Apple’s long awaited 13-inch MacBook Pro upgrade is here, and the butterfly switch is officially dead. Rejoice!
When the butterfly keyboard first came out, I was surprised by its clicky tactility. But the low travel length and extreme durability issues made it Apple’s worst laptop keyboard. Using it for any length of time is frustrating, and it’s a fragile thing, with a lifespan of only a year or two before users begin experiencing issues. Though improvements could help the keyboards last longer, many will find they break in a short period of time.
With the update of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the dreadful keyboard is finally dead. Not a single new Apple product features a butterfly switch keyboard.
The new MacBook Pro also has a lot of other features for people to love. Faster processors, new 6K graphics capabilities, and increased RAM. But as much as I hate to celebrate the death of anything, good riddance, butterfly switches!
In This Article:
New Specs
Other than the death of the butterfly switch, some MacBook Pro models have been upgraded with Intel’s 10th generation chipset. Others, however, are still on the 8th generation chips. This creates a substantial gap between the machines and their capabilities, but not because of processing power. The real difference comes in when you consider graphics capabilities. For example, the high end 13-inch MacBook Pro can drive Apple’s Pro Display XDR at a 6K resolution. The base model cannot. Furthermore, the high end model has four Thunderbolt 3 over USB-C ports, while the lesser model only has two.
Why did Apple provide such a small upgrade over their low-end MacBook Pro? Diminishing returns for users.
Little Performance Increases
The 10th generation chip offers little performance gains over the 8th generation on the low end of the spectrum. However, it would cost $100 more. Those looking to buy a low-end MacBook Pro likely don’t care that it’s marginally slower than it could be, because they’d rather save the $100. Every other laptop maker had to raise their prices to offer Intel’s 10th generation chips, but the chips weren’t worth the upgrade. That $100 could go into more storage or memory, which someone may prefer, given the relatively small increase in performance, or just back in your pocket.
Those low-end MacBook Pro models start at just $1,299, which, for what you’re getting, isn’t a terrible price. This is still a MacBook that can last you many years. When buying Pro hardware, it can be tempting to upgrade. While this won’t be necessary for many users, the option is certainly there.
On the High End
On the high end, the 13-inch MacBook Pro can get expensive.
The story’s a bit different with the high-end 13-inch MacBook Pro. Moving up to the 10th generation Intel Processor means spending $1,799. That’s still less than the 16-inch MacBook Pro price, which starts at $2,399. Furthermore, all of these have Intel’s GPU, not a dedicated AMD or Nvidia GPU. That means graphics performance is going to lag behind the 16-inch model substantially. However, this new high-end chip can run an external 6K monitor with a 60Hz refresh rate. That’s not terrible, for integrated graphics.
Upgrading to the i7 processor means a $200 jump, and32GB of memory is another $400. Max out the processor and memory, and give it a modest 2TB of storage, and you’re looking at a $3,000 computer. At that price, you’re better off with the 16-inch model and the advanced graphics it offers for just a little bit more (relatively speaking, again). If you’re looking for the highest level of performance out of a 13-inch MacBook Pro, really consider if you wouldn’t be better off with the 16-inch model.
Configurations
The new models can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage and 32GB of memory. The latter will improve its capabilities in areas like software engineering. I can’t tell you how often my old work laptop with only 16GB of storage would slow me down. Running an emulator and an IDE at once would eat up most of my memory. I now consider 32GB a minimum. Now that the 13-inch MacBook Pro has that, coupled with a 10th generation Intel i5 or i7 processor, and a you have a fantastic mobile development computer that’ll fit in a bag and be less cumbersome on the go.
What We Didn’t Get
This isn’t the fabled 14-inch MacBook Pro. Also, it’s still, thankfully, equipped with x64 (Intel) processor. No ARM here. While Apple’s ARM processors are impressive, the industry just isn’t ready for a split platform Mac, and the benefits, especially to pros and programmers, are minimal, at best.
If you’re looking for portable power, the low-end MacBook Pro is still a great buy, even with 8th generation Intel processors. Stepping up to that 10th generation MacBook Pro is still a good deal, if you’re not seeking to max out the memory or processor. For moderate to pro users who want a compact MacBook with computing power that’ll offer them a long lifespan, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro might be the best bet.
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