Apple gave the MacBook Air a near-complete revamp in October 2018; it came with significant changes that included more RAM/SSD storage options and a retina display. As for the MacBook Pro, they kept base model with the Escape/Function keys, which picked up the nickname “MacBook Pro Escape”.
With a surprise during the summer holidays before Back to School season, Apple has updated both the MacBook Air family and the 13-inch MacBook Pro.
True Tone on the Air
True Tone has been added to the Retina display for a more natural viewing experience, bringing it on par with the Pro. It automatically adjusts the color temperature of the display for a more comfortable viewing experience. You also have the benefit of a lower starting price.
All other features have remained unchanged:
- A thin and light design that’s available in three beautiful finishes
- The convenience and security of Touch ID
- 8th-generation dual-core processor,
- and more.
With this new update, the non-Retina MacBook Air ceases to exist. When it comes to built-to-order storage, the option now maxes out to 1TB (previously, you could add up to 1.5TB).
RIP: Escape button on the Pro
The non-Touch Bar 13-inch model has been the entry-level MacBook Pro model for a few years. It still packed powerful processors, super-fast SSDs, two (2) Thunderbolt 3 ports, and more packed into a portable 3-pound design since its 2017 refresh.
The new entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro packs even more power for the same starting price as before, along with some hardware changes. The Touch Bar now replaces the Escape/Function key rows, adding Touch ID and the Apple T2 Security Chip to the entry-level model. True Tone is also added to the Retina display. Thunderbolt 3 is a standard across the MacBook family, and the base model still comes with the standard 2 ports.
This means that the Touch Bar is now a standard feature across the entire Pro family. Most of the other specifications including the storage and RAM options (max up to 16GB LPDDR3) for the entry model remain unchanged. The entry-level model starts off with the following specs:
- a 1.4GHz quad‑core Core i5 processor (8th gen) with 128MB eDRAM
- 8GB of LPRDDR3 RAM
- a 128GB SSD
- Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645
- Bluetooth 5.0 (previous one supported Bluetooth 4.2)
Other stuff you may not know
The newly updated MacBook Air and 13-inch entry-level MacBook Pro models will be able to use the upcoming macOS Catalina releasing this fall. For those doing build-to-order configurations, Apple has also dropped the pricing for the storage upgrades.
Both models are available today through Apple.com, the Apple Store app and in select Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers later this week. With “Back to School” season just a month away, it’s the perfect time to consider one of these laptops for your productive work.
