Apple adds Touch Bar to MacBook Pro

Apple has announced its latest MacBook Pro, introducing a new adaptable multifunction display known as the Touch Bar.

The Touch Bar replaces the traditional row of function keys with a full-colour multitouch display that can automatically adjust its functions according to the active program.

For the Safari browser, for example, the bar will show tabs and favourites, whereas in the messages app it can enable easy access to emojis. The bar can also be used to edit photos and videos in applicable programs.

The notebook is also slightly thinner and lighter than all previous models, at just 14.9 mm thick. The display itself is 0.88 mm thick.

In addition to the new touchbar, the notebook uses a substantially larger trackpad, up to twice as large as the previous model. The Retina display is 67% brighter and has 67% more contrast than the previous model and is the first Mac notebook display to support wide colour technology.

The notebook comes in both 13″ and 15″ variants, as well as a 13″ variant without the touchbar. The 13″ models use a dual core Intel Core i5 processor and 8 GB of memory, whereas the 15″ model has a quad-core Core i7 processor and 16 GB of memory.

Both models come with 256 GB of flash storage. The three models are priced at $2199, $2699 and $3599 respectively. The touch bar models are estimated to ship in two to three weeks.

Image courtesy Apple.