UPDATE: Well, that was quick. Apple’s new 16in MacBook Pro is officially official. The Verge reports that Apple’s new machine is currently available for pre-order in the States. Pricing for the device hasn’t changed (it still starts at $2,400/R35,850).
The 16in MacBook Pro starts out with a 9th-gen Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, and an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M. Those specs outstrip the current starter 15in MacBook available in SA, so hopefully we’ll actually see it launch here.
The 16in Retina display has a 3,072 x 1,920 resolution, the notebook now features six Atmos-supporting speakers, a three-microphone array, a larger battery, improved thermal design and a backlit Magic keyboard. Yeah, that’s been improved.
There are a range of upgrade options available (up to a Core i9 CPU, 8TB of storage, 64GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M) but we’re unlikely to see those here. We’d seen what a 15in MacBook Pro costs here with just 256GB of storage — we shudder to think what upgrading to 8TB of storage will cost here. At a guess… it’d exceed about R90,000 (based on the $6,100 price for Apple’s top-spec 16in machine). We don’t need that… but we want one anyways.
Original Story: Usually, by this time of the year, all the really major international tech news is done. But we keep seeing more product launches and they’re not making years any longer. That might explain why we may see a new Apple launch later today. Bloomberg reports that Apple may reveal its new 16in MacBook Pro as soon as this evening.
Coming Soon
That reveal date (of 13 November) isn’t set in stone, however, as the report says the new MacBook Pro could turn up “as soon as” this evening. There’s a little leeway there, in case there’s nothing announced tonight. When it is announced, expect to see a 16in display on the MacBook Pro. Along with a few other enhancements.
The display increase, from 15in to 16in, will be accompanied by a higher resolution screen according to Bloomberg‘s sources (who really aren’t supposed to be talking about it). The keyboard will also see an update, a likely attempt to move away from the hardware issues that led to Apple fixing MacBook keyboards. Also on the cards? Improved speakers, which will be louder than those found in 15in MacBook Pros.
The new 16in Pro is expected to take the place of the older, 15in model. Pricing shouldn’t change substantially, at least overseas, and it’s supposed to go on sale this week in the States. Apple’s reportedly also got another hardware launch for 2019 — the Mac Pro is expected to turn up in December.
Source: Bloomberg
