Alongside the release of 2018 MacBook Pro models today, Apple has stopped selling the sole 2015 MacBook Pro that remained available for purchase on its online store, marking the end of an era for the notebook. Until now, Apple continued to sell one 15-inch configuration of the 2015 MacBook Pro for customers who preferred the notebook's wide range of connectivity options, including a pair of Thunderbolt 2 and USB-A ports, an HDMI port, an SD card reader, and Apple's break-away MagSafe power connector. Apple no longer sells a MacBook Pro like this By comparison, the 2016 and later MacBook Pro is equipped solely with two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports, depending on the model, that can deliver power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA over a single connection. All of Apple's notebooks continue to have 3.5mm headphone jacks as well. The overall design of the 2015 MacBook Pro was first introduced in 2012, when Apple released its first MacBook Pro models with Retina displays. The notebook had a much slimmer design compared to pre-2012 models, after Apple removed the built-in Ethernet port and CD/DVD optical drive. With the removal of the 2015 model, the new MacBook Pro lineup is now exclusively Thunderbolt 3 models. Those looking for expanded connectivity without adapters are now limited to the outdated MacBook Air, equipped with Thunderbolt 2, two USB-A ports, an SD card reader, and MagSafe 2. The 2015 model was also the last MacBook Pro to feature a scissor mechanism keyboard. The lower-profile butterfly mechanism keyboard introduced on the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro has proven problematic for some customers, resulting in Apple launching a service program offering free repairs. Updated: While supplies last, Apple is still selling the 2015 MacBook Pro on clearance. These remain brand new, unopened models — not refurbished. Thanks to eagle-eyed MacRumors reader Christopher.<doc-sep>WWDC is winding down for another year, and once again, there was no new hardware. But, Apple's focus on software at WWDC is neither new, nor unexpected — and doesn't mean that Apple has abandoned anybody. The latest WWDC is in its last hours, and developers have started winging their way back home with a pile of mandates and improvements by Apple in tow. AppleInsider was there virtually and actually, as you're aware at this point. We're aware of the panic about no new hardware — but it isn't that big a deal for reasons both historical and current. We got macOS Mojave... Mojave finally gets nods back to the old, and practically antique, OS8 and OS9 appearance manager. The new Dark Mode spans the entire operating system, and will be a sight to behold when more developers take advantage of the hooks that Apple has provided. Other improvements include the Home app and HomeKit support, even better privacy enhancements to Safari which will likely annoy Google and Facebook, desktop Stacks and a lot more quality of life improvements. Yeah, Apple's left some iron behind again. Because of Metal 2, if your Mac is older than 2012, you're probably out of luck. We already know that more will get lost next year. In the next desert-named operating system in 2019, it will ditch 32-bit apps and probably OpenGL for good. The times, they are a changin'. Again. ... and iOS 12 In many ways, iOS 12 feels like wish fulfillment for iPhone users. It brings along a lot of new features designed on making life with the iPhone easier, as well as promises of extra speed and a more smooth experience. Memoji, like Animoji, may not be everybody's cup of tea, but it will sell phones as the TrueDepth camera inches down the iPhone product line. Between Screen Time, an Apple Music refresh, more security features, App Limits and a lot more, we're hard-pressed to pick out a favorite. So far, they're all pretty good. All around, iOS 12 seems like a good addition for iPhones and iPads new and old. While we still don't recommend using it on a daily device right now because of crashes and data loss, it is very solid as first betas go. We have been very pleased with what we've seen for performance and features. The aluminum gorilla in the room But, there was no hardware. This shouldn't come as a big surprise, though. In 2017, Apple knew the iPhone X was going to be a big deal. So it looks to us like Apple chose to roll out the rest of the year's hardware earlier so both that new gear including the iMac Pro and HomePod, and the later OLED iPhone X, could shine on the company's own terms. Minus the single 2017 hardware bonanza, and the reveal of the iPhone a decade ago, WWDC has never been a day of mass hardware roll-outs. Again, minus 2017, it has been a show that has had some hardware, mostly to keep the developers up to date with what they need to support going forward. Portent of the future Speaking about telling developers what to expect in the future, Apple previewed the fruits of project "Marzipan" at WWDC. Instead of a straight emulation layer, it turned out to be a framework and API for porting over iPad apps to the Mac. While I'm certain that this can be used for good or evil, skillfully or poorly, it isn't a regression. I also believe that it is an early step for migrating at least some of the Mac line to ARM, as the porting friction reduces even further as the technology is finally released to developers in full in 2019. But, like we said on the AppleInsider Podcast on Friday, this reveal of what is rumored to be called Marzipan is about step two of a twenty step process. Whether or not this shift is good or bad for any individual user varies. If you're a macOS loyalist, you won't care. If you're first and foremost an Apple Intel hardware fan, this is less positive. Regardless of when it happens, it will likely start with the Mac mini and MacBook Air, or their equivalents. It will migrate upwards only as Intel falls unacceptably further behind, or when the majority of the high-end user base demands it — whichever comes first. There will be some pain-points, like there was the last two times we did this in hardware from 68K to PowerPC and PowerPC to Intel, and once in software from MacOS 9 to MacOS X. Apple handled it well, both with and without Steve Jobs, and there is no reason to believe that they won't do just as well this time around. Hardware's day is coming There was a lot of info doled out, and more is yet to come as the new documents are studied, and the betas evolve further. This week was the developer's week, but there are signs that new hardware is coming not just in the short term, but the long term as well. Apple is very much beholden to its hardware partners, especially Intel — at least for now. As we have to keep saying, it is (mostly) on Intel why the MacBook Pro doesn't yet support 32GB of RAM, and also why Apple's powerful portable wasn't updated just yet. Apple bailed on the MacWorld Expo back in the day because it wanted to control the narrative and schedule of releases, without being beholden to release at the shows. WWDC is now no different — there's no reason to release hardware to a captive and rapt audience assembled for other reasons, when they can do what they want to do, or have to do, on their own schedule. We know that there are iOS devices coming very soon, because international regulatory agencies have told us so. Apple has done something uncharacteristic regarding hardware for so-called "Pros," no matter how nebulous that term is — they've said that the Mac Pro is coming twice now, and now we know that will come in 2019. Intel continues the plod forward, releasing faster and faster processors even as it misses internal deadlines by years sometimes. Its a reasonable guess that Apple is waiting for Cannon Lake for the MacBook Pro — and we've already spoken about the rest of the line even before the WWDC began. Obviously, you're welcome to add to the "churn" from one platform to another based on what you need personally. But, Apple hardware releases are coming soon, and it's never been more clear.<doc-sep>
Apple has updated its MacBook Pro laptops with new processors, keyboards and display technology, and hands-free Siri. The update is slightly more than an expected specifications improvement for Apple’s popular “Pro” laptops. Both the 13-inch and 15in MacBook Pros with Touch Bar will now come equipped with the latest eighth-generation Intel Core i5, i7 and i9 processors, bringing them into line with competition from Windows PC manufacturers such as Huawei, Dell and others. The 13in laptop gains quad-core versions of the i5 and i7 processors, up from the dual-core versions used until now, which Apple says will be up to twice as fast. The larger 15in laptop gains 6-core i7 and i9 processors, replacing the quad-core versions, which Apple says will be 70% faster. The maximum amount of RAM available in the larger laptop has also been doubled to 32GB. The new MacBook Pro also gains improved graphics processors. Photograph: Apple Aside from more power, the updated machines also gain the True Tone colour control system from Apple’s iPads, which uses light sensors to adjust the colour temperature of the display to best match the light in your environment. Apple has also put the new T2 chip from its iMac Pro into the MacBook Pro, which handles fingerprint scanning, the Touch Bar and other duties. The T2 chip also enables users to interact with Apple’s virtual assistant using the wakeword “Hey Siri”, similar to iPhones. Previously MacBook Pro users had to press a button to trigger Siri. Lastly, the new MacBook Pros come with Apple’s third-generation of butterfly switch keyboard that promises to be quieter. The update to the keyboard does not address problems with dust that causes dead keys, however. The rest of the machines stay untouched, including the four Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, battery life and screen resolution. Only the 13in and 15in MacBook Pros with Touch Bar have been updated, leaving the model without a Touch Bar unchanged, along with the smaller MacBook and iMac. Updates for Apple’s other Macs, as well as iPads and iPhones are expected later in the year.