The base MacBook Pro 13 now has 256GB of fast SSD storage, while the two midrange models come with 512GB. We have long felt that 128GB was nowhere near enough storage for a modern laptop, and it seems Apple finally agrees, especially since the MacBook Air starts at 256GB of storage. There is one thing that has come to every model, however: Apple has doubled the storage across the board. You can now also get a 4TB SSD for the first time in a 13-inch MacBook Pro - but again, not in the two most affordable models. Firstly, the memory has been upped from 2,133MHz LPDDR3 RAM to 3,733MHz LPDDR4X memory (now up to 32GB in some models), but only in the two most expensive versions. That’s not all that is reserved for the more expensive models. If you want this performance boost, you should look at the two higher-end editions. Not every model of the MacBook Pro 13 has received 10th-generation chips, though - the two entry-level models are still on Intel’s 8th-generation processors.
These come with improved Intel Iris Plus graphics, too. The second surefire bet was that Apple would improve the MacBook Pro 13’s processors, and it duly did, bringing 10th-generation Intel chips to the table. That alone would be reason to celebrate, but there’s more to dissect. Now, Apple has brought it to the MacBook Pro 13, meaning every laptop in Apple’s range comes with a vastly improved set of keys. Ever since the MacBook Pro 16 debuted with the revamped scissor-switch-enabled Magic Keyboard, the writing has been on the wall for the failure-prone butterfly keyboard.
We’ll start with the phrase that was on everyone’s lips: Magic Keyboard.
When the update came in early May 2020, however, it was actually a little more wide-ranging than expected. We have expected a small bump to the MacBook Pro 13 for a few months now. If Apple moves to a 14-inch MacBook Pro, we’d expect prices to stay similar. Apple says vendors like Adobe and Microsoft have already built native apps for Apple Silicon, which is an encouraging sign for the upcoming MacBooks.Īnd what about the price? Well, the newly updated MacBook Pro still starts at $1,299, the same price as in previous years. This means your apps should still run on an Apple Silicon Mac, even if the developers have not built versions for the new platform.
Going back to that emulated environment, it is a piece of software called Rosetta 2 that translates apps built for Intel processors so that they run on Apple Silicon. If such a processor were to make it to the MacBook Pro, things could get very interesting. Added to that is a report from Bloomberg that claimed Apple is actively working on an ARM MacBook with a 12-core processor inside, and that the company is looking beyond 12 cores for future models. Apple Silicon chips running in a native MacOS environment should perform even better. That looks to be backed up by leaked benchmarks, which show Apple Silicon chips running in an emulated environment outperforming Microsoft’s ARM processors when they were running natively. What should we expect from an Apple Silicon Mac? If we take Apple’s word for it, the new processors will offer more performance than their Intel predecessors while maintaining low power consumption levels. This launch timing has the blessing of noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, which is often a sign that a rumor is spot on.
Given that CEO Tim Cook has said the first Macs with Apple Silicon processors will launch at the end of 2020, we think this would be the perfect time for the 14-inch redesign, allowing Apple to launch a radically new Mac with all-new parts inside and out. However, a more substantial update is also in the works, with a 14-inch laptop set to replace the 13-inch altogether later this fall alongside a refreshed 16-inch MacBook Pro.
On May 4, Apple gave the 13-inch MacBook Pro an update, following a similar refresh to the MacBook Air in April. Apple Silicon Mac: Price, specs, and release date Here’s what 2020 has brought to the MacBook Pro so far, and what we anticipate in the future.