MacBook Pro gets overdue update

MacBook Pro

From €1,799

First Apple came for the headphone jack; now it has the humble function key in its sights. The new MacBook Pro ditches the familiar row of keys and replaces them instead with a touch sensitive strip – the Touch Bar – that changes depending on what app you are using.

Of course, we’re getting bogged down by that one detail here. The important thing is that the MacBook Pro has finally got an overhaul, and not just a few chip tweaks. Sure, it performs better than before, and you’d expect that given the pace at which technology advances.

The new MacBook Pro is thinner and lighter than its predecessors, and you have the option of a 2TB solid state drive – if you have the money. You get a bigger trackpad and a brighter Retina display – an Apple standard for its displays – for your money. Which is where you might pause: at €2,099 for the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, it’s on the expensive side. You can go slightly cheaper, if you want to sacrifice the Touch Bar. apple.com