Consumer Reports didn't hand out current-gen MacBook Pro models a "recommended" rating, noting that its inconsistent battery performance thwarted the praise. It marks the first time the publication didn't give the said rating on Apple's current MacBook model, as it had done so in the past without fail.
However, even if the 2016 MacBook Pro models failed to net the accolade, the new lineup is still packed with features aplenty that make them a worthy purchase. Here's are five things that make the new MacBook Pro excellent.
Touch Bar
Sure, Apple's new OLED strip seated above the MacBook Pro's keyboard is somewhat experimental, if not totally unnecessary, but it still proffers quite a number of possibilities that could enhance the way people approach productivity.
Prospects litter here and there, and third-party developers could definitely devise different methods to take advantage of the Touch Bar, and some already have: Adobe's just-released Photoshop update includes a number of integrated Touch Bar controls, and some crafty geeks have already managed to port beloved classics Pacman, Doom, and more, on the Touch Bar.
Hopefully, more developers jump at the chance to develop nifty controls integrated into their apps, so the Touch Bar doesn't gather dust.
Visually Striking Retina Display
The MacBook Pro's LCD Retina Display is nothing short of gorgeous. The pixels are extremely tiny to the point of being invisible at a minimum screen-to-eye length. Apple claims that the new lineup's display offers 25 percent more colors, and a 67 percent increase in contrast ratio. All of this mumbo-jumbo simply translates to a striking and vibrant screen, which is especially great for those who have either a Netflix or an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
USB Type-C Ports
The Macbook Pro's yanking-away of traditional ports and subsequent placement of USB Type C ports were seen by many as a step down, but it isn't a step down — just a step in a different direction. Sure, it's a bit foolish for Apple to get rid of the SD card slot, the beloved MagSafe port, and others, but USB Type-C is far from a downgrade: it's an excellent innovation deserving of high merits, since it's capable of transferring data overy ultra-high speeds, charging a device, and administering high-end video output. All at the same time.
Touch ID
Apple brought its proprietary fingerprint sensor technology called Touch ID onto the new MacBook Pro lineup, and it also brought Secure Enclave along from the iPhone — to safely guard fingerprints. With the new Touch ID, users can log in via the fingerprint scanner, or execute Apple Pay transactions seamlessly.
There are quite a number of features the Touch ID can pave the way for, and it's really up to the ingenious minds of developers to invent ways on how to integrate the technology into apps and services. Who knows? Maybe soon users don't have to enter login credentials for a particular service over and over, or maybe Touch ID can event act as a password manager.
Beefy Specs
Of course, the new models wouldn't have earned their "Pro" moniker if it weren't for the beefy internals housed inside the gorgeous chassis. The base 13-inch model, priced $1,499, is powered by a sixth-generation 2.0 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, along with an Intel Iris Graphics 540 GPU, and 8 GB of RAM.
The top-tier 15-inch model with the Touch Bar, priced $2,799, is powered by a sixth-generation 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, along with the Radeon Pro 455 and Intel HD Graphics 530 as the model's two GPU. It also comes with 16 GB of RAM.
Apple has a detailed comparison of different models, which should come in handy for those unsure what model to buy, and what configurations to add.
What do you think makes the new MacBook Pro a worthy laptop? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
