Apple Unveils Touchscreen MacBook Pro and New M6 Macs
Apple closed out its product announcements with a 'Pro and Tell' event, introducing its first touchscreen MacBook Pro alongside updated iPads and M6 chips.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
The First Touchscreen MacBook Pro
Apple closed out its week of product announcements with its 'Pro and Tell' event on Wednesday, where the company revealed a long-rumored device. According to The Verge, CEO John Ternus introduced the first MacBook Pro featuring a touchscreen, which enables gestures like scrolling, swiping, and pinching directly on the screen.
The company stated that the touch sensor is built directly into the display panel rather than placed on top of it to help reduce latency. The hardware includes a tandem OLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, 2,000 nits of brightness, and an illuminated Apple logo on the lid. Additionally, it is the first MacBook to feature a Dynamic Island for real-time updates, file searches, and Siri AI integration.
The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display starts at $2,899 for the 14-inch version equipped with an M5 Pro chip, while the 16-inch model starts at $3,399. Configurations with an M5 Max chip are also available. Customers can find more details on Apple announces its first touchscreen MacBook Pro and see that the device is available to preorder starting today, with shipments beginning November 6th.
OLED iPad Mini Upgrade
Alongside its new laptops, Apple upgraded its smaller tablet line. Readers can learn more via Apple updates the iPad Mini with a larger OLED display, which details how the device now features an 8.5-inch OLED display housed within a 5.4mm-thick chassis.
The new iPad Mini features bezels that are 24 percent slimmer than the previous generation. It also incorporates an 'Acoustic Display' system combining woofers through the display panel for enhanced bass and volume performance. Internal upgrades include Apple's A20 Pro chip, a 12-megapixel landscape camera, and an IP67 water and dust resistance rating.
Pricing for the updated tablet starts at $699 for the Wi-Fi-only model with 128GB of storage. Available color options include midnight and starlight, with glare-reducing nano-texture display options offered on higher-tier 256GB and 512GB configurations.
Entry-Level MacBook Pro M6 Refresh
Apple also refreshed its standard portable computer lineup this week. Additional information is outlined in An M6 refresh for the entry-level MacBook Pro, highlighting the integration of the new M6 processor and the company's proprietary N1 networking chip.
The refreshed 14-inch MacBook Pro adds support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 through the N1 chip. Connectivity ports include three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C ports with charging and DisplayPort capabilities, MagSafe 3, HDMI, and an SDXC card slot.
The entry-level machine retains the Liquid Retina XDR display with an optional nano-texture finish alongside a 12MP Center Stage camera. Preorders are open now, starting at $1,999 for a configuration featuring a 12-core CPU, 12-core GPU, 16GB of memory, and 1TB of storage, with shipping set to begin on November 6th.
M6 Chip Updates for iMac
Apple's colorful all-in-one desktop computers received hardware improvements as well. The latest iMac lineup incorporates the new M6 chip, which Apple claims delivers up to five times faster on-device artificial intelligence performance compared to the previous M4-powered iteration.
The new iMac retains the established design language and color selections of its predecessor while adding the N1 wireless networking chip. The desktop configuration features up to four Thunderbolt ports depending on the model chosen.
The base M6 iMac starts at $1,499, featuring a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB of memory, 256GB of storage, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. Preorders open immediately, with deliveries slated for November 6th.
AI Additions Across Software Suites
Software updates accompanied the hardware announcements. Apple is integrating an AI chatbot into Keynote, Numbers, and Pages. Developed using models from both Apple and OpenAI, the assistant can comprehend document context to handle tasks such as designing slides, restructuring drafts, and calculating data visualizations.
Additional software enhancements include an AI-powered fill feature for Pixelmator Pro, a new AI assistant built into Logic Pro, and direct integration access to MotionVFX within Final Cut Pro.
Sources
- The VergeApple ‘Pro and Tell’ event: everything announced this week
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