Science & Technology

New MacBook Pro features ultra-fast chips, return of HDMI connectivity

San Francisco, Oct 18 (EFE).- Apple on Monday unveiled an updated 16-inch MacBook Pro and a brand new 14-inch model of that high-end notebook computer that feature ultra-fast homemade chips and the return of an HDMI port and an SD card reader, which had been eliminated in 2016.

Those laptops were introduced to the public at an Apple Unleashed event streamed from the technology giant’s Cupertino, California, headquarters.

Also during the event, Apple announced its third generation of AirPods (wireless Bluetooth earbuds), which for the first time feature spatial audio, a technology that provides a 3-D theater-like experience.

The laptops’ main innovation are M1 Pro or M1 Max processors that feature a 10-core CPU (existing models are 8-core) and deliver up to 70 percent faster CPU performance than Apple’s M1 chip.

Apple says the M1 Pro’s graphics processing unit (GPU) is up to two times faster than the GPU of the M1 and that the GPU of the M1 Max processor is up to four times faster.

Those speeds will allow “pro users to fly through the most demanding graphics workflows,” the company said in a press release.

Besides their advanced silicon chips, Apple’s new laptops bring back several ports or connections that had been eliminated in previous models but now have returned by popular demand.

The MacBook Pro once again has HDMI ports for transmitting video and audio to monitors, projectors and television sets, a slot for SD memory cards (very common in video and stills cameras) and the return of a MagSafe port for charging the laptop (in addition to three Thunderbolt 4 ports).

Another correction to changes Apple introduced in 2016 is the elimination of the MacBook Pro’s much-maligned Touch Bar, which has been replaced by full-sized, traditional function keys.

The 16-inch version has a 3456 x 2240 pixel resolution and delivers up to 21 hours of video playback, compared with the 14-inch’s 3024 x 1964 resolution and up to 17 hours of video playback.

Those notebook computers will be available in stores beginning next week at a price that starts at $1,999 for the 14-inch model and at $2,499 for the 16-inch size. EFE

arc/mc

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