. For starters, there are no full-sized USB ports here, and no SD card reader. That last point will sting for any of the "pros" who use capture devices to record lots of photo, video and audio files. As for the USB ports, get ready to use a dongle if you typically connect an external monitor or even external storage drive.
The MacBook Pro Touch Bar plays 'Doom' because of course it does
Doom is the rice of the video game world. It's a staple of the industry and it works with everything, running flawlessly on ATMs, printers, pianos, calculators, e-readers, chainsaws and even on a terminal within Doom itself. This week, Facebook iOS engineer Adam Bell got Doom running on one more unlikely appliance: the Touch Bar of the latest MacBook Pro.
The new MacBook Pro is more appliance than PC
It almost goes without saying that modern Apple devices are tough to repair or upgrade, but the Touch Bar-equipped MacBook Pro might just take the cake. An iFixit teardown of the 13-inch model reveals that there are even fewer replaceable parts than before. The solid-state drive is embedded on the motherboard (even the non-Touch Bar model has a removable card), to begin with -- whatever capacity you choose is what you'll have for the life of the system. The Touch Bar, as you might guess, isn't exactly easy to replace. And while having a fingerprint reader in the power button is very convenient for sign-ins and purchases, that also makes repairs complicated. The button is tied to a chip on the motherboard (since it needs a secure element), so you can't just slip in an aftermarket component and call it a day.
MacBook Pro review (2016): A step forward and a step back
The last time Engadget reviewed a brand-new MacBook Pro design was in June of 2012. It weighed 4.46 pounds (a heavyweight by today's standards) and it ushered in some newfangled thing called the Retina display. Though Apple has occasionally refreshed the processors (the last time being all the way back in early 2015), that design from 2012 is virtually the same one we've been reviewing all these years. Thanks to that stale design and often neglected internals, many Mac fans out there have delayed upgrading -- surely a new model was just around the corner, right? Though we're not sure you all were able to hold off until now, Apple has finally updated its MacBook Pro line, and it's not just a processor refresh either. Both of the new 13- and 15-inch Pros are thinner, lighter and more compact than their predecessors, with faster graphics and disk performance, a brighter, more colorful screen, Touch ID fingerprint sensor and louder, clearer audio. Most notably, they mark the debut of yet another newfangled thing: the "Touch Bar," an OLED strip above the keyboard that replaces the age-old Function bar with touch-sensitive controls that change depending on the app you're using. Factor in a narrower selection of ports (almost guaranteeing you'll need a dongle) and the MacBook Pro isn't just a thinner or different-looking Mac; it's one you're meant to use differently. That's not necessarily a good thing.
Apple's Logic audio editor will use the MacBook Pro Touch Bar in 2017
The new MacBook Pro's Touch Bar might already come in handy with video editing in Final Cut Pro X, but what if you're a musician? If you depend on Apple's Logic Pro X, you'll have to be patient. The company has informed an AppleInsider reader that Touch Bar support will arrive in the audio production tool "by early next year." It's not certain what's prompting the longer development process, but it wouldn't be surprising if it's a matter of complexity. It's not just a question of adding a timeline control and calling it a day -- Apple has to account for the many, many interface elements you need to produce album-worthy tracks.
Apple temporarily cuts USB-C dongle prices to appease MacBook Pro buyers
Last week Apple announced its new lineup of MacBook Pros and revealed they include only new USB-C-style connectors, dropping all legacy ports (other than, oddly enough, the headphone jack.) While the aggressive move means owners can charge their laptop through any of the jacks, and have the new capabilities offered, it also means that simple things like plugging in an iPhone to charge will require an adapter of some kind, which is not included. As my former podcast partner Ben Drawbaugh noted, stocking up on dongles to go with your new laptop gets pricey fast, and Mac buyers have responded angrily online in our comment sections and elsewhere, However, now Apple says it will help them make the switch by "reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple's USB-C adapters and cables."
Apple says why the new MacBook Pro doesn't have an SD card slot
Did you take one glance at the new MacBook Pro and wonder why Apple removed your precious SD card slot? The company isn't about to bring the slot back, but it's at least ready to explain its decision. In an interview with the Independent, Senior VP Phil Schiller says there were a few reasons for axing the card reader. It was a "bit of a cumbersome slot," he claims, since your card juts outward. He also argues that the slot was a compromise, since it forced high-end camera owners (who often use CompactFlash or XQD cards) to get an external reader. And any slot is less necessary these days, Schiller adds. Many newer cameras have built-in wireless transfers, so you may never need to plug something into your laptop.
The Morning After: Tuesday November 1st 2016
It's the morning after we were reminded that war is hell, sneakers can fit themselves and jingles don't last forever. We also reported on the quiet rise of the high-end tablet and the return of CD piracy. Join us below for everything you might have missed.
Apple drops its iconic startup chime from the new MacBook Pros
Aside from the ports that didn't make the cut, there's something else that Apple's taken away from its new MacBook Pro family: the startup chime. Yep, it's taken out the F-sharp chord that accompanies the boot-up whir of previous MacBooks, and that's at least partially because the late-2016 MBPs (all three of them), will turn themselves on and boot up when you open them. So while the power button still turns the machine off, there's no need to use it to turn it on.
Apple's MacBook Pro isn't the touchscreen laptop it ought to be
Ever since Phil Schiller brought up the issue while introducing the second-generation MacBook Air, Apple has made a point of publicly resisting the pressure to introduce touchscreen Macs. Computers need a fundamentally different interface than your smartphone or tablet, Apple argues, and it's cumbersome to keep raising your hand to the display. However, the new MacBook Pro's Touch Bar really amounts to a confession -- it's an acknowledgment that touch input can improve your computing experience, and that Apple has been missing out on technology that some PC users take for granted. As big a step forward as the Pro may be, it's not necessarily the giant stride that you might like.
First look at the new MacBook Pro (the one without the Touch Bar)
This is the new MacBook Pro. But it's probably not the one you were hoping to read about. What I have here today is the entry-level 13-inch model — the one without the multitouch Touch Bar you've surely heard about by now. No, this is, for all intents and purposes the Pro that replaces the MacBook Air. (The Air is still on sale — for now — but unless you have an inflexible budget, you should buy the new Pro instead.)
The Morning After: Friday October 28th 2016
Apple's big MacBook event introduced a new family of Pro machines, with nary a mention of the MacBook Air. The company also expelled standard USB 3.0 ports in its new range, replacing them all with (USB-C-shaped) Thunderbolt 3.0 ports -- but hey, at least there's a fancy OLED "Touch Bar." Meanwhile, Turkey's government shut down internet across 11 cities in the Kurdish area of the country, Oh, and Twitter killed Vine.
The new 15-inch MacBook Pro can push four 4K monitors at once
Thanks to that discrete Radeon graphics chip in the new 15-inch MacBook Pro, users can run nearly 43 million pixels worth of lag-free screen real estate from their laptop. Tucked into the tech specs for the new notebook is the clarification that Apple's new top-of-the-line portable machine can power four displays with 4096 x 2304 4K resolution with zero lag at 60Hz and full color. If you're in the market for a 5K flagship monitor, the new MacBooks can still power two of them alongside the built-in retina display as well.
Watch Apple's MacBook Pro event in nine minutes
In contrast to Microsoft's everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to announcements just a day earlier, Apple's "Hello Again" event was a more focused affair. However, there was still a lot to take in. How does the new MacBook Pro's Touch Bar work, exactly? And what's this TV app that Apple introduced? Don't worry about having to spend ages reading (or watching the full replay) if you don't have time, though. We've recapped the entire presentation in a 9-minute video, so you can get the gist of Apple's media shindig in the time it takes to grab a drink. Click here to catch all the latest news from Apple's "Hello Again" event.
Apple's new MacBook Pro is slim, trim and has a stunning screen
We knew it was coming, and now it's here: Apple's newest MacBook Pro. It's thinner, it's lighter and it comes with a better screen than the Pros of yesteryear. But, given how much of the company's presentation was dedicated to it, the showstopper for the new MBP is a truly unique hardware feature in the world of computing -- an OLED screen embedded in the keyboard called the Touch Bar.
You'll need a new cable to connect the MacBook Pro and iPhone 7
Today, Apple unveiled brand new MacBook Pros with a dynamic Touch Bar and a quick (albeit forced) migration to USB-3 (AKA Thunderbolt). Of course, it's Apple's prerogative to continue to push its customers toward better standards. It did it with USB back in the '90s and removed the headphone jack on its phones because it wants everyone to go wireless. But while it's evolving its ports, it also just made every iPhone owner who wants one of these computers buy a new dongle.
