The new $1,799 and $1,999 13-inch MacBook Pros feature 10th-generation Intel Core processors, and they replace eight-generation processors in their predecessors. I just can’t get myself to remember that it’s there to use for more than just F-key functions. I hesitate to say it’s unnecessary, because I don’t think it’s poorly implemented. The Touch Bar can be customized for your use, so it doesn’t always have to display app-based options, but even with that I can’t develop a habit of using it. The Touch Bar can be a useful way to use your Mac, but after years of using Touch Bar-equipped laptops (Touch Bar was introduced in 2016), I still can’t get myself to use it on a regular basis.
Time will tell in regard to its reliability, but we haven’t had problems with this laptop, the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Air so far. The new Magic Keyboard is much easier on the fingers and the ears-it has a softer, more comfortable feel, and isn’t as noisy. The butterfly keyboard was hard on the fingers, loud, and so unreliable that Apple had to start a Keyboard Service Program for it. Our preference for the new Magic Keyboard was documented in our reviews of the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the latest MacBook Air, and the implementation in the 13-inch MacBook Pro just reinforces what we like about it. It’s now completely gone from Apple’s laptop lineup and it won’t be missed (though Apple does insist that the butterfly keyboard had its fans). With this update, the butterfly keyboard farewell tour is now complete.
The MacBook Air followed suit when it was updated in March 2020, leaving the 13-inch MacBook Pro as the only laptop left with the butterfly keyboard. It comes in two versions, with and without the numeric keypad for $179 and $149, respectively.With the release of the 16-inch MacBook Pro back in November of 2019, Apple started phasing out its much-maligned butterfly-mechanism keyboard in favor of its new Magic Keyboard, which uses a scissor-switch mechanism. If you have a Mac running the new M1 processor (MacBook Air 2020, MacBook Pro 2020, Mac mini 2020, iMac 2021), then you can use this keyboard with your computer with its built-in fingerprint sensor. The W6900X Duo supports eight 4K displays, four 5K displays, or six 6K Pro Display XDR.Īside from the Mac Pro stuff, Apple now is also selling its new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID that debuted with the new 2021 iMac separately. The W6900X and W6800X support up to six 4K displays, three 5K displays, or three 6K Pro Display XDR. Each has four Thunderbolt 3 ports and one HDMI 2.0 port on the back and can also additionally support the two Thunderbolt 3 ports on top of the Mac Pro. This means you can have two W6900X, two W6800X, and even two W6800X Duo inside the same system.Īll of these cards use Apple's proprietary MPX Module form factor. The Radeon Pro W6800X Duo is $4600 while configuring and $5000 when purchased separately.Īpple allows installing two of each of the above mentioned graphics cards inside the Mac Pro. AMD's Infinity Fabric Link connects the two GPU to each other with a bandwidth of 84GB/s in each direction. This truly impressive card features two W6800X GPU on the same board, with each having 32GB of GDDR6 for a total of 64GB video memory. Lastly, there's the Radeon Pro W6800X Duo. The Radeon Pro W6800X is a $2400 option while configuring or $2800 if purchased separately. The Radeon Pro W6800X also comes with 32GB of GDDR6 memory. It has the same 60 compute units and 3840 stream processors with a slightly lower 2087MHz boost clock speed. Next is the Radeon Pro W6800X, which is based on the Radeon RX 6800. The Radeon Pro W6900X is a $5600 extra option while configuring or $6000 when purchased separately. However, one big difference is that the Radeon Pro W6900X has 32GB of GDDR6 memory, twice that of the RX 6900XT. Based on the Radeon RX 6900XT gaming GPU, the Radeon Pro W6900X features the same 80 compute units, 5120 stream processors, and a slightly lower 2171MHz boost clock speed. The Radeon Pro W6900X is the flagship single GPU option.
The Mac Pro will now offer users a choice of either a Radeon Pro W6900X, a Radeon Pro W6800X, or a Radeon Pro 6800X Duo in addition to the existing 580X, W5500X, and W5700X options. The company has introduced AMD's latest generation RDNA 2 based graphics cards, replacing the previous Vega II offerings. Apple today updated the graphics card options for its Mac Pro workstation computer.