With back-to-school shopping season just around the corner, Apple has streamlined its notebook selection as to options for students as well as made the Touch Bar mandatory.
Apple has discontinued the 12-inch MacBook, marking the end of what was seen as the future of Apple’s notebook line. The 12-inch MacBook launched in 2015 and was Apple’s lightest and thinnest computer. The MacBook featured just a single USB-C port as well as a new rose gold color. It hadn’t been updated in more than two years, and was actually more expensive than the newer MacBook Air, which launched in October. The previous-generation MacBook Air with a non-retina screen has also been eliminated.
The company has also hacked $100 off the price of its entry-level MacBook Air to $1,099, adding True Tone technology to its Retina display. Apple has stated that “The True Tone technology in Mac computers uses advanced multichannel sensors to adjust the color and intensity of your display and Touch Bar to match the ambient light so that images appear more natural.” What that means is the display dynamically adjusts its color depending on the ambient light in the room.
The new notebook lineup is rounded out with the $1,299 13-inch MacBook Pro, which has been upgraded with 8th-generation Intel quad-core processors, a True Tone Retina display and the T2 Security Chip. Apple has also added the Touch Bar and Touch ID to the entry-level model, bringing it in line with the other MacBooks Pro and eliminating the only non-Touch Bar model that was available for sale.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via Macworld