As well as unleashing the all-new 12-inch Retina MacBook, both the pre-existing models have been treated to a customary refresh. Both the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and the MacBook Air have been afforded a solid processor bump while certain models of the former will also be adopting the all-new Force Touch trackpad, and there are a couple of other welcome features to boot. Full lowdown after the fold.
Having been well and truly astounded by the introduction of the new MacBook, it’s hard to muster the required energy to consider what now seems antiquated. But while some suspected that the new MacBook would replace the Air – it is, after all, an Air in the unofficial sense – both it and the Retina MacBook Pro have joined in with today’s proceedings.
Like most MacBook refreshes, both the MacBook Air and 13-inch Retina Pro include fifth-gen Intel i5 and i7 processors right off the bat, as well as Thunderbolt 2 ports. Since both older models have a bit more real estate to play around with, Apple thankfully hasn’t gone for the one-port configuration with either the Air or the Pro, although given the company’s obsession with down-scaling things, don’t be surprised if the other MacBooks follow the lead of the 12-inch variant in future releases.
The MacBook Air includes faster flash memory – 13-inch model only – and Intel HD Graphics 6000, and the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro reaps the benefits of the Force Touch trackpad. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display also gets a new set of graphics in the form of the new Intel 6000 Iris Pro.
The 13-inch non-Retina MacBook Pro, meanwhile, is still knocking about, but hasn’t been refreshed or upgraded in any way. Given its age and the fact that it still sports an optical drive, it seems likely that it’ll be phased out sooner rather than later, and what appears even more certain is that Apple won’t be giving it any more attention in the form of hardware improvements.
Still, if you’re looking to grab a new notebook and had your eyes on the new MacBook, the fact that some of the current, much-loved models now include treats like Thunderbolt 2 ports and Force Touch trackpads might just have made your decision a less straightforward one.
You may also like to check out:
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the web.
