Apple Latest News, Specs: 13, 15-Inch MacBook Pro Now Has ‘Touch Bar’, Replaces Function Keys; Supports Multitouch Up To 10 Fingers

Apple fans need to take a breather and focus on other things aside from the iPad Air. Although Cupertino has yet to make an official statement about the Air is generally one-sided, with all arrows pointing in the same direction. The quiet Macbook Pro meanwhile just got a major upgrade - the biggest Apple gave the laptop since 2012.

With no less than Apple CEO Tim Cook taking charge during the firm's recent event, a new device was unveiled to the chosen few. According to Tech Crunch, the stage was also the 25^th anniversary release of Apple's first notebook, the Powerbook and it is only fitting that something new should come to fold.

The newest edition of the MacBook Pro now features a second display right between the main screen and the keyboard. Apple called it the Touch Bar, and it replaces the traditional function keys of the Mac, including the escape key. The "mini Retina" display is multi-touch, which means it can support more than one finger gesture. The website added that it could identify up to 10 finger gestures at the same time.

By this, a user can perform a multitude of tasks: Ars Technica reported that the Touch Bar changes based on the app the user is working on. It spans from giving "autocomplete suggestions", showing saved bookmarks on Safari to adjusting the Apple MacBook Pro's brightness and other settings. Holding down the Fn button will make the Touch Bar revert to the original function keys, it added.

On the right of the Touch Bar is a familiar button. Apple's Touch ID is, again, a tap of a finger away from unlocking the MacBook Pro's system or using Apple Pay when purchasing via Safari. Another new feature Apple gave the new Pro is a thinner Retina Display. It's the same technology found on the Retina-clad MacBook, as well as in the 9.7inch iPad Pro and the two versions of the iPhone 7.

The Apple MacBook Pro will come in a 13inch and a 15inch model. While both will use the new Intel Skylake CPU, the former will support a dual-core version, whereas the 15incher comes with a quad-core variant. An Intel Iris 550 GPU is "exclusively" paired with the 13inch Apple MacBook Pro, while a Polaris- based AMD Radeon graphics chip is dedicated for the 15inch flavor.

Both versions are currently available for orders. The 13inch MacBook Pro (2.9GHz Intel i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB onboard storage) with standard function keys will sell at $1,499 and $1,799 with the new Touch Bar. The 15inch version (2.6GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 256GB onboard storage) will start at $2,399.