MacRumors

Following the announcement of the brand new line of MacBooks, Apple today revealed a slight update to its MacBook Air and 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro lines.

Both the 11" and 13" MacBook Air models will be upgraded to 5th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, Thunderbolt 2, and Intel HD Graphics 6000.

Today the popular 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, 11-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Air all received significant upgrades,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The 13-inch MacBook Pro has been updated with the latest processors, more powerful graphics, faster flash, longer battery life and the all-new Force Touch trackpad. We’re also bringing the latest processors and graphics, and faster Thunderbolt 2 to the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air, as well as up to two times faster flash to the 13-inch MacBook Air.”

The 13" MacBook Pro will receive the brand new Force Touch trackpad introduced on the new MacBook today at the Spring Forward event. Other new additions to the Pro lineup include: 5th-gen Core i5 and i7 processors with Turbo Boost Speeds up to 3.4 GHz, 2x faster flash, "faster integrated" Intel Iris Graphics 6100, and an improved 10-hour battery life. There was no mention of an update to the 15" MacBook Pro line at today's event.

The updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines can be purchased starting today on Apple's online store, Apple's retail stores, and various Apple authorized retailers.

Follow the rest of our March 2015 event coverage for the latest Apple Watch information.

At today's "Spring Forward" media event, Apple announced its much-anticipated ultra thin 12-inch MacBook, with prices starting at $1,299. The new notebook, which features a 12-inch Retina display with a resolution of 2304 x 1440, offers a full Mac experience in the lightest and thinnest Mac form factor to date

The 12-inch MacBook is separate from the company's MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines. It weighs 2 pounds and is 24 percent thinner than the existing MacBook Air at 13.1mm. It's available in three iPhone and iPad-style colors: gold, silver, and space gray.

With the new MacBook, Apple has introduced a redesigned keyboard, featuring a new butterfly mechanism for the keys to make them both more stable and more precise. The edge-to-edge keyboard offers keys with 17 percent more surface area and a redesigned feel.

"Apple has reinvented the notebook with the new MacBook, and at just two pounds and 13.1 mm, it's the thinnest and lightest Mac ever," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Every component of the MacBook reveals a new innovation. From its fanless design, ultra-thin Retina display and full-size keyboard that’s 34 percent thinner, to its all-new Force Touch trackpad, versatile USB-C port and breakthrough terraced battery design, the new MacBook is the future of the notebook."

Apple's new MacBook also includes a completely revamped trackpad, with built-in Force Touch. Force Touch can detect the amount of pressure placed on the trackpad, introducing a whole range of gestures. For example, a hard press using Force Touch brings up a Map in mail, or a Wikipedia entry in Safari, much like right clicking does now. The trackpad also includes haptic feedback, giving users tactile feedback from the trackpad when using it. The trackpad is customizable, letting users choose how much pressure is required to initiate a force press.

The 12-inch MacBook uses an Intel Core-M processor that starts at 1.1GHz with Intel HD 5300 graphics. It has entirely silent operation because it's the first MacBook to use a completely fanless design. Internally, the logic board is 67 percent smaller than the logic board in the MacBook Air, and Apple's designed new custom-shaped batteries for the device to eke out as much battery life as possible.

According to Apple, the new MacBook has an "all-day battery" life at 9 hours of web browsing and 10 hours of iTunes movie playback.

To allow for its ultra thin design, Apple has used a single USB-C port in the MacBook, which combines several functions into a one port: power, USB data transfer, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA capabilities. The MacBook does not use the traditional MagSafe charging method that's available in other MacBooks.

The entry-level MacBook is priced at $1,299 and includes a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, 8GB of memory, 256GB of flash storage, and Intel HD graphics 5300. There's also a 1.2GHz version with 8GB of memory and 512GB of flash storage available for $1,599. There will be additional configure-to-order options as well.

The new MacBook will begin shipping on Friday, April 10 through the Apple Online Store and from Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Six months after the Apple Watch's unveiling, Apple's "Spring Forward" media event in San Francisco today will give us final details on the device ahead of its launch next month. We could see a few other announcements as well, but given the tagline and timing of the event, the Apple Watch will undoubtedly be the focus of today's proceedings.

The event is being held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco and begins at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Apple will be providing a live video stream on its website for Mac and iOS users and via Apple TV.

Live Video Stream of Apple's March 2015 "Spring Forward" Media Event

In addition, we will be updating this article with summary coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the event unfolds. Highlights and separate news stories regarding the event announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

Apple's online stores around the world are currently down in advance of the event.

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Apple is shifting its retail strategy for the Apple Watch to deliver a more personalized shopping experience, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report claims that Apple Stores will accept in-store reservations for customers to try on the Apple Watch and corroborates that Apple is training its retail employees to help customers choose an Apple Watch model that suits them best.

The report, citing sources familiar with the matter, adds that the high-end Apple Watch Edition will have scratch-resistant gold, which an in-depth analysis over the weekend revealed is because Apple mixes the metal with low-density ceramic particles. Apple is also said to have studied a platinum Apple Watch, but the model is unlikely to be announced Monday.

"The company has refined the smartwatch’s luxury features, making the gold in the Edition model scratch-resistant, according to people familiar with the matter," reports The Wall Street Journal. "It also has studied platinum watch casings, although the company isn’t expected to announce that on Monday, they said."

Apple CEO Tim Cook, during a visit to the Covent Garden Apple Store in London last month, told retail employees that Apple has "never sold anything as a company that people could try on before." The chief executive added that "tweaking the experience in the store" will likely be a requirement when the wrist-worn device launches in April. It also appears likely that the Apple Watch will be exclusive to Apple Stores immediately following the product's launch, although for how long remains unknown.

Follow the rest of our March 2015 event coverage for the latest Apple Watch information.

Best Buy may not carry the Apple Watch when the wrist-worn device launches in April, according to Reuters. The report, citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter, corroborates speculation that Apple might control the Apple Watch sales experience, at least initially, by limiting the product to Apple Stores.

Apple has been training its retail employees to deliver a more personalized shopping experience, as many customers will want to try on the various watch editions, faces and bands to determine which is best for them. Given that, it would make sense that Best Buy, and possibly other authorized resellers such as Walmart, Target and Sam's Club, might not immediately sell the Apple Watch.

While large fashion retailers such as Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States confirmed no immediate plans to carry the Apple Watch, multiple high-end department stores in Europe will be showcasing the smartwatch when it launches. Last month, for example, sources told us that Apple is planning an Apple Watch pop-up shop at Selfridges in London near the iconic 19,000-square-foot Wonder Room. French department store Galeries Lafayette is also setting up an Apple Watch display in Paris.

"Other large retailers, including Macy's, Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdales and Barney's said they had no immediate plans to carry the watch. Target and Nordstrom,along with all the major phone carriers, declined to comment on their plans, though a source with knowledge of the situation said Nordstrom has engaged in discussions with Apple."

Apple is expected to provide further details about the Apple Watch during today's "Spring Forward" media event. The keynote begins at 10 AM Pacific with a live video stream available on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. MacRumors will also have full coverage of the event, with a live blog on our front page, news coverage and updates going out on our @MacRumorsLive Twitter account. Also follow and participate in the conversation in our discussion forums.

The online Apple Store has been taken offline this morning less than five hours prior to Apple's highly-anticipated "Spring Forward" media event in San Francisco, where the company is expected to unveil further details about the Apple Watch alongside other potential announcements. If history repeats itself, the storefront should remain down until shortly after the conclusion of Apple's keynote.

Apple's media event starts at 10 AM Pacific with a live video stream available on Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. MacRumors will also have full coverage of the event, with a live blog on our front page and updates going out on our @MacRumorsLive Twitter account. We'll also have specific coverage of today's announcements in separate news stories, and our forums are a great place for readers to discuss the announcements before, during and after the event.

With a few hours left to go before Apple's big "Spring Forward" media event, the company has once again unlocked the "Apple Events" channel on the Apple TV in preparation for the big event.

Largely expected to be the central focus later today is the Apple Watch, given the Daylight Saving Time reference in the title of the event and the small amount of pricing and launch-related information known about the device so close to its rumored release date of April.

Other outlying possibilities include small refreshes of the 11" and 13" MacBook Air and the 13" Retina MacBook Pro. Less likely to be seen are the long-rumored 12" Retina MacBook Air, and even the recently-rumored iPad mini 4.

Fans wanting to watch the event live can also use Apple's official website, the caveat as usual being users will need to be running Safari to stream the event. Apple points out that most any recent version of the software will run the stream, though those with older software may have trouble.

Live streaming video requires Safari 5.1.10 or later on OS X v10.6.8 or later; Safari on iOS 6.0 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.

Apple's "Spring Forward" event begins at 10:00 AM Pacific Time. MacRumors will be covering all aspects of the event, including a live blog and live tweets which can be followed on the MacRumors Live Twitter page.

With just one day to go until Apple's "Spring Forward" media event in San Francisco, there are still plenty of unknowns about what the company will be showing off beyond a focus on the Apple Watch. As a result, we've put together this summary of what we expect to see, what we might see, and what we probably won't see at the event.

Apple Watch

Given the time-related tagline of "Spring Forward" and today's start of Daylight Saving Time in the United States, it's clear the Apple Watch is the focus of tomorrow's event. We got a first look at the device last September, but now with just a month to go until launch, it's time for Apple to provide final details and shape the marketing message. Expect more details on launch dates and pricing of course, as well as some updates on performance aspects such as battery life.

Also expect apps to play a significant role in the event, with Apple allowing a few developers to show off what they've been able to accomplish over the past few months since guidelines and developers tools for the device were made available.

Pricing will undoubtedly be one of the most interesting topics to be covered, with the company so far refusing to disclose any information beyond a $349 starting price. Daring Fireball's John Gruber has made his final predictions, arguing the stainless steel Apple Watch collection will be more expensive than people think.

[T]he steel Apple Watch, that’s something that most people still look at as for them. And so they expect the starting price to be around $500, and the various leather and metal band options to cost $100-300 more.

But if the starting price for the steel Apple Watch is $500, I don’t see why Apple Watch Sport exists at $350. $150 difference does not justify the difference. If they were that close in price, there’d only be one of them. [...] With Sport and steel Apple Watches, everything you can see or touch is different. Different metal (aluminum vs. steel), different finishes (matte vs. highly-polished), different displays (glass vs. sapphire), different case backs (plastic vs. ceramic and sapphire).

With that in mind, Gruber predicts the steel Apple Watch collection will start at $749 while the gold Apple Watch Edition collection starts at $7500. He expects Apple will charge a small premium for the 42mm size compared to the 38mm casing, and various band options will quickly drive up the cost of the steel and gold models.

Gruber is of course only one voice among many who are speculating about pricing, but he offers a clear and thorough argument for his pricing predictions, serving as a solid basis for debate and discussion.

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Back in January, WayTools, a company known for its high-quality NextEngine 3D laser scanner, surprised the world with a collapsible, magnetic keyboard unlike anything we had seen before. Called the TextBlade, the keyboard garnered a significant amount of attention from the media and from prospective buyers who were intrigued with its unique design.

Commenters here on MacRumors and across the Internet were immediately curious about the TextBlade, and had several questions. How does it work? How easy is it to use? What's the learning curve? How does it feel?

Today we're going to answer all of those questions and more. Yesterday, WayTools invited MacRumors to visit its headquarters in Santa Monica to get an exclusive hands-on first look at the TextBlade. We met with WayTools CEO Mark Knighton, and a group of engineers who helped develop the product to get details on how it works and to try it out for ourselves.

Design

The first thing that's important to know about the TextBlade is that its design, which is the culmination of years of work and experimentation, has been engineered to be completely different from any keyboard that's on the market today.

According to Knighton, the company did not set out to develop a keyboard for the iPhone or the iPad, they set out to develop a keyboard that's a better experience, overall, than any available keyboard, mobile or desktop.

Portability is one of the key qualities that dictated the design of the TextBlade. The team at WayTools firmly believes that an accessory designed for the iPad or the iPhone should be smaller than the device itself. The TextBlade is approximately 1/3 of the size of an iPhone and it weighs an ounce and a half, so it's barely noticeable in a shirt or pants pocket.

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Apple Watch will take approximately two hours to fully charge and deliver all-day battery life with normal on-and-off usage, according to TechCrunch. Those estimates corroborate a previous report that also claimed the Apple Watch will deliver all-day battery life and support up to five hours of heavy usage per charge.

The report also claims that the Apple Watch will only deliver notifications while worn on the wrist. The smartwatch will not ping you for notifications without being in contact with skin so that the device is not disruptive at unnecessary times. Apple Watch will also stop delivering notifications when the battery reaches 10% or lower in an effort to conserve the remaining power.

"Here’s a tidbit you might not know — in order to receive notifications from apps, the Watch must be on your wrist and locked. They require contact with your skin. There will be no in-app dropdown notifications or constant pinging while it’s off your wrist. Push notifications also cease when the battery reaches 10 percent. Those decisions speak to the care with which Apple is handling notifications."

Apple continues to tweak Digital Crown on the Apple Watch, giving the button a "weightier, higher-end feel." Pressing and holding down the Digital Crown activates Siri, which the report claims works well and can be used for labeling, directions and commands using a paired iPhone. The goal of the Apple Watch, the report describes, is to return some of your attention away from your smartphone by allowing you to communicate from your wrist on the go.

While both reports this afternoon have provided a closer look at the Apple Watch, there are still several question marks surrounding the wrist-worn device. That will change in less than three days, when Apple provides more details about the Apple Watch at its highly-anticipated "Spring Forward" media event in San Francisco. The keynote begins on Monday at 10 AM Pacific and MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the event.