Apple Introduces 16-inch MacBook Pro, the World's Best Pro Notebook

[AleksandarK]

Apple today unveiled an all-new 16-inch MacBook Pro — the world's best pro notebook — designed for developers, photographers, filmmakers, scientists, music producers and anyone who relies on a Mac to create their life's best work. The all-new MacBook Pro features a brilliant 16-inch Retina Display, the latest 8-core processors, up to 64 GB of memory, next-generation graphics with up to 8 GB of VRAM and a new advanced thermal design, making it the most powerful MacBook Pro ever.

Featuring a new Magic Keyboard with a redesigned scissor mechanism and 1 mm travel for a more satisfying key feel, the 16-inch MacBook Pro delivers the best typing experience ever in a Mac notebook. The 16-inch MacBook Pro also includes a six-speaker sound system, longer battery life, Touch Bar, Touch ID, the Force Touch trackpad and the Apple T2 Security Chip.


"Our pro customers tell us they want their next MacBook Pro to have a larger display, blazing-fast performance, the biggest battery possible, the best notebook keyboard ever, awesome speakers and massive amounts of storage, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro delivers all of that and more," said Tom Boger, Apple's senior director of Mac and iPad Product Marketing. "With its brilliant 16-inch Retina display, 8-core processors, next-gen pro graphics, even better thermal design, new Magic Keyboard, six-speaker sound system, 100Wh battery, up to 8 TB of storage and 64 GB of fast memory, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is the world's best pro notebook."

Largest Retina Notebook Display Ever
Pros love the brilliant 500 nit, P3 wide color gamut Retina display on MacBook Pro, and at 16 inches, it's the largest Retina notebook display ever. Featuring a resolution of 3072x1920 and a higher pixel density of 226 ppi, the 16-inch Retina display delivers nearly 6 million pixels and an even more immersive front-of-screen experience. Each display is individually calibrated in the factory for accurate gamma, white point and primary colors.

New Magic Keyboard
The 16-inch MacBook Pro features a new Magic Keyboard with a refined scissor mechanism that delivers 1 mm of key travel and a stable key feel, as well as an Apple-designed rubber dome that stores more potential energy for a responsive key press. Incorporating extensive research and user studies focused on human factors and key design, the 16-inch MacBook Pro delivers a keyboard with a comfortable, satisfying and quiet typing experience. The new Magic Keyboard also features a physical Escape key and an inverted-"T" arrangement for the arrow keys, along with Touch Bar and Touch ID, for a keyboard that delivers the best typing experience ever on a Mac notebook.

More Advanced Thermal Design
The 16-inch MacBook Pro uses the most advanced thermal architecture ever in a Mac notebook to enable the system to run at higher power for sustained periods of time. The sophisticated fan design features a larger impeller with extended blades along with bigger vents, resulting in a 28 percent increase in airflow, while the heat sink is 35 percent larger, enabling significantly more heat dissipation than before. Together, these advancements in cooling capacity allow the 16-inch MacBook Pro to sustain up to 12 more watts during intensive workloads than the previous design.

Powerful Processors and Faster Memory
Whether compiling code, editing multi-cam video or doing 3D animation, MacBook Pro customers need pro-level compute power they can take on the go. To deliver blazing fast performance, the 16-inch MacBook Pro features the latest 6- and 8-core 9th-generation processors with Turbo Boost speeds up to 5.0 GHz, which deliver up to 2.1 times faster performance than the quad-core 15-inch MacBook Pro.1 Its powerful CPUs, combined with faster memory up to 64 GB for the first time, and its more advanced thermal design, will enable pro workflows never before possible on a MacBook Pro.
When compared to the fastest quad-core 15-inch MacBook Pro:

• Music producers can play back massive multi-track projects with up to 2.1 times more Amp Designer plug-ins in Logic Pro X.
• Scientists and researchers will benefit from 2.1 times faster simulation of dynamical systems in MATLAB.
• Developers using Xcode can compile code up to 1.8 times faster.
• Photographers can apply complex edits to photographs 1.7 times faster in Photoshop.

Next-Generation Graphics
Graphics performance is critical to pros, whether they're creating the next big game title, rendering a complex 3D scene or color grading a blockbuster film. The 16-inch MacBook Pro features new AMD Radeon Pro 5000M series graphics — the first 7 nm mobile discrete GPUs for pro users. Paired with GDDR6 video memory and with an 8 GB VRAM option for the first time, pro users will be able to tackle GPU-intensive tasks faster than ever. Customers who choose the standard configuration will see 2.1 times faster graphics performance than the previous standard configuration. Those who opt for the highest-end graphics options will see up to 80 percent faster performance than the previous high-end configuration.1
When compared to the previous-generation 8-core 15-inch MacBook Pro with the highest graphics options:

• Video editors using DaVinci Resolve will see up to 1.8 times faster effects rendering when color grading.
• Gamers will enjoy smoother gameplay with up to 1.6 times faster performance in games like Fortnite.
• In Unity, developers will experience 1.4 times faster fly-through performance during game development.

To power all this performance, MacBook Pro features a 100Wh battery — the largest ever in a Mac notebook — for an additional hour of battery life of up to 11 hours of wireless web browsing or Apple TV app video playback.

First 8 TB Notebook
For pros with massive asset libraries and large projects that need even more storage in a notebook, the new MacBook Pro doubles the SSD storage to 512 GB and 1 TB on standard configurations. And for the first time, MacBook Pro can be configured with a staggering 8 TB of storage — the largest SSD ever in a notebook.

Higher Fidelity Audio Experience
The 16-inch MacBook Pro introduces a completely redesigned six-speaker, high-fidelity sound system designed to bring musicians, podcasters and video editors the most advanced audio experience ever in a notebook. New Apple-patented force-canceling woofers use dual opposed speaker drivers to reduce unwanted vibrations that distort sound. As a result, music sounds more clear and natural than ever before, and the bass can go half an octave deeper. An upgraded high-performance mic array delivers a 40 percent reduction in hiss and an improved signal-to-noise ratio that rivals that of popular professional-grade digital microphones, delivering super-clean recordings that capture even the quietest details.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[heky]

"The world's best Pro Notebook"
What the hell do the guys and gals at Apple smoke, because i want some!

 

[R0H1T]

What the hell do the guys and gals at Apple smoke, because i want some!

Actually they sell some extremely potent stuff, their sales & record profits prove it

 

[sepheronx]

Actually they sell some extremely potent stuff, their sales & record profits prove it

if you got a hip cool brand name and logo with catchy model names like iCrap, it will sell like hotcakes.

But their systems are usually trash. First time I dealt with MAC was back in Apple II era which were decent computers, and the last time was a Power MAC G5. Then I was dumb enough to get an iphone 3GS and wow, what a big mistake that was.

Anyway, I cannot for the life of me understand the love for them by average folk.

 

[champsilva]

if you got a hip cool brand name and logo with catchy model names like iCrap, it will sell like hotcakes.

But their systems are usually trash. First time I dealt with MAC was back in Apple II era which were decent computers, and the last time was a Power MAC G5. Then I was dumb enough to get an iphone 3GS and wow, what a big mistake that was.

Anyway, I cannot for the life of me understand the love for them by average folk.

Their system are usually trash.

Isn't even worth it to read the rest of the comment.

 

[ssdpro]

record profits

Profit is made by margin and volume. Cheap low in the bin parts and low manufacture cost priced as high as possible for the consumer wrapped with flashy marketing. Apple is the 2nd most valuable company in the world yet only has a 15% global desktop OS market share and 22% mobile OS market share. Margin Margin Margin. Just think about that marketing - a new credit card created by Apple, not a bank. Yet it literally is a credit card approved, distributed, and serviced by Goldman Sachs.

 

[eandrews]

if you got a hip cool brand name and logo with catchy model names like iCrap, it will sell like hotcakes.

But their systems are usually trash. First time I dealt with MAC was back in Apple II era which were decent computers, and the last time was a Power MAC G5. Then I was dumb enough to get an iphone 3GS and wow, what a big mistake that was.

Anyway, I cannot for the life of me understand the love for them by average folk.

Nice looking hardware that works well with minimal effort. Not that hard to understand. If pricing and customization isn't what you want then move on...why bash? I'm sure whatever phone or computer you use works perfectly fine, no need to reassure yourself by trashing new tech on TECHpowerup.

 

[sepheronx]

Nice looking hardware that works well with minimal effort. Not that hard to understand. If pricing and customization isn't what you want then move on...why bash? I'm sure whatever phone or computer you use works perfectly fine, no need to reassure yourself by trashing new tech on TECHpowerup.

Very very debatable. And dont quote me then, quote the first quote. I didn't mention if it should be posted or not, but that Apple is overhyped, overpriced nothing.

So spare me.

 

[Renald]

At least, even if I'm sure everyone in here agree on "world's best" is pure marketing bullshit, they finally decided to go with a bigger screen.
When I see macbook 13" I feel like we are back in 2010.

16" is good.

I'm clearly not an Apple fan, but I'm not here to judge.
Microsoft is not capable of deploying an update and all linux branches are not yet mature for common usage (only a few games works).

Apple is only a company using UNIX system, putting fancy glowing thing on it, and the most important part : they produce or help produce software for rich professionals (doctors, designers, etc.) so they can ensure a solid income.
The rich dumb kid with a 1000$ phone is just a front. Real money is made with professional.

 

[xkm1948]

Probably no CUDA support and piss poor OpenCL support. All the same time only costing a mere $5000

Hell no.

 

[phanbuey]

this is a step in the right direction. Certainly better than the last 2.5 years.

Now if they could only bring back the ports, magsafe, and add a bit more heatsink we will be set.

 

[brucechow]

I own a 2011 MacBook Air 13’. Paid around $1400 at that time (considered overpriced back then), and the only thing I had to do was replace the battery last year (they charged me $149) and I bought a bigger 1tb SSD to replace my old 256gb. Aside from new SSD, I never had to mess with drivers, bios or whatsoever. That’s what Apple sells and thats what the regular user wants: powerful and stable stuff.
This year I bought a new gaming desktop and had to mess with drivers, bios, xmp profile, had some BSOD...
People need to learn that apple isnt just selling overpriced hardware. You are paying for service + stability + software. If you want a gaming machine, just get a desktop and install windows, don’t just bash Apple’s prices just because you can’t afford it or just doesn’t want to pay the price for their stuff.
My MacBook Air = everyday use, spreadsheets, etc
My gaming desktop = gaming and watching videos

 

[Joss]

3072x1920, is that 16:10 aspect ratio?

 

[SL2]

3072x1920, is that 16:10 aspect ratio?

Use a calculator maybe?

 

[BArms]

Touchbar instead of physical function keys is no bueno. If my Mid-2014 dies i'll buy a surface book or something else. Apple is so drunk on their arrogance they keep pushing that pos touchbar on consumers.

 

[SL2]

don’t just bash Apple’s prices just because you can’t afford it or just doesn’t want to pay the price for their stuff.

There may be other reasons.

- The 15" has pretty much doubled in price in about 10 years (while the 13" hasn't).

- Paying more and at the same time not being able to change to parts from third party brands, that's a huge step backwards. I'm not talking about soldered components.

- Macbook Pros just got better and better up until a certain point, maybe around 2015 (you know back when the CPU's didn't throttle?), after that it's all about greed.

- Linus story about repairing a damaged iMac Pro also shows a huge step backwards. Apple really dropped the ball there.


You don't have to be cheap to bash their pricing..

 

[silentbogo]

I own a 2011 MacBook Air 13’. Paid around $1400 at that time (considered overpriced back then), and the only thing I had to do was replace the battery last year (they charged me $149) and I bought a bigger 1tb SSD to replace my old 256gb. Aside from new SSD, I never had to mess with drivers, bios or whatsoever. That’s what Apple sells and thats what the regular user wants: powerful and stable stuff.

Jesus.... It's a 16" laptop, it has a thick chassis with lots of space, and it's still all soldered: CPU/GPU/RAM/SSD(if you can call it that)/WiFi... Also, as with 2018 15" Macbook Pro, it's all glued and barely qualifies as serviceable. Hardly a "pro" tool. At least they reverted back to normal scissor KB after four[!!!] revisions of broken butterfly KBs.

Probably no CUDA support and piss poor OpenCL support. All the same time only costing a mere $5000

Most early reviewers (which is ironically TheVerge and few other yuppie sources), list it at $2400 for a base config (which is still a lot for basically your average 9th gen lappy w/ low-mid-range GPU).
And RX5500... so no CUDA.
The only thing Apple brags about a lot, is that it no longer thermal throttles, and can run the H-variant chip at its full potential. Basically, expecting a pat on a back for fixing their own f#$%-up.

 

[juiseman]

At least, even if I'm sure everyone in here agree on "world's best" is pure marketing bullshit, they finally decided to go with a bigger screen.
When I see macbook 13" I feel like we are back in 2010.

16" is good.

I'm clearly not an Apple fan, but I'm not here to judge.
Microsoft is not capable of deploying an update and all linux branches are not yet mature for common usage (only a few games works).

Apple is only a company using UNIX system, putting fancy glowing thing on it, and the most important part : they produce or help produce software for rich professionals (doctors, designers, etc.) so they can ensure a solid income.
The rich dumb kid with a 1000$ phone is just a front. Real money is made with professional.

Are you saying that Apple makes more money off Macs than IPhone sales?
I'd like to see some data on that. I'm pretty sure the IPhone is what brought Apple
to the Empire it is today.

 

[Renald]

it's not exclusive.

The kid got his toy, but the professional got (pick whatever) :

• a device to test an app, to commercialize it after
• apps on his phone only used by professionals
• a phone for his employee discounted because he own a bunch of macbook
• etc.

Intel is doing the same thing actually.

 

[Vya Domus]

their sales & record profits prove it

Record sales and profits prove that you got ... record sales and profits and not necessarily that you got quality products.

 

[Camm]

I'm no Apple fanboi, but the specs and design on this one are pretty good. For a start its rare to see 8 core CPU's in laptops which aren't desktop replacements.

Of course, the price on these will likely rival that of a brand new small car, so not exactly practical.

 

[SL2]

For a start its rare to see 8 core CPU's in laptops which aren't desktop replacements.

Not anymore, it seems. XPS 15 has it as well, as well as other models from both Dell and Lenovo.
They may not all have the same premium features, but they also start at €2000, not €2700 like the Apple does.
Even the last generation Macbook Pro has 8 cores.

 

[dirtyferret]

Finally! A laptop worthy of writing my amazing screenplay on while sitting in starbucks for hours on end and giving people angry stares...

 

[MrMilli]

I own a 2011 MacBook Air 13’. Paid around $1400 at that time (considered overpriced back then), and the only thing I had to do was replace the battery last year (they charged me $149) and I bought a bigger 1tb SSD to replace my old 256gb. Aside from new SSD, I never had to mess with drivers, bios or whatsoever. That’s what Apple sells and thats what the regular user wants: powerful and stable stuff.
This year I bought a new gaming desktop and had to mess with drivers, bios, xmp profile, had some BSOD...
People need to learn that apple isnt just selling overpriced hardware. You are paying for service + stability + software. If you want a gaming machine, just get a desktop and install windows, don’t just bash Apple’s prices just because you can’t afford it or just doesn’t want to pay the price for their stuff.
My MacBook Air = everyday use, spreadsheets, etc
My gaming desktop = gaming and watching videos

I really hate to read comments like these. It's people like you creating this false idea of Mac = effortless, PC = horror. Just like the thought that Mac has no viruses.
You're comparing a custom made computer (build by who?) to a ready to boot laptop. It's like my customers who I get in my shop that compare their old 450 Euro laptop to a new > 1200 Euro Macbook and say how much better the Mac is. I don't know if you know but laptops from all major brands get automatic driver and bios updates. Just like a Mac and also get no BSOD. If you get BSODs then something is broken.
If you want to dare yourself to a custom built PC then you need a good shop (like mine that has 23 years experience) and not a POS webshop that has 17 year olds building the machines.
When I compare the innards of a super high-end HP or Lenovo to an Apple, it really makes me laugh. These fake 'pro' machines are laughable but people keep falling for it so Apple keeps going, no matter how many times they keep failing (keyboard), over (motherboard) and over (just plain bad assembly). When I open a laptop and see glue, I just want to throw it in the trash (only Apple uses glue btw).
Check out Louis Rossmann's YouTube channel as a good source for the quality of the motherboard.

 

[Easy Rhino]

Their system are usually trash.

Isn't even worth it to read the rest of the comment.

Holy crap this thread turned to poop real fast. If you like the Apple eco system this laptop is a beast. Nothing even comes close to what it can offer.