The New 2016 MacBook Pro: First Impressions [Opinion]

As a loyal Apple customer since 2004, I have to say that the fresh release of this year’s MacBook Pro has me excited. I am upgrading my system for the first time in three years; I generally upgrade computers, especially Mac laptops every three years or so; this helps with resale value and keeps hardware current to match the often-updated macOS software and ever-growing system requirements as technology continues to evolve.

First…

Design

2016 marks the first year you can grab a MacBook Pro in the Cupertino company’s popular Space Gray. The company’s marketing materials boast that the device is 17 percent thinner after the redesign. The keyboard has been overhauled to adopt a second-gen version of their butterfly mechanism, the first version of which debuted with last year’s ultra-thin, Retina display MacBook. There is less movement happening beneath each keystroke, yet early reviews find the increased key stability and tactile feel appealing, with one reviewer (YouTube user DetroitBORG who provided a comprehensive video review) remarking favorably about improved typing speed and accuracy, as well as the updated backlighting system:

The trackpad has doubled in size, of course still sporting the Force Touch feature that simulates pressing a physical button through “taptic” motors; the trackpad itself is solid state, however, and there is no actual button beneath it. In addition, the speakers are dramatically louder, as well as a doubled dynamic range, louder bass, and direct link to system power, increasing peak power by up to three times (according to Apple).

Ports / Connectivity

Much to the chagrin of many, Apple’s continuing trend of homogenizing ports for the sake of thinness (and arguably to commodify connectivity with the necessity of adapters for peripherals) has come to fruition in this new MacBook Pro. There are four Thunderbolt 3 ports which each carry an extremely snappy 80 GB/sec throughput and can each provide power to the computer with the provided charger. Many were sad to see the famous MagSafe connector go, which the company touted for the first time in conjunction with the first-generation MacBook Pro in 2006. The benefit of the connector was the safety of your multi-thousand dollar machine from being yanked to the ground. Not to worry, however; third-party accessory makers have already shown a MagSafe-like fitting for the USB-C charging cable which allows for the same peace of mind.

With all this said, Apple has decided to keep the traditional one-eighth-inch audio out jack in lieu of a Lightning connector. On the flipside, this makes the only two types of connections on the chassis the aforementioned Thunderbolt 3/USB-C and audio out.

Performance

For the first time ever, the 15-inch MacBook Pro offers 2 TB storage as an option, with vastly improved read and write speed for both screen sizes (just over 3 GB/sec read and 2 GB/sec write). These models also sport sixth-generation Intel processors. Dual-core i5s/i7s for the 13-inch model (3.3 GHz clock speed at the top end) and quad-core i7s for the 15-inch model (2.9 GHz clock speed at max spec).

There was some disappointment at the choice to use slightly-dated “Skylake” Intel processor silicon, released in late 2015. The newest processor rendition from Intel codenamed “Kaby Lake” is rumored not to grace the MacBook family until 2017).

Graphics

Graphics are another sore point for die-hard power users; this year’s unit has integrated Intel Iris Graphics (500 series) on the 13-inch models, AMD Radeon Pro 400 series graphics on the 15-inch models, supplemented by integrated Intel HD graphics chips. For the first time in the MacBook Pro, graphics memory is upgradable to 4 GB.

The main criticism is that for the price point of the machine, even the highest-tier AMD chips fall short of expectations. Critics on Apple forums have decried that this component will not be able to handle emerging VR gaming. With that said, there is now the capability to use an eGPU (external Graphics Processing Unit) to enhance the notebook’s graphics muscle. The speed of the peripheral interface that Thunderbolt 3 provides can be viewed as a mainline to the system’s logic board; with the proper eGPU, graphics performance increases of tenfold or greater are attainable… however, this comes with significant extra cost, and the eGPU market is only just emerging; this will make early sticker prices for third-party graphics units quite high.

Display

The new Retina-class display is 67 percent brighter; the utilization of the P3 color standard broadens the MacBook Pro’s color gamut by 25 percent more than conventional RGB. This will prove very desirable for color-intensive professions such as film/video and design, which require ever-increasing creative precision.

The Touch Bar, Piece de Resistance

The newest feature (announced with perhaps the greatest fanfare by Tim Cook and company), is the Touch Bar, a glass, multi-touch capable OLED touchscreen panel that replaces the traditional row of function keys (still an option on the base model).

Powered by an independent ARM-based “T1” processor (most likely similar to the first-generation S1 architecture used in the original Apple Watch), the Touch Bar also runs watchOS. In short, this intuitive panel functions as a contextually-relevant features panel. Depending on the application you’re using, the Touch Bar will respond. Fine-tooth adjustments to a project in Logic Pro, a long line of Emoji options while using Messages, word suggestions while typing; the potential is limitless, especially when Apple has published information for its independent developers on their website. Expect third-party apps to immediately make use of this new paradigm.

Price

The starting price for the 15-inch MacBook Pro including the new Touch Bar is $2,399; a 20 percent uptick over the starting price of the previous generation, as reported by Gregg Keizer in Computerworld. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar also sees a 20 percent entry-price hike at $1,799. Keizer continues in his article that this is not unprecedented for Apple. The stable prices of the past few years saw a similar jump in 2012 with the introduction of the first Retina displays.

Conclusion

Overall, Apple has released what amounts to a significant redesign over its previous generation MacBook Pro. While there may be some disappointment among the user base regarding the underwhelming graphics and last-generation processor, the aforementioned expandability that Thunderbolt 3/USB-C provides, the implications the Touch Bar has for increased usability and productivity, the optimized keyboard setup and faster storage, and of course brighter, richer graphics all add up to a significant improvement over the precious generation for many loyal Apple customers.

Stay tuned for a review once I get my hands on the 15-inch model just before Thanksgiving.

[Featured Image by Stephen Lam/Getty Images]