Apple recently introduced the new MacBook Pro: the first Mac with a touch screen.
I really enjoyed Gruber’s review of the device and the event Apple hosted to unveil it.
I’ve been using a MacBook Air since the start of the year which I’m delighted with, but the new Pro catches my eye for several reasons…
The glowing Apple logo
The glowing Apple logo is back. And it’s a thing of beauty. It’s not just the glowing Apple logo of old — it’s the mirrored finish Apple logo we’ve all been used to when closed, and a crisp, bright glowing logo when open. It’s delightful and it genuinely feels like magic. How did they do this? I am yet to see a full explanation.
The stunning screen
The screens on Apple’s pro laptops have always been fantastic. But this screen is just incredible. I’m not quite sure how you make a better screen than this. Surely, this is the best a screen can possibly get. Even in a brightly lit Apple Store, the screen is vivid. The range is phenomenal, the detail intricate, and the brightest bright and darkest dark in any image is perfect. We are done now, right? Where do we go from here?
The weight
It’s not a lightweight MacBook Air but it’s also not the hefty Pro we’ve come accustomed to for the last few years. It’s lighter, a little slimmer, and it feels so much better.
The Dynamic Island
The Dynamic Island is tiny. It’s so much smaller than an iPhone’s Dynamic Island and it looks even smaller when in the middle of the 14” or 16” display. It doesn’t magically disappear but it feels much more intentional and considered with the whole machine.
Touch
I’m not sure I will want to touch the screen if I ever have the fortune to own one of these machines, but the approach Apple has taken to incorporate touch into MacOS feels right. Nothing is worse if you don’t wish to use touch. But if you do occasionally reach out to scroll or swipe then you’re no longer disappointed. Liquid Glass on the Mac finally comes alive on touch, and it’s clear that we are inching ever closer to one consistent experience when using any Apple product, just with mildly different priorities and flavours of customisation.
The perfect Apple laptop
The new MacBook Pro is the closest yet to the perfect Apple laptop in all dimensions. That is, if you ignore the price. Every aspect and detail of this machine is the best: the power, the battery life, the screen, the weight, the size, the expansion, the touch, the glowing Apple logo. Did I mention the screen?!
This is hands-down the best Mac Apple has ever made.