After Apple revealed their new MacBook Pro 2016 earlier this week, we’ve had a chance to take a closer look at the new laptops. While we’ve been focusing on the new additions that have been made to the lineup, Apple has actually removed several key features that the MacBook used to have.
First off, one of the most notable changes is a simple aesthetic one. After introducing the lighted Apple logo on the lid several years back, the new MacBook Pro ditches that for a simpler black logo. With no statement for the reason for this change, one likely candidate is battery life. Apple has mentioned multiple times that they’ve been focusing on battery life and this is a simple way to cut down on power consumption by getting rid of an aesthetic feature that really does nothing.
Next up is the more drastic removal of the magnetic charging port. Since its introduction, the magnetic charging port has likely saved a fair amount of MacBooks from tumbling to an untimely demise. Just like the MacBook, the MacBook Pro 2016 uses the USB Type-C ports to charge. This means a tug on the charging cable will send the laptop tumbling or damage the port. I guess the move to aesthetics and uniformity won out over practical concerns. The only real benefit is that you can charge from whichever side you want.
Lastly, Apple has tweaked how Boot Camp works a bit. With the new Touch Bar acting as a software keyboard, this means it will be OS specific. For those running Windows, Apple has decided that the default functionality should be the old school Fn keys. I suppose it is the simplest way but I can’t wait to see what some intrepid Boot Camp user will do with the new Touch Bar.
