Microsoft Surface Pro 4 And Surface Book May Be Overshadowed By New MacBook Pro


It looks like we are only a couple days away from the new 2016 MacBook Pro announcement. Mac Rumors has the news.

“KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a new research report outlining his expectations for next Thursday’s ‘Hello Again’ event where Apple is expected to make a number of Mac-related announcements.”

The article adds that Kuo, who has been very accurate about previous Apple events and product predictions, believes that the MacBook Pro will be the highlight of the event. He believes it will come in both 13-inch and 15-inch sizes while including an OLED touch bar, a Touch ID sensor, USB-C ports, and the same butterfly-like keyboard that was first introduced on the MacBook in 2015.

Unfortunately, Kuo doesn’t believe that the new MacBook Pro will have a 4K display like others have said it would. He believes both MacBook Pros will keep their current displays (which are sort of outdated, but not too much), but still improve the screen with Apple’s updated Wide Color technology. Kuo also states that the OLED touch bar will have the same processor as the Apple Watch.

It’s not yet known if the MacBook Pro will be available at the time of its announcement, but a lot of people seem to think it will be. The new MacBook Pro could easily end up being the biggest selling laptop of 2016, even outselling Microsoft’s laptop/tablet hybrids, the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book.

The MacBook Pro has never really needed a touchscreen. [Image via Daryl Deino]

While some may argue that the MacBook Pro doesn’t have a touchscreen, it never really needed one. Back in 2010, a Business Insider article noted how Steve Jobs dismissed the idea.

“Apple is in no rush to bring touchscreen computing to its laptops. Steve Jobs said today touchscreen notebooks would be, ‘ergonomically terrible.'”

The article added that Steve Jobs said that touchscreens are good for demonstrations, but that one starts to feel fatigue after an extended period of time. It’s possible that new CEO Tim Cook is having different ideas. As iTech Post indicates, there is a possibility of Apple releasing the next MacBook with Apple Pencil support.

“Apple fans are now excited for the new 2017 MacBook that is rumored to be released with amazing specs and features… Rumors have it that its design will be different from the original MacBook and the 2016 MacBook in terms of color options, which added Rose Gold to the existing Gold, Silver and Space Grey options of the 2015 MacBook.”

In any case, Steve Jobs’ reasoning may be outdated, but the fact that the touchpad on Apple’s MacBooks feels like an extension of the screen and your fingers remains true. There is practically no effort needed to use the touchpad, and it almost feels like it’s not even there. Although touchpad on PC devices such as the Surface Pro 4 and Dell XPS 13 have improved, they still aren’t as good as Apple’s touchpads.

The MacBook Pro 2016 has another thing going for it — macOS Sierra. No matter much better Windows has become, it simply isn’t as good as OS X, which is easier for users to navigate, is more stable, and just provides an overall better experience. Windows 10 on the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book still tends to be glitchy, but not as much as when these devices were released one year ago.

You can bet that when the new MacBook Pro starts appearing in stores, it will be sold out instantly. Since Apple hasn’t released a major upgrade to the Pro since 2012, the hype and excitement is at an all-time high. This time, Apple may just live up to all of the hype.

[Featured Image by Mark Lennihan/AP Images]

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