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MacBook Pro gets faster CPU/GPU/SSDs, non-Touch Bar model now $200 cheaper

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 5, 2017

Apple has refreshed its notebook lineup during this morning's keynote presentation at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose. Like its updated 12-inch MacBook, the refreshed MacBook Pro lineup now provides Intel's latest seventh-generation processors, code-named “Kaby Lake”, that were announced in March.

All MacBook Pro models now include enhanced SSDs, up to 50 percent faster than before.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $1,799. If you need a notebook with a 15-inch display and Touch Bar, that'll be a cool $2,399, at least.

The 13-inchers have Intel CPUs up to 3.5 GHz Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.0 GHz while their 15-inch counterparts include up to 3.1 GHz Core i7 chips with Turbo Boost up to 4.1 GHz.

In terms of graphics, the baseline non-Touch Bar model uses Intel's Iris Plus Graphics 640. The more powerful Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 is powering other 13-inchers without Touch Bar.

All models of the 15-inch MacBook Pro have been upgraded to Radeon Pro 555 discrete graphics with 2GB video memory. A Radeon Pro 560 GPU with 4GB memory is available as a build-to-order option on Apple's web store.

Here are the stock MacBook Pro configurations:

$1,299 13-inch MaBook Pro

13.3-inch LED-backlit 2560-by-1600 display with IPS technology at 227PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 128GB SSD storage Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 2x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports

$1,499 13-inch MaBook Pro

13.3-inch LED-backlit 2560-by-1600 display with IPS technology at 227PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 2x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports

$1,799 13-inch MaBook Pro

13.3-inch LED-backlit 2560-by-1600 display with IPS technology at 227PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports Touch Bar and Touch ID

$1,999 13-inch MaBook Pro

13.3-inch LED-backlit 2560-by-1600 display with IPS technology at 227PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 512GB SSD storage Integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports Touch Bar and Touch ID

$2,399 13-inch MaBook Pro

15-inch LED-backlit 2880-by-1800 display with IPS technology at 220PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Discrete Radeon Pro 555 graphics with 2GB video memory 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports Touch Bar and Touch ID

$2,799 13-inch MaBook Pro

15-inch LED-backlit 2880-by-1800 display with IPS technology at 220PPI, with 200 nits of brightness and wide color (P3) support 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz 16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory 512GB SSD storage Discrete Radeon Pro 560 graphics with 4GB video memory 4x USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports Touch Bar and Touch ID

The updated machines are available with 1-day shipping, in Silver or Space Gray.

It's worth reiterating that the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro model without Touch Bar now costs $1,299 instead of $1,499. Being a cool $200 cheaper actually makes in comparison MacBook Air a tougher sell as it's only gotten a faster 1.8GHz Intel chip today.

Apple also continues to offer the previous-generation MacBook Pro with a 15-inch screen, Intel's 2.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz, 16GB 1600MHz memory, 256GB SSD storage, Intel Iris Pro Graphics and two Thunderbolt 2 ports.

It's available in Silver finish only and costs $1,999 a pop.

These updated MacBook Pro models, plus improved iMacs and the 13-inch MacBook Air models with a faster 1.8GHz CPU, are all available to order today on Apple.com.

You can buy them in Apple Stores starting on Wednesday, June 7.

Apple just increased CPU and SSD speed on 12″ MacBook

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 5, 2017

During the keynote address earlier this morning at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Apple announced that its twelve-inch MacBook models are getting faster Intel chips and speedier flash storage. MacBooks now ship with Intel's seventh-generation Intel Core CPU platform, code-named “Kaby Lake”, that was unveiled in March.

The clock frequency has been increased to 1.3 GHz, but Intel's Turbo Boost technology can temporarily increase the CPU clock speed to up to 3.6 GHz during heavy workloads. Flash storage is now up to fifty percent faster and the notebooks now support up to twice the RAM than before, for up to 16GB of RAM.

Configure-to-order options available via Apple's online store allow you to outfit your new 12-inch MacBook with up to a 1.4 GHz Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.6 GHz.

The following stock configurations are available:

$1,299 MacBook

12-inch 2304-by-1440 LED-backlit display with IPS technology and 16:10 aspect ratio 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.0GHz 8GB 1866MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Intel HD Graphics 615 Built-in keyboard with second-generation butterfly mechanism

$1,599 MacBook

12-inch 2304-by-1440 LED-backlit display with IPS technology and 16:10 aspect ratio 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz 8GB 1866MHz LPDDR3 memory 512GB SSD storage Intel HD Graphics 615 Built-in keyboard with second-generation butterfly mechanism

“Weighing just two pounds and measuring 13.1mm thin, MacBook is our thinnest and lightest notebook for all-day, on-the-go computing,” says the company. The refreshed MacBooks continue to be available in Apple's standard Gold, Rose Gold, Silver and Space Gray color finishes.

The updated MacBook models—along with improved iMacs, specc'd up MacBook Pros and a slightly updated 13-inch MacBook Air with a faster 1.8GHz processor—are available to order today on Apple.com. You can buy them in Apple Stores starting on Wednesday, June 7.

For other tech specs, configure-to-order options and accessories, visit apple.com/mac.

iMac Pro tech specs

Anthony Bouchard ∙ June 5, 2017

Apple discontinued the Mac Pro to work on a completely new kind of all-in-one computer that has comparable specs. They're going ahead and calling it the iMac Pro, and behind that super sexy space gray finish is a ton of computing power that appeals to professionals who need the extra processing power.

In this piece, we'll talk about the tech specs of the iMac Pro, which was just announced by Apple at WWDC 2017.

MacBook Air now comes with a faster Intel chip, but that’s about it

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 5, 2017

It is now definitely clear that MacBook Air is, sadly, on its way out. First and foremost, Apple hasn't really updated its design following the 2010 debut. And while Apple continues to update MacBook Air with faster Intel chips and graphics, the latest hardware refresh to the popular notebook leaves a a lot to be desired.

The notebook now ships with a faster 1.8 GHz Intel Core i5 processor from Intel—a step up from the previous 1.3 GHz one—but that's about it in terms of hardware upgrades.

It didn't even get Intel's Kaby Lake chips, introduced in March.

The tech giant briefly mentioned the update during the keynote and made only a passing one-sentence mention in the press released announcing other Mac updates. “Apple today also updated the 13-inch MacBook Air with a 1.8 GHz processor,” reads the release.

Here's the updated MacBook Air lineup.

$999 MacBook Air

13-inch non-IPS LCD 1,440-by-900 display 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory 128GB SSD storage Intel HD Graphics 6000

$1,199 MacBook Air

13-inch non-IPS LCD 1,440-by-900 display 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz 8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory 256GB SSD storage Intel HD Graphics 6000

Apple hasn't given the notebook faster SSD storage, nor has it updated built-in graphics, like with today's updates to other Mac notebooks. It still ships with the pixelated non-Retina display and does not include support for the USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 standard.

The 11-inch MacBook Air models were discontinued last October.

I love all Mac notebooks, but that MacBook Air has a special place in my heart and I'm saddened that Apple has decided to phase it out, slowly but surely. Until that slim 12-inch MacBook Air gets a decent CPU, I'll be sticking with my Air.

How about you?

Apple brings APFS to macOS High Sierra

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated May 23, 2018

Apple is bringing its renowned Apple Filesystem (APFS) to the macOS platform for the first time with the newly-announced macOS High Sierra operating system for Macs.

APFS first debuted in iOS 10.3 to replace the dated HFS, and the speed improvements were quickly noticed by users.

How to live stream WWDC 2017 on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Windows and Android

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated June 24, 2019

Apple will be live-streaming its WWDC 2017 event, just as they have for the last several years, so the world can tune in and see what’s new in the world of iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and more.

No matter what type of device you’re using the day of the event, you can live-stream the keynote. In this piece, we'll go over all the methods on how for every operating system and platform.

How to always open Safari in a private window

Sébastien Page ∙ June 1, 2017

With privacy becoming a hotter topic these days, web users are becoming more and more wary about what they share online. While there are many different steps that can be taken to increase your online privacy, a very simple way to get started is to use a web browser in Private mode.

In this post, you will learn about what Private mode means in Safari, and you will find out how to always open Safari in a private window to make this simple precaution an automatic way of accessing the web on your Mac, your iPhone, or your iPad.

Regulatory filing points towards new Mac, iPad and Magic Keyboard models launching at WWDC

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 31, 2017

With less than a week until Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, French outlet Consomac has discovered (Google Translate) a Russian-language regulatory filing in the Eurasian Economic Commission database which identifies five unreleased Mac computers by their model number: A1289, A1347, A1418, A1419 and A1481.

As noted by MacRumors, these numbers differ from the AXX prefixes attributed to current MacBook models. The new model numbers are probably related to the upcoming 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro updates. According to Bloomberg, Apple will refresh its Mac notebooks at WWDC next week with faster Intel chips and updated internal architecture.

Among the Mac notebooks said to be up for a refresh could be Apple's popular MacBook Air, which hasn't seen a major design change since its 2010 introduction.

The filing also identifies some spare parts for the Macs along with a next-generation Apple wireless keyboard (model number A1843) and four numbers classified under iOS 10 (A1671, A1709, A1670 and A1701) that probably refer to the Wi-Fi and cellular editions of the upcoming iPad Pro models, including the rumored new 10.5-inch model.

Apple launches second betas of iOS 10.3.3, macOS 10.12.6, watchOS 3.2.3, and tvOS 10.2.2

Sébastien Page ∙ May 30, 2017

Apple on Tuesday released a second round of betas for all of its platforms, including iOS 10.3.3, macOS 10.12.6, watchOS 3.2.3, and tvOS 10.2.2.

No significant changes can be spotted in any of these betas at this time, signaling that these simply feature the usual round of bug fixes and performance improvements, which is not surprising considering WWDC 2017 is just around the corner.

We shouldn't expect anything really new from now on until the public releases of Apple's new softwares, likely around September.

Pixelmator teases a new app it’s been secretly working on for five years

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2017

Pixelmator, the makers of perhaps the best Photoshop alternative for macOS, teased a brand new app in a blog post today that they've been secretly working on for five whole years.

The mystery app is coming soon, said the Pixelmator team.

While they stopped short of revealing what the forthcoming software is about, it's a safe bet that they've been working on a new kind of image-editing app for Mac. All we know that it's the coolest thing that “we or anyone else has done in years” and their biggest project ever.

The Pixelmator team said:

This is the biggest thing that we’ve ever done. The most innovative, beautiful and powerful thing that we’ve ever done. And it’s also the most Mac thing that we’ve ever done.

The teaser image they shared shows a little bit of the app's interface, suggesting it could be an app for vector graphics akin to Adobe Illustrator.

To get notified when the new app launches, subscribe to Pixelmator's Notify Me list. The app is “wildly innovative, stunningly beautiful, incredibly powerful and very Mac,” reads the website.

Here’s another clue that Apple might be launching new Macs at WWDC

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 30, 2017

Shipping times for Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar have slipped from same day to 3-5 business days in many countries. Deliveries have been conveniently pushed to June 6 or later in the United States, just a day after Apple's WWDC keynote, indicating refreshed models might be unveiled during the keynote.

Delivery estimates for the 15-inch MacBook Pro models have slipped to June 6 or later in other markets, too, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore and Spain.

Shipping times for the 13-inch MacBook Pro models have not changed, MacRumors reports.

Bloomberg recently reported that Apple could upgrade its Mac notebook lineup at WWDC next month with faster Intel chips and updated internal architecture.

Intel in January unveiled new Kaby Lake processors that could be appropriate for the 13-inch MacBook Pro models. Earlier today at Computex in Taipei, the chip giant announced a new Core X chip brand, including a new Core i9 desktop processor line with up to 18 cores and 36 threads of power.

1Password’s Travel Mode protects your private data from unwarranted searches

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Developer AgileBits announced yesterday a new Travel Mode feature in 1Password, its password manager for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows and the web. Designed to protect your sensitive data from unwarranted searches when crossing borders, Travel Mode removes all vaults from your devices except for the ones marked “safe for travel.”

Even if a security agent at the US border asks you to launch and unlock 1Password, they'll be unable to disable Travel Mode from within the app or even realize that the app is currently in Travel Mode, for that matter.

To mark the vaults as safe for travel, sign in to your account on 1Password.com.

Click the pencil icon on the vault you wanna mark as safe for travel, choose Safe for Travel and click Confirm. Right before you travel, turn on Travel Mode by clicking your account name in the top-right corner of the interface, choose My Profile and click Enable Travel Mode.

On the devices you’re traveling with, open and unlock the 1Password app.

Any vaults that haven’t been marked as safe for travel will be instantly removed from the app. Rather than simply hide the vaults, the app completely removes them from your devices, including all items and your encryption keys so there are no traces left for anyone to find.

When you’re done traveling, return to My Profile on 1Password.com and click Disable Travel Mode. Just like that, your temporarily removed vaults re-appear on your devices.

“Whenever you turn Travel Mode on or off, you’ll need to open 1Password on your devices while connected to the Internet for the change to take effect,” reads the FAQ on the official website.

AgileBits notes that Travel Mode is included with every 1Password subscription. If you’re a team administrator, you can turn Travel Mode on and off for team members and manage which vaults are safe for travel.

A single-user 1Password subscription cost $2.99 per month, or $4.99 per month for a multi-user family account. Separate subscription options for teams are available as well.

1Password for Mac is a freemium download from Mac App Store.

1Password for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch is available free on App Store.