In addition to today’s new 12-inch retina MacBook introduced during the Apple keynote, Apple is keeping the existing lineup, and upgrading the specs across the board.
First, the existing MacBook Air was updated with Thunderbolt 2 and faster Core i5 processors. The 13-inch MacBook Air will also get better flash storage — it will be twice as fast according to Apple.
As for the MacBook Pro, the 13-inch retina MacBook Pro will get the brand new Force Touch trackpad that doesn’t click. When you press the trackpad, small motors will vibrate below the trackpad instead.
The 13-inch Pro will also receive brand new Core i5 and i7 processors, faster flash storage and a small upgrade when it comes to battery life. You can now expect 10 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Today’s updates are an important signal for MacBook users. While the new MacBook is futuristic, it isn’t perfect. There is only one port and the CPU is a slow Intel Core M. In other words, you need to be ready to make compromises to use this new MacBook.
But don’t get me wrong, the new MacBook is probably the future of Apple’s laptop lineup. Processors need to get better and more energy efficient, the USB Type-C port needs to become more ubiquitous.
We are not there yet. That’s why Apple needs to keep its existing MacBook Air and MacBook Pro for now. These new Air and Pro models start shipping today and should be available on Apple’s website after the keynote.
