If you want the best specs on a "pro" MacBook, prepare to shell out thousands of pesos more as Apple unveiled on Monday (early Tuesday in Manila) two totally redesigned and specced out MacBook Pros.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,999 before taxes (P100,000) while the 16-inch model starts at $2,499 (P127,000) for the base configurations. Both have upgraded M1 pro chips, Apple's own silicon, that completely replaced Intel as the brains of the notebook.
The two also sport a larger screen-to-body ratio and an iPhone-style notch or screen cutout to make room for a sharper camera for video calls. Apple brough back the magnetic charging port or MagSafe, the SD card slot and the HDMI port -- stuff that it killed off in the pro models.
Apple retained the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1, still at $1,499, roughly P66,000 or close to the cash price of the same model in the Philippines. There's also the MacBook Air M1 that starts at $999 or P54,990 with taxes locally.
It's a familiar pricing strategy
There are years when Apple refresh an entire line completely and those when it retains the previous year's models to charge higher prices for those who want the fanciest tech.
Remember the iPhone X when it launched in 2017? It normalized the $1,000 smartphone. That same year, Apple slapped glass backs on the previous year's iPhone 7 line, called it the iPhone 8 with roughly the same price tags.
Take the case of the iPads, the chasis of the iPad 2 has been largely the same since the 2010s, with occassional upgrades to the internals. All the while, Apple introduced Air and Pro models to jack up the price.
This year, the 14-inch MacBook pro is the price disruptor, tempting those who are looking to buy the 13 to shell out some 50% more.
EXPLAINERS:
The iPhone 12 Now Comes in Purple, Why?
I Tried iOS 15 Beta and It Eased My Notification Anxiety, Here's How
How to Buy a Legit, Less Expensive iPhone in Greenhills
What do I get with 2021 pro?
If you splurge on the 2021 MacBook Pro instead of the 13-inch 2020 model, you'll get the following:
- With the M1 Pro chip, up to 10-core CPU and up to 32-core GPU. It's speed that you'll feel when you run memory-intensive tasks such as video editing.
- Maximum configurable storage of 8TB instead of 2TB
- A brighter, sharper screen that Apple calls "Liquid Retina KDR". It refreshes faster at 120 hz meaning transitions and scrolling will appear smoother.
- A 1080p HD FaceTime camera instead of 720p
- All the useful ports that were absent for so long -- HDMI, SD slot. MagSafe if you always trip on your wires. It also charges via the Thunderbolt (USB-C) port.
Reportr is now on Quento. Download the app or visit the Quento website for more articles and videos from Reportr and your favorite websites.
