Day: October 27, 2016

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar event wallpapers

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Today, Apple announced the new MacBook Pro with a new touch sensitive function bar that dynamically changes based on active applications. Naturally, there were some shiny images shown on the screens, during the keynote this morning. Quickly, I began getting requests for modifications and mock ups of these images via Twitter.

Thanks to the quick work from some followers, I was able to collect the necessary images and present them below. As always, if you have tips, tricks, or would like some fresh wallpapers during the week, please catch me on Twitter @jim_gresham. It is the community that makes these posts possible.

Apple’s free app of the week: Sonic CD

Cody Lee ∙ October 28, 2016

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the game Sonic CD. This means that for the next 7 days, you'll be able to download the classic Sega hit for both iPhone and iPad for free—a solid savings of $3.

In this iteration of the popular franchise, Sonic travels to the distant shores of Never Lake and discovers it has been taken over by his arch-nemesis Dr. Eggman. You must help Sonic stop him and restore order to Little Planet.

The headphone jack lives on with the new MacBook Pro

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Yes, for those wondering, the new MacBook Pro has a standard headphone jack. Apple was met with a lot of criticism back in September when it introduced the iPhone 7 without the 3.5mm port, but it clearly isn't ready to bring the change to its laptop lines.

The move should appease the MacBook Pro's targeted audience, who won't have to worry about fiddling with adapters or pairing Bluetooth headphones/speakers. Music producers, for example, will be able to plug the computer directly into their current setups.

This is Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, Touch ID & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 28, 2016

“The Mac is more than a product to us. It's a testament to everything we do and create at Apple,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook at today's “Hello again” Mac event as he unveiled long-expected updates to Pro notebooks. The new MacBook Pro has, as rumored, a programmable OLED touch bar substituting the function key row, called Touch Bar.

There's also a Touch ID sensor powered by a new Apple-designed T1 chip. Like its predecessor, the new MacBook Pro comes in 13 and 15-inch flavors and each is available in Silver or Space Gray finish.

Apple launches new ‘TV’ app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Apple on Thursday kicked off its Hello Again event by announcing a new app it's simply calling 'TV.' Tim Cook claimed that his team believes it will "completely change how you watch TV on your Apple TV as well as your iPhone and iPad."

The app, as rumored, is essentially a super TV guide that surfaces shows and movies from all of your apps. "The new TV app is the first place I go when I use my Apple TV." Selecting a title within the TV app kicks you into its respective app.

20 cool things you can do with the new MacBook Pro Touch Bar

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 27, 2016

One of the new flagship features on the 2016 MacBook Pro is the new Touch Bar. This is essentially a versatile OLED bar at the top of your keyboard that replaces the function keys with software-based buttons that change based on what app you're in and what you're doing.

In this post, we'll mention 20 awesome things you can do with the Touch Bar on your new MacBook Pro.

Disappointingly, MacBook Pro’s FaceTime camera has not been upgraded to 1080p

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 27, 2016

If you thought the refreshed innards of the new MacBook Pro would let your friends and family see you in crisp 1080p video resolution via FaceTime, you're in for a major disappointment. Much to my surprise, the built-in FaceTime camera (which, by the way, Apple calls “high definition”) has remained at 720p.

High-end laptops from other vendors are increasingly outfitted with 1080p cameras which provide sharp images during video calls, but not the new MacBook Pros.

15″ MacBook Pro can drive four external 4K displays in addition to built-in Retina screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 27, 2016

If you're a creative type and need a laptop that transforms into a powerful desktop, the new MacBook Pro is for you. Having read Tech Specs page for the 15-inch MacBook Pro, one thing stood out for me—the machine can drive not one, not two, not three, but four high-resolution external displays.

Or, you could run two 5K external displays. What's more, the new notebooks support a smooth refresh rate of 60 Hz across all 4K/5K external displays connected to them.

First impressions of MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 27, 2016

The newly launched MacBook Pros include a marquee new feature in the form of the Touch Bar, which is a marketing name for a wide, touch-enabled OLED display that runs alongside the top of the keyboard where the function keys row used to be located. Touch Bar is customizable, with shortcuts that change from one app to another, and developers can take full advantage of it with a set of new APIs.

Journalists in attendance at today's event had a chance to play with the new machines in the demo area. Here are some of their first impressions of the new Touch Bar.

The 5K LG UltraFine is the external display Apple didn’t want to make

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

During its 'hello again' event on Thursday, Apple showed off a new 27-inch 5K LG UltraFine display. SVP Phil Schiller described it as the "ultimate docking station" because it has multiple Thunderbolt 3 ports, and can even charge the new MacBook Pro.

Schiller also noted that Apple teamed up with LG to build the display specifically for the new Pro, so it's unclear what the future is of Apple-branded displays. There have been rumors it's building one, but it may have decided the numbers aren't there.

Legacy MacBook Pro with built-in SuperDrive has been officially discontinued

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 27, 2016

It's official: Apple no longer has a Mac with a built-in CD/DVD drive in its offering. After unveiling the latest MacBook Pros, the Cupertino firm has quietly discontinued the 11-inch MacBook Air and the legacy $1,099 non-Retina MacBook Pro model which had a built-in optical drive.

The standalone $79 SuperDrive continues to be available from Apple for the old-school types who may still have some specialized software on CDs lying around somewhere.

2016 MacBook Pro tech specs

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 27, 2016

Apple's new line of MacBook Pros was finally revealed at the 'hello again' presentation on Thursday, October 27th, and the initial first impressions with smaller form factor, new Touch Bar, and upgraded specs are stunning.

Apple is sticking to its gun with both the 13-inch and 15-inch sizes in its lineup, and in this post, we'll outline the spec differences between each of them for you.