APPLE 2016 MACBOOK PRO TOUCH BAR PRO
APPLE 2016 MACBOOK PRO TOUCH BAR PC
APPLE 2016 MACBOOK PRO TOUCH BAR MAC

After two weeks using this new Mac, I've come to mostly ignore the Touch Bar. You can customize it under keyboard settings too, but those customizations are mild. On the bright side, it's a nice and colorful looking strip and it's fun to look and see what you can do with it in each application. Once you've reached out to touch this thin strip of iPad-ness, it's hard not to also attempt to touch the display since your hand is now adjacent to the display and your brain has shifted to a touch paradigm. It requires that your arm reach almost to the screen (wait, I though Apple believed you should never extend your arm as far as the screen) and that you look down rather than at your usual focus of attention (the screen). And that leads to the usability issues with Apple's stand-in for a touch screen: the OLED bar is the farthest row and the one you must lean down and forward to see (not ergonomic). Pages suggests words while you're typing, which I find distracting more than helpful, though honestly as a touch typist, I rarely look at the keyboard when typing.

APPLE 2016 MACBOOK PRO TOUCH BAR PRO

Apple's own apps do support it, and Final Cut Pro gets a scrubber and clip trim and split tools. Developers have access to the Touch Bar, and we expect that more programs will support it in the future (MS Office and Adobe Photoshop will be on board in 2017). The OLED Touch Bar replaces the function key row, and dynamically displays different icons/controls depending on the program you're using. Surface temperatures rarely get that high in normal use. Surface temperatures are similar to the outgoing models, and the temps we show directly below are when running Unigine Heaven 4.0, a graphics benchmark. The new model is decidedly quieter without raising CPU and GPU temperatures internally-those newer and more power efficient parts do help here. Previous generation (2012-2015) 15' Retina MacBook Pro models could get quite loud when exporting video and even when playing Flash video (which Apple does its best to disable in Safari in OS X Sierra). You can change the lid power-on feature and bring back the startup sound using terminal commands.

APPLE 2016 MACBOOK PRO TOUCH BAR MAC

When you open the lid, the Mac turns on automatically, and the storied Mac startup chime is gone. The Apple logo on the lid no longer lights up it's replaced with the same mirror polished metal Apple logo found on the 12' MacBook and iPads. Be warned: the Space Gray shows fingerprints, unlike silver. The Mac is available in traditional silver and Space Gray, which is a mid to dark gray. The GPU is meek compared to the somewhat thicker and heavier competition. and is 15.5mm thin-the keyboard is a compromise with uniquely low key travel and battery capacity has gone down. There are tradeoffs to make a 15.4' quad core laptop with a high-resolution display that weighs just 4 lbs. At the same time, it's hard to deny that these are elegant, extremely well put together aluminum unibody laptops that are thinner and lighter than much of the 15' competition. Many of the same themes will continue here, including qualms with the astronomical price tags, even by Apple's standards, and the fact that this is more the MacBook Chic than Pro. We've already reviewed the 13' MacBook Pro base model for late 2016 (the one with Fn keys rather than the OLED Touch Bar).

APPLE 2016 MACBOOK PRO TOUCH BAR PC

Apple is a huge player in the phone market, not in the PC market. Some folks believe this will drive peripheral makers to adopt USB-C in droves, but given that Apple has just 7.5% of PC (yes, a Mac is a PC too) marketshare, and that two years of the 12' MacBook haven't made the selection blossom, I have my doubts. Apple's definitely ahead of their time here, since USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 are still in their infancy and there are quality and compatibility issues with USB-C products currently on the market. Those currently annoying USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports make this Mac future-proof (at least in terms of ports), even if it means expensive dongle hell today.and likely next year too. Oh hey, the speakers are excellent by laptop standards too, and surpass even the excellent speakers on the outgoing model. The processor has finally moved up two generations and the AMD dedicated graphics are now standard for the 15' MacBook Pro. The good news is that the display is stunning- it's insanely bright by laptop standards and it has the wider gamut DCI-P3 color standard. The new MacBook Pro has a keyboard that you'll either love or hate, Apple has gotten rid of all currently popular ports except the headphone jack and the trackpad is big enough to swallow a baby rabbit. In Chief (twitter: things certainly aren't boring. What's Not: Low travel keyboard, oddly huge trackpad, not much of a performance improvement over older models.

What's Hot: Even thinner and lighter, very attractive and well made. 15' MacBook Pro (Late 2016, Touch Bar) Editor's rating (1-5):

Apple 2016 macbook pro touch bar