Apple drops the price of the MacBook Air and gives the 13-inch MacBook Pro a speed boost
Smaller Pro model now comes with an 8th-gen quad-core processor
![Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GFPYVXFY2gLGbL26siSTb-320-80.jpg)
Apple has just tweaked the specs of the MacBook Air and dropped its price, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro is getting a faster processor.
The MacBook Air now has the True Tone feature in its Retina display, which is designed to give a “more natural” viewing experience. Perhaps more importantly, though, the base price has come down to $1,099/£1,099 - $100/£100 cheaper than before.
That said, it’s the new 13-inch MacBook Pro that’s more likely to be of interest to music producers. All variants now feature the latest 8th-generation quad-core processor, which is said to make them twice as fast as the previous versions, and also add the Touch Bar, Touch ID and a True Tone Retina display.
Arguably less welcome is the presence of Apple’s T2 Security Chip, which, according to reports, continues to cause some people audio stability problems when using a USB audio interface. The 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299/£1,299.
College students should also note that, as part of Apple’s Back to School promotion, they’ll get a pair of Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones when they buy a qualifying Mac notebook or iMac. This offer - as well as discounted prices on qualifying Apple products - is available to higher education students, their parents, faculty, staff and home-school teachers through the Apple Education Store.
Find out more on the Apple website.
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I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.
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