At the recent ‘Scary Fast’ event held on October 30, Apple unveiled its latest MacBook Pro series, featuring three new chipsets: M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max, which are set to power these laptops. These new M3 chips promise significant performance enhancements in both CPU and GPU capabilities. Apple’s new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models will be equipped with the M3 Pro and M3 Max chipsets. However, the base M3 chipset will be exclusively available with the 14-inch MacBook Pro models.
Following the launch of these new 14-inch MacBook Pro models powered by the M3 chip, Apple has discontinued the 13-inch MacBook Pro. The previously introduced 13-inch MacBook Pro with the M2 chip, released in 2022, is no longer listed for sale on Apple’s official store. Currently, only the 14-inch and 16-inch models are available in the MacBook Pro section on Apple’s website. However, the 13-inch M2-powered MacBook Air models continue to be offered.
Apple released the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro at a price of Rs 1,29,900, making it Rs 15,000 more expensive than the similar 13-inch M2 MacBook Air models. In contrast, the new M3 14-inch MacBook Pro starts at Rs 1,69,900. For customers seeking a more affordable option, the M2-powered MacBook Air is currently the alternative. Nonetheless, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro laptops will be sold through Apple’s refurbished store and other retailers until supplies last.
Another significant change with the launch of the latest 13-inch M3 MacBook Pro model is the discontinuation of the Touch Bar feature by Apple. The M2 13-inch MacBook Pro was the final Mac to incorporate the Touch Bar, a feature introduced by the company in 2016 that provided an OLED display replacing the conventional function keys at the top of MacBook keyboards. The Touch Bar allowed users to customize controls and shortcuts based on the app in use, although it received mixed feedback from users.
