Apple reportedly hoping to launch a 16-inch MacBook Pro

Apple might make a supersized MacBook Pro for professionals or students wanting a maximum sized portable Mac along with a 31-inch 6K monitor. There's a contingent of users who have been desiring both these products and it sounds as if Apple is open to generating more profit via diversified product lines.

Apple used to make a 17-inch MacBook Pro which many users lovingly referred to as the 'cafeteria tray' but a new 16-inch model will likely be thinner, lighter and with a much improved Retina Display. Following industry trends with bezel-less and edge-to-edge panels, Apple could give users 'a 17-inch laptop in a 15 or 16-inch body. This would be an ideal portable for coders,professional photographers, video editors and anyone wanting a big Mac laptop.

Source: Engadget

Apple updated MacBook Pro line with a focus on pro-level performance and features

On the heels of reports that Apple is planning on updating and releasing a whole slew of products come September, we receive news that the MacBook Pro line gets a revamp with more power and performance targeting pro-level users.

As Apple puts it, "The new MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar feature 8th-generation Intel Core processors, with 6-core on the 15-inch model for up to 70 percent faster performance and quad-core on the 13-inch model for up to two times faster performance — ideal for manipulating large data sets, performing complex simulations, creating multi-track audio projects or doing advanced image processing or film editing."

Starting at $2,399 CAD and $3,199 CAD respectively, the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar are available today through Apple.com/ca and in select Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers later this week.

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Evernote releases Touch Bar specific functionality on MacBook Pros

The malleable Touch Bar feature on recent MacBook Pros is actually a new platform for app developers to extend the functionality of the app and push various features forward. 

Evernote has unveiled new functionality that allows easy creation of notes, quick access to search, tagging, access various colours, and give feedback.

"In some ways, the Touch Bar is a sleeker, more stylish take on the soft buttons seen on screen-based devices, like mobile phones and cash machines. In other ways, the Touch Bar is more like your favorite keyboard shortcuts that you won’t need to memorize," Evernote explains. Good to see developers making use of the feature.

Apple takes out ‘time remaining’ battery life estimate to address MacBook Pro battery complaints

It seems like a weird fix to the battery life complaints the new MacBook Pro has been receiving but there is logic behind Apple’s decision to take out the “time remaining” battery life estimate from these machines. According to an internal investigation by Apple, the battery issue isn’t a hardware flaw but more of a prediction inaccuracy of the time the MacBook Pro remains usable. This unreliability issue is seen to be caused by the latest low-power processors and how it switches between tasks. The battery life status menu couldn’t keep up with the CPU when it switches between low-power and high-performance modes, thus causing the erratic predictions.

Another cause seen is the use of iCloud syncing, especially when first using the machine. Some users don’t realize that the process of syncing kicks into overdrive when the new Mac is first set up so it can sync all your data. This works in the background and it’ll greatly affect battery life. It would take a few days for battery life and its estimate to normalize. What Apple has decided to do is just put the percentage of the remaining battery life on the screen.

Source: 9to5Mac