Whether it's truly faster or more intuitive is still up for debate. But even at its best, it's just offering a different way to get things done. It's actually pretty handy when apps support it well, as Safari, Photos, notes app Bear and a few others do. Almost three years on, the Touch Bar's usefulness remains highly suspect. One feature Apple did bring down from the higher-end MacBook Pro is the Touch Bar and Touch ID. I think that given this laptop's place between the Air and the more expensive and powerful MacBook Pro models, people considering it probably won't mind having just two ports. It seems like an arbitrary exclusion, but I've also rarely used more than two of the ports on my work-issue Pro at any time. This laptop still only has two USB-C ports for charging and connectivity rather than the four you get with more-expensive MacBook Pro models.

But if you require more horsepower, the MacBook Pro's quad-core processor is a major improvement for an extra $200.īy subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy.

If you want to save cash and aren't working on processor-intensive tasks, the Air is probably for you. Now it's a lot easier to compare these lineups. Oh, and both laptops also have Apple's supposedly more reliable keyboard design, which the company first introduced in May. But after about two years of status quo, the $1,299 MacBook Pro got some substantial changes: It now has an eighth-generation Intel quad-core processor, better speakers, a True Tone display and the controversial Touch Bar with Touch ID.

The Air simply got a $100 price drop and a True Tone display, but changes to the Pro were more extensive. There was no clear-cut best option: There was too much feature overlap, and no one machine was a winner in all regards.įortunately, Apple simplified things quite a bit last week by discontinuing the 12-inch MacBook and updating the Air and entry-level Pro. The Air was directly pitted against the 12-inch MacBook and the cheapest 13-inch MacBook Pro (sans Touch Bar). In doing so, it made choosing the best entry-level Mac laptop far more complicated than necessary. Last fall, Apple finally updated the MacBook Air.

Macbook pro used 2019