MacBook Pro gets updated; 32GB of RAM now an option, the Touch Bar is still here

Apple has updated MacBook Pro and answered two questions. One: the Touch Bar isn’t going away. Two: you can finally get a pro laptop with 32GB of memory.

The new models with Touch Bar feature 8th-generation Intel Core processors, with 6-core on the 15-inch model for up to 70% faster performance and quad-core on the 13-inch model for up to two times faster performance.

Additional updates include a True Tone display (500 nits of brightness and support for the P3 wide color gamut), an improved third-generation keyboard for quieter typing, and Radeon Pro graphics, it’s the ultimate pro notebook, says Phi Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, in a press release. True Tone automatically changes the White Point and color balance of the display based on real-time measurements of the ambient light falling on the screen. 

There’s an option to add ups to 2TB SSD on the 13-inch model and up to a 4TB SSD on the 15-incher. But that’s gonna cost you: add $1,200 for 2TB and $3,200 for 4TB. Upgraded to 32GB of RAM will cost you $400.

Also new to MacBook Pro is the Apple T2 chip, first introduced in the iMac Pro. It integrates previously discrete components such as the SMC, ISP for the camera, audio control, SSD control, a secure enclave, and a hardware encryption engine. It also brings “Hey Siri” to the Mac for the first time.

The new MacBook Pro is also part of Apple’s Back to School promotion starting today and available to college students, their parents, faculty and staff through the Apple Education Store. The promotion includes a pair of qualifying Beats headphones with the purchase of any eligible Mac or iPad Pro for college, as well as education pricing on Mac, iPad Pro, AppleCare, select accessories and more.

First introduced with MacBook, Apple leather sleeves ($179) are now available for the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro in Saddle Brown, Midnight Blue and, for the first time, Black. They’re designed with leather and a soft microfiber lining.

Starting at $1,799 and $2,399 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 and in select Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers later this week. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at apple.com/mac.