Apple’s MacBook Pro line is more complicated than it seems, with Touch Bar models and models without the Touch Bar still being sold. New M3 upgrades may simplify things until 2024.
With the ever-dwindling inventory of M2-powered 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros sitting on Apple’s storefront, the two larger laptop models are getting newer M3 Pro and M3 Max chips during a “Scary Fast” event. Apple says the M3 Max models, for example, are twice as fast as the M2 Max models released in January.
The new MacBook Pros can also be configured with up to 128GB of unified memory, ideal for “extreme users” who rely on multiple plug-ins and services when editing and developing photos and video and more.
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What hasn’t changed are the form factors of the new MacBook Pros, with Liquid Retina XDR displays that are plenty bright (up to 1,600 nits) and all the ports for pro users. Only this time, there’s a new Space Black coating that gives similar dark colors to the iPhone 15 Pro and, more importantly, a significant improvement in performance and battery life (up to 22 hours) thanks to the new M3 chipset.
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro are available for pre-order now, starting at $1,599 and $2,499 respectively, with the M2 Pro models seeing early shipping times (as soon as next week) and the M2 Max models scheduled to go on sale. Late November.