It has been almost two months since Apple announced its highly anticipated iPhone 7, and now in a digital one-two punch, the tech company has hit the world with yet another big release. At their “Hello Again” event yesterday, Apple revealed the newest changes to the MacBook family, as well as updates to Apple TV and upgraded their accessibility features. Here are a few of our favorite announcements from the day:
- Smaller, More Powerful MacBook Pro
MacBooks have always been touted for being portable, powerful laptops. Every upgrade seems to bring on a speedier, yet lighter product, and this release was no exception. With “up to 130% faster graphics” and about a half-pound weight loss, the 15-inch model packs a good amount of heat with the quad-core Core i7 processor – enough to do some pretty heavy lifting like 4k or even 8k video editing. - Redesigned MacBook Pro Keyboard
One of the most exciting changes to the MacBook Pro family is the removal of the traditional function keys (you know, those all-important buttons at the top of your keyboard – F1, F2, etc.). In their place is a highly customizable multi-touch bar, complete with touch-sensitivity and an array of new functions like accepting or declining a phone call or scrubbing through a video. You really need to watch the promotional video to see the power of the Touch Bar. We are really excited about the ability to edit photos and use touch ID, as well as learn some new gesture controls. It’s not quite a touch-screen laptop yet, but we’ll take it. - Apple TV
With a brand new app simply called “TV,” Apple thought it was about time to give your television a makeover. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, “We want Apple TV to be the one place to access all of your television, a unified TV experience” to make your binge-watching and all-night gaming even easier. This app was built to work seamlessly across all your Apple devices, saving your shows and preferences, without having to authenticate each one, each time. Looks like a nice, new interface with even more features than ever.
We didn’t get much of an update to the MacBook Air this time around and those Air Pods we’ve been waiting for. Looks like Apple needs “a little more time” before we get to decide how awkward they really look on us. This announcement wasn’t as bombastic as the September unveiling of the iPhone 7, but it was a nice update to their current product line. To find out all the new Apple announcements, watch the full keynote on their site.