Apple special event live blog: New MacBook Pros, no new MacBook Air
Updated at 2:25pm: That’s a wrap. Most of the even was spent on the new features of the MacBook Pro. The poor MacBook Air more or less gets the boot.
Updated at 1:39pm: The 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro are getting updated with a slimmer design, a Touch Bar, and TouchID.
Updated at 1:25pm: New “TV” app on Apple TV, iPad, and iPhone helps you find and watch your favorite content across different streaming apps.
Updated at 1:02pm: Here we go. The event is starting.
At today’s special event, Apple will likely show off a handful of major Mac updates.
By and large, has been slow to change the Mac line-up. At best, the favorites see a meaningful refresh about once a year. At worst, the likes of the Mac Pro and Mac Mini get ignored for years on end — a sorry situation for desktop die-hards.
The event begins at 1pm ET (10am PT), and we’ll be live blogging the entire thing. Want to watch the keynote live? You can do that too! Apple will be , so anyone running Safari or Edge can enjoy the show.
Live blog
2:23pm: It’s over. What do you think?
2:22pm: Tim Cook is wrapping it up. Thanking his team.
2:20pm: The non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro starts shipping today. The Touch Bar models ship in two to three weeks. You can order today.
2:17pm: Seems like they’re killing the MacBook Air. They’re shipping a slightly worse MBP with only 2 Thunderbolt 2 ports and no Touch Bar instead.
2:15pm: (Relatively) eco-friendly.
2:12pm: Jony Ive MacBook Pro video playing.
2:10pm: Office is getting Touch Bar support.
2:06pm: Demoing a DJ setup on the MacBook Pro.
2:01pm: Demoing Photoshop now on the MacBook Pro.
1:56pm: Showing the MacBook Pro in a demo. Another woman on stage now.
1:55pm: You can use the ports for pretty much anything.
1:54pm: 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports. Uses USB-C connector.
1:53pm: The 13-inch isn’t quite as impressive though.
1:51pm: 15-inch features a Core i7 Skylake CPUs. Has faster RAM, better SSDs, and GPU.
1:50pm: The new display is pretty sweet.
1:48pm: Fast user switching with TouchID.
1:44pm: HASHTAG EMOJI
1:42pm: How long until the entire keyboard is replaced with a touchscreen? Soon, right?
1:41pm: Demo time.
1:40pm: TouchID is built in. Good news.
1:38pm: The Touch Bar is a retina display, and it’s multitouch.
1:37pm: Eulogizing the function keys.
1:36pm: Uses a new generation of switch for the keyboard – revision of the 12-inch MacBook. Touchpad is twice as big.
1:35pm: The new models are thinner and lighter.
1:34pm: 13-inch and 15-inch models available. Two colors.
1:32pm: New MacBook Pro. Toolbar confirmed.
1:29pm: This week is the 25th anniversary of the first Powerbook.
1:28pm: Summarizing macOS Sierra.
1:27pm: Mac time!
1:26pm: The TV app launches in the US this December.
1:24pm: Siri integration lets you get to live content quickly.
1:22pm: The TV app is also available on your mobile devices so you can watch on the TV or on the go.
1:20pm: The TV app does recommendation as well. Seems fine.
1:18pm: Okay, so it seems like this is just an aggregation app for all your video content across different streaming apps.
1:18pm: New app called “TV.”
1:16pm: Get animated Gifs on your screen while watching football. Sure? That seems like something Silicon Valley would do.
1:15pm: A person from Twitter is on stage. Showing discussion and stats on live video. Social viewing, etc.
1:12pm: Over 8,000 apps for Apple TV. Over 2,000 games. Minecraft is coming.
1:11pm: Announcing something for Apple TV.
1:11pm: Apple Watch Nike+ will be available tomorrow.
1:10pm: Talking about how Apple Pay launched in Japan.
1:09pm: Showing portraits taken with iPhone 7+
1:08pm: Over 60% of iDevices are running iOS 10.
1:07pm: Over 400 million “memories” from photos have been viewed.
1:06pm: Sharing photos taken with the iPhone 7.
1:05pm: Some iPhone talk.
1:05pm: Apple is launching a new accessibility site to emphasize how Apple products can help people with disabilities.
1:05pm: Tim is on stage.
1:04pm: Strong start. Very strong.
1:03pm: Starting with a video about disabilities and tech.
1:02pm: Okeydoke, it’s beginning. Fingers crossed for new desktops.
12:53pm: It’s almost time to begin. What are you looking forward to? Scared that Apple will kill your favorite Mac?
What we expected
So far, we’ve mostly heard rumblings about updates to the various MacBook lines. A 13-inch Air, 13-inch Pro, and 15-inch Pro , but the 11-inch Air might get dropped completely. If rumors are right, we’ll see faster GPUs, strong support for USB-C, and an . The 12-inch MacBook earlier this year, so we wouldn’t bet on a new version just yet.
On the desktop side, there hasn’t been much movement. It’s been two years since a major update to the , and nearly three since the got any real love. It’d sure be nice if those got complete overhauls, but it’s anybody’s guess if Apple will even bother. The iMac, on the other hand, very well might get a .
A new standalone display, the Apple TV, and countless smaller Apple accessories might get some attention on stage, but it seems like the MacBooks will be Cupertino’s focus this time around. If you’re an fan, don’t let your hopes get too high.