Faster performance, double the storage and the Magic Keyboard. An overview of the specs and features of the new MacBook Pro 13-inch. Which should you buy for music production?

After dropping their updated 16″ MacBook Pro late last year and MacBook Air earlier this year, the updated 13″ MacBook Pro has been given a much needed boost. Again, no special event or even promo video, just a quiet update.

Price remains the same as last year, starting at $1299 or $1199 with educational pricing.

The update brings the new Magic Keyboard with scissor switches over from the 16-inch Pro and Air models, meaning the death of the much hated butterfly keyboard.

Unfortunately, the screen remains the size with the same bezels at 13-inch. We would have preferred to see a 14-inch in the same body, similar to the 16-inch last year.

Tech-Specs
  • 1.4GHz quad-core 8th gen i5 – up to 2.3GHz quad-core 10th gen i7
  • 8GB – 32GB memory
  • 256GB – 4TB SSD – all doubled
  • Intel Iris Plus Graphics
  • 13-inch Retina display
  • Two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports
  • Touch Bar and Touch ID
  • Magic Keyboard

Note, the baseline specs include an 8th generation processor that is over two years old. This will be fine for most users, but for intensive applications and to better future proof your computer, we recommend upgrading to the 10th gen processors. These start at $1799, which is a significant $500 bump, but worth it if you can afford it. The $1799 model hit a nice balance in performance with 2.0GHz 10th gen i5, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, 4 Thunderbolt ports and faster graphics (with support for 6K displays).

You’ll find the same battery, same 720p camera and no WiFi 6 across the board this year, which is a shame.

MacBook Line-Up:

The updated 13-inch MacBook Pro cleans up the MacBook line-up nicely.

  • MacBook Air – $999 – Ideal for web browsing and word processing
  • MacBook Pro 13-inch – $1299 – Ideal for media creation (audio production, photography, video editing)
  • MacBook Pro 16-inch – $2399 – Bigger and more powerful

More info, full pricing and buy now at apple.com.