6 things Apple announced at its new MacBook Pro event

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Apple unveiled its next generation of MacBook Pro earlier today, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

The tech giant stuffed plenty of goodies into what’s likely the last major event at its current campus, and we’ve outlined the key highlights and stuff you may have missed below.

Say hello to the new MacBook Pro

The star of the event, of course, was the new MacBook Pro. Available in a 13- and 15-inch version, the MacBook Pro is 12% thinner than the MacBook Air and Apple says it’s also its lightest MacBook Pro ever. Orders are live now with a starting price of $1,499 (£1,449, AU$2,199).

The new MacBook Pro’s two standout features are the Touch Bar along the top and Touch ID support. 

The Touch Bar is a Retina display that users can customize with apps and functions. It takes the place of physical function keys, letting users swipe, press and scroll their way through different functions on the laptop. But most importantly, it has emoji support, so you can literally type in all emojis, if you’re so inclined. 

Just as it does on the iPhone, Touch ID lets users keep their laptop secure with their fingerprint. It’s also smart enough to recognize more than one user, meaning multiple people could use the same machine without muddling each others’ settings and work up.

A 5K monitor from LG

Were you holding out hope for a 5K Apple display? Today’s your lucky day then as the firm announced an UltraFine 5K display with Wide Color made by LG.

Yes, this means we likely won’t see a 5K Cinema Display, but the screen is big and bright, and made just for the new MacBook Pro. In fact, the Pro will support up to two 5K screens at once. 

Another neat feature: not only will the display show what’s on your laptop, but also charge the notebook while it’s docked.

No price was revealed nor release date mentioned, but we’ll keep our ear to the ground for those details. 

Deflating the MacBook Air

With the introduction of three new MacBook Pro models (standard 13-inch, 13-inch with Touch Bar and Touch ID, and 15-inch with Touch Bar and Touch ID), Apple is rejiggering its MacBook Air offerings. 

The 11-inch MacBook Air is no more, which isn’t surprising given the MacBook Pro is now so thin and light. The firm is positioning the new 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar and Touch ID as the entry level.

If you’re still set on the Air though, you’ll find the 13-inch version available on the Apple Store. The machine starts at $999 (£949, AU$1,549), and now features 8GB of memory.

The ‘TV’ app

Apple likes to keep things simple, and it’s brought that mentality to its latest app in more ways than one. 

Called TV, the app aims to unify TV shows and movies available across various apps in one place to make watching them that much easier. Content will come in from sources like HBC Now, CBS All-Access and FOX NOW, though notably there’s no Netflix. 

TV will be available for Apple TV, iPhone and iPad in the US before the end of the year, though unfortunately Apple didn’t mention plans to bring TV to other regions.

Another note on the home entertainment front: Apple revealed a new Siri feature that lets Apple TV viewers tune into live news and sporting events. Simply utter commands like “Which games are on right now?” and Siri will give users pertinent info as well as ways to watch. You can also simply say “Watch” and the name of an app if you want to jump to live video directly.

A new accessibility website

Before the new MacBook Pro was even announced, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed the company launched a new accessibility website aimed at making technology accessible to everyone. 

“When people have access to products,” Cook said, “it can push human forward.”

The website highlights Apple accessibility features for people with disabilities, such as VoiceOver, Speak Screen and more.  

Minecraft is coming to Apple TV

Hey! It’s Minecraft! On Apple TV! 

Yes, everyone’s favorite game got a little love from Apple today when Cook announced the game is coming to Apple TV. Details were scarce, but we do know it will arrive before the end of the year.

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