MacBook Pro Fall 2016 Edition
© 2016 Apple
Brighter, crisper and more expensive than the MacBook Air, the 2016 MacBook Pro comes in two sizes (13 and 15 inch), and it represents a major redesign for the MacBook line. Because many of our readers use MacBooks for their daily survival, a through review is in order, a fact made easier by the demise of my trusty, overworked 2012 MacBook Air, back October (two weeks before the release of the MacBook Air). The bottom line? While the improvements in this new Pro are incremental, they are improvements. If your professional survival depends on your laptop (as does mine), they are worth noting. If you're switching from a MacBook Air, you'll find everything about this computer to feel sharp and crisp. BETTER SIGHTS AND SOUNDS. If the older Macbook Air was a Toyota Corolla (affordable, easy to drive and extremely functional) the new "Pro" is a Lexus -- solid, precise, well-integrated but expensive. The screen is extremely bright and clear ... which is something you won't understand until you go back and look at a MacBook Air. The speakers (thankfully) have much more power ... enough to fill a classroom if necessary. The new keyboard is completely very different -- rather clicky -- to the point that you could disturb your neighbor in a library or lecture hall. I get around this by using an external bluethooth keyboard for desktop use. ADAPTERS NOT INCLUDED (AND NOT OPTIONAL). The "Pro" represents Apple's transition to (yet) another new plug, for the sake of power and efficiency. It's called the Thunderbolt 3, or USB-C -- which means two things. 1. None of your old adapters or plugs are of any use; and, 2. The older power system is obsolete. I used to have two chargers -- one at home and one at the office. Now I have to carry my new Pro charger back and forth, between school, office and home. In addition, you'll need an adapter to plug into a projector or external screen. Both USB-C graphics adapters I've tried -- for VGA and HDMI-- have worked the first time in a variety of conference room settings. Budget an extra $80 for adapters. The new MacBook feels "dense" and solid, because it is so completely packed the batteries needed to light up the bright screen. Battery life is also about the same as my older MacBook Pro; in fact, I no longer bring my charger to school for a four hour class. Another plus -- My low end model comes with a 256 GB solid state hard drive and a sixth-generation dual-core Core i5 with eDRAM Apple says is two times faster than older models. ports which charge and transfer data through the same port. So you can drive a 5K display and charge your MacBook Pro with a single cable. COSTS. The smallest, base level Pro costs $1500. For an extra $200 you can get the "TouchBar" -- a multi-touch row of function keys, that includes a fingerprint reader and one touch Siri access. Also noteworthy -- the larger "force touch" trackpad that feels similar to the MacBook Airs. While this MacBook isn't cheap -- the base level 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1500, our extensive testing as confirmed that it can easily do everything a MacBook Air can do, and look good doing it.
$1500, Mac OSX
Teaches: a laptop computer
CTR Rating: 95%