Apple's upgrading the MacBook Pro's specs — and its keyboards too.
While those looking for more performance will be happy to hear that these new laptops feature 9th Gen Intel CPUs (and new faster 8-core 8th Gen chips), the biggest news is the 4th Gen Apple Butterfly key switch, which is the first Apple is releasing while acknowledging reliability concerns.
So, for those who have been waiting for positive news about Apple's keyboards, and for those looking for MacBooks as fast as their PC counterparts, we've got all the details you need to know.
2019 MacBook Pro price and release date
Starting pricing will stay the same, with the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starting at $1,799, and the 15-inch model starting at $2,399. These laptops will go on sale at Apple.com and Apple stores today (May 21).
2019 MacBook Pro specs
The MacBook Pro can finally be ordered with 9th Gen Intel chips and 8-core CPUs, two major options for the coders, movie editors and engineers that need all of the speed.
The most power, of course, is coming to the 15-inch MacBook Pro, which will get both 6- and 8-core chips, which Apple rates for Turbo Boost speeds of up to 5.0 GHz. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar gets 8th Gen Core i5 and i7 quad-core CPUs, and Turbo Boost up to 4.7 GHz. For those tracking at home, those are 300 MHz increases in Turbo speed.
How will that compare to previous years? Apple specs the new MacBook Pros as twice as fast than the quad-core MacBook Pros out on the market, with 40 percent more speed than its current 6-core MacBook Pros.
Wondering about that 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar? For the second cycle in a row, it's going without an update, though it will be included.
4th generation Butterfly keyboard switches
Typists, and everyone who expects their mighty MacBook to be reliable, are probably intrigued by Apple's announcement of a new, 4th generation, Butterfly keyboard mechanism.
Apple's not using that name themselves, but the new switches feature a redesigned version of the switch with a change to the materials in the mechanism. This move is meant to address both the stuck key — when keys just don't work — and repeating key — when you click e and get 'ee', or get two spaces for each Space Bar click — issues.
Apple's also announcing a change in policy for its Keyboard Service Program. Formerly, the program was limited to just MacBooks released between 2015 and 2017, but now every MacBook with a 'Butterfly' switch keyboard will be covered under the plan.
As previously rumored, Apple is looking to significantly shorten repair wait times, which often gave users a 5-day window for repairs. Apple didn't say how short the new repair windows will be, but reports suggest that Apple wants Geniuses to turn laptops around by the next day.
If your unit is repaired, you'll also get the new keyboard that comes with the 2019 MacBook Pro, and not the same keyboard that came with your MacBook.
Image Credit: Laptop Mag
