Following in the footsteps of the MacBook Air and 16-inch Pro, Apple’s 13-inch Pro model is finally getting the company’s much improved keyboard. It’s probably not enough reason for recent MacBook buyers to upgrade, but could well be the thing that pushes the indecisive over the edge.
To sweeten the pot, the new laptop gets the standard spread of upgrades here. There are new 10th gen Intel processors, with improved graphics speeds (up to 80% per Apple), coupled with 16GB of memory, upgradable to 32GB. Storage has been doubled, as well, starting at 256GB in the standard configuration, upgradable all the way to 4TB. The systems sport Intel Iris Plus Graphics and support Apple’s Pro Display at 6K.
Really, though, the keyboard is the thing here. I’ve been using the new Air for a while and can happily report that Apple finally got it right after a few unfortunate and buggy misfires. This is the keyboard these systems should have offered up in the first place. It’s got noticeably more travel, making it easier on the fingers and less likely to get jammed up — a major complaint with previous models. Apple accomplished this by returning to the super scissor switch, after several years spent trying to improve the butterfly model.
The updated system is available through Apple’s site as of today, priced starting at $1,299 (or $100 for qualified education buyers).
