Apple announced its first-ever touchscreen laptop Wednesday, unveiling its latest MacBook Pro that ranks among the priciest laptops the company has ever produced.
Key Facts
- The new MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display starts at A$4,599 and starts at A$7,699 for the 16-inch M5 Max model.
- M5 chips are already offered through other MacBook models like the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.
- Education buyers can save anywhere from A$240 to A$480 on the touchscreen MacBook Pro models, which have 14-inch and 16-inch screen options.
- The entry price for the new laptop is A$600 above the current M5 Pro model’s A$3,999 start, according to Apple.
- While paying more for the new laptop will give consumers the same M5 Pro and M5 Max chips used in existing MacBook Pro models, the premium pays for OLED display, which is new to MacBooks, a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio that provides high detail and a 120Hz refresh that makes screen motion look smoother.
- The new laptop will also have up to 24 hours of battery life in addition to lighter three and four pound designs, according to Apple.
When Does The New MacBook Release?
Pre-orders for the new laptop started Wednesday, with units arriving in Apple Stores and authorized resellers on Nov. 6.
Big Number
About $10.4 billion. That is how much money Apple’s Mac revenue generated in the company’s latest quarter, marking a roughly 28% year-over-year increase. Growth was fueled by the MacBook Neo, the low-cost model launched earlier this year with a starting price of $699.
Key Background
Touchscreen laptops have traditionally been rejected at Apple, with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once calling the idea “ergonomically terrible.” The company launched MacBooks featuring Touch Bars in 2016, becoming part of standard MacBook Pro models and replacing physical function keys located above the keyboards’ numbers. The Touch Bar models were discontinued by 2023, with critics taking aim at the lack of physical feedback and accidental button presses.
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