From increased speeds and storage to improved support for external enhancements, here’s what this year’s new MacBook Pros have to offer. 8th-Gen processors (up to Core i9) As everyone anticipated, the latest MacBook Pros benefit from the added speed of Intel’s new 8th-generation Core processors, which came to PCs last year. The 15-inch model will feature a six-core CPU, with up to 70 percent faster performance (according to Apple). The 13-inch MacBook Pro is actually getting the larger year-over-year performance boost: Its quad-core CPUs will be up to twice as fast as last year’s models. Apple is positioning this generational upgrade as a major boon for data engineers working with large sets of information and creative professionals editing hefty movies, tracks and images. Developers are also on Apple’s mind — the company claims this year’s models will simulate virtual machines and test environments with greater speed and less lag. Twice the maximum storage and memory Maybe this is the year you’ll stop closing tabs to free up memory and start spending less time moving projects off your machine. These MacBook Pros support up to 32GB of RAM, which doubles the previous 16GB limitation. MORE: Best and Worst Laptop Brands I don’t know a single person who’s ever said, “I have too much internal storage,” but it seems like Apple’s looking to help that phrase come to life this year. The 15-inch MacBook Pro tops out at a massive 4TB of space, while the 13-inch counterpart can feature as much as 2TB. Both amounts double the previous storage limits. More accurate screens Your average creative professional lives in a world where color is massively important. So, to make the colors in the images, videos and other projects appear as accurately as possible, Apple is bringing its True Tone display technology to the MacBook Pro. First appearing in the iPad Pro, then coming to the iMac and the iPhone, True Tone is an automatic color-calibration technology. By identifying the ambient lighting surrounding your machine, it can change the white balance of your screen so that things appear correctly. A (slightly) improved typing experience So, about the elephant in the room with the MacBook Pro: its keyboards. After months of backlash over the butterfly-switch mechanisms that are reportedly prone to failure when they meet mere specks of dust — an issue that’s spawned two class-action lawsuits and a repair program — Apple’s not standing still on this pressing issue. Instead of switching away from the butterfly-style switches, though, Apple’s standing by this design, with an “improved third-generation” design. What’s so much better about this model? Apple’s boast is that it offers “quieter typing.” And while that might not satisfy all of the frustrated users, Apple may be getting a thank-you letter from the colleague who sits next to me who thinks I type too loud. Improved accessory options External GPU (eGPU) support can make the difference between smooth and stuttery graphics, so why limit the MacBook Pro to just one eGPU? The new MacBook Pro can gain support from four eGPUs at once, in case your needs are that demanding. Also, Apple’s treating these new MacBook Pros like the luxury item they are, offering a new, high-quality leather sleeve (just like the ones it rolled out with the 12-inch MacBooks) that comes with a microfiber cloth lining. These cases come in Saddle Brown, Midnight Blue and Black. Credit: Apple
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