Peak performance: The Apple MacBook Pro 13 (2018) review

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple has finally delivered new MacBook Pros which are truly for pro-users. Retaining the previous and somewhat contentious form factor, the new range of 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pros are built for the peak of portable performance. HIt jump for our review.

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A ‘quieter’ keyboard is reportedly exclusive to the 2018 MacBook Pro

iFixit

The new MacBook Pros are getting a new “quieter” keyboard that is also said to protect against damage from dust. Unfortunately, if you have an existing MacBook that did suffer some damage by dust, you won’t be getting this new keyboard. CNET reports that both Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers won’t be permitted to replace the old keyboards with the new one because these are considered to be exclusive to the 2018 model.

It isn’t clear why this is the case but one theory is that it just won’t fit. A teardown done by iFixit of the 13-inch model found the top case has been shaven down, which is said to make more room for the larger battery on the laptop.

‘Limited number’ of non-Touch Bar 13-inch Apple MacBook Pros need to have batteries replaced

Apple has just launched a free battery replacement program for some non-Touch Bar-toting Apple MacBook Pros. The company claims a “limited number” of these units have had their batteries expand. These supposedly affect those that were manufactured between October 2016 and October 2017 and is due to a fault component that causes the battery to expand.

The linked page above will ask you to submit your computer serial number to check if you’re eligible for a replacement. Those that qualify can bring their MacBook Pro to an authorized dealer or retail store or mail the unit to Apple’s repair center. If you’ve already gotten the battery replaced, you can contact Apple to see if you can get a refund. Apple notes that any damage that might inhibit the battery’s replacement will need to be fixed first and this program does not extend the computer’s standard warranty.

Spotify for macOS gets Touch Bar support

The latest update for Spotify on macOS brings with it some important features for MacBook Pro users. Those with the Touch Bar now gain similar controls to iTunes. It’ll let you “scrub” through a track, play, pause, shuffle, and induce a search box. Aside from that, the app will also pause a track when you take out one of the AirPods from your ears and will resume once you re-insert it.

Source: Apple Insider