Apple M5 is here, and surprisingly, unlike the multi-product release of the M4, it comes first in the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro. And, it is only the 14in MacBook Pro with the M5 chip, as the 16in model uses the M4 Pro or Max. And there is no M5 Pro or Max, as yet.

Now, there is a clear pattern over the last four years for the MacBook Pro, where very little changes in the aesthetic, and the main point of interest is the new silicon. This has roughly translated to a 20% power increase with each chip, more AI capabilities, and an ever-expanding battery life. And this is how the tech giant is pleasing workers, creatives, and Apple-aficionados.

You can have it now, in Silver or Space Black, starting at $1,599 (£1,599), with a dizzying array of configurations to choose from, including up to 4TB of storage. But does that make the M5 MacBook Pro enough of an upgrade?

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Design

You'll have to take our word for it that the images in this review are of the M5 MacBook Pro, because it is nearly impossible to distinguish it from the M4 model (or the M3 one, for that matter). And that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's a beautiful machine, made with recycled aluminum, and with the same old Apple logos and design features we know so well. It's a timeless design, and it needs to be, because it has been used time and again.

The 14in model comes with a selection of ports, which can seem like you have decent options, but ultimately that will be down to you and your specific needs. There are three Thunderbolt 4 slots (all of which take charge and connect to monitors), an HDMI 2.1 port, a full-sized SD card reader, and a headphone jack. And, a MagSafe 3 port with a USB-C connector.

The MagSafe charger creates an issue for people in Europe. Namely, you won't get a power brick in the box of your new MacBook Pro; you have to pay £59 extra for that. And the reason is the EU's Common Charger Directive, which will apply to laptops from 28 April 2026. For the last three years, the EU has required manufacturers to use USB-C connectors as standard, but has also decreed that chargers should not be bundled with devices in a bid to reduce e-waste. This has been the case for smartphones and other devices for a while now, but it will now include laptops. In true Apple fashion, its charger is actually a USB-C to MagSafe connection (meeting the EU halfway), but you can, of course, charge the MacBook Pro via one of its other USB-C ports.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Display, keyboard, and trackpad

The 14in MacBook Pro comes with the same display specifications as the 14in M4 model. A Liquid Retina XDR display, a 3024 x 1964 resolution, and up to 120Hz refresh rate with the ProMotion setting. The one noticeable change is that you can now boost the mini LED backlight, making it brighter. Apple notes that the panel can go up to 1,000 nits of brightness for SDR content. You can also pay extra for the Nano texture display, which is basically a layer that stops glare – and it does a pretty good job, in that regard.

Compared to the M4, there is a slight increase in quality. With our colormieter, the M5 MacBook Pro produced some pretty impressive scores for both gamut color coverage and volume – 99.7% and 144.1%, respectively. The M4 managed 96% and 98.9%. Its Adobe scores were also great (85.9%), as was its peak brightness (609.44cd/m2).

When it comes to the keyboard and trackpad, we literally could have copied and pasted from the 14in M4 review, but again, it's not necessarily a bad thing. The keys are nice and punchy, beautifully backlit, and with decent travel. The fingerprint reader in the top right is quick. And the trackpad is nice, big, and smooth. Plus, that haptic feedback is still so satisfying to use.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Specs and performance

With every iteration of the M-series, Apple has managed to provide significant performance increases across the board, taking each MacBook Pro a little bit further away from the competition. However, for the 14in M5 model, there are some quite impressive benchmarks for GPU performance. The reason is down to Neural Accelerators that have been added to each graphics core, a change that uses the technology from the AI-focused Neural Engine. By adding it to each of the 10 GPU cores, Apple has increased both the Pro's AI capabilities and its graphics performance.

In GeekBench 6, the M5 scored 4248 for single-core workloads and 17600 for multi-core ones. Both of which upped the 3899 and 15234 scores of the M4 MacBook Pro. However, what's more impressive is its GPU performance. We also ran the GPU benchmarks in GeekBench 6, and the M5 Pro came back with a whopping 48228. This graphical prowess was backed by its Cinebench 2024 scores, with GPU results for 1179 multithreaded performance and 201 for single.

There might be some question marks over who this new MacBook is for – the average office bod isn't going to be pushing the GPU that hard, and those who do that sort of work would arguably want the M5 Pro chip when it's available. But you're not going to complain about receiving the 14in M5 MacBook Pro for work. It is fast, it is cool, and crucially, it has unbelievably good battery life. In our looped video test, it lasted a whopping 20hrs and 31mins. And, like last year, it lasted longer than our actual looped video. The only laptop tested by ITPro to beat that is the 14in HP OmniBook 5, which recorded 20hrs, 40mins.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Features

As with all new laptops, AI is the word. Much of the M5 Pro's new capabilities stem from that super GPU and Neural Engine, but also the new macOS "Tahoe". The Sequoia operating system will be remembered for introducing Apple Intelligence, but it's Tahoe that looks to be the bigger beneficiary of the AI suite.

There are new on-device features, such as Live Translation in Messages, Phone, and FaceTime. Shortcuts are improved with new features, like automating actions where you can string them together in an automated workflow. And the whole thing just looks slightly different, and, in our opinion, better. The design change to the Liquid Glass improves elements like the menu bar or the app windows, making them more vibrant and appealing. Features like Continuity and Spotlight now offer new ways to work across devices. Apple has really nailed the way you can use both Mac and iPhone in tandem with the new Phone app for Mac.

If there is one feature that isn't changing, it's Wi-Fi 6. Why this is still on the MacBook Pro is strange, and even more so when you consider the M5 iPad Pro, which has Wi-Fi 7.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in review: Is it worth it?

On battery life alone, the MacBook Pro is an office champion. But then, in that regard, so was the M4 model, and the HP OmniBook 5. What we're really looking at here is improvements in graphic performance and more AI capabilities. Which does beg the question, who is this 14in model for? Seems a bit too juiced for the average office bod. What's more, the M4 model of MacBook Air is significantly cheaper.

However, just because it is a bit too similar to the M4 model doesn't make it a bad laptop. It is the opposite, a stupendously great one, with a beautiful, bright display, brilliant graphical performance, and a ridiculously good battery.

Apple M5 MacBook Pro 14in specifications

The Apple MacBook Pro 14in M4 has a lot more riding on it this year. With the looming end to Windows 10 support fast approaching, a mass hardware refresh is expected. The system requirements for Windows 11 call for more powerful laptops. Here, Apple senses an opportunity; a chance to capture more users, particularly those at smaller and newer businesses.

You can get the latest MacBook for $1,599 (£1,599) with the basic configuration (16GB RAM and 512GB storage). Or you can pay $133.25 per month for 12 months – business customers will likely enjoy a discount for bulk purchases.

Apple MacBook Pro 14in M4: Design

There is a level of tidiness to Apple's hardware that few vendors can match. It's what makes its iMac screens popular for front-of-house use, or its Mac Mini machines adorable and minimalist. And its MacBook designs have influenced other vendors for almost two decades.

As such, nothing much has changed on the design compared to the M3 MacBook, though everything is neat and elegant with a smooth satin finish. The latest MacBook Pro is made from 100% recycled aluminum, with 90% recycled steel in the keyboard feature plate and 35% (or more) recycled plastic in 15 components, according to Apple. It comes in the traditional silver or (like our review unit) the more understated 'Space Black'. It looks and feels like a serious business machine, while still holding great appeal for consumers.

At 1.6kg the Pro is fairly heavy; it's a sizable hunk of laptop, and robust enough to give to employees without concern. There's a sturdy feel to the chassis and next to no flex in the lid. All in all, a solid machine that can handle the rough and tumble of remote working.

Apple MacBook Pro 14in M4: Display

As ever, Apple's Liquid Retina XDR display is on the MacBook Pro, and it's superb. Our review unit is the 14.2in model, with a 3024 x 1964 resolution and a 'ProMotion' 120Hz refresh rate that's buttery smooth. You can get a 16in model for $1,000 more, but the 14in is a good size for most office workers.

We measured the Pro's ability to reproduce colors in the sRGB color space, using the laptop's default color mode, and were left largely impressed. It hit 96% for color coverage and 98.9% for volume, with 70.1% for DCI P3. All very good scores (anything over 94% is excellent), matching the M3 MacBook Pro.

The panel can get extremely bright, too. Apple suggests it can sustain a brightness level of 1,000 cd.m2 with regular SDR content, though we only measured its peak brightness as 636.83 cd/m2 in the default setting.

Apple MacBook Pro 14in M4: Keyboard and trackpad

Typing on the MacBook Pro M4 is a dream with an excellent keyboard. Travel is a little on the shallow side, but the individual key action is great with nice positive click feedback and very little bounce or flex in the base. Once you get up to a decent typing speed, you'll notice a lovely sound – almost comforting – that the keys emit. Like a muffled drum. Pure bliss.

Its trackpad, too, is rather pleasurable. It's big, which is always useful, and highly responsive, also useful. We particularly like the single finger taps and the multi-touch gestures. However, the most lovely thing about it is the refined force feedback engine, which works so effortlessly, letting you click or double click with an easy prod in the tip left corner.

Apple MacBook Pro 14in M4: Specs and performance

When you look at what changes year on year with the MacBook Pro (and Air, or iPhone, or iPad, and so on), the Apple chip often shows the biggest improvement. And the M4 processor is another industry-leading laptop chip; it comes with a 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine. There is also the normal 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD (other configurations are available).

It feels powerful; there is no amount of tabs or applications we could run that would truly test its limits. However, in Geekbench 6, the M4 Pro scored 3,899 for single-core workloads and 15,234 for multi-core. Strangely, that is a significant increase for single cores and a minor drop for multi-threaded versus the M3 MacBook Pro (3,184 and 15,704, respectively). But, still, vastly more than anything else on the market.

For our looped video test, we set the display brightness to 170 cd/m2, turn the machine on airplane mode, and run a 20hr looped video until the battery runs out. Astonishingly, the MacBook Pro M4 outlasted the 20-hour video with 4% left on its battery – there is no other laptop, tested by ITPro this year, last year, or seemingly ever, that has that level of staying power.

And, as with all PCs now, we must talk about AI for productivity. On the Pro, we have Apple Intelligence, which can do most of the stuff your Copilot+ PCs can, but with a few Apple additions and tweaks. You can use it to customize your desktop, add apps you the top right of the screen. Summarize and transcribe emails. And also, if you have an iPhone to match, you can scan documents onto the MacBook Pro, which can then be automatically read and edited with the text translator. Nothing groundbreaking, but we did find it very useful.

Apple MacBook Pro 14in M4: Is it worth it?

Whatever configuration you get, no matter the price, the MacBook Pro 14in M4 is worth it. As a consumer device, it is amazing. As a work laptop, it is phenomenal – a surefire way to please your employees. If you have a BYOD strategy and those devices are iPhones, then it is even more appealing. Those with M3 models might have reason to stay put, but anyone with an M1 (or older) will be getting a vastly more powerful machine and a battery life you'll scarcely believe.

Apple MacBook Pro 14in M4 specifications

The Apple M3 MacBook Pro came as a surprise at the end of 2023, particularly to those who had picked up an M2 MacBook much earlier in the year. The pace of change is relentless as we are already talking about M4 chips in iPads, but it is worth holding on to M3 for a moment, if only just to appreciate the sheer quality of this latest MacBook Pro. 

It comes in a wide range of price points and specifications. As well as a slick new shade – 'Space Black'. The basic option is $1,849 for a 14in model but you can max it out to 16in and 8TB storage, though that will cost you over $7k. For this review, we've got a more modest 14in Pro M3, with 18GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, but it has at least come in that fancy new color. 

Apple M3 MacBook Pro review: Design

At face value, there isn't a lot of change for the new MacBook, aside from the lovely black finish. It is almost exactly like the M2 model, which isn't a problem, as that still means you get an attractive laptop with a solid aluminum chassis. The lid is particularly pleasing as it is quite stiff and sturdy. 

The design is solid, overall, and there is a great selection of ports. You get a full-size SDXC card slot, HDMI 2.1 output, and a MagSafe charging port. There are two USB-C ports on the left-hand side of the machine, which support Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4 data transfers, charging, and DisplayPort video output. Understandably, those ports bulk out the MacBook Pro, resulting in a chunky chassis that weighs 1.55kg. But this isn't much bigger than you would expect from a MacBook Pro. 

Apple M3 MacBook Pro review: Display, keyboard, and trackpad

Apple's 14in liquid retina XDR display is very nice. It has a 3024 x 1964 resolution, 254 pixels per inch, and an exceedingly bright panel. We can't say it's the best of the best – it's no Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra – but it is one of the most vibrant and color-accurate screens we've seen on a Mac. One thing that does stand out as a fault is the notch at the top; this was introduced with the M2 MacBook Pro and it really does need to go.   

Otherwise, this is an amazing display. With our calibrator, the M3 MacBook Pro scored 98% for color accuracy and 120% for volume. Both are impressive scores but again, slightly below the impressive Galaxy Book3 Ultra – though it does have a higher peak brightness, 633cd/m2.

The webcam, which is housed in the notch, produces nice, crisp images, and seems adaptable to most lighting conditions. And the six-driver speaker system is very clear. It makes the Pro is great for video meetings, though there isn't anything that's better or worse than previous MacBooks in that regard. 

The keyboard is decent, though it does tend to rattle when you pick up speed. That being said, the keys themselves are nice, large, and well-spaced, so typos are very few and far between. 

The glass-topped Force Touch touchpad is very good; a highly responsive control with plenty of room to swipe. You can click pretty much anywhere on the pad and get the same response – something that isn't always the case with Windows machines. 

Apple M3 MacBook Pro review: Specs and performance

The MacBook Pro review unit we were sent has the Apple M3 16-core CPU and it is as rapid as we have come to expect from the M-series. We also have 18GB of RAM, which seems like a strange amount, and 1TB SSD, which is very welcome.

M3 and the M-series, in general, have a huge advantage that comes from the way they are developed with a standardized architecture that has more and more cores wrapped around. This gives it stellar performance levels, no matter what size and spec set you opt for.

Under GeekBench 5, the M3 MacBook Pro hit 3,184 for single-core and 15,704 for multi-core scores. Here Apple is looming over Windows-based machines as there is nothing that can match the power of M3, except other Apple laptops. Even the brilliant Dell XPS range pales in comparison. 

We gave the M3 MacBook Pro as stringent a test as we could – 50 tabs, intensive video loops, lots and lots of Adobe edits – and it came through them with barely a whimper of complaint. What's more, Apple promises 22hrs of battery life and to be fair it isn't far off if you do the bare minimum with the machine. Under our looped video test, the Pro lasted 15hrs 44mins, which is very impressive – far longer than the 9hrs and 53mins of the Galaxy Book 3 Ultra. Again, no Windows machine can get anywhere near the latest Macs when it comes to battery life.  

Apple M3 MacBook Pro review: Is it worth it? 

There are many spec sets and sizes of MacBook Pro on offer and these include the suped-up M3 Max versions. The higher you go, the more dizzying the prices get. Small businesses can use Apple Financial Services to find a flexible payment plan, which is probably best for newer businesses. You can also work out upgrades and trade-ins here. Similarly, the Apple for Work service can also help with after-sales support. 

However, even with the most affordable variants, the M3 MacBook Pro is a brilliant laptop. It has a premium feel regardless of RAM size or color. If you're after a professional-looking machine, that's innovative and reliable, the Apple M3 MacBook Pro should be top of your list.

Apple M3 MacBook Pro Specifications

Apple has unveiled new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro devices, which pack the latest version of the company's M1 ARM-based architecture.

The laptops represent the second round of laptops to ditch Intel in favor of Apple's homegrown M1 chip. The first, unveiled in November 2020, included a Mac Mini, MacBook Air, and a 13-inch MacBook Pro.

During its virtual October 18 event, the company announced two new chips in the M1 series that will make their debut inside the new MacBook Pro units.

The M1 Pro integrates the GPU and CPU in a single system on a chip (SoC). It increases the width of the memory interface to 200GB/sec and supports up to 32GB of unified memory. The M1 Pro chip has 10 CPU cores and 16 cores for its GPU, and also includes dedicated silicon for driving multiple displays.

Its more powerful sibling, the M1 Max, has 400GB/sec of memory bandwidth, supports up to 64GB of unified memory, and sports a 32-core GPU.

These chips equip the new laptops with support for up to 64GB of RAM and make them more energy-efficient. The 14-inch MacBook Pro supports up to 17 hours of video playback, while the 16-inch model lasts up to 21 hours. When you do run out of charge, systems feature fast-charge technology for a quick top-up.

The most visible upgrades in the new MacBooks, however, are the displays. They feature higher resolutions than previous units, at 3024x1964 for the 14-inch unit and 3456x2234 for the 16-inch model. This beats the 13-inch MacBook Pro's display resolution of 2560x1600 and the older 16-inch model's 3072x1920.

The mini-LED displays feature the company's ProMotion technology, which adjusts the refresh rate up to 120Hz, depending on what the user is doing. Display brightness rangers up to 1,600 nits.

The bezels on the new MacBook Pros are far smaller, to the point where the company had to introduce an iPhone-style notch in the top of the display to make room for the 1080p camera and microphone.

Apple has also dropped the controversial OLED Touchbar feature, which some users called a gimmick, replacing it with physical function keys.

The MacBook includes an HDMI port, SD card slot, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports for connectivity. MagSafe magnetic charger technology, which it discontinued in 2016 in favor of USB-C connectors, also returns.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts from $1,999, and the 16-inch MacBook Pro starts at $2,499. For educational customers, the prices fall to $1,849 and $2,299, respectively.

Other announcements at the event included the company's third-generation sweat- and water-resistant AirPod earbuds. These new buds bring the AirPod Pro's AdaptiveEQ technology to the base-level devices, a longer, six-hour battery life, and MagSafe wireless charging.

Apple also announced Homepod Mini speakers in multiple colors and enhanced its music offering with a low-cost voice plan. It provides voice-only access to songs and playlists but doesn't offer its spatial lossless audio capability. It also includes Apple-authored playlists for various events.

Apple has delayed its controversial image scanning feature following negative feedback.

The company updated its briefing page on the technology, explaining it was delaying the feature based on the response it received from customers and privacy advocates.

"Based on feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers, and others, we have decided to take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features," the company said.

The feature, announced in August, would have allowed Apple to scan photos uploaded to iCloud. The photos would be scanned on user devices and compared against a set of hashes known as Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) images.

This database was originally supposed to come from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), but Apple later explained it would only scan images that also appeared in clearing houses across multiple countries.

Apple also said it would only trigger a human review if it found 30 CSAM matches using this method.

The company also announced a second feature that would scan images sent to children in its iMessage app to detect nudes and notify parents.

Both plans provoked concerns from global privacy groups. They were concerned Apple's scanning technology could be used to scan for other kinds of imagery, opening users up to government surveillance. The company vowed not to allow government requests for expanded searches.

This week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation delivered a petition protesting the technology, which was slated to be included in the next version of iOS and initially restricted to US users.

The organization pointed out that the technology breaks the end-to-end encryption functionality Apple has touted in its operating systems.

"Apple’s surveillance plans don’t account for abusive parents, much less authoritarian governments that will push to expand it. Don’t let Apple betray its users," it added.

After more than a decade of designing in-house chips for iPhones and iPads, Apple has finally said goodbye to Intel and started putting its own processors into Mac computers as well. The ARM-based Apple Silicon M1 CPU is found in the latest revisions of the MacBook Air, Mac mini and iMac – but it’s the new 13in MacBook Pro that’s likely to be of most interest to businesses.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) review: M1 processor compatibility

If you’re already using Macs in your business then you might be wary of the idea of switching to a new processor. Rest assured, the transition is almost invisible. The latest version of macOS runs identically on both M1 and Intel Macs (actually it has a few extra features on M1 models, which we’ll discuss below) – and a custom translation layer called Rosetta 2 allows you to seamlessly install and run applications that were written for the x86 platform.

There are a few caveats, however. If you’re reliant on legacy software then you need to know that M1 Macs won’t run any version of the operating system older than macOS 11.0 (the initial release of Big Sur), and it’s not guaranteed that low-level device drivers will work at all.

Note too that, without an Intel chip, you can no longer use Boot Camp to run Windows on Mac hardware. The closest you can get is installing the ARM edition of Windows inside a virtualisation host like Parallels – but right now this should be considered an experimental solution, and we’d recommend extensive testing before you rely on it for anything.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) review: Design

The new MacBook Pro looks outwardly identical to the last-generation Intel-based model, and it’s precisely as portable, measuring a modest 16mm thick and weighing 1.4kg. There are thinner, lighter alternatives – the Windows-based Dell XPS 13 springs obviously to mind, as does Apple’s own MacBook Air – but we can’t call the MacBook Pro cumbersome.

One change is that the Touch Bar is no longer optional on the M1–powered MacBook Pro: whether you want it or not, you’re getting it. And while the aluminium casing is sturdy and practical, it’s somewhat on the dull side: your only colour options are silver and “Space Grey”, which won’t turn many heads.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) review: Display

Currently the M1 MacBook Pro is only available with a 13in display – the 16in model is still Intel-powered – and it uses the same IPS panel as the 2019 revision. This is fine by us: it has the same ultra-sharp 2,560 x 1,600 “Retina” resolution, and superb brightness and colour reproduction. We measured an excellent peak brightness of 509cd/m2, with impressive colour coverage of 97.9% of the P3 colour space. Colour accuracy is outstanding too, with an average Delta E of 0.93 indicating that this screen is more than adequate for professional-grade photo and video work.

If we had to nitpick, we’d note only that the black surround measures 9mm at the sides and 14mm at the top; that’s not enormous, but it looks slightly conspicuous next to, say, that Dell XPS 13. And as usual there’s no support for touch, which – in light of the experience now offered by the iPad Pro – is starting to feel like a stubbornly arbitrary omission.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) review: Keyboard and touchpad

The 2020 MacBook Pro comes equipped with Apple’s Magic Keyboard, which features the company’s latest scissor mechanism. Compared to the old butterfly switches, this makes it much harder for dust and crumbs to get stuck under the keys, which should mean a lot fewer inconvenient breakdowns. It’s also more tactile to type on, with the key travel distance increased from 0.7mm to 1mm.

Above it, the Touch Bar is flanked by a physical Escape key at the left and a power button at the right. The latter doubles up as a fingerprint reader, adding an extra degree of security for unlocking the computer, filling in passwords and authorising payments.

The touchpad, meanwhile, is a delight to use. Apple’s touchpads have always been gloriously responsive, and this one measures a huge 135 x 81mm and supports both force touch and haptic feedback, so you can control its clickiness and optionally ‘hard press’ to access additional functions and options.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) review: Specs and performance

The M1 processor inside the MacBook Pro has eight ARM-based CPU cores, along with eight GPU cores. They’re clocked at a maximum speed of 3.2GHz, although since this is a new chip design, that doesn’t necessarily tell us anything about how it compares to the performance of other systems.

As for memory, the standard allocation is 8GB, and this should be fine for most people’s computing requirements. If you need to work with large datasets or engage in hardcore multitasking you can upgrade this to 16GB for an extra £167 excluding VAT; there’s no 32GB option however, which may be a turn-off for those involved in big data or virtualisation.

Still, you can max out the storage: the entry-level model comes with 256GB, with 512GB, 1TB and 2TB options available at premiums of £167, £333 and £667 respectively (all exclusive of VAT). Pick wisely, for as usual it’s not possible to upgrade the RAM or storage after purchase: indeed, to maximise efficiency, the M1’s system memory is located on the same physical chip as the CPU and GPU cores.

In use the M1 feels like a regular MacBook Pro, but smoother and snappier than we’re used to. When you open the lid, the screen springs instantaneously to life, and the dreaded beachball didn’t appear even when we loaded up Chrome with dozens of tabs. The system runs cool too, to the extent that we never noticed a whisper from the tiny internal fan. Compared to the jet-engine sound of an older MacBook under heavy load, it’s a big improvement.

That upgraded experience carries through to real-world performance. When we ran our standard suite of desktop benchmarks on an M1 MacBook Pro equipped with 8GB of RAM, it achieved a magnificent overall score of 220. That’s well beyond what we’d expect from a regular business laptop, and up into specialist workstation territory.

We should be clear that this performance was achieved using M1-native code. Many of the most popular software packages have now been updated to take advantage of the new Apple architecture, including Microsoft Office, all major web browsers and numerous Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Your particular line-of-business tools, however, may still be Intel-based for the foreseeable future.

Happily, this doesn’t wreck performance. Running our benchmark code under Intel emulation still yielded an absolutely respectable overall score of 125. For comparison, the 2021 Razer Book 13 scored 124, while the £1,400 Lenovo Yoga 9i merely nudged ahead with 132. It’s fair to say that, whether you’re using native or emulated code, raw speed is a non-issue.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) review: Battery life

Desktop performance isn’t the only thing the M1 architecture has going for it. The system design is also more power-efficient than the old Intel platform, and that brings big benefits when it comes to battery life. With the screen set to a standard brightness of 170cd/m2 and wireless networking disabled, we were able to watch full-screen video for an amazing 17hrs 31mins.

That’s by far the best battery life we’ve ever seen from any Mac laptop, and comes closer than any other device to matching the Asus ExpertBook B9450F’s 22+hrs result. It outlasted most Intel-based rivals by at least four hours, and in everyday use it should easily translate to a full working day away from the mains.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) review: Ports and features

Apple has a tendency to ditch legacy connectors at the earliest opportunity, even on ‘Pro’ computers. Previous Intel-based MacBook Pro systems came with a maximum of four USB Type-C ports and a 3.5mm audio socket, and the new M1 model is even more minimal, offering just two USB-C ports along with the audio connector.

This doesn’t necessarily have to be a dealbreaker. Type-C cables and peripherals are now easily available, and both sockets are Thunderbolt 4-compatible for the fastest possible speeds. When you sit down at your desk, you can use a USB dock to connect a keyboard, mouse, monitor and power supply, and still leave one port free for whatever else you may want to plug in. The system only natively supports a single external 4K display, but you can add an external DisplayLink adapter to drive additional screens.

On the software side, the latest edition of macOS (version 12, dubbed “Monterey”) includes a few M1-only capabilities that aren’t available on Intel models, including on-device dictation that transcribes your voice without sending anything to the cloud – reassuring for confidential information. M1 Macs can also blur your background in FaceTime, recognise and interact with text in photos and screenshots, and generate 3D AR objects from 2D photos. These are minor benefits for now, but as Apple continues to develop its own platform, we expect more and more M1-exclusive features will appear in future OS releases.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) review: Verdict

With its new internal architecture, the MacBook Pro 13in raises the bar for performance and battery life. Right now there’s nothing out there on the Windows side that can compete.

That said, it’s worth reiterating that the M1 itself can’t run Windows, and indeed may struggle with older Mac software. The 16GB RAM limit might be a problem for some too, while others will lament the lack of a big-screen version, or the minimal connectivity options for peripherals.

Even so, for businesses seeking a laptop that’s fast, sturdy and unlikely to conk out half-way through an offsite strategy day, the new MacBook Pro is a godsend. Apple has taken a bold step in turning away from the entrenched Intel architecture, but it’s reaped enormous rewards ­– and the in-house design has evidently brought cost savings too, meaning the base configuration can be had for barely more than a grand. It’s a great price for a fantastic general-purpose laptop.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2020) specifications

After much rumour and anticipation, Apple has finally launched its own first-party processors, which have debuted in a range of updated macOS devices.

After launching the iPhone 12 last month, the company held another “One More Thing” event to show off the new hardware, which includes updates to the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini, all of which are powered by its all-new M1 chip.

Apple M1 chip

The Apple-built M1 chip is the first-ever personal computer chip built by the company in-house, and the announcement marks the first time since 2006 that new Macs will be powered by anything other than Intel processors.

The M1 is built on Arm architecture, and Apple says it’s the first PC chip built using 5-nanometer process technology. This eight-core chip also packs 16 billion transistors, the most ever in an Apple chip, and enhanced machine learning performance with the Apple Neural Engine.

Within the M1’s eight cores are four high-efficiency cores that save on power while still delivering "industry-leading" performance, and this comes at one-tenth of the power consumption of the current dual-core MacBook Air.

The M1 chip boasts many Apple-claimed records, including being the fastest CPU core in low-power silicon, the world’s fastest CPU per watt and the world’s fastest integrated graphics in a personal computer. Generally, personal computers require three or more chips for the CPU, I/O, security and other functions. The M1 chip can handle all these tasks itself, eliminating the need for three power-draining chips.

All this tech adds up to 3.5 times faster CPU performance, up to six times faster GPU performance, and up to 15 times faster machine learning than other personal computer chips, according to Apple. On top of the superior performance, the M1 chip also supposedly allows the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air to deliver about twice the battery life of previous-generation Macs.

The M1 chip also brings the Apple Neural Engine to the Mac lineup, supposedly accelerating the devices' machine learning (ML) capabilities by up to 15 times. This, Apple says, will enable the Mac lineup to deliver quick video analysis, voice recognition and image processing.

MacBook Air

According to Apple, the MacBook Air is the world’s best-selling 13in laptop, and the new-generation model aims to hold that title with significant improvements.

This starts with the new eight-core M1 chip, which Apple says makes it up to 3.5 times faster than the previous MacBook Air. The eight-core GPU also allegedly enhances its video performance, allowing it to process graphics five times faster for minimal lag. Machine learning should get a big boost with the Air’s M1 chip too, as the company claims it’s nine times faster than the previous MacBook Air. This will speed up a wide range of ML tasks, like facial recognition or object detection.

All told, Apple claims the MacBook Air with the M1 chip is faster than 98% of all PC laptops sold in the past year.

As we mentioned above, Apple says the M1 chip is also far more efficient. With the new chip, the MacBook Air delivers up to 15 hours of wireless internet browsing and 18 hours of video playback on a charge.

The MacBook Air promises plenty of other useful updates, including improved camera image quality with reduced noise, greater dynamic range and improved white balance; a more vibrant and true-to-life Retina display; Wi-Fi 6 connectivity; two Thunderbolt ports with USB 4 support; and a fanless design for minimal noise.

The MacBook Air comes in two base configurations - one with a 256GB SSD and a seven-core GPU, and one with an eight-core GPU and 512GB of storage. Both allocations feature 8GB of RAM as standard, which can be upgraded to a maximum of 16GB.

The 256GB configuration costs just $999 in the US and £999 in the UK. The 512GB hard drive pushes the starting price to $1,249 in the US and £1,249 in the UK. Education customers can get the MacBook Air for $899 in the US, but Apple hasn’t announced its UK educator pricing.

The MacBook Air is available for preorder now, and deliveries will begin November 17.

13in MacBook Pro

The all-new 13in MacBook Pro takes what the MacBook Air offers and kicks it up a notch to meet more specialized demand. Generally, the added functions meet the needs of graphic designers, audio and video editors or students studying in these fields.

The MacBook Pro starts with the same M1 eight-core chip as the MacBook Air which, according to Apple, makes it significantly faster than most other PCs on the market. With this new chip, Apple claims the MacBook Pro’s battery lasts 17 hours when wirelessly browsing the internet or 20 hours when watching videos.

The MacBook Pro also promises 'studio-quality' microphones for clearer audio, and improved image quality for video calls thanks to the M1's image signal processor. Like the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro features two USB 4-enabled Thunderbolt ports and a default RAM allocation of 8GB, which can be boosted to a maximum of 16GB at point of purchase.

The 13in MacBook Pro with a 256GB solid-state hard drive retails for $1,299 in the US and £1,299 in the UK. Bumping to the 512GB hard drive pushed the price to $1,499 in the US and £1,499 in the UK. For educators, the MacBook Pro starts from $1,199 in the US. UK educator prices aren’t available yet.

The MacBook Pro is available for preorder now, and deliveries will begin November 17.

Mac Mini

Folks who want laptop portability with desktop functionality may prefer the Mac Mini, a high-powered small-form-factor desktop.

The Mac Mini’s big update is the new M1 chip, and like the Air and Pro, Apple claims it's three times faster than its predecessor. This small desktop also apparently features six times improved graphics performance and 15 times improved machine learning compared to the previous Mac Mini. All this power comes in a package that’s one-tenth the size of the average desktop tower.

Other upgrades to the new-generation Mac Mini include an advanced thermal design to help it stay cool and quiet, support for dual monitors and Apple Pro Display XDR in full 6K, and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.

The Mac Mini with a 256GB solid-state hard drive runs $699 in the US and £699 in the UK. Increasing the storage to 512GB bumps the price to $899 in the US and £899 in the UK. As with the laptops above, RAM starts at 8GB but can be increased to 16GB.

This tiny desktop is available for order now, and deliveries will start November 17.

This review was first published in 2019 and has since been updated. Prices were correct at the time of publication.

Apple is known for producing high-quality devices, and it's a reputation that's well earned. The company's MacBook Pro range, in particular, has set an example of high-end laptop design that many have followed, both with the laptop's visual appeal and its exceptional performance.

Apple's latest MacBook Pro models have arrived, and boast 8th-generation Intel Core processors and a handful of new features including an upgrade TrueTone display and baked-in Siri integration. However, with Dell's latest XPS 13 having surpassed the previous MacBook Pro, can Apple reclaim its place on the 13in throne?

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) review: Design

Naturally, as Apple's laptops are widely regarded as at the top of their game visually, the design of Apple's 13in MacBook Pro is stellar. However, the latest MacBook Pro doesn't look vastly different to its predecessor; it sports the same brushed aluminum finish, available in either Space Grey or Silver, and it remains extremely lightweight and slim, easily sliding into a bag and not really providing much bulk.

However, at 14.9mm thick and weighing 1.37kg, it's a little heavier than its competitors, particularly the Dell XPS 13 and HP Spectre 13. This does mean it feels more solid than the others mentioned, but we wouldn't recommend you're any less careful with it. Perhaps Apple should think about shaving off some of the bulk in future versions to keep it in line with rivals.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) review: Display

Apple's displays are also one of its MacBook headline features. The company has introduced its True Tone display into this latest version of its MacBook, after debuting it into its iPad and iPhone range last year. True Tone essentially changes the white balance of the screen according to the light conditions in your location. The result is to reduce the strain on your eyes if you're using it for a while - a great addition for workers who are using the MacBook Pro as their main computer.

However, it can change the look and feel of the screen, making the colours look a little off at some points. So if you're using it for Photoshopping or video tasks, you might want to switch it off temporarily.

It's especially important given how stunning the display is on its own. The 13.3in panel maxes out at a brightness of 502cd/m2 - More than sufficient for even the brightest or most harshly-lit conditions - and the 'Retina-grade' resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 and contrast ratio of 1,451:1 ensures that everything looks as crisp and detailed as you could ask for on a screen this size.

The technical quality is bang on, too. Our tests showed that it covers 99% of the DCI P3 colour spectrum (which Apple's default calibration aims for) as well as 100% coverage of the sRGB gamut.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) review: Keyboard and Trackpad

Apple's current keyboard design is, surprisingly, now four years old, first appearing on the 12-inch 2015 MacBook. The "butterfly-design" as Apple calls it has received a lot of complaints since it launched, mostly because customers found the keyboard totally failed when dust or other material made its way under the keys.

So although it's the same design as those previous troublesome keyboards (we're talking pre-2017 models), Apple has updated the keyboard with this latest MacBook Pro, adding rubber underlays to keys, which the company says makes typing quieter, though the rubber membrane also keeps helps keep out dust.

And these refinements have certainly worked to lessen the noise of typing. It certainly is quieter to type and although it makes the keys feel a little more cushioned and some would say, less tactile.

But we're big fans of this keyboard design, even if it has created headaches for customers and Apple. It's effortless to type on, with the low profile allowing your fingers to glide over the keys at speed. The feedback from each tap is satisfying and responsive, making it a joy to work with.

The trackpad hasn't changed at all with this latest version of the MacBook Pro, but that's fine, because it's one of the best-performing, largest trackpads out there.

Coupled with macOS' powerful gesture support, it works impressively. The only thing that can be a little tricky to master is the ability to drag and drop items around. Sometimes, we found that instead of moving files and folders, it would instead open the info screen or if highlighting text to paste, up would pop the dictionary.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) review: Hardware

Now we come to the meat of the issue: power. The MacBook Pro is (as the name suggests) a professional-grade machine, so without some muscle to back it up, all its design values and fancy keyboard are nothing but window-dressing.

Thankfully, Apple hasn't held back when it comes to performance - in fact, that's where most of the upgrades are focused. The new MacBook Pro's base configuration comes with a quad-core 2.3GHz Intel 8th-gen Core i5 processor, 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM, and a 256GB SSD. This config costs 1,749 including tax and although there's another default config available for an extra 200, the only difference is a higher-capacity 512GB drive.

If you need a bit of extra oomph in any particular area (or indeed all of them) you can also upgrade the individual components at the point of purchase. We tested the most expensive hardware configuration, which includes a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-8559U processor, 16GB of RAM and a meaty 2TB SSD.

All of this extra gubbins pushes the price up to the princely sum of 2,999 (ex VAT), but as with the 15in MacBook Pro, this number is deceptive. The 2TB SSD is a disproportionate percentage of this cost, and settling for the lowest available storage capacity - 256GB - cuts the cost down to a (comparatively) low 1,833 before tax, even with the top-end processor and RAM.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) review: Performance

Those impressive components aren't going to waste, either. This is the most powerful 13in laptop we've ever seen - and by quite a margin. In our benchmark tests, it sailed comfortably past the XPS 13, the Spectre 13, Microsoft's latest Surface Pro and even the Surface Book 2, surpassing all of them with an outstanding overall score of 150. For reference, that's a 50% faster score than was managed by the XPS 13 and almost a 150% improvement over last year's 13in MacBook Pro.

It's also surprisingly capable at professional rendering tasks, despite the fact that there's no discrete GPU to take advantage of. In the CPU-based portion of the CineBench rendering benchmark, it's not all that far behind the 15in MacBook Pro, and its performance in the LuxMark test was also credible.

Storage is also outstanding. This was a highlight of last year's model, and the MacBook Pro impresses once again with blazing speeds of 2.6GB/sec for both sequential read and write tasks. That's ahead of all its Windows-based competition for reads, and orders of magnitude faster for writes.

All this means that the 2018 MacBook Pro is just about the fastest 13in laptop on the market. At no point during our testing did it show the faintest signs of slowing down or struggling regardless of what we threw at it, and it ran like lightning no matter how many heavy-duty programs we had running.

In fact, we managed to have the IT Pro benchmarks, the LuxMark, CineBench and BlackMagic benchmarks and Adobe's Photoshop and Premiere Pro apps running simultaneously (as well as multiple Chrome windows), and it still barely broke a sweat. The days of force-quitting demanding apps to save on processing power are well and truly over.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) review: Battery Life

Unbelievably, Apple has managed to squeeze in all of this horsepower without shortening the battery life compared to last year's model. In fact, the battery life has actually increased by a full hour, and the new model achieved a score of 8hrs 41mins in our battery tests. That's ahead of all its major competition bar the XPS 13, which is notable considering how much of a beast this laptop is.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) review: Ports and features

As with the 15in MacBook Pro, there's very little in the way of ports and features that are actually new. Sadly, Apple hasn't seen fit to upgrade its cheaper, non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro models with the new specs, so if you want the new version, you've got no option but to go for the Touch Bar, which is a bit of a shame, as we're still not sold on its usefulness.

The bright side is that, because they're the more expensive versions, all of the new 13in MacBook Pros feature four Thunderbolt 3 ports instead of two, which is a blessing. That's all you get though, so get yourself an external dock if you want to use an external mouse, keyboard or non-USB C monitor.

The new model also features the ability to activate Siri with vocal commands, but this is a bit of a pointless feature, as desktop-based voice assistants really aren't all that useful.

Apple MacBook Pro 13in (2018) review: Verdict

We're used to Apple's notebooks being impressive, but the new MacBook Pro is nothing short of a work of art. It may not be quite as thin and light as some of its competition, but it makes up for it by being the most powerful 13in laptop around. It's not quite as awe-inspiring as its GPU-equipped 15in sibling, but it'll still chew through everything short of serious enterprise-grade rendering workloads.

On top of that, it's still an absolutely lovely-looking machine. There's a very good reason that the MacBook Pro has become the archetypal image of 'the laptop', and that's because it's absolutely gorgeous.

Honestly, there's very little to dislike about the 13in MacBook Pro. Sure, it's expensive, and some of the features are pointless (we're looking at you, Siri), but the simple fact is that it's supplanted the XPS 13 as the best do-it-all laptop on the market. Buy one and see for yourself.

The Apple MacBook Pro's stylish line of professional-grade notebooks has long been the port of call for anyone looking for solid performance delivered in red carpet style (barring some slight hiccups with the 2017 model's keyboard). For years models have come and gone and every time they've impressed, offering unrivalled power and beautiful, contemporary design.

2018's model is delivered with a modest amount of new additions, all hardware, all of them interesting, and each of them just as significant as the last making this the most tantalising model yet. Read on to see what we make of Apple's bigger, badder 15-inch model to see if all the new additions are worth writing home about.

Apple MacBook Pro 15in (2018) review: Design

The timeless MacBook design has gone unchanged from the previous iteration, not that it needed to. Still sexy and sleek, it sports the 2017 model's chassis and if it followed in the iPhone's naming evolution, it would be the MacBook Pro 4S.

The design is truly minimalist with clean-cut lines and with a total absence of the unnecessary. But even though the design is simple and wastes no space, it still strikes you as something took a great deal of time to perfect and it's unquestionably the most aesthetically pleasing laptop we've ever tested.

It may be 1.6cm thick and 1.8kg heavy, but it's still perfectly portable and fits easily in any reasonably sized bag without being too overbearing. It's not quite as portable as the LG Gram but it's much more slender than other 15in laptops including the Surface Book 2 and Dell XPS 15. On the plus side, Apple's signature aluminium unibody chassis maintains its feeling of high-quality, sturdy reliability.

Apple MacBook Pro 15in (2018) review: Keyboard and Trackpad

One of the comparatively few changes Apple has made to the most recent iteration of the MacBook Pro is a new keyboard, which now features a membrane underlay between the keycaps and the butterfly switches. This is supposedly to make the keys quieter (because heaven knows the previous model was all but deafening) but is in actuality designed to prevent dust and other particulate matter gumming up the keyboard - an issue which has caused widespread hardware failures.

While we didn't think there was much of a difference at first, it's immediately apparent when you compare it side-by-side with the previous model that it is noticeably quieter. Unfortunately, it has made the feedback a little bit less defined, but it's still a total joy to use and is firmly in our top three keyboards ever. The addition of this protective measure should also ensure that the newer MacBook Pros have a longer lifespan than their predecessors, which is definitely good news.

The trackpad also remains unchanged - it's still huge and expansive, with great feedback and excellent gesture support. Other manufacturers, take note: this is how all trackpads should be.

Apple MacBook Pro 15in (2018) review: Display

Aside from higher overall specifications, the main reason to pick up the 15in MacBook Pro over its 13in cousin is the extra screen real-estate that comes with an increased footprint. Sure enough, the 15.6in panel feels vast, with plenty of room for multiple windows and the 2,880 x 1,800 Retina IPS panel ensures that everything looks smooth and crisp.

Apple has finally incorporated its True Tone display technology into the MacBook Pro. First seen on the iPad Pro, this technology uses a number of sensors to measure the ambient lighting conditions in your surroundings and automatically adjust the white balance of the MacBook Pro's screen to ease eye-strain from staring at the screen. However, if you're a photo editor or graphic designer, you'll want to turn this off pretty sharpish, as it'll play havoc with the colour accuracy of the display.

With True Tone disabled, the screen is predictably outstanding from a technical standpoint. Out of the box, the screen is set to a custom colour space, which Apple refers to as simply 'Colour LCD' in the display settings but seems to map almost identically to the DCI-P3 colour space. It's virtually perfect, too - it covered 99% of the DCI-P3 colour space according to our tests, and the rich, vivid colours are a sight to behold. A scorching brightness of 445cd/m2 and superb 1,409:1 contrast ratio is simply the icing on the cake.

Apple MacBook Pro 15in (2018) review: Specs and hardware

All of these changes are interesting, but the really cool updates that Apple has made to the MacBook Pro are under the hood. Jony Ive and co have been hard at work ensuring that this year's model is the fastest MacBook ever built and to put it bluntly, they've knocked it out of the park.

Before we dive into the specifics of how it did in our tests, let's take a minute to look at Apple's typically byzantine configuration options. There are two base specifications available, the details of which you'll find in the table below.

There are various upgrade options available too, the most notable of which is the ability to bump the processor up to a hexa-core Core i9 beast, with a base clock speed of 2.9GHz. You can also upgrade the storage allocation to a maximum of 4TB and increase the memory to 32GB. If you opt for the cheaper base configuration, you can also upgrade the GPU to the more powerful Radeon Pro 560X.

Our review unit is the top-end model, which includes the aforementioned 2.9GHz hexa-core Intel Core i9-8950HK, along with 32GB of RAM, a whopping 4TB SSD and an AMD Radeon Pro 560X with 4BG of GDDR5 RAM. This monster configuration carries an equally monstrous price, though; 5,174, to be precise - and that's excluding VAT.

That's an alarmingly large number, but put down the torch and pitchfork - it's not as bad as it looks. Almost 3,000 of that figure is the 4TB SSD. Go for the entry-level 512GB drive, and the price comes down to a much more reasonable 2,774 (excluding VAT). That's still not small change but bear in mind that it does buy you some seriously impressive performance.

Apple MacBook Pro 15in (2018) review: Performance

This is amply demonstrated by its scores in our benchmark tests. Our demanding 4K benchmarks saw it rack up an absolutely bonkers score of 173 - considerably ahead of its predecessor's score of 138, and way ahead of even Dell's superb XPS 15 2-in-1. This is a seriously quick machine, and Apple's not kidding when it says it's the fastest MacBook ever.

It's not here to play, either; this is a workhorse through and through, and it proves it in our workstation benchmarks. It beat out the Dell Precision 5820 - a professional desktop workstation that costs more than 2,500 - in the CineBench CPU rendering test, and also scored well in the GeekBench tests, beating the mighty iMac Pro in single core operations.

It can't quite rival top-end desktop workstations like the Scan 3XS WI6000 Viz or the Armari Magnetar S16T-RW1000G2 when it comes to GPU-based rendering, but that's hardly surprising given that the MacBook Pro is using a mobile graphics chip compared to full-sized graphics cards. The fact that it's even being considered in the same ballpark is a testament to how capable it is when it comes to enterprise workloads.

Apple MacBook Pro 15in (2018) review: Battery life

Apple has increased that battery capacity for this year's MacBook Pro range, in an effort to maintain the same battery life as the previous generation. This was always going to be a big ask considering the power-hungry components it's using, and sadly Apple hasn't quite managed to pull it off. The 15in MacBook Pro from 2017 had a battery life of just under 9hrs, but the new version only manages 8hrs 1min.

On the other hand, this is no mean feat given that's the 2018 edition has a hexa-core i9 chip and a Radeon Pro GPU hammering away inside it; the fact that a workstation-grade laptop will do a full day of work on battery power alone is pretty damn impressive.

Apple MacBook Pro 15in (2018) review: Ports and features

This iteration of the MacBook Pro is predominantly specs-focused, which means there isn't a huge amount of new features to talk about. Aside from the aforementioned True Tone display and the new 'quieter' keyboard, there's nothing new on show here.

The biggest feature is still the OLED Touch Bar, but it's still more luxury than necessity - while we found ourselves using it intermittently, it's not really that much more convenient than using the traditional shortcuts and navigation methods. Unlike it's smaller 13in stablemate, there's no non-Touch Bar configuration available, so if you're not a fan, you'll simply have to deal with it.

As with the previous incarnation, connectivity comes courtesy of four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and just like last year's model, you'll want to invest in a dock of some kind in order to get the maximum benefit from this setup. Otherwise, you'll be left faffing around with adapters and dongles any time you want to connect any peripherals.

There is one other new feature; the MacBook Pro now supports iOS-style 'Hey Siri' voice-activation. However, we're not really sure why Apple bothered to include it. Voice commands for computers were pointless when Microsoft introduced them with Cortana, and they're just as pointless here.

Apple MacBook Pro 15in (2018) review: Verdict

Just when you think the competition might be starting to catch up to Apple, it manages to wow us all over again. The 15in MacBook Pro is the best professional-grade notebook, bar none. It's got power in spades, and it's wrapped up in the best-looking package ever to grace a desk.

It's also not as expensive as you might think. Sure, the top-end configuration is still the best part of 3,000, but that's about what you'd pay for a top-end mobile workstation from any other manufacturer, and frankly, none of them is a patch on the MacBook Pro.

It's speedy, stunning and not as horrendously overpriced as it initially appears. In short, if you're looking for the perfect 15in workstation, you've found it.

Verdict

Apple’s latest 15in MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops we’ve ever tested, and our favourite to boot. Combining raw power with stylish portability, it’s everything you could ever want in a 15in notebook.

It used to be the case that if you wanted a business-class laptop, you had to accept certain compromises. Looks, for example; enterprise-grade machines were often unprepossessing slabs of black plastic, lacking the visual flair of their consumer counterparts. They were often thicker and heavier, too; a trade-off for the more powerful components demanded by business users.

Those days, however, are long gone. Now, not only are business-class devices as slim and attractive as consumer laptops, they're frequently the same device. As users demand better experiences from their work machines and high-powered components become cheaper and more readily available, the worlds of enterprise and consumer notebooks are merging.

Take the twin examples of the Dell XPS 13 and the Apple MacBook Pro - two devices that expertly straddle the line between home and business, with a combination of high-performance hardware and attractive, eye-catching designs.

Both are modern and good-looking enough to keep users happy, while a suite of business-friendly features ensure that they can minimise headaches for the IT department as well.

But which one is best-suited to businesses? Aside from the whole 'Mac versus PC' debate, there's actually not as much to separate these two devices as you might think. Both are more than capable of cutting it in an enterprise environment, with buckets of features and gorgeous screens. We've put them through their paces to find out which one comes out on top.

Dell XPS 13 vs Apple MacBook Pro 13in: Design

When you're paying upwards of 1,000 for a laptop, it's not unreasonable to expect it to look the part. Thankfully, both the XPS 13 and the MacBook Pro seriously deliver in this regard. Apple's design is arguably the more timeless, with its instantly-recognisable anodised aluminium frame and smooth, rounded corners. However, Dell's angular, black-accented aesthetic exudes a certain level of business-like sophistication - the XPS 13 looks like it would be just as comfortable in a data centre as it would in a coffee shop.

Both laptops are also highly portable, although surprisingly it's the MacBook that's tipping the scales more than the XPS, with a 1.37kg weight over the XPS 13's 1.21kg. It's also thicker than Dell's notebook, measuring 14.9mm versus the XPS 13, which measures 11.6mm at its thickest edge.

While both laptops are undeniably attractive, we have to say that we're slightly more taken with the XPS 13's appearance. It has slightly more visual flair than Apple's offering, and although there's not much in it, it's slightly more portable too.

Dell XPS 13 vs Apple MacBook Pro 13in: Keyboard and trackpad

It may seem like a small thing compared to something like the display or performance, but the keyboard is one of the most important things a laptop needs to get right. After all, you're going to be using it virtually every moment you spend with your laptop, so it pays to make sure it's the experience is a good one.

Dell's keyboards are generally very good, with crisp action and firm feedback. The backlit chiclet keys are well-spaced too - with the exception of the half-height arrow keys, which are severely cramped and led to us hitting the wrong keys on numerous occasions.

If Dell's keyboard is good, then the MacBook's is nothing less than sublime. Featuring Apple's trademark butterfly switch mechanism, the keys have virtually no travel depth. We'd normally say this was a bad thing, but as they also need virtually no activation force, it actually results in a really pleasant typing experience once you get your head around it and adjust your typing style accordingly.

Apple's latest MacBook Pro iteration has also added a rubber underlay beneath each keycap. This is ostensibly to make the keyboard quieter (and it does, noticeably) but it's also designed to prevent dust from getting into the internal workings and borking the keyboard. A positive step - albeit one that probably shouldn't have been necessary in the first place.

The MacBook also wins on the trackpad front. The XPS 13's trackpad is perfectly adequate, but Apple's is much more spacious and has a nicer finish to boot.

Dell XPS 13 vs Apple MacBook Pro 13in: Display

Apple's devices have historically had a very strong pedigree when it comes to their displays and, as expected, the most recent MacBook Pro is on full form. The 2,560 x 1,600 13.1in IPS panel looks great, with perfect colour accuracy and reproduction, as well as a stonking contrast ratio of 1,451:1 and a blazing 502cd/m2 brightness.

It also features Apple's True Tone display technology - a first for the company's notebooks. Previously appearing on Apple's mobile devices, this feature dynamically adjusts white balance to prevent eye-strain, but be warned that it will play merry hell with colour accuracy.

The XPS 13, meanwhile, is a slightly different beast. For starters, it's available in two resolutions: 1080p and 4K. The MacBook Pro occupies a sweet spot more or less in the middle of these two resolutions, which we'd say is probably the optimum - 1080p is a little on the low side for detail-oriented design work, but 4K is total battery-obliterating overkill for a 13in display.

We tested the 1080p version, which was perfectly fine for most things - although we did find ourselves missing the ever-so-slightly crisper visuals of the MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, the colour quality wasn't quite on par with the MacBook either. Its colour reproduction and accuracy were ever-so-slightly behind the MacBook's, as were its contrast and brightness. This is still an excellent result, mind you, and far from disappointing - but Apple's notebook was better.

Dell XPS 13 vs Apple MacBook Pro 13in: Specs and performance

One of the main reasons Apple has been able to maintain its place as one of the biggest laptop-makers in the world is that its devices are generally among the most powerful in their category. Even when they're a generation or two old, MacBooks can usually be relied upon to be relatively speedy - something that isn't always true of Windows machines.

Recently, however, Windows devices have been closing the gap. Indeed, the 15in variants of the MacBook Pro and XPS were virtually neck-and-neck in our performance tests - an achievement that was unthinkable in previous years.

Now we come to the 13in models, both of which are advertised as having Intel's 8th-gen processors, with both Core i5 and i7 models available. The models on test both used a Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, offering a (seemingly) level playing field.

Sadly, the XPS 13 has not been able to equal its bigger brother's achievement. In our performance benchmarks, the MacBook Pro's storming score of 150 left the XPS eating its dust with a score of 96 - more than 50% slower than Apple's laptop.

The reason for this, we suspect, is that while both machines technically do have Intel's 8th-generation chips inside them, the MacBook Pro actually has a more advanced processor. It's part of the 'Coffee Lake' family, whereas the XPS 13's processor is part of the Kaby Lake R product cycle, a sort of mid-generation update before Coffee Lake officially arrived.

The upshot is that the MacBook's Core i7-8559U processor - with its higher clock speed and TDP - runs rings around the Core i7-8550U used in the XPS 13. That isn't to say that the XPS is slow by any stretch of the imagination; it's more the case that the MacBook just happens to be frighteningly quick.

Storage, unsurprisingly, is another victory for Apple; with 2.2GB/sec for reads and 44MB/sec for writes, the XPS is putting in a good show, but we've yet to see a laptop that can equal the MacBook Pro's 2.6GB/sec combined read and write speeds.

Dell XPS 13 vs Apple MacBook Pro 13in: Battery life

With high-end notebooks, the trade-off for increased power is usually that battery performance has to suffer to some degree. Happily, however, this is not the case here. Battery life is excellent for both the XPS 13 and the MacBook Pro, considering how powerful both machines are.

The MacBook managed a score of 8hrs 41mins in our battery tests, which is a full hour longer than the previous model. It's the XPS that soars into the lead here though, with a sensational result of 10hrs 7mins - a clear win over Apple's device.

Dell XPS 13 vs Apple MacBook Pro 13in: Ports and features

The XPS 15 scored points over the 15in MacBook Pro with a more generous and well-rounded selection of ports, but sadly that's not the case with the smaller models; both XPS 13 and 13in MacBook Pro have gone all-in on the Thunderbolt 3 standard, cutting older ports like USB 3 and HDMI altogether.

The MacBook has a slightly bigger allocation, with four Thunderbolt 3 ports - the XPS, by comparison, only has two, plus an additional (slower) USB-C 3.1 port. It does a Micro SD card slot though, which goes some way to making up for it. In any case, the reality is that you'll want to invest in some form of docking solution to accompany both of these devices.

Elsewhere, there a couple of neat features that the XPS 13 has over the MacBook Pro; principally, facial recognition via Windows Hello. While both devices offer fingerprint readers for biometric login, only the XPS offers face recognition. The only negative is that the camera in at the bottom of the screen, which means horrible angles for any video calls you may want to do.

The MacBook Pro is still sporting the Touch Bar, too. It's a feature we're still on the fence about. We found ourselves rarely using it, but it's possibly something that requires using on a more regular basis before it starts becoming part of your routine.

Dell XPS 13 vs Apple MacBook Pro 13in: Verdict

While you may have a natural preference for one or the other, there's simply no getting away from the fact that both the Dell XPS 13 and the13in Apple MacBook Pro are truly fantastic laptops. They're both attractive, capable and powerful, and we doubt anyone would be particularly disappointed to find either gracing their desk. There can only be one victor, however, and the MacBook Pro's staggering performance makes it an easy choice.

Admittedly there's a big price differential; with the top processor and RAM options and a 256GB SSD, the MacBook Pro comes in at 1,833 exc VAT, while a comparably-equipped XPS (with a bigger hard drive) will set you back 1,374 exc VAT, saving you around 500. Even bearing that in mind, however, the MacBook's extra oomph makes it worthwhile for those that have to handle serious workloads.

Despite the XPS 13's better battery life and slimmer, lighter frame, the MacBook Pro is too much of a powerhouse to pass up on. If you can't justify taking the extra 500 out of your budget then the XPS won't disappoint, but if you want the best then it's Apple all the way.

Verdict

The XPS 13 puts up a spirited fight, with a stellar battery life, a slim frame and a reasonable price, but it just can’t compete with the raw power Apple has put into the MacBook Pro.

Apple has released a patch designed to solve a throttling issue affecting its latest MacBook Pro.

The throttling issue on 2018 MacBook Pro models emerged last week, when the first wave of devices started arriving with users.

It was first discovered when YouTuber Dave Lee found that the new model was underperforming compared to its predecessor.

Running Adobe Premiere Pro on his new 15in 2018 MacBook Pro (with a 2.9GHz Intel Core i9 chip), Lee found that it ran slower (and hotter) than the 2017 Pro's Core i7 chip.

His findings were verified by other customers and publications, and Apple has reportedly apologised for the issue, saying it is accidental.

"We apologize to any customer who has experienced less than optimal performance on their new systems," a spokesman told The Verge.

The company blamed a missing digital key in the firmware that drove down clock speeds under heavy thermal loads, meaning the 8th-gen Intel Core processors were throttled to below their baseline speeds.

The bug affects all new versions of the MacBook Pro - both 13in and 15in models - but not older versions of the laptop.

Apple's supplemental update, MacOS High Sierra 10.13.6, is available for download on the new models, and re-inserts the missing digital key.

It's the latest drama to unfold around Apple's latest machines, which also sport a redesigned keyboard that was ostensibly dreamt up to make the keyboard quieter, but which appears to solve a problem where dust or crumbs would stop keys from working.

That problem led to lawsuits against the tech giant, which was forced to offer free fixes for customers, but it's steadfastly refusing to admit that the 2018 MacBook Pro's keyboard redesign was a purposeful move to fix the issue.

Apple's keyboard on the new 2018 MacBook Pro may have quietly fixed an issue where dust rendered keys inoperable, a teardown of the latest machine suggests.

Despite Apple claiming the new 2018 MacBook Pro keyboards were not made to prevent the widely reported issue, iFixit has taken apart the new model and found a silicone membrane that covers the mechanism under each key.

Sam Lionheart, lead teardown engineer at iFixit, said: "Apple is in the middle of several class-action lawsuits for the failure of their keyboards, so of course they can't just come out and say, "Hey, we fixed it!" That says there was a problem to begin with."

The problem being referred to is with Apple's faulty butterfly keyboards that have been the focus of lawsuits that allege dust and debris filtered in through the keyboard can make them useless.

The company has earlier admitted a "small percentage" of MacBooks had suffered a design flaw where letters or characters can repeat themselves or feel sticky, but a lawsuit filed in May this year alleges that dust and debris that filtered into MacBooks via the keyboards is the reason and that Apple's Genius bars wouldn't acknowledge the problem.

The butterfly mechanism was a big redesign for MacBooks in 2015 that saw the keyboard slimmed down by 40%. At the time the company claimed it was four times more stable than the older mechanism.

13/07/2018: Apple launches new MacBook Pro configurations for 2018

Apple has unveiled a surprise update to its MacBook Pro devices, including faster chips, upgraded specs and better displays.

The biggest news is that Apple's MacBook range will now feature Intel's 8th-gen processors. The 15in model will support hexacore i7 and i9 CPUs, while the smaller 13in model will support quad-core i5 and i7 components. In addition, the RAM allocation on the 15in model has been doubled from 16GB to 32GB, while both models now include an increased maximum storage capacity and Apple's TrueTone display technology.

There's a catch, however: the newer, more powerful hardware is only available on the more expensive Touch Bar models. The cheaper versions that have regular function keys instead of Apple's fancy OLED Touch Bar have to make do with the older specifications.

13in MacBook Pro 2017 vs 13in MacBook Pro 2018

15in MacBook Pro 2017 vs 15in MacBook Pro 2018

The new processors should offer a significant boost over the previous generations. While the clock speed has only seen a modest increase from last year's offering, the extra two cores should prove a big boon to multi-threaded application like video rendering. In fact, Apple is quoting performance improvements of 70% for the 15in MacBook Pro and 100% for the smaller 13in model.

Another major improvement is support for Apple's T2 chip, a security processor that was first released as part of the iMac Pro earlier in the year. In addition to enhanced protection features like secure boot and on-the-fly encryption, it also brings support for 'hey Siri' voice activation. Apple claims that the new models feature improved 'quieter' keyboards, too - although whether they last any longer than previous models' notoriously fault-prone keyboards is yet to be seen.

The refresh has come somewhat unexpectedly; Apple usually times updates of its hardware to coincide with one of its major launches or events, such as WWDC or its annual iPhone release. This time, the announcement was made with minimal fanfare.

Although the price of the base configurations has remained more or less the same, your wallet may be in for a shock if you want to max out the hardware specs; the top-end configuration (including hexa-core i9 processor, 32GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD) costs 6,209 inc VAT. For reference, that's well over 2,000 higher than what the previous top-spec model cost. This seems to largely be down to the 4TB SSD which, according to Apple's configuration page, adds an extra 2,880 compared to the standard 512GB SSD.

There have been other subtle changes as well - for example, the cheaper, non Touch Bar-equipped 15in model has now been totally removed, meaning that if you want to have the larger screen size, you'll now be forced to pay a higher price for the Touch Bar version.

As with most surprise Apple announcements, the new MacBook Pro configurations are available to buy now from Apple's site, and will be available through authorised resellers later in the week.

Apple's MacBook Pro is now somewhat venerable by laptop standards. The latest design was launched in 2016 to great fanfare, and got even better last year with the upgrade to Intel's 7th-generation Kaby Lake CPUs. However, Apple's challengers have been nipping at the MacBook Pro's heels ever since, and companies like Acer, Dell and HP are gaining ever more ground on it.

With so much competition, has the MacBook Pro still got what it takes to keep Apple as king of the notebook hill?

MacBook Pro 13in (2017) review: Screen, keyboard and trackpad

There's no denying the 2017 MacBook Pro's screen is still stunning. Not only are the colours vibrant, with accurate contract and brightness throughout, but images are pin sharp on the 2,560 x 1,600 pixel retina display. Always one of the MacBook Pro's most redeeming features, the resolution does definitely not disappoint. Bravo again, Apple.

Just as the brightness and contrast deserve praise, so does colour reproduction. Apple's decided to give the 2017 MacBook Pro something of a feature boost, with a wider DCI P3 colour gamut. This means the colours are richer and offer a pretty spot-on reproduction of colours - better than the majority of the notebooks available today.

Whether you use a MacBook Pro to edit images and video, or just want to watch YouTube, play around with files or need it for more intricate design work, the screen makes this all a breeze.

The MacBook Pro's keyboard is unquestionably one of the best on the market. Rather than attempting to maximise the travel distance and feedback of each key, Apple has essentially done the opposite, shaving travel time down to a bare minimum.

This would be a negative point, were it not for the fact that it has also scaled down the amount of force needed to actuate each keystroke, meaning that after a brief adjustment period, your fingers will be gliding over the keys with effortless speed and grace. It's a far cry from the solid 'thunk' of a good mechanical keyboard, but feedback is still firm and satisfying as well.

The MacBook Pro's trackpad is another highlight, providing plenty of room to manoeuvre while offering appropriate sensitivity levels that let you move to the edges of the screen without having to reposition your finger. Unfortunately, the left and right clicks aren't quite punchy enough to provide the sort of feedback we enjoy on other trackpads, but this is a fairly minor gripe.

We can do nothing but praise the accuracy of the MacBook Pro's trackpad. The fact it responds to every tiny stroke makes it ideal for intricate tasks such as photo and video editing that are usually more suited to an external mouse or even a graphics tablet.

Multi-touch gestures have also seen much improvement in this latest version of Apple's portable hardware, making it much easier to stroke using two fingers or more to complete actions. Even if you're yet to uncover this seemingly secret world, now's the time to give it a go.

MacBook Pro 13in (2017) review: Design and features

Unfortunately, Apple hasn't had a change of heart and has still omitted the majority of 'standard' ports, such as a full-size USB connector. Along with the USB, the Thunderbolt 2, SD card reader and HDMI ports are also gone. All except the standard 3.5mm jack have been replaced by Thunderbolt 3 slots that can be used for everything, including data transfer tasks and hooking up printers, an external mouse if you're not keen on using Bluetooth, a monitor and just about everything else you may want to add.

The lower-cost iterations of the MacBook Pro only have two ports too (and one will need to be used for charging the laptop if you like to work with it plugged in), so only having one port will cause some annoyance. If you opt for the more expensive Touch Bar-enabled laptop, you'll have four to play with, but that comes at a hefty price.

This may prove a pain for a large chunk of MacBook users. If you're using it as a desktop replacement, it means you may need to rethink your workstation setup, as monitors, keyboards, and other peripherals likely won't connect directly to Thunderbolt 3 ports. Your best option is to invest in a dock, which adds extra hassle and expense onto an already pricey device.

There's a silver lining, though, and that's that having to use a dock can actually streamline your workspace and make you more mobile. You can get your whole setup connected in one stroke (connect your monitor, keyboard, mouse and any other peripherals to the dock, which then connects to your MacBook with one cable), making it easier to flit between mobile and desk-based working.

That's something you're going to want to be doing a lot, too - this is Apple's thinnest, lightest MacBook Pro yet, and it's never been easier to sling it in a bag when you're heading out the office. In fact, it's the same weight as the equivalent MacBook Air and as thin as the Air's thickest point, although it doesn't taper to a fine edge. In terms of mobility, it's definitely Apple's best laptop thus far for working on the go.

While it may seem like an odd point to mention, the MacBook Pro's hinge is really nice. The movement is smooth, with noticeably less force needed to adjust it than older models. It shouldn't make that much difference, but it's a small touch that gives it a satisfyingly premium feel.

MacBook Pro 13in (2017) review: Hardware and specs

Apple hasn't refreshed the MacBook Pro's hardware since mid-2017, so it's still sporting last generation's Kaby Lake chips. The 13in model comes with a Core i5 processor, with a base clock speed of 2.3GHz for the entry-level non-Touch Bar version and 3.1GHz for the higher-specced version with Apple's Touch Bar tech.

You can also swap both processors out for slightly faster options at the point of purchase, and both come with 8GB of LPDDR3 memory as standard, with an option to beef that up to 16GB. Both versions of the 13in MacBook Pro use Intel's built-in graphics processing - in order to get a proper discrete GPU, you'll need to upgrade to the 15in model.

These aren't bad specifications, necessarily, but they're no longer quite as cutting-edge as they used to be. It's starting to show, too - the most recent Dell XPS 13 outclassed Apple's top-end MacBook Pro by more than 60% in multi-core performance, according to our Geekbench tests.

Having said that, the 2017 MacBook Pro has had a significant bump over its Skylake-powered predecessor. According to our benchmarks, it's around 10% faster. However, when we ran it through the Geekbench tests, it was more than twice as fast as the 2016 MacBooks at single-core operations, and around a third faster for multi-core tasks. It's roughly on par with the Core i5 version of Microsoft's latest Surface Pro, pulling slightly ahead in terms of multi-tasking.

Even if it's no longer top of the pile in terms of performance, we still wouldn't expect the newest crop of MacBook Pros to struggle with anything but the most demanding of tasks, and our review unit did not disappoint. Even when running the latest version of Adobe Photoshop, LibreOffice, Spotify and three Chrome windows with more than 10 tabs each, the MacBook Pro didn't break a sweat, and you're unlikely to see slowdown unless you start seriously pushing it to the max with intensive rendering tasks.

The 2016 MacBook Pro's already-excellent storage speeds have also been improved on, with an upgrade to both read and write performance. The 2017 MacBook Pro's read speed has had a negligible speed boost of around 5%, bringing it up to about 2.1GB/sec, but write speeds have had a massive 69% uptick, pushing them to a blazing 3GB/sec. We managed to transfer 8.5GB of files in mere seconds.

These speeds are blazing, to say the least, and outstrip the competition by a country mile. If you've ever been bothered by long load times, the new MacBook Pro should make those frustrations a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, one area where the latest MacBook Pro has slipped slightly is in terms of its battery life. The 7hrs 30mins score it racked up in our benchmark tests isn't exactly shameful, but it's more than two hours less than last year's model and less than a full workday.

This is the price that you pay for Kaby Lake's improved performance over its predecessor, but it's an irritating compromise that we could have done without. On the other hand, Thunderbolt 3 charging means that it's compatible with a huge range of third-party power supplies, so juicing back up shouldn't be a problem.

MacBook Pro 13in (2017) review: Verdict

When Apple first debuted its redesigned MacBook Pro in 2016, it was a seriously impressive machine; sleek, sophisticated and without an ounce of uncessary fat on it, it was the pinnacle of notebook design in a number of ways. Last year's addition of 7th-generation Kaby Lake chips made it even more attractive, offering some of the best performance around, and it richly deserved the five-star score and Editor's Choice award that we gave it when we first reviewed it.

Two years on from the initial launch, however, and the blush has come off the rose to a certain extent. Apple's top-spec MacBook Pro is now being outperformed by cheaper Windows alternatives thanks to Intel's 8th-gen processors, and while Apple's design still hasn't truly been equalled from an aesthetic standpoint, its rivals are now both thinner and lighter.

It's still a heavyweight performer, and you're very unlikely to be disappointed by it in any particular way - but the fact is that it's now even worse in terms of value for money than it was originally. If you've got the cash to splash and nothing but Apple will do, then it's still the MacBook to buy, but if you want a cheaper, more portable and more powerful option, then Dell's XPS 13 is the notebook to go for.

This might not last long though; rumours suggest that Apple may be about to unveil a new line of Coffee Lake MacBook Pros, and if it does, we fully expect them to re-establish the Cupertino company's place at the top of the heap.

Apple has launched two new MacBook Pros, a 13in and 15in, which are on sale in the UK now. The big new feature is the touchbar, which has replaced the function buttons, but battery life and graphics capabilities have also been increased, as has memory capacity.

Here we round up everything you need to know about the new MacBook Pro 2016.

MacBook Pro 2016 at a glance

• New MacBook Pro is on sale in the UK now
• Three options, 13in MacBook Pro, 13in MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and 15in MacBook Pro with Touch Bar
• Intel core i7 processor on 15in version, core i5 on 13in
• 15in MacBook Pro has up to 2TB storage, 13in MacBook Pro has up to 1TB storage
• 13in Touch Bar MacBook Pro UK price from 1,749
• 15in Touch Bar MacBook Pro UK price from 2,349

Apple MacBook Pro 2016 news

07/11/2016: Apple released its new MacBook Pro earlier this month, with some changes in its basic design and the introduction of a USB-C port.

The company faced criticisms due to this latter new feature, particularly due to the need for most users to buy adapters and carry them around, as the new port is not yet widely used.

While the previous MacBook Pro had a variety of ports, such as USB type-A, HDMI, and Thunderbolt 2 ports as well as an SD card slot, the new model only offers users the USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports, meaning that users will have to buy adapters to use existing peripherals.

This has led to an outcry from disgruntled users and has forced Apple to drop the price of USB-C adapters, to stem the flow of criticisms and encourage customers to purchase the new MacBook Pro.

The prices of adapters have been dropped by up to half price, while third-party peripherals such as the 4K and 5K LG screens introduced last month, have seen a 25% drop, while SanDisk's SD card reader has seen a 40% price cut.

The new ports are not the only complaint relative to the new MacBook, which some users claimed is underpowered and has too little RAM (16GB).

Apple said in a statement: "We recognise that many users, especially pros, rely on legacy connectors to get work done today and they face a transition. We want to help them move to the latest technology and peripherals, as well as accelerate the growth of this new ecosystem. Through the end of the year, we are reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple's USB-C adapters and cables."

The new MacBook Pro was launched at an Apple event called "Hello Again", which took place on Thursday 27 October.

31/10/2016: The classic Mac startup chime, which has been a feature of both dasktop and laptop Apple Macs for over 30 years, has been removed on the new MacBook Pros.

The chime is an indicator to the user that the computer has finished its initial hardware and software diagnostic tests successfully and is starting up. However, website Pingie first noted that it is missing from the latest MacBook Pros.

But, where one feature dies a new one is born. In this case, the MacBook Pros will start up upon opening the device's lid, whether or not it's connected to a power source. It will also start up when it's connected to a power adaptor either if the lid's open or if it's connected to an external display.

All three MacBook Pros 13in, 13in with Touch Bar and 15in with Touch Bar are available to buy immediately from 1,449.

Apple Hello Again: Live Blog

19:25: Out now!

Cook finishes up by saying that the MacBook Pro is out now!

Apple's releasing three models; a 13in Pro with no Touch Bar, and a 13in and 15in with the Touch Bar.

The non-Touch Bar model is available from Saturday, and the other two ship in three to four weeks, according to Apple's UK site.

Here's the UK pricing: 13in MacBook Pro (without Touch Bar) 1,449; 13in MacBook Pro 1,749; 15in MacBook Pro 2,349

And with that, the event is over. Thanks for following our live blog!

19:16: 10 hours battery life

Both the MacBook Pro 13in and 15in models have up to 10 hours of battery life, according to Phil Schiller. It's also 6.8 million times faster than the original Pro, he points out - it can do a year of the 25-year-old golden oldie's computing in less than five seconds.

18:52: 67% brighter MacBook Pro

The new MacBook Pro is 67% brighter and offers 67% higher contrast ratio than its predecessor, while offering 25% more colours.

Its SSD storage is 50% faster, and holds up to 2TB.

18:40: Apple scraps function keys for OLED Touch Bar

It adapts to the software you're using, for instance, letting you straighten photos, or offering a search bar when you land on a website.

It also comes up with typing suggestions:

18:40: New MacBook Pro

Here it is:

It comes in two models - 13in and 15in, and boasts a ForceTouch trackpad that's two times larger than previous generations.

18:30: MacBook 25th anniversary

This week amrks the 25th anniversary of Apple's first notebook - the Power Book.

Wanna have a look? Oh go on then...

18:28: Search Mac files with Siri

On MacOS Sierra, you can search for files with Siri, Cook reminds us.

18:23: Siri voice commands

Siri on Apple TV is getting better, too: it can understand questions like 'what other football games are on?' and will know what show to bring up if you say 'let's watch the Louisville game'.

18:16: Apple TV

"The future of TV is apps," says Cook, boasting Apple now has 8,000 TV apps.

But even more important is, Cook wants it to be the one place to discover TV shows and watch anything.

To do that, it's announcing a new app caled 'TV' (er, Tim, I think that one's been taken).

In TV's Watch Now, ou can browse by category - TV shows, movies, and more. It looks like Apple wants TV to be the new Netflix.

It lets you download iTunes movies or head to the Store for more content.

18:11: Apple Watch Nike Plus

Cook says the Nike version of the Watch 2 comes out tomorrow, which is great for sporty types (I wouldn't know).

18:05: Updates

Tim Cook starts out by detailing some new updates, beginning with the iPhone.

He says the "customer response has been very strong" to the iPhone 7 - important, considering Apple just experienced its first decline in 15 years.

Memories

A new feature on the iPhone 7 will pull out new photos everyday from your collection to remind you of cool memories, says Cook.

iOS 10

Cook says 60% of iPhone users are now on iOS 10, as compared to 1% of Android users on Nougat...

18:04: And here's Tim Cook! He says he spots "a few iPhones out there" in the audience.

17.57: After an accidental leak, Apple rather gave the game away yesterday when it posted images of its new MacBook Pro, all but confirming it will feature an OLED bar above the keyboard that replaces its normal function keys.

It's also very likely to feature Touch ID and will replace the USB port with a USB Type-C.

But we're about to find out a lot more... stay tuned!

Apple seems to have accidentally leaked pictures of its newest Macbook Pro, confirming that the laptop update will be announced later today.

The images were released on MacRumours and appear to have been inadvertently added to a page about Apple's latest operating system.

The pictures show the new Macbook Pro's keyboard, with an additional panel that seemingly replaces the physical function keys on a standard keyboard.

It would also include a fingerprint sensor - presumably so people can log into the computer without a username and password - and a touchpad that suggests it would use gestures or sweeps as is the case with the touchpad rather than keys to carry out actions such as lightening the screen, turning the volume up and down or controlling music with iTunes.

Although there's some speculation that Apple may have released the pictures on purpose to promote its new line on Macbook Pros, one analyst doubts this is the case with the Macbook Pro.

"The leaks are massively damaging as these companies want to have their 'wow moments' when products are unveiled, and an explosion of media coverage, rather than a more tepid response because the details are known in advance," said Ben Wood from CCS Insight told the BBC.

"But it seems to have become virtually impossible for any large company to keep new tech products under wraps."

24/10/2016: Hello Again: iMac won't launch at Apple Event

Apple' is expected to present its new series of Macbooks at an event on Thursday, 27 October.

Ming-Chi Kuo, of KGI Securities analyst, predicts that at Thursday's "Hello Again" event, Apple will introduce its new MacBook series, but not the new iMac, according to MacRumors.

Kuo's report suggested Apple will present a redesigned MacBook Pro and a 13-inch MacBook, which could be a MacBook Air.

He also believes Apple will place Intel's Skylake processor on Apple's MacBook Pro, as well as an oxide panel that ensures better display quality and energy efficiency.

The new MacBook series should also come with substantial changes in design, including an OLED touch bar, Touch ID sensor and the substitution of a traditional USB port with a USB-C port. According to the analyst, Apple could include a Type-C and MagSafe-like adapter.

Although Thursday could be the time at which Apple releases new MacBook models, iMacs might not be included in the event.

Although Apple is developing iMacs and Cinema Display, their shipping schedule is not imminent, hence Kuo is uncertain whether these products will be introduced this week.

The analyst believes interested users might have to wait until the first half of 2017 for these devices to be announced.

20/10/2016: Apple sends out invites for possible MacBook Pro launch

Apple's colourful invite to the upcoming Cupertino event on 27 October, sent out to press on Wednesday, may suggest something more significant than it first appears.

The word "Hello" has become a significant call sign for Apple since the release of the original Apple II in 1977. The 'hello' program was a feature on Apple DOS 3.1, which would automatically launch on boot and allow for program selection if the disk contained more than one title.

Fast forward to 1984, the cursive "Hello" featured in marketing materials, painted across the black and white screen of the Macintosh 128k. It was not until the release of the iMac that saw the use of 'Hello, (again)' featured once more in marketing campaigns, evoking nostalgia of the original Macintosh.

Importantly, Apple, who is particularly savvy when it comes to marketing, has used the word 'Hello' during significant shifts of company focus. With the recent press invite, users are once again expecting something big at the event in Cupertino.

Rumours are suggesting we will get to see the new MacBook Pro, but it may feature some significant changes, including a shift to USB-C and the scrapping of physical function keys above the keyboard in favour of an OLED touch bar.

Whatever Apple has planned, it is certainly creating some excitment.

19/10/16: Apple may launch a new MacBook Pro at a Cupertino event on 27 October, according to Recode, but another model pegged for release further in the future might not feature a USB port.

The new laptop to be unveiled later this month is rumoured to include an OLED touch bar above its keyboard, replacing the existing physical keys there.

It will be thinner and lighter, with Touch ID support to unlock the laptop with a fingerprint, according to 9To5Mac.

It may also swap traditional USB ports for USB Type-C ports. This is a smaller USB plug that could make the new MacBook thinner and easier to carry.

The OLED bar's functions could change according to what the user is currently using the laptop for, hence making the next MacBook Pro even more user friendly.

These drastic changes would come in the same year in which the company introduced the EarPods, headphones that work with the iPhone 7 by connecting through the Lightning port, removing the traditional headphone jack.

Apple might present a new MacBook Air and iPad Pro at the same event, and if so, it would come one day after an event at which Microsoft is expected to be introducing updated versions of its Surface Book and Surface Pro 4.

Hello everybody! Tonight Apple will livestream the Hello Again event, in which the tech giant is expected to make some major announcements around its laptop line up.

After an embarrassing leak yesterday, it's almost certain that Apple will launch a new MacBook Pro that will feature a contextual toolbar and Touch ID, but what else can we expect?

We at IT Pro gaze into the crystal ball to share our predictions with you

Jane McCallion, features editor

What I expect to see:

It's way, way to early for a new iPhone of any description, so I've very much got a laptop and desktop vibe. It could be a new Mac Pro, quite possibly a MacBook Pro.

What I'd like to see:

I always read a lot into the tag lines of these events and I've got a feeling there could be some kind of Siri-based announcement. I'm not quite sure what, but that's my feeling!

Ingrid Fadelli, staff writer

What I expect to see:

I think on Thursday Apple will be announcing its new series of MacBook laptops, including the new MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air.

I would expect Apple to have made significant changes in the new MacBook Pro's design. For instance, it might remove the traditional USB port and substitute it with a USB-C port and introduce a new OLED touch bar, as well as improve the laptop's overall efficiency and speed.

What I'd like to see:

I am intrigued by the rumours that Apple might be changing the new MacBook Pro's design, as I feel it would be a good time for that. I would also like to see a change in colours in which the new laptops will be available, a change in the mouse pad (perhaps a bigger one), and perhaps new cool and quirky features that would simplify working on MacBooks even further.

Dale Walker, staff writer

What I expect to see:

Apple are bound to show off their new MacBook Pro, but the exact specs are still up in the air. To really push the device they'll have to go for the latest processors, the Kabylake, with model variations using the i5 and i7. What will be great to see is a greater commitment to graphical horsepower, as Apple has been considered 'anti-gaming' for too long. Adding dedicated graphics chips using AMD or Nvidia would be a clear sign that they are taking their gaming audience seriously.

What I'd like to see:

Although it's unlikely now, I'd like to see Apple compete with what we saw from Microsoft yesterday, which has really set the bar for creative desktops with the Surface Studio. To do that, Apple would have to revamp the iMac, and finally put some effort into creating a graphically demanding device.

Joe Curtis, deputy editor

What I expect to see:

After Apple accidentally leaked images of its new MacBook Pro, it's safe to say we'll see the device feature Touch ID, as it's pictured working with Apple Pay in one of the pictures. It will almost certainly replace the function keys at the top fo the keyboard with an OLED touch panel that some are referring to as a Magic Toolbar. This looks like it will work contextually, so pressing it will execute different commands depending on the application you're using at the time.

What I'd like to see:

Sales don't justify this, but I would like to see a new iPad today. Microsoft just produced the Surface Studio, a very cool all-in-one, yesterday, pitched at designers who traditionally would use Mac OS over Windows every time. A similar device from Apple would set the record straight.

Following the release of its 12in retina Macbook in 2015, Apple is through to working on next versions of its MacBook Pro to be released in late 2016.

In this article we will be rounding up news, rumours about the 2016 MacBook Pros.

MacBook Pro news

15/06/2016: Apple's next MacBook Pros could be fitted with an OLED touch bars, new details suggest.

Last month, rumours emerged that Apple's is planning major revamp of its Macbook Pros, and may include, of all things, an OLED touch bar above the keyboard. It has already made for some stylish-looking concepts.

Now, code in the new masOS Sierra appears to corroborate those rumours further, as French site Mac Generation (translated by 9to5 Mac) reports.

Several new options are prefaced by the term "kHIDUsage_LED".

Among them is "kHIDUsage_LED_DoNotDisturb" an option that appears to suggest a dedicated LED Do Not Disturb button. The Do Not Disturb button can already be accessed via the Mac's notification settings, but having quick access to this function on an OLED display would make sense.

As well as this, other toggling options point to a camera on/off switch, caps lock, night mode, play and pause, rewind and fast forward, and data mode.

The OS also makes reference to biometric input methods, backing up another earlier rumour that a Touch ID fingerprint sensor would be coming to the new MacBooks.

Simply because the functions currently exist in the code does not confirm hardware is on the way. Although, previous discoveries have come true. In 2013, resources in the iOS 7 beta pointed to a biometric sensor for the next iPhone, which was realised months later with Touch ID in the iPhone 5s.

Having not been announced at Apple's WWDC 2016 briefing this week, the earliest we are likely to hear about Apple's shake up its MacBook line is in September, during its iPhone announcement.

13/06/2016: Concept renders show what new MacBook Pro could look like

Rumours have suggested that Apple will be using its keynote at WWDClater today to announce updates to certain members of its MacBook range, and thanks to graphic designer Martin Hajek, we now have an idea what they could end up looking like.

Back in 2015, Apple took the wraps off its reimagined, redesigned 12in MacBook. The result was a stunning ultraportable, with an all-metal chassis and the slimmest, lightest dimensions ever seen on an Apple notebook.

Apple is now expected to refresh its larger MacBook models - possibly including members of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air families - to incorporate these design values.

Martin Hajek (also known as @deplaatjesmaker) has produced 3D concept renders of the what a new 15in MacBook Pro might look like, based on the visual design of the 12in MacBook.

For the purposes of comparison, Hajek has pictured the new MacBook Pro next to the current Retina MacBook Pro, as well as the redesigned 12in MacBook.

Like the new MacBook, many of the ports on Hajek's MacBook Pro have been replaced with multifunctional USB-C ports, including the charging, Thunderbolt and USB ports.

However, while the 12in MacBook has only one USB-C port - meaning you'll need a splitter if you want to connect a USB drive and charge your device simultaneously - Hajek's updated MacBook Pro has a comparatively generous four.

Hajek has also opted to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack and an SD card reader, neither of which the 12in MacBook has.

While Hajek's renders are essentially speculation at this point, an updated MacBook Pro is a strong possibility, and will more than likely end up looking not dissimilar to these images.

We'll know more after Apple's WWDC keynote address, which you can read more about here.

The new super-slim Apple MacBook laptop may have grabbed all the headlines recently, but this latest update of the MacBook Pro may well have more appeal for business users.

Last year's price cut hasn't been repeated, so the entry-level 13in MacBook Pro reviewed here remains at 833 (ex. VAT). The new model also looks virtually identical to its predecessors. But, under the bonnet, the new 13in MacBook Pro has been given a fairly major overhaul with the introduction of a 5th generation Broadwell processor and Apple's new Force Touch touchpad.

Latest news

10/03/2016: PCIe SSD upgrades are now available for the MacBook Pro, courtesy of Other World Computing (OWC).

OWC is offering the drives as part of its Aura range, available with 480GB and 1TB of storage. Both SSDs have a max write speed of 446 MBps and a top read speed of 763 MBps.

They come with just the SSD, or as part of an upgrade kit with all the necessary tools and a USB 3.0 enclosure for data migration, starting at $348 for the 480GB version or $598 for the 1TB model.

The company is one of the few third-party vendors that offer replacement SSDs for MacBooks, due to the proprietary form-factor Apple uses for its drives. These are the first third-party SSDs that have been released since Apple's move to PCIe interfaces in 2013.

Familiar Design

The MacBook Pro hasn't changed dramatically in appearance since the introduction of the high-resolution Retina display back in 2012. It retains the familiar unibody' aluminium chassis that measures just 18mm thick and weighs 1.6Kg. That's heavier than the 920g of the new 12in MacBook, or the 1.35kg of the 13in MacBook Air, but the MacBook Pro is still slim and light enough to carry around in a briefcase without too much trouble.

The 2560x1600 resolution of the 13.3in Retina display also remains unchanged. That may have been surpassed by Windows rivals, such as the eye-popping 4K display of Toshiba's P50T, but the Retina display still provides a detailed, bright image that makes the MacBook Pro an excellent choice for Photoshop and other graphics and design applications.

Connectivity and Upgrades

Apple laptops are often criticised for their limited connectivity options the 12in MacBook Retina only has a single USB-C connector for both power and peripherals. However, the 13in MacBook Pro fares better, with two USB 3.0 ports, two Thunderbolt 2 ports, HDMI and a slot for SD memory cards.

You'll need those connectivity features too, in order to compensate for the MacBook's non-existent upgrade options. A set of 10 pentalobe screws on the base of the laptop makes battery replacements and other repairs unnecessarily difficult. Even worse is the fact that the standard 8GB of memory is soldered onto the motherboard, so your only option for upgrading the memory is to spend an extra 160 at the time of purchase in order to increase that to 16GB.

Feel the Force

The external appearance of the MacBook Pro may not have changed, but this new model does include a number of important new features, including the debut of Apple's Force Touch' touchpad. This looks just like a standard Apple trackpad, but underneath it, there are four sensors that can measure the amount of force you apply when pressing down on the surface of the trackpad.

Instead of using one click on the trackpad to select an item, and two clicks to open a file or an app, the new touchpad also allows you to perform a force-click' that consists of a gentle click, followed by an increase in pressure. The force-click can perform a number of different tasks, such as using Mac OS X's Quick Look option to preview the contents of a file, or looking up the definition of a word that you force-click in a text document. It's not the revolution that Apple's marketing executives claim, but it's a handy, alternative way of speeding up some common tasks.

Pricing Options

The starting price for the 13in MacBook Pro remains at 833 (ex. VAT), but the 2.6GHz Haswell chip used in last year's model has been updated to a new dual-core Broadwell i5-5257U processor running at 2.7GHz (up to 3.1GHz with Turbo Boost). The integrated Iris 5100 graphics steps up to the newer Iris 6100.

That's not a bad price compared to similar high-end Windows laptops, such as Dell's Precision range. However, the MacBook Pro's limited upgradability means that you're forced to pay high prices for Apple's own upgrades when you purchase the machine. As mentioned, upgrading to 16GB of memory costs a hefty 160. Storage upgrades are equally expensive, costing 200 to upgrade the SSD to 256GB, or 400 for 512GB. The latter option offers a minor consolation in the form of a small processor speed bump to 2.9GHz, but the top-of-the-range model with a 3.1GHz processor will add a further 250 to the price, for a grand total of 1441 (ex. VAT).

Broadwell Battery

We've not seen many laptops that use Intel's new Broadwell processors, so we were a little disappointed to see that the new MacBook Pro didn't perform any better than its Haswell-based predecessor. In fact, it only managed an overall score of 78 per cent in our benchmark tests, compared to 81 per cent for last year's model.

However, the Iris 6100 did perform well for 2D graphics work, scoring 95 per cent in our Photoshop tests, and was only let down by its weaker performance in 3D graphics (53 per cent) and video rendering (63 per cent). To be fair, that performance isn't bad for the price, but if you want a more powerful quad-core processor or discrete graphics card for 3D design work then you'll have to step up to the 15in version of the MacBook Pro Retina.

Battery life was exceptionally lengthy as we've come to expect from Apple laptops. It lasted just under 22 hours in our light usage test and an impressive ten hours and 21 minutes when playing a high definition YouTube video. The increase over its Haswell-based predecessor are small, but this lengthy battery life, combined with the laptop's light weight, make this MacBook a good choice for working on the move.

Verdict

The 13in MacBook Pro isn't quite in the mobile workstation class and, try as we might, we don't find the new Force Touch trackpad as innovative as Apple seems to think it is. Even so, it provides solid performance at a competitive mid-range price as long as you don't need to buy too many upgrades and its outstanding battery live ensures that it will really earn its keep when you're on the road.

Verdict

Its performance won’t break any records, but the improved battery life provided by Intel’s new Broadwell processor is genuinely impressive.

Processor: 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5-5257U (3.1GHz Turboboost)

GPU: Intel Iris 6100 (integrated)

Display: 13.3in IPS display, 2560x1600 resolution

Memory: 8GB DDR3L

Storage: 128GB solid-state storage

Optical: N/A

Connectivity: dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0

Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2.0, 1x HDMI, 1x SD card reader, 1 x headphone

Dimensions: 314 x 219 x 18 mm (WxDxH)

Weight: 1.6kg

Apple has rolled out a free repair programme for MacBook Pro owners, after some experienced video problems and unexpected system restarts.

The problems have been widely reported on Apple support forums, with one thread dating back to February 2013 - garnering 12,270 replies over 800 web pages.

One disgruntled user became so enraged at the problems he launched a petition on the Change.org site to persuade Apple to address them.

MacBook Pros at highest risk of being affected are the 15in and 17in models sold between February 2011 and December 2013, with Apple vowing to repair any faulty machines for free.

In an advisory notice, Apple said: "An affected MacBook Pro may display one or more of the following symptoms: distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen, no video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on [and the] computer restarts unexpectedly."

The programme has already launched in the US and Canada, and is expected to be available in the UK from 27 February 2015.

Affected users will be able to get their machines fixed either by Apple or one of its Authorised Service Providers.

Furthermore, it's also contacting people who may have already paid for their machine to be repaired to offer them a refund.

Microsoft has openly mocked the MacBook Air in comparison adverts with the Surface Pro 3. But if you take a closer look at the specifications of the Windows 8.1 hybrid, you'll see it has more in common with Apple's premium MacBook Pro range.

Hence it's fairer to compare the Surface Pro 3 with a fellow high-end rival like the 13in MacBook Pro (mid-2014). The devices battled it out to see which had the best design, display, input, operating system, battery life, performance, ports, repairability and pricing.

If you're eager to find out which device we recommend - jump to our verdict.

Design and Versatility

Microsoft has designed the Pro 3 as a 2-in-1 hybrid. It's got a detachable keyboard, which can be clipped in to use the device like a laptop. Or the machine can be used as a tablet with the touchscreen.

The built-in kickstand allows the Pro to be propped up on any flat surface and it tilts back to 150 degrees giving you multiple viewing positions.

The Surface Pro 3 has a beautiful and tough Magnesium-alloy chassis. It's got a thickness of 9.1mm and the tablet alone weighs 800g. Realistically, you're going to be spending most of your time with the Type Cover attached, which brings the weight of the device to just over 1kg. But even with the cover, the Pro 3 can be carried about comfortably.

The 13in MacBook has Apple's trademark aluminum finish. It looks great out of the box, but the light colour isn't good at disguising scratches and blemishes. Being the bigger device, the MacBook is bulkier with double the thickness of the Pro 3 at 18mm and a total weight of 1.6kg. The overall footprint isn't too much larger than the Microsoft device - and if you get a cover, this can easily be carried around too.

Designed as a content creation machine, the MacBook has a clamshell form factor. It looks great but it's as not as versatile as the Surface Pro 3 when it comes to viewing angles, with thescreen tilting back a maximum of 140 degrees.

Winner: Surface Pro 3 - It's thinner, lighter and can be used as a tablet or laptop.

Display

The Pro 3's 12in screen is made using reputable Gorilla Glass 3. Microsoft has squeezed in 3.1 million pixels (2160 x 1440). It's fully touch screen enabled and we measured a maximum brightness of 352cd/m2. It's excellent for web browsing and multimedia tasks.

The Windows 8.1 device lays down a high-marker but the MacBook Pro is able to surpass it. Users get a 13in display with 4.2 million pixels (2560 x 1660) and the brightness is a touch higher at 374cd/m2. The only area where it does not match the Surface Pro is touch screen functionality.

Colours are deep and vibrant on both machines, making it possible to use them for multimedia work. The Pro 3 does have more saturation, so colours look more realistic on the Mac.

Apple does more work on optimising the panel with OS X so you won't find scaling issues in the MacBook. Conversely, this is a problematic area on the Surface Pro 3, as current third party apps, such as Adobe Photoshop cannot be used comfortably on the high-res screen as the icons are tiny.

Winner: MacBook Pro - Perhaps the most closely contested category in this head-to-head. There is little to separate the displays but the MacBook offers a bigger, sharper and brighter screen.

Input

The Surface Pro 3 has three forms of input. The touch screen is ideal for web browsing, as you can tap in web addresses, click on links, pinch-to-zoom and scroll. It's also there when you want to switch between apps or close them down.

The keyboard can be clipped in for long-form writing and editing. It's adequate when you're on the move but typing on it all day can lead to wrist and finger fatigue. The trackpad is the weakest part of the Pro 3, but this is compensated to some degree by the touch screen.

Pen input is available for note-taking via OneNote and can also be used to interact with design applications. It's got 256 points of pressure and the implementation is fantastic. You can click the pen-lid anytime and start taking notes immediately.

In comparison, input on the MacBook Pro is restricted to the keyboard and trackpad. The chiclet style keys are well spaced - although travel could be better. The sharp edges on the MacBook can also be punishing on your wrists and we've experienced wrist cramps when using it for long periods. The trackpad is outstanding in terms of responsiveness and there are a number of gesture controls available to switch between apps and desktops. These work flawlessly and aid navigation between multiple apps.

Apple has yet to integrate a touch screen into its laptop devices and there's no pen input either.

Winner: Surface Pro 3 - Both keyboards could be better. The Pro 3 might have a poor trackpad compared to the MacBook but the outstanding pen input and touch screen functionality give it the edge.

Battery Life

Windows 8.1 has closed the gap to OS X devices but MacBooks remain king when it comes to battery life. This is an important consideration as the batteries are sealed into the devices.

Both Apple and Microsoft claim up to 9 hours of battery life. At 75 per cent brightness and with Wi-Fi turned off, we were able to surpass this on the MacBook, but the Surface Pro 3 struggled to live up to the claim.

The Surface is able to creep up to 8 hours, if you lower the brightness below 50 per cent and then continue to turn it down. You'll get close to nine hours of Wi-Fi browsing on the MacBook with 75 per cent brightness.

Winner: MacBook Pro - It's got considerable longer battery life.

Performance

Our review units packed similar specifications, giving a good indication of the performance levels you can expect.

The Surface Pro 3 unit was powered by aCore i5-4300U processor clocked at 1.9GHz with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.

Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro 13in had a faster 2.6GHz Core i5-4278U, the same 8GB RAM and half the storage capacity with a 128GB SSD.

Boot times were close to identical with the machines ready to roll in 10 seconds from a cold start. Resuming from sleep took a couple of seconds apiece.

Both machines were quick to open and close apps, zipped through web browsing and crunched through light-to-midrange multimedia work. However, the Apple device proved more capable, especially when it came to running multiple applications simultaneously.

Winner: MacBook Pro - For everyday usage there's not too much of a difference, but when it comes to multitasking and responsiveness, the OS X machine is superior.

Operating System

This is the most subjective part of the overall test. Some users prefer Windows, whilst others swear by OS X.

The Surface Pro 3 ships with Windows 8.1 Pro (64-bit). It's defaulted to boot to the Start Screen with the Live Tiles but this can be bypassed in the settings menu. Unless your business has developed an app in-house, you're unlikely to spend much time in this portion of the OS.

Windows remains suitable for business deployment as it supports all commonly used programs and admins are used to managing it. However, security remains a concern and machines will need to be pre-installed with anti-virus software, which in turn can affect end user performance.

The MacBook Pro is currently shipping with OS X Mavericks, which has the classic desktop interface. If you're switching over from Windows, you'll need to get used to the keyboard and menus. But it is intuitive and overtime we find there's less performance degradation than with Windows devices.

Apple has been rolling out desktop updates on a yearly basis and the latest - OS X Yosemite - will be available in the autumn for free. Microsoft has also been keen to adopt a more regular update cycle. Windows 9 will reportedly be announced on 30 September.

Winner: MacBook Pro - Apple has kept the desktop interface simple and easy to use. The firm also has a yearly refresh cycle in place, whereas Microsoft update process remains jumbled.

Ports + Connectivity

Neither device is bursting with physical ports. The Surface Pro 3 includes a microSD card reader and a Mini Displayport to hook up a display. However, it's got just one USB 3 connection and this isn't enough when you want to use this in the office as desktop replacement.

Being a laptop, you'd expect the MacBook to have significantly more USB ports, but it maxes out at two. There are 2 x Thunderbolt 2 connections and an HDMI port. Plus there is space for an SD card.

Wireless connections are tied with Wi-Fi 802.11ac/a/b/g/n together with Bluetooth 4 included as standard. There are no options to have 4G connectivity integrated.

Winner: MacBook Pro - It's got more USBs (only just) and HDMI as standard.

Repairability

The beautiful unibody designs come with a catch. They are difficult to open and once you're inside you'll find key components, like the battery, are fastened with glue. You can easily cause more damage when trying to replace components and this results in the devices sharing a repairability score of 1/10 on teardown site iFixit.

Choose your specification wisely at the time of purchase because you won't be able to upgrade or repair it without splashing out.

Winner: Draw - Both are a nightmare to open and repair.

Pricing & Warranty

There's a big gap between the entry-level pricing for the products but all is not as it seems. The Surface Pro 3 starts at 639 for the standalone tablet with a Core i3 processor, 4GB and just 64GB of internal storage. Then you have to factor in 110 for the Type Cover, so realistically the minimum amount you'll spend on a Surface Pro 3 is 750.

Apple's 13in MacBook Pro (with the Retina Display) starts at 999. However, it has a faster Core i5 processor as standard, double the RAM (8GB) and 128GB SSD.

When you compare like-for-like specifications, the Apple device ends up being cheaper. The 13in MacBook with a Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD retails at 1,199.

The Surface Pro 3 model with Core i5 processor, 8GB and 256GB SSD is 1,109 plus the 110 for the Type Cover. This bring the total cost of the Pro 3 to 1,219.

Warranty options aren't as comprehensive as business OEMS like Dell and HP. Apple offers a standard 1-year warranty and 90 days of telephone technical support. It's also possible to drop in to an Apple Store for help during this period. Extended warranties are available via the AppleCare Protection service.

Microsoft offers a 2-year limited warranty and Microsoft offers 90 days of technical support. We haven't seen any options to extend this.

Winner: MacBook Pro - The Apple device is cheaper when the specs are compared.

Verdict

To recap, the MacBook Pro has taken this with a convincing 6-2 victory.

The Apple device won the following categories: Display, battery life, performance, operating system, ports and price.Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 was victorious when it came to design/versatility and input. The devices drew when it came to repairability.

Despite being a solid 2-in-1 hybrid, the Surface Pro 3 isn't able to match the performance and battery life of the MacBook. And based on our experience with both operating systems, the Apple device is going to have longevity and represent a better investment.

Apple has come under fire for reportedly ignoring a major bug found in certain MacBook Pro models, after users complained the issue had continued despite the vendor being repeatedly alerted.

The bug results in system crashes and graphics failures, it has been reported, with the problem persisting for several years for some users.

Apple is apparently aware of this flaw, yet users with the offending laptops have found the company reluctant to address the problem.

Multiple reports of the problem were found by BGR on Apple's own support forum, and were mostly related to early-2011 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models.

According to the site, one thread has more than 7,600 posts and 1 million views, yet Apple has not intervened.

Problems first started to be reported on a regular basis back in October 2013, with many users reporting system crashes and problems with their displays (often appearing as banding or a blank screen), but May 2014 saw a steady increase in these kinds of complaints.

AppleInsider reported that people close to the company's internal repair network have said there are currently "no immediate plans" to replace these MacBook Pro models.

Apple's MacBook Pro laptop range combines high performance with long-lasting battery life, and the latest model continues this trend.

The late-2013 refresh introduces Intel's 4th generation (Haswell) chipset and 4-channel PCIe-based flash storage on the hardware side. The 15in MacBook also ships with Mavericks OS X and a host of bundled apps including iWork, Maps and iBooks. Our entry-level unit featured Intel's Core i7 (2GHz) processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD, priced at 1699.

Pleased to see you

No flagship Apple device is complete without the firm's trademarked Retina Display technology. The MacBook Pro ships with a crisp 2880 x 1800 resolution. With 220 pixels-per-inch, the MacBook provides outstanding clarity, colour replication and viewing angles.

High-res photos and videos get the best out of the panel, but not all websites and programs are optimised to take advantage of the Retina Display just yet. You may need to access the display settings and scale the resolution depending on the apps you use.

We measured a maximum brightness of 350cd/m2, which means you can use this at 75 per cent in home and office environments. The glossy panel does catch the reflections from overhead lighting, but this is common with most laptops and remedied by adjusting the panel.

If it ain't broke...

The 15in MacBook weighs in at a portly 2kg, but considering the size of the display, power and all-day battery life, this is a reasonable trade-off. Little has changed when it comes to the design, with Apple shaving off a couple of millimetres from the beautifully crafted Aluminum design.

The metallic chassis is tough with no flex in the shell and a sturdy hinge connects the display to the body. There also two stereo speakers located either side of the keyboard, great for when you want to watch a movie or listen to music at home.

The number of ports remain unchanged. You'll find an SD card reader, 2 x USB 3 connections and HDMI output. The two Thunderbolt ports use second generation interface (2.0) and the left hand edge also houses the headphone and magnetic charging ports.

Apple's familiar chiclet-styled keyboard is identical to the previous generation. Whilst the keys on the MacBook Pro are well spaced and have a good amount of travel, they don't have as much bounce as Lenovo's ThinkPad keyboard, which is still the input to beat.

The metallic design means the sharp edges on the MacBook can dig into your wrist, so you may need to adjust your typing position when using the device for long periods. We also found the 'enter' key a tad on the small side, but this was a minor issue.

When it comes to trackpads, Apple leads the market. The two and three finger gestures are consistent and responsive and make up for the lack of touch screen. Users migrating from Windows will also be pleased to know that to activate a right-click on the Mac you simply push down on the trackpad with two-fingers.

All-day battery

MacBooks have the edge over Windows devices when it comes to battery life despite both using Intel's latest Haswell chipset range. The difference lies in the software, with OS X Mavericks draining less power than its Windows counterpart.

Apple touts eight hours of Wi-Fi usage or video playback from the 15in MacBook Pro at 75 per cent brightness. And it's one of the few devices on the market able can hit these targets.

As part of our revamped battery test for laptops, we carried out three tests with brightness set to 75 per cent and backlighting turned off.

In our 'Iron Man' challenge, we switched Wi-Fi off and looped an HD copy of the Marvel film until the device ran out of battery. The Mixed usage test consisted of us using the device as our regular work machine. The final test was carried out using the PeaceKeeper benchmark test. This simulated heavy duty Wi-Fi browsing - and provided a worst case scenario.

The MacBook surpassed the eight hour mark with ease in the video playback test, and came close with our real-world test. The heavy duty Wi-Fi result generated from the PeaceKeeper mark isn't too much of a surprise as all devices have struggled with this and close to five hours with heavy duty usage is nothing to be ashamed off

We wouldn't be surprised to see the MacBook surpass the 10 hour mark with moderate usage and with brightness reduced steadily throughout the day.

Core i7 power

All 15in MacBooks ship with Intel's fourth generation Core i7 processors - with users able to customise the clock speed. Each machine also has a minimum of 8GB of RAM, configurable up to 16GB.

Our review unit packed the quad-core Core i7 CPU (2GHz) with 8GB of RAM. This was enough to cope with word processing apps, light editing, web browsing and multitasking.

Intel's integrated graphics capabilities to-date haven't been able to handle the graphical demands placed on it by the Retina Display. The previous generation of Macs had a noticeable judder when switching between home screens. This is an area the chip maker has worked hard to address.

The 15in models include Iris Pro integrated graphics - the best Intel has to offer - as standard. And whilst this is able to provide quick transitions between desktops, play multimedia content and multitask, if you want to use this device for any heavy duty video/photography/design apps, you'll need discrete graphics. Apple offers users the Nvidia GeForce GT 750M card, which has 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 RAM. Coupled with the 16GB of RAM, this will enable you to run demanding apps such as AutoCAD.

Need for SSD Speed

The biggest internal improvement aside from the graphics card is the storage. Apple is now using 4-channel PCle-based flash storage in the 15in range - and the result is phenomenal performance. In our tests, the 256GB SSD clocked up sequential read speeds of well over 700MBps, living up to Apple's claim of read speeds of "up to 775MBps".

In the real world this means the MacBook Pro is one of the most responsive laptops on the market. Flick the lid open and the device will spring into life in an instant. Cold boot times are snappy too, with a password protected machine usable in 15 seconds.

Mavericks

All MacBooks ship with the latest version of OS X - dubbed Mavericks. It's Apple's most comprehensive version of the desktop operating system to date.

Mavericks has dedicated iBooks and Maps apps and these integrate with their iOS counterparts. So, for example, users can search for directions on the Mac when in the office, and choose to send these to an iPhone or iPad for use on the move. iBooks can be set to download direct to the MacBook when purchased on an iPad too.

You can connect the 15in MacBook to two external displays and a useful feature included in Mavericks is the ability to customise how the operating system appears across these screens. Users can choose to have the dock present on every monitor, dedicate individual apps to each screen and have multiple display Mission Control.

Apple has also thrown in its iWorks and iLife suite of apps for free - these can be accessed through the Mac App Store. The Pages software is useful if you want to write a report and give it some graphical flair, whereas Keynote and Numbers mimic the functionality of Excel and PowerPoint.

MacBooks also support Windows either by using the default Boot Camp tool or virtual machine software such as Parallels.

Price and serviceability

The Macbook Pro is not cheap with the entry-level MacBook Pro starting at 1699. This includes Intel's Core i7 (2GHz) processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD as standard.

Doubling the RAM to 16GB adds 160 to the price and if you want the maximum 1TB flash drive, you'll have to fork out 640. Models with the Nvidia GeForce discrete graphics chips included start at 2199, but the RAM and storage are boosted up to 16GB and 512GB respectively.

Windows 8 machines with more generous specifications are available at cheaper prices. The Dell XPS 15 which packs a quad-core Core i7 Haswell processor, 16GB of RAM, 1TB HDD with 32GB mSATA, and also includes the GeForce GT 750M graphics part. At 1499, it's 200 cheaper than the MacBook Pro.

The serviceability of the MacBook Pro is poor when contrasted with competing products. The late-2013 model was given the lowest repairability score of 1/10 on teardown site iFixit.

The RAM is soldered onto the motherboard - so the decision to upgrade at the time of purchase is critical as you cannot do so at a later date. Apple does warn users about this - during the configuration process. However, there is nothing you can do about the built-in battery, which is glued to the inside, and if anything fails inside the display after the warranty expires, you could face a hefty repair bill as the entire assembly will need replacing.

Overall

The price and lack of serviceability means this machine is too expensive for most IT admins to justify mass deployment. However, if you've got a BYOD policy at your workplace and want a machine capable of doubling as a desktop replacement, this is worth consideration.

Verdict

This is one of the best large-screen laptops on the market. Battery life, responsiveness, display quality and versatility are unmatched. However, the high-price and limited serviceability prevent this from getting a wholehearted recommendation.

OS: OS X Mavericks (10.9) Processor: 2GHz quad-core Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz) RAM: 8GB DDR3 (configurable up ot 16GB) Storage: 256/512GB or 1TB PCIe Flash storage Screen: 15.4in, (2880 x 1800) 220ppi Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi‑Fi wireless networking IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n compatible, Bluetooth 4.0 Ports: 2 x USB 3, 2 x Thunderbolt 2.0, SD card reader, HDMI Dimensions: 359 x 247 x 18mm (WxDxH) Weight: 2.02kg Warranty: 2yr minimum via EU Consumer laws

Apple refreshed its high-performance MacBook Pro laptops, with the latest devices packing Intel Haswell chipsets and the Retina Display.

The 13in Retina Pro model starts at $1299 and includes a2.4GHz Core i5 chipset, 4GB RAM and a 128GB SSD. It offers up to nine hours of battery life.

A larger 15in Retina Pro has a starting price of $1999 and packs a 2GHz Core i7 processor with Iris graphics, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. It offers up to eight hours of battery life.

Both laptops start shipping today (22 October 2013).

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing also talked up the inclusion of Thunderbolt ports and claimed Wi-Fi is three times as fast as previous generation thanks to 802.11ac support.

Mavericks

Both devices will come equipped with Apple's latest Maverick's operating system, which the Californian company claims has more than 200 new features, including a refreshed version of Safari, it's custom web browser, enhanced multi-display support and increased power efficiency.

Also on board is Finder Tags, which helps organise your files on iCloud (read our sister site CloudPro's iCloud review), and Finder Tabs, which consolidates multiple Finder windows into a single window with multiple tabs.

"Mavericks is an incredible release, which introduces significant new apps and features, while also improving the performance and battery life of your Mac," said Craig Federighi, Apple'ssenior vice president of Software Engineering.

"We want every Mac user to experience the latest features, the most advanced technologies, and the strongest security. We believe the bestway to do this is to begin a new era of personal computing software where OS upgrades are free."

iOS 7 has been officially unveiled, silencing months of speculation and rumours about its release date.

The new Apple OS was unveiled during the keynote at the tech giant's worldwide developer conference (WWDC) in San Francisco today alongside many other updates to the company's iCloud, Mac and Safari portfolios among other things.

"iOS 7 has amazing new features and a stunning new user interface. It's the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the Phone... We are incredibly proud of all of these products. They are great examples of what Apple does best," Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, said during the WWDC opening keynote.

iOS 7 features a new user interface and enterprise-friendly features such as per app VPN, Apple confirmed today, reiterating that the new OS was the same but different. And much better. The iOS 7 SDK includes more than 1,500 new APIs for developers, according to Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

iOS 7 will be run on the iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad Mini and the fifth generation iPod Touch, Schiller confirmed.Other iOS 7-specifc features include a new colour palette and typography, layers, Control and Notification Centres, beefed up multi-tasking, AirDrop, an enhanced camera and photo management functionality and a new and improved mobile version of Safari.

A video featuring Apple design head design guru Jonathan Ive also gushed about the new OS and what it will offer both users and developers alike.

"Design is so much more than just the way something looks. Ultimately, of course, design defines so much of our experience. I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency. It's about bringing order to complexity," he said.

"Even the simple act of changing your wallpaper has a very noticeable effect on the way your iPhone looks and feels across the entire system. Even though iOS 7 is new, it was important to us to make it instantly familiar. We wanted to take an experience people know very well and actually add to it to make it more useful, more enjoyable. It defines an important new direction and, in many ways, the beginning."

There is no doubt this latest version of the OS, which is available immediately for developers but not until the Fall for the general public, will divide opinion. It's radically different enough to mark a new dawn for Apple's OS, yet it may stray too far from what users have become accustomed to, according to experts.

"iOS 7 is easily the biggest news because it represents a massive overhaul of the look and feel of the operating system, which has remained largely unchanged visually since the original version," said Ovum chief telecoms analyst Jan Dawson.

"On the other hand, this is a clear statement from Apple that it acknowledges the need to refresh the user interface and is willing to do something pretty dramatic. Many of the new features Apple added to iOS 7 are fixes to problems rather than dramatic or clever new ideas Notifications, Siri, and Multitasking enhancements and the introduction of Control Center all deal with deficiencies rather than providing surprising new features no-one would have thought of," Dawson continued.

"The fact that iOS 7 isn't coming until the fall is a disappointment from a user perspective, but the delay is necessary to give developers time to rework their apps to take advantage of the new operating system and fit in visually."

The WWDC keynote wasn't just about the latest version of iOS. Apple also talked up the next generation Mac Pro which will be an eighth of the size of its older sibling and include beefed up features such as double the CPU performance.

"Can't innovate anymore, my ass," Schiller said when talking about the Pro's future.

A revamped MacBook Air lineup was also announced that promises to offer all day' battery life. The current 11inch MacBook Air will be transformed into an endurance machine that lasts nine hours instead of the current five, while the 13inch machine's battery life will get a boost from seven hours to 12.

Apple also took the wraps off a more intelligent Siri with expanded voice options and a made-over App Store, adding that apps will now be updated automatically rather than harassing the user to do so.

Take a look at our live blog from the keynote for the full breakdown of the latest Apple announcements.

Apple's environmental credentials have been called into question again by a green campaign group who have taken issue with its MacBook Pro range of products.

As reported by IT Pro yesterday, the consumer electronics giant recently reneged on its decision to withdraw itself from EPEAT's global registry of green technologies.

To get listed in EPEAT's directory, manufacturers must meet the IEEE 1680.1 standard, which is a set of performance checks that ensure their products operate in an environmentally friendly way.

Apple is often a design leader in electronics, but they really blew it here.

In an open letter, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, Bob Mansfield, described leaving the registry as a "mistake."

However, in a further blog post, a green campaign group called the Electronics Takeback Coalition claimed the firm's recently launched MacBook Pro models should not be relisted.

"We seriously doubt these MacBooks should qualify for EPEAT at any level because we think they flunk two required criteria in the Design for End Of Life section of the standard," said the post.

In particular, the group had taken issue with Apple's decision to use industrial strength glue to secure the devices' outer casing and batteries.

This, the group claims, goes against EPEAT's guidance that external enclosures and components such as batteries and circuit boards should be easy to remove.

"While you can open up the enclosures, you can't completely remove one half of the casing from the large group of batteries," the blog post states.

"Gluing the battery in does not [qualify] as 'easily removable'. In fact, it's exactly the kind of design that this standard seeks to discourage."

ETC said the reason the MacBook's have been included on the list is because manufacturers are allowed to self-certify their products before EPEAT reviews them.

"Apple is often a design leader in electronics, but they really blew it here. They are ignoring a really important design goal designing to promote product longevity and reuse," said the blog.

"Designers should make it easy for users to replace their own batteries. This is like designing a car with tyres that you can't replace."

This is the second time Apple's decision not to include a removable battery with the MacBook Pro has been questioned.

Last month, an IT repair firm criticised the new devices, claiming they were "impossible" to upgrade.

IT Pro was awaiting a response from Apple to the blog at the time of writing.

We take the cables that transfer data to and from our computers for granted, but the technology behind them is actually quite intricate. USB is the most familiar and is used to connect seemingly everything to our computers, from printers and keyboards to scanners and hard disks.

USB3 is the latest version of the familiar connector technology and is finally making its way into the majority of laptops thanks to the chipsets included with Intel's new Sandy Bridge processors. With a theoretical speed of 4.8Gb/s, we found that a typical USB3 hard disk was four times faster than a USB2 disk. Despite this impressive performance, USB3 could be dead on arrival thanks to the emergence of Thunderbolt.

What is Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt is a new cable and connector technology that is designed to be significantly faster and more flexible than existing cabling. It can transfer data and video, as well as potentially network packets and audio, over a single cable. Thunderbolt's potential for reducing the tangled mass of cabling snaking out of our computers is obvious.

Compared to USB3's theoretical speed of 4.8Gb/s, Thunderbolt has a theoretical speed of 10Gb/s, more than twice as fast on paper, with room to grow even faster.

Does it actually work?

As with any new technology, we were initially sceptical of Intel's grandiose claims, but we were instantly won over by a demonstration of the technology at Apple's London offices. The company's new MacBook Pro laptops are the first to go on sale equipped with a Thunderbolt port.

When connected to a prototype five-disk RAID 0 array from Promise, the laptop was able to simultaneously play four 1080p videos stored on the array without any apparent dropped frames or loss of audio sync. Even more impressively, in a separate test, a 6GB file was duplicated in a mere 15 seconds!

Thunderbolt's staggeringly fast file duplication performance is truly jaw-dropping. For a rough comparison, a Lenovo ThinkPad X301 laptop with an internal SATA II 128GB Samsung SSD duplicated a different 6GB file in two minutes, 54 seconds.

How does it work?

Although the initial Thunderbolt prototypes used fibre optic cabling, the version of the technology used in the MacBook Pro laptops is based on familiar, tried and tested copper cabling due to the current high price of optical wiring.

The rest of Thunderbolt is actually based on several existing technologies. The connectors themselves are Apple's existing Mini DisplayPort plugs which are used to connect monitors and projectors to the company's MacBook, Mac mini and iMac series of computers. Each Thunderbolt cable actually consists of two 10Gb/s PCI Express channels for transferring data and a DisplayPort channel for video. A special Thunderbolt chip has to be present in the computer and each Thunderbolt peripheral.

Can I buy Thunderbolt peripherals now?

No. Several companies have announced their support for the new technology, but only storage manufacturers LaCie and Promise have committed to bringing out Thunderbolt-equipped RAID arrays by the middle of this year.

How do I connect more than one Thunderbolt peripheral?

Since the MacBook Pro laptops only have a single Thunderbolt port, Thunderbolt peripherals should have two ports each allowing devices to be daisy-chained together. At the moment, only a maximum of six Thunderbolt devices can be connected to a single port.

Can I upgrade my existing computer to Thunderbolt?

At the moment, only Apple is shipping Thunderbolt-equipped computers. Intel is apparently working with other manufacturers to bring Thunderbolt to their computers, but the chip giant doesn't have any details about whether it will be possible to upgrade existing computers to Thunderbolt.

Some sources state that upgrades won't be possible since the Thunderbolt chip requires direct access to the computer's PCI Express channels. This apparently wouldn't be possible even using a PCI Express expansion card, but we don't have confirmation of this.

Although some have claimed Apple has an exclusive use of the technology until next year, Intel spokesman Stephen Dunne specifically told ITPRO that this isn't true. Both Apple and Intel characterise their involvement in the development of Thunderbolt as a 'close technical collaboration'.

Can I continue using my current non-Thunderbolt peripherals? Can I plug non-Thunderbolt devices into a Thunderbolt port?

Although Thunderbolt could theoretically eliminate the need for all other ports, the current six device restriction and the large number of existing peripherals means that the MacBook Pro laptops still come with Ethernet, FireWire 800 and USB2 ports among others. This is likely to be the case with other computers too for some time even as Thunderbolt catches on.

It's possible to connect current peripherals to a Thunderbolt port using soon-to-be available adapters, but these won't be able to take advantage of Thunderbolt speeds. Intel claims that the presence of non-Thunderbolt devices on the daisy chain won't slow down Thunderbolt peripherals.

Apple's customers can use their existing Mini DisplayPort monitors and projectors with the new MacBook Pros since Mini DisplayPort and Thunderbolt connectors are identical and therefore compatible with each other. These displays would necessarily have to be at the end of the daisy chain since they don't have a second port to continue the chain. Even if they did, current Mini DisplayPort devices don't have a Thunderbolt chip to maintain the speed of any Thunderbolt peripherals.

As any FireWire user knows, the topography of a daisy-chain can be potentially confusing. This is perhaps one of the few inherent potential disadvantages of Thunderbolt compared to USB which uses hubs instead of a daisy chains to connect multiple devices to a single port.

Can a Thunderbolt cable power a portable hard disk and other portable peripherals?

This shouldn't be a problem. USB2 ports can provide just 500mA while USB3 can provide 900mA. Thunderbolt cables can provide 10W of power several times as much.

Can you use a Thunderbolt disk as a boot disk?

Apple officials wouldn't be drawn on whether it would be possible to use a Thunderbolt disk as a boot disk. Nor would they be drawn on whether it would be possible connect two Macs together using a Thunderbolt cable and transfer data between the two as if one of the computers was just a hard disk, as with FireWire's incredibly useful Target Disk Mode. We would be very surprised if this wasn't the case though.

Thunderbolt-equipped motherboards from companies other than Apple are probably still on the drawing board, but we suspect booting support would depend on the motherboard's BIOS/EFI.

Conclusion

Thunderbolt is one of the most impressively jaw-dropping technologies we've seen in the past five years and perhaps the first such technology we've seen since the first WiFi-equipped laptops were introduced around ten years ago.

Companies will be undoubtedly cautious about adopting the technology following the Sandy Bridge SATA flaw. Plus, it will take some time for companies to release both Thunderbolt-equipped computers and peripherals and for those products to drop in price. Plus, if your company has just bought and deployed new computers, it's unlikely you'll want to upgrade or replace them anytime soon, even if you do transfer massive amounts of data around. If you are planning such a procurement though, then it's definitely worth keeping an eye on Thunderbolt.

Intel's blazingly fast successor to USB3 may be coming first to Apple's iPad 2 and then to new MacBook Pro laptops.

Although USB3 is barely a year old, Intel was already demonstrating its next generation Light Peak technology back in 2009 before USB3 products were widely available.

The new connector enables data transfer speeds which, on paper, are twice as fast as the already speedy USB3. It could also be used to replace all of a computer's other ports and minimise cable clutter, since it can handle networking, audio and video too.

Previous demonstrations of the technology's potential have been undoubtedly impressive.

Rumours have indicated the first computers to come equipped with a Light Peak port will be updated versions of Apple's MacBook Pro laptops.

According to leaked images of the new 13in MacBook Pro, the Light Peak technology will be sold under the ThunderBolt name.

Oddly, the photos showed the ThunderBolt port in the shape of the existing Mini DisplayPort socket, currently used for connecting displays and projectors to computers.

Intel and Apple can't use the familiar USB port for ThunderBolt due to intellectual property issues and the disapproval of the USB Implementers Forum, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Although this might hinder market acceptance of ThunderBolt, it could play to Apple's advantage since the company pushed the Mini DisplayPort standard. Also, few other computer manufacturers have added Mini DisplayPort to their computers, so Apple may be able to roll out ThunderBolt more quickly and further differentiate its Mac computers from the competition.

Leaked images of alleged iPad 2 cases from Chinese manufacturers have fuelled speculation the upcoming next generation tablet, due to be launched on 2 March, could also come equipped with a ThunderBolt port.

In addition to the 13in MacBook Pro that we reviewed last week, Apple gave us a 15in model to check out. Like the smaller model, its aluminum unibody and array of ports are the same as last year's model, but on the inside it's a very different beast to every portable Mac that came before it. Apple's latest 15in (and 17in) MacBooks are the first to have a Core i5 or i7 chip as their brains, so our expectations were high for an impressive boost over older models and even the new 13in ones, which contain older Core 2 Duo technology.

At this size, Apple includes two graphics processors: a less power-hungry Intel HD Graphics for lightweight tasks and an Nvidia GeForce GT 330M for heavy lifting. The approach isn't new but these particular processors are, and the way Mac OS X switches between them has been vastly improved as you no longer have to log out and in again for that to happen. Instead, the system checks for calls to graphical libraries such as OpenGL and lets the Nvidia chip flex its muscles when needed. Pick the 2.66GHz Core i7 version at 15in and you get 512MB of dedicated graphics memory for the Nvidia chip, which is halved if you step down to one of the less expensive Core i5s.

The 15in Core i7 model performed consistently better than any other 13in or 15inh MacBook Pro. In our single-threaded CPU test, it scored 222 points, 19 points ahead of the 2.53GHz Core i5 and 28 ahead of the 2.4GHz Core i5.

The results were even better in our multi-threaded test, which is promising if you plan to assign one of the two processor cores to a virtual machine. There is led with 530 points, 24 points and 65 points ahead of the two Core i5 models, and far beyond the 263 points that the top 13in model's Core 2 Duo achieved.

Where this MacBook really took us by surprise is its battery life. It played an H.264 video for five hours and three minutes, and in our light-use wireless browsing and word processing test it slightly exceeded Apple's expected eight to nine hours, lasting for nine hours and 13 minutes. Bear in mind that it depends on the sort of web content you're viewing, so watching a lot of video will bring that down.

There's no question that the processor combination in this model is a huge boon to performance, but if you're not really going to stretch performance with some serious number crunching applications, virtualised operating systems and maybe even some gaming in your spare time, take a look at one of the Core i5 versions - the 2.4GHz one is 300 less than this Core i7 - and consider spending the difference on some of the intriguing build-to-order options that, for basic office tasks, will prove more practical from day to day.

Top of that list is the chance to increase the standard display resolution from 1440 x 900 pixels to 1680 x 1050 pixels, which is great if you want to see more of large spreadsheets or squeeze more windows onto the screen at once. That costs 80.01 on any of the 15in models, and add another 39.99 to that and you get an anti-glare finish - great news if you regularly travel by train and are subject to uncontrollable lighting conditions. However, brace yourself for the frustrating fact that Apple won't let you have that on the regular display.

Despite the Pro label and the price tag, every off-the-shelf MacBook Pro has a 5400rpm hard drive. That can be upgraded to a faster 7200rpm drive for only 39.99 on this model (and the 2.53GHz Core i5; it's more expensive at the entry level as you have to upgrade its capacity to get the speed increase). Solid-state drive options are either impractically small at 160 for 128GB or unpalatably expensive at 1,039.99 for 512MB.

Doubling the memory is best considered by the Mac's traditional creative audience, though you might also find it useful as a systems administrator if you want to run several virtual machines for testing. Even so, consider that Apple uses dual-core Intel processors here, so there'll be some contention for processor time among your virtual machines.

Of course, these days you can install Windows and the Boot Camp feature makes it remarkably easy. However, the graphics drivers that are supplied only allow Windows to use the more power hungry GeForce processor.

On these larger notebooks, AppleCare rises steeply to 279. However, it's vital to put some sort of cover in place if you don't have an IT department with stock of replacements if your MacBook needs to be fixed.

Don't overlook budgeting for a Mini DisplayPort adaptor (21) if you're going to deliver presentations or connect to an external monitor.

Far and away the most frustrating thing about buying a 15in MacBook Pro is that its expansion options are no different to the 13in version. You still only get two USB ports and one FireWire 800 port, despite a 2.2cm deeper body.

Undoubtedly, if you want the best performance in a Mac notebook, the 15in models are where it's at. However, if your attraction to them is more to do with increased screen size and resolution and money is tight, check Apple's refurb store and with its Reseller network to see if you can save a pretty penny on remaining Core 2 Duo models.

The price of carrying a larger MacBook also comes from its weight. The 15in models are considerably heavier at 2.54 kilos, an increase of 500g on the 13in versions, so weigh that up carefully against your need for a larger on-screen work area before you rush out to buy one.

Verdict

This Core i7-powered MacBook is a sound investment if you can stretch to £1,799 and genuinely need the extra performance. Even so, give the Core i5 versions due consideration as they’re good enough for a lot of office work and you can spend the difference on more practical upgrades like the high-resolution screen. The least expensive model - £1,499 for a 2.4GHz processor - will be more than adequate in many cases.

Processor: Intel Core i7 Duo, 2.66GHz, 4MB L3 cache Memory: 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 (upgradeable to 8GB) Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 512MB GDDR3 memory Optical drive: 8x DVD writer Hard disk: 500GB, 5400rpm Serial ATA drive Display: 15.4in 1440 x 900, LED-backlit, glossy (optional: 1680 x 1050 display, anti-glare finish) Features: Kensington lock, iSight camera, microphone, MagSafe power connector, Multi-Touch trackpad, backlit keyboard, built-in stereo speakers Connectivity: 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR Ports: 2 x USB, 1 x FireWire 800, Mini DisplayPort output (requires optional adaptors for VGA, DVI and HDMI connectivity), SD card slot, audio line in, audio line out Dimensions: 364 x 249 x 24mm (WxDxH) Weight: 2.54kg Warranty: 90 days of free telephone support, one-year limited warranty OS: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Software: iLife 09 (iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)

Apple has unveiled its latest MacBook Pros, which include Intel's Core i5 and i7 processors.

The new processors, available in the 15in and 17in versions, are believed to be capable of boosting speeds by 50 per cent. The Turbo Boost and Hyper Threading tech help boost the systems from 2.66Ghz to 3.06Ghz - and as high as 3.33Ghz for single core tasks, Apple claimed. Prices start at 1,499.

The 13in model was also updated, and now features Intel Core 2 Duo processors and Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics. Prices start at 999.

The entire lineup also boasts iPhone-style scrolling on the trackpad, which should make it easier to maneuver through large websites and documents. Apple is also promising 10 hours of battery life.

"The new MacBook Pro is as advanced on the inside as it is stunning on the outside," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, in a statement.

"With faster processors, amazing graphics and up to three more hours of battery life, the new MacBook Pro delivers both performance and efficiency."

The new MacBook Pros are available to order now.

It's been a busy few weeks for Apple, with last week's unveiling of iPhone OS 4.0 and the arrival of the iPad.

Apple demonstrated that it didn't need a full-on international media event to launch new products recently, when it quietly and unfussily unveiled a range of new hardware. The two major additions were a new MacBook and updated iMacs, and it's the former that we're looking at here.

Since the release of Snow Leopard, Apple has become more attractive to businesses thanks to Exchange support being baked directly into the operating system itself. Macs are expensive propositions compared to PC laptops, so it's always a little galling that the entry level machine offered frankly poor build quality. This was very much brought into focus when Apple introduced its aluminium uni-body MacBook Pro - leaving the white MacBook as something of a poor relation.

Clearly the aluminium unibody was too expensive an option to extend down the line, or Apple wanted to keep things separate purely for marketing reasons. Either way, the aluminium MacBook made only a brief appearance, leaving the much inferior, but cheaper, white model to fend for itself.

Apple was clearly conscious of the need to improve the quality of this machine and we can say with confidence that it has succeeded in this regard. The refreshed machine now features a similar unibody construction to the MacBook Pro, only instead of aluminium, Apple has used polycarbonate - the same material used in CDs and DVDs.

The benefits of the new design are immediately apparent as it feels much sturdier and stronger than the previous version. It's also a tad more rounded off at the corners, and as it's in one piece, there are no nasty gaps around the edges, which were prone to grime and breakage.

Things have also been simplified at the base as there are no rubber feet to come off. Instead, there's just one large rubber base. However, this means that the battery is no longer removable, so should it ever lose its staying power you'll need to send the whole thing away for repair.

As it stands though battery life is a strength of the new machine. In our light use tests we got just under nine hours, which is very impressive. Running Windows 7 under boot camp we obtained just shy of six hours - still a good return, considering it doesn't support the native power saving features. Apple states seven hours, so from what we've seen, that seems a fair assessment.

In terms of new design, the single trackpad of the MacBook Pro has now arrived on the MacBook, doing away with the separate pad and button affair. It's been a while since we've used this and we have to say we like it a lot. We know from personal experience that the mouse button has a tendency to stick, so removing it ensures there's one less thing to go wrong. Using gestures to scroll is straightforward, and tapping to select feels comfortable.

Another area of improvement is the display. The 1,280x800, 13.3in screen is now LED backlit, and it's genuinely better than the older model. Bright, clear and vibrant are words that spring to mind. Meanwhile, the keyboard is decidedly less rattley than its predecessor and is better to type on.

Under the hood the MacBook is now powered by a 2.26GHz Core 2 duo, 2GB of RAM comes as standard and there's a decent 250GB of hard disk space. In our benchmarks under Windows 7, the result of 1.13 is respectable, and Mac OS X always feels nippier.

Overall, this is a machine that we think will fit comfortably into any small business looking at Macs. The extra durability from the chassis, the improved display and the introduction of the button-free pad are all welcome additions.

It's a shame that it's 50 more than the older model though. And while Apple puts this down to the weak pound, it also puts it dangerously close to the price of the entry level MacBook Pro, which has an even better chassis, and adds an SD card and FireWire. That's the model we'd ultimately recommend, but if you're penny pinching - a relative concept at this price - this is still a fine way to enter the world of Mac.

Verdict

Apple's new unibody polycarbonate construction brings a near, but not quite, premium feel to the MacBook, which is most definitely needed. The only real issue is that it's not much cheaper than the even better starter MacBook Pro.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.26GHz Memory: 2GB (two 1GB SO-DIMMs) of 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM; two SO-DIMM slots support up to 4GB Hard disk: 250GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive OS: Mac OS X v10.6 Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory Display: 13.3in, 12,80x800 Ports: 2x USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps), MagSafe power port, Gigabit Ethernet port, Mini DisplayPort, Audio in/out, Kensington lock slot Connectivity: Dimensions: 650 x 207 x 517mm (WDH) Warranty: 1yr

Apple's products are some of the most divisive and compelling in the industry, so it's no surprise that the 15.4in MacBook Pro prompted plenty of debate. The good looks, solid design and build were offset by a number of niggles: some disliked the scrabble-tile keyboard, others baulked at the non-removable battery, and plenty didn't approve of the unusual button-free trackpad.

For all the fuss back then about aluminium construction and button-less trackpads, though, the most striking feature of the new 17in MacBook Pro is more traditional: the screen. It's not an RGB LED panel, but traditional white LED technology. No matter: the screen is remarkable, with fantastic colour range, accuracy and clarity.

You can do plenty with it as well, thanks to the 1,900 x 1,200 native resolution. It's the highest currently available on a portable, and offers significantly more space than 1,680 x 1,050 screens. It's a close-run thing, but if multi-tasking and perfect colour reproduction are vital to you, then the Apple's screen is unbeatable.

The screen is bordered by the same classy black surround as the 15.4in MacBook Pro, and Apple's focus on good design and sturdy build quality is evident throughout. The famed 'unibody' construction, whereby the laptop is crafted from a single block of aluminium, has resulted in superb build quality: there's no squashy wrist-rest or unnervingly flexible lid here. This quality is matched by the minimalist style that is now the norm for Apple notebooks. From any angle, this is a good-looking laptop.

The trackpad remains both the main innovation and bone of contention in usability terms. As with the 15.4in model, our first few minutes saw us constantly attempting to click the bottom of the pad, where the mouse buttons would ordinarily be. Instead, the mouse pad itself functions as one large button, with several 'multitouch' functions available in specific applications, and other controls for navigating OS X more easily: swiping four fingers horizontally, for instance, is the OS X equivalent of ALT-TAB. Swipe four fingers up and your open applications glide to the edges of the screen to reveal the desktop. Inevitably, the gestures don't work in Vista, although a two-fingered click brings up context menus.

The keyboard uses the scrabble-tile layout also seen on Sony's VAIO laptops, but we're not entirely convinced. While the base of the keyboard is solid, the keys themselves are a little flimsy and lack travel. The under-key LED is a useful addition, however, for typing in the dark.

As with the 15.4in MacBook Pro, the ports are grouped on the left-hand edge. The 17in MacBook Pro gains a USB port over its 15.4in sibling, bringing the total to three. You also get Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, audio in and out, an ExpressCard/34 slot and a Mini-DisplayPort output. When compared to almost any rival, however, the MacBook Pro's offering seems stingy. There's no eSATA, for instance, and a few more USB ports wouldn't go amiss. The lack of a standard display output is also an annoyance: a converter from Mini-DisplayPort to DVI costs 17 before VAT; a converter to Dual-Link DVI costs an extortionate 68 before VAT.

The Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile T9550 processor runs at 2.66GHz and delivered a benchmark result of 1.34, which is excellent. It's more than enough to motor through OS X and demanding design and creative applications.

Like the 15.4in MacBook Pro, the 17in version has two GPUs: an Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT and an lower-power Nvidia 9400M chip for prolonged battery life. The latter isn't up to it but if you want to kick back with some after hours gaming, in our medium-quality 'Crysis' benchmark the 9600M GT scored 22fps; dropping the settings to Low resulted in an eminently-playable 76fps.

The rest of the MacBook's specification, compared to rival machines, seems rather meagre. Comparing with a alternative option a Dell Studio XPS 16 - both offer 4GB of RAM, but the Dell has a 500GB hard disk versus the MacBook Pro's 320GB Fujitsu unit. The Dell also features Blu-ray drives and a memory card reader. The lack of a TPM chip and ISV certification on the Apple may also prove a deal breaker for professionals intending to use the system as a dual-OS workstation laptop.

Battery life is a mixed bag under Vista. Apple's Boot Camp application currently offers no support for the MacBook Pro's twin GPUs, and consequently uses only the higher-power GeForce 9600M GT. The MacBook ran out of steam after a reasonable 4hr 22m, but this figure plummeted to just an hour in our heavy use benchmark.

The results were far more encouraging when we simulated a light use test in Mac OS X, in which the MacBook Pro lasted a minute shy of seven hours, just 61 minutes off Apple's impressive-sounding claim of eight hours battery life. The final, much-discussed caveat is that the battery isn't removable, so the entire system has to be sent back to Apple should any problems crop up.

The latest MacBook Pro comes with a considerable list of pros and cons. The stunning, high-resolution screen, powerful hardware and superb build quality will endear the 17in Apple to those keen on image and video editing, or simply those just looking for a luxurious desktop replacement. Conversely, the keyboard and trackpad are a mite disappointing and the specification isn't as versatile as rival machines. The most prominent challenger is from a Sony VAIO VGN-AW11Z/B. Not only does it offer a larger (if lower-resolution) 18.4in TFT, you also get twice the hard disk capacity, a Blu-ray writer and very similar performance, all for 600 less.

If you're happy spending the best part of 1,700 before VAT on a machine that places style and design ahead of more practical considerations, are a professional user who demands a near-perfect screen with plenty of desktop space, or just have to have MacOS X, the 17in MacBook Pro is a great choice. Be warned, though: your money could go an awful lot further elsewhere if you contemplate life without the iconic logo.

Verdict

There’s no doubting it’s a impressive laptop and for many it may be a dream machine, but the MacBook Pro 17in suffers the usual Apple caveats of offering less hardware for more cash than Windows based rivals.

Processor: 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile T9550

Memory: 4GB 1,066MHz DDR2 RAM

Storage:320GB hard disk, DVD+/-RW

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT and GeForce 9400M

Display: 1,900 x 1,200 17in TFT

Ports: 3 x USB, mini-DisplayPort, ExpressCard/34, FireWire 800

Networking: 802.11a/b/g + draft-n WLAN, Gigabit Ethernet

OS: Apple OS X 10.5 Leopard

Warranty: 1yr warranty

Dimensions: 394 x 268 x 24mm (WDH)

Weight: 2.95kg

Apple fanatics looking for the new 17-inch MacBook Pro will have to wait, as it will be released mid-February rather than the end of January, as first thought.

Apple blamed the delay on the unibody' laptop, carved from a single block of aluminium. "Wrapping up the new 17-inch MacBook Pro is taking a few days longer than we expected, and we now expect to begin shipments in mid-February," Apple said in a statement.

Apple announced the new MacBooks in October. Both the Pro and standard versions saw a design overhaul and featured the anodised aluminium shell. However, only the 15-inch MacBook Pro versions were available at the time.

As well as the aluminum shell and graphic processors, the new 17-inch MacBook Pro will also have a LED-backlit widescreen display and eight hours of wireless working on a single charge.

Apple has announced that it is to drop copy protection from all of its songs sold via iTunes in addition to varying the pricing structure for its songs.

Aside from this, Apple's final appearance at Macworld proved to be something of a disappointment for both Wall Street and consumers, with product announcements limited to updates of existing lines.

Apple shares slid 0.7 per cent, lagging by far the Nasdaq's 1.7 per cent gain, reflecting frustration over the lack of news from the trade conference that had previously introduced the iPhone to the world.

"There were some innovative products, but no true blockbusters," said Robert Francello, head of equity trading for Apex Capital hedge fund in San Francisco. "People were bullish going into it, and now they're kind of taking money off the table."

Apple said its iTunes music store, which has sold six billion songs thus far, will offer its 10-million-song library free of digital rights management - or copy-protection - by the end of the quarter, for between 69 cents and $1.29 a song. Previously all DRM protected tracks cost 99 cents (79p). Upgrading to DRM free music will cost 20p per track.

Songs will also be available straight to iPhones over the air via 3G, instead of through a computer.

The company decided not use Macworld to launch any major new product, as it has done in past years. Previously, the company's Macworld product launches had produced so much buzz that they managed to overshadow events at the far larger Consumer Electronics Show. The 2009 CES show kicks off this week in Las Vegas.

Yesterday's event produced few surprises. Apple announced a $2,799 (1,949) 17-inch laptop that is the company's lightest and slimmest ever, as well as tweaks to software for home movies and photographs.

The 17in Macbook Pro's design has been updated to match that of the recently released Macbook and Macbook Pros. It offers a 1,920 x 1,200 display with a 700:1 contrast ratio and a matte display for an extra $50.

iLife and iWork have both been updated to 09 versions, with tweaks including the addition of Face Detection to iPhoto for automatic organisation of images. iLife 09, iWork 09 and Mac OS X Leopard are now available as a box set for $169 (149).

Apple also revealed its public beta of iWork.com, its take on Google Docs which will offer online editing of documents and spreadsheets.

The event culminated with singer Tony Bennett crooning "The Best is Yet to Come" and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in a farewell of sorts to Apple, which will no longer attend the cultural event thronged annually by the Mac faithful.

Jobs, a fixture at past events, was nowhere in sight, despite some hopes for a cameo. Last month, the company said its chief executive and salesman extraordinaire would not deliver the Macworld address. That raised fresh concerns about the cancer survivor's health and signalled to many Apple-watchers that the company had no plans to launch a major product at Macworld.

As we cast our eyes back over laptops in 2008 we couldn't help but notice a running theme. They tend to get stolen quite a lot. Obviously, this is an inevitable consequence of the portable computer if you can take it off your desk and put it in your bag, you can also leave it on the train, or someone can relieve you of it against your will.

Of course, it's not so much the laptop's themselves that the problem here but rather the data they contain. Sensibly, it looks as though the hardware manufacturers are started to create technology to deal with this. Of course there are security measures that companies could already employ, such as passwords, encrypted drives and fingerprint readers, and but these would require pro-activeness and forethought, which is probably asking a bit much. Instead, many of the moves are reactive ones designed to safeguard the horse after its bolted.

Only recently, Intel announced that it has teamed up with Ericsson to put GPS inside laptops, enabling them to be tracked if stolen and even deactivated remotely with a kill command, which sounds quite ominous in a Sci-Fi kind of way, but is cool.

In a similar vein, Lenovo has worked with Phoenix Technologies to be able to shut off PCs by remote text message.

Laptops don't just get lost though sometimes they overheat and explode, which is always quite exciting. Back in September, Sony had to recall 73,000 VAIO laptop batteries, though actually there was only single report of someone getting burnt. The recall also only applied to VAIO's from outside of the UK.

Netbooks

In terms of laptop hardware there was plenty of big events. Perhaps the biggest was the rise of the netbook. It may have been born in 2007 as the original Eee PC, but in 2008 it grew into a proper child, in the form of the Asus Eee PC 900, which added an extra inch to the size of the screen making it a bit more usable.

Before long though Intel had released its Atom chip, and from there a flurry of netbooks hit the shelves from the likes of HP with its Mini Note to Acer with its Aspire One.

Our pick though was MSI's Wind, which managed to offer the best mix of build quality, features, battery life and price. We liked it so much we even gave one away in our reader survey.

The netbooks also offered up their fair share of disappointments. Of these, we have Vodafone edition of Dell's Inspiron Mini 9 this should have been a winner, thanks to the Dell brand and an integrated 3G modem making it simple and easy to get online. While that part was fine the Dell was let down by a very poor keyboard and even worse performance, rather spoiling the whole experience.

It wasn't nearly as bad though as the Pico an attempt at a netbook from Apricot. While initially we were pleased to see the brand back, we were less than happy at the hardware it had been associated with, with naff styling and the worst keyboard and mouse we've ever used.

In terms of full size laptops, highlights of the year were the controversial MacBook Air. It looked fantastic but Apple had seemingly written the "world's thinnest laptop" tagline before it had started making the laptop itself, resulting in a laptop grossly lacking in connectivity. One USB? No Ethernet? Per..lease.

Lenovo however, went on to prove that you could offer a seriously thin laptop and still include multiple USB ports, Ethernet connectivity and even an optical drive. It's was called the Lenovo X300, and it was brilliant. Silly Apple.

Apple's MacBook Pro ended the year on a laptop high for the company in terms of style and power but while the the new single block aluminium structure made for a very strong machine, it also made for a very pricey one. The fruity people also decided to remove FireWire from the standard new look Macbook, forcing people to either stay with the old white MacBook, or pay twice as much for a FireWire equipped MacBook Pro all for a $10 port. Silly Apple.

Apple's recent launch of its new range of MacBooks wrongfooted fans and journalists alike. Rumours abounded of what the mysterious Apple 'Brick' could be but, against all the expectations of a new, ground-breaking product, it turned out to be simply a new manufacturing process. Just like the iconic, if flawed MacBook Air, the new range of MacBooks were to receive one of the most stunning design overhauls ever seen.

Gone are the softly contoured plastic chassis of yore, and in their place stands a range of machines with each laptop hewn from a single, precision-machined slab of aluminium. Even before you've laid eyes on the laptop itself, Apple's keen attention to detail overwhelms the average person's gadget lust in seconds.

The slick, artisanal packaging foretells of the quality of the product resting dormant inside; tantalising shots of the MacBook Pro's impossibly slim, glossy form teasing before you've laid hands on the product itself. The very process of unboxing the Macbook Pro is enough to melt all but the coldest of hearts.

And, just like with the MacBook Air, the first sight of the MacBook Pro flesh leaves the burning question: why can't other manufacturers make laptops that look this good? Compare the MacBook Pro to the best that Windows-based laptops have to offer, and most of the competition comes up woefully short.

Breathtaking looks certainly aren't everything when it comes to building a laptop, but when it's one that costs the best part of 1,500, they're definitely a good start.

It's not just an aesthetic leap, though. Grab the MacBook Pro with both hands and it exudes a sturdiness that eludes other laptops. The lid is held shut by a strong magnet, and just like the chassis, the one-piece aluminium lid is supremely strong. You can twist with all your might to no avail - this is one of the stiffest chassis we've ever come across.

And it's surprisingly slim, too. Despite the 15.4in screen and the high-powered components inside it rises a mere 24.1mm above the desk.

It's not especially light, however. At 2.49kg (2.96kg including the power adapter) it's marginally lighter than most 15.4in laptops, but it still makes for a hefty deadweight in a bag and we'd baulk at the idea of carrying it about on a regular basis.

And, once you're over the initial flush of love at first sight, the MacBook Pro still has plenty up its sleeve. The 15.4in display, for example, is perfect. The brightness sensor, nestling next to the inexcusably low resolution 0.3-megapixel iSight webcam, is a nice touch, and saves you from having to constantly fiddle with brightness settings.

The 1,440 x 900 resolution strikes that perfect balance between a roomy desktop and legibility, and image quality is beyond reproach. The downside of the glossy finish, beyond the increased reflectivity, is that amorous fingers soon leave it smudged and dirty. It's just as well Apple bundle a display polishing cloth so you can buff it back to a keen shine.

Just like Sony's superb Z-series ultraportables, Apple has equipped the MacBook Pro with twin graphics chipsets. Rather than opt for Intel's integrated GMA X4500 graphics, though, Apple has chosen Nvidia's latest double act.

The GeForce 9400M is Nvidia's first ever integrated chipset, and it goes hand in hand with its discrete chipset, the powerful GeForce 9600M GT. If you've any interest is gaming on your downtime, then you won't find anything more demainding than the title Crysis, but the Macbook Pro copes ably, even with our challenging Medium detail test. A result of 22fps isn't astounding, but it reassures that this is one laptop that's more than capable of turning its hand to gaming at the end of a hard day's work.

And, despite the conspicuous absence of Intel's latest Centrino 2 chipset, performance is reasonably strong across the board. The Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor finds itself accompanied by 2GB of DDR3 memory, and it's a partnership which earns 1.17 in our application benchmarks.

It's unfortunate that our battery benchmarks only work under Windows Vista, though, as Boot Camp doesn't currently allow for swapping between the two graphics chipsets. With the GeForce 9600M GT chipset taking over graphical duties, the Macbook Pro only managed 2 hours and 20 minutes of light use battery life. Heavy usage only saw that drop to a paltry hour and eight minutes.

We expect this has got a lot to do with Nvidia's brand new chipset and immature Vista drivers, as we simulated our light usage test in OS X and found that battery life soared effortlessly over six hours.

One of the major additions to the range is the new trackpad. In its infinite wisdom, Apple has done away with the accompanying button and, instead, the whole trackpad acts as one giant mouse button.

At first it's disconcerting to find the whole trackpad sinking beneath each finger press, but we soon found ourselves acclimatising to it a little, at least in OS X.

The multitouch gestures work well under Apple's OS too, allowing easy manipulation of photos with a range of simple two fingered gestures.

New gestures have been added, though. Sweeping four fingers in an upwards motion triggers Expos; a feature which makes it startlingly easy to clear the desktop and get to the icons behind. Flicking between open programs is outstandingly nippy too. Just sweep four fingers horizontally and up pops the OS X application switcher.

It's a shame, if not much of a surprise, that the trackpad doesn't work so well under Vista. With one finger left-clicking and three fingers pressed together emulating the right click, we were soon hankering after a standard laptop trackpad and discrete buttons.

The keyboard is a little less divisive but it too is far from perfect. Its scrabble-tile layout is a common sight on Apple laptops these days, but we're not sure Apple has got it quite right here. The keyboard backlighting is a boon for working in low-light, but it's the ergonomics that come as a disappointment.

The keys don't have much travel and despite a reasonably positive action at the end of each stroke, the short-travel keys don't feel particularly nice under the fingers. It's an improvement on the old MacBook Pro's plasticky keyboard, but it's not up to the high standards set by other 15.4in laptops, such as Dell's superb XPS M1530.

The final moan comes courtesy of the MacBook Pro's frighteningly stingy attempt at connectivity. To keep the clean, pristine lines of the chassis, Apple has grouped all the ports on the laptop's left-hand side. The meagre two USB ports are flanked by one FireWire 800 port, Gigabit Ethernet and a Mini-Displayport. Dell's business-focussed Latitude series was the first to embrace DisplayPort technology, but the Macbook Pro is the first to adopt the Mini-flavoured variety.

Whether Mini-Displayport is a proprietary Apple venture or a forthcoming standard is yet to be seen but, for the user, it means only one thing: if you want to connect an external display you'll need to spend extra on one of Apple's adapters. Single-link DVI or VGA adapters cost 17 apiece, while a dual link DVI adapter costs 59. Bizarrely, Apple doesn't even offer a full-sized Displayport adapter as an option at all.

The rest of the MacBook Pro's specification gives little cause for surprise. Storage comes courtesy of a DVD writer and 250GB hard disk, while on the wireless side of things, Draft-N goes hand in hand with Bluetooth 2.1.

Stylistically, Apple's new MacBook Pro is a success. Or at least it is until you start using it. Within minutes of extracting our box-fresh MacBook Pro from its packaging, the aluminium finish and glossy display bezel were soon covered with smudges and the tell-tale tracks of sweaty palms. It might boast model-looks, but you'll be spending much of your time buffing and polishing it if you want to retain that brand-new sparkly sheen.

The design is matched by a fine performance elsewhere, but it all comes at a daunting price. Ultraportables such as Lenovo's X200 and Sony's VGN-Z11WN/B can match the MacBook Pro's application, if not its gaming performance, and they roundly trounce it when it comes to battery life.

They can also excuse their 1,500-odd price tags by virtue of being ultra-portables, whereas the 2.49kg Apple certainly can't. Essentially, as ever, you're paying a hefty premium for that Apple logo and the slick design that comes with it.

Mac users will already have put their old Macbook Pro up on Ebay and rightly so - it marks a significant improvement on its predecessor - but given the problems we encountered with Windows Vista (poor battery life and no switchable dual graphics chipsets) we'd recommend PC users hold off a little longer before they consider taking the plunge.

Verdict

Apple's given its Macbook Pro a thorough makeover but, for all its charm, it's still overpriced.

Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor Memory: 2GB RAM, Hard disk: 250GB hard disk space Display: 15.4in 1,440 x 900 TFT Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9400M / Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics Connectivity: 802.11abg + draft-n WLAN, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 10/100/1000 Ethernet, 0.3mp webcam, Ports: ExpressCard/34, 2 x USB, Mini DisplayPort, OS: Mac OS X Dimensions: 364 x 249 x 24.1mm Weight: 2.48kg (2.98kg) Warranty: 1yr warranty