More storage, better CPUs, Magic Keyboard in the new 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro

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Sarah Tew/CNET

Apple has updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Major differences from the previous model include new 10th-generation Intel processor options for some models and double the base storage for all. That takes the two lowest-priced models from 128GB of storage to 256GB; the mid-tier model from 256GB to 512GB and the high-end base configuration from 512GB to 1TB. Prices for the four default configurations remain at $1,299/$1,499/$1,799/$1,999. 

The two lowest-priced models go from 128GB of storage to 256GB; the mid-tier model from 256GB to 512GB and the high-end base configuration from 512GB to 1TB. The new top-end cap for storage is now 4TB, up from the previous 2TB. 

But note that the two lowest-priced models are keeping their old 8th-gen Intel CPUs. Upgrading to the 10th-gen chip is not currently an option until you hit the $1,799 level. 

Also new to the 2020 13-inch Pro is Apple’s Magic Keyboard, the latest reworking of the MacBook keyboard, as already found in the 16-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air. 

In March, I tested the Magic Keyboard version of the MacBook Air and said:

More than anything else, the new Magic Keyboard is what makes the latest Air such a winner. Yes, it solves a problem largely of Apple’s own making, but the end result is highly satisfying…The new keyboard is positively delightful, which is not praise I offer lightly. 

This is the first new Mac announcement since the MacBook Air added an updated keyboard and new CPU options in March, 2020. 

Previous leaks and rumors had pointed to the 10th-gen Intel switch, but also a 14-inch display, much like the old 15-inch MacBook Pro replaced its screen with a 16-inch one, while keeping the same general footprint. That was not to be, at least not this time. Apple is also endlessly rumored to be on the verge of replacing Intel CPUs entirely with a processor of its own design. 

source: cnet.com