Apple just announced a new 13-inch entry-level MacBook Pro, offering double the storage of its 256GB predecessor and will retail for USD $1299. But beyond that news, what’s caught our eye is that Apple has finally laid to rest its highly criticized butterfly keyboard design.
In fact, the Cupertino company will replace all newly introduced models of its MacBook line, beginning with the 16-inch MacBook Pro that was announced on November 19, with a new and much more durable “Magic Keyboard.” Apple revealed today that its new 13-inch MacBook will also get the new “Magic Keyboard” treatment.
First, the Magic Keyboard gets a completely redesigned scissor switch mechanism – the interlocking plastic pieces under each key that’s responsible for keeping the key fixed in place. But hopefully this time around, it won’t result in stuck keys – particularly the space bar.
Plus, for those of us who are sticklers for traditional keyboards, the arrow keys will be redesigned in an “inverted-T” arrangement as opposed to a rectangular layout. And, with the accompanying Touch Bar, this time around you’ll get a physical Escape key. Previously this particular key was omitted, presumably for aesthetic reasons, and had to be toggled inconveniently through the Touch Bar.
Some other notable features for the newest 13-inch MacBook Pro line include:
- 10th-generation quad-core Intel Core processors with Turbo Boost speeds of up to 4.1GHz.
- SSD with read speeds of up to 3.0GB/s.
- Storage starting at 256GB going up to 1TB for standard models, but upgradable to 4TB
- 16GB of memory, but can be expanded to 32GB for the first time
Although Apple is offering Intel’s 10th generation chips in some of the higher-end models, its cheaper models still house the older 8th generation chips. Keep in mind that buying a 13″ MacBook Pro with the best Intel processor will cost you $1799 at the very minimum.
The new 13″ MacBook Pro is available for order from Monday onwards, and customers can expect to have their packages shipped by the end of the week.
