Apple this week received FCC approval for an unreleased MacBook Pro with a model number of A2159, which is one of the model numbers that was recently registered with the Eurasian Economic Commission.
In the FCC documentation, Apple specifies that the unreleased A2159 machine is a MacBook Pro, which is curious as the MacBook Pro already received a 2019 refresh in May.
A2159 is a model that was not included in the May update, and it's not entirely clear what it is. As a Reddit user points out, the back of the machine says that it's rated at 20.3V - 3A Max, which is equivalent to 61W, perhaps suggesting a refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro.
From the FCC filing
There's a possibility that Apple is planning to launch an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar, which is one of the machines that did not receive a May update. The non-Touch Bar 13-inch MacBook Pro has not seen a refresh since 2017.
Apple is also said to be developing a 16-inch MacBook Pro that features a new design and larger display perhaps enabled through slimmer bezels, though it's not clear if that is the machine outlined in the FCC document given the power information specified.
A mockup of what a 16-inch MacBook Pro might look like
FCC approvals tend to be published right when a new machine launches, so we could see the A2159 MacBook Pro model quite soon.
Update: The FCC has pulled all of the documentation on the new A2159 machine.
But the Touch Bar does not remove any functionality that didn't exist before with the physical keys. I do agree that taking your eyes off the screen can be adjustment, and maybe that's where the disconnect is for people? You need to "look at the keyboard" when touch-typing is meant to avoid that?
You act as though having to look down at your keyboard to use it merely "an adjustment." It's a major regression, not to mention what I already pointed out: the touchbar goes to sleep, so you have to tap it gingerly somewhere to wake it up, THEN peer at it to poke at it... to step over a line of code.
So yes, it DOES take away function. Not to mention the fact that it should be an OPTION. Why is Apple forcing an emoji bar on so-called "pro" users?
Please, please, please, No butterfly keyboard. We don’t care what promises you make this time around that now you’ve fixed that junker. You’ve said that too many years in a row.
I’d like an updated no-touchbar MBP 13. Touchbar is a terrible addition to an even worse keyboard.
The emoji bar is an embarrassing gimmick that's worse than useless; it deletes a dozen USEFUL keys and replaces them with a featureless strip that goes to sleep. So even if you set it to show function keys all the time, you have to wake it up if you want to press one. Craven stupidity, and insulting on a "pro" computer.
And to add further insult: There's still no real Delete key on Apple's laptops, and you can't even add one to the emoji bar. WTF?
What is wrong at Apple to result in this perpetual state of incompetence in regard to HIDs? Hideously defective keyboards, laughably incompetent mice, and even the trackpads are now way too big... constantly in contact with the heels of your hands and working overtime (and not always successfully) to filter out spurious touches.
Oh... and again, we pay a penalty for the incompetently giant trackpad while Apple fails to provide what would be an obvious benefit: making the Pencil work on it!
Apple's AirPods have been credited with saving a woman's life after a potentially fatal fall, People reports.
When a 60-year-old florist in New Jersey tripped and hit her head in her studio, she lost consciousness and awoke heavily bleeding. With nobody around to call for help, she realized she had her AirPods in, and used a "Hey Siri" command to call 911. An operator was able to stay on the ...
Apple will no longer include EarPods with every iPhone sold in France, starting on January 24, according to a notice posted by a French carrier (via iGeneration). Apple was previously required to include EarPods in the box with the iPhone due to a French law that required every smartphone sold in the country to come with a "handsfree kit," but the law has now been changed in favor of reducing the ...
Following months of bleak news about Peloton's "precarious state," including the revelation that it has halted production of its bikes and treadmills, Apple is being floated as a potential buyer of Peloton's troubled fitness business.
Yesterday, CNBC reported that Peloton will temporarily stop production of its connected fitness products due to a "significant reduction" in consumer demand, a ...
Sunday January 23, 2022 2:59 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has always emphasized the depth of thought that goes into the design of its products. In the foreword to Designed by Apple in California, a photo book released by the company in 2016, Jony Ive explains how Apple strives "to define objects that appear effortless" and "so simple, coherent and inevitable that there could be no rational alternative."
But every once in a while even Apple...
Thursday January 20, 2022 8:32 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Earlier this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman tweeted that Apple "will be holding a spring event" to announce a new iPhone SE and other hardware. In a recent edition of his newsletter, Gurman said the event is likely to occur in March or April.
Gurman did not elaborate on what "other hardware" will be announced at Apple's purported spring event, but rumors suggest at least four products are...
Sunday January 23, 2022 10:32 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is working on a number of new products that are set to launch this fall, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that it will be "the widest array" of new devices that Apple has introduced in its history.
In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explains that Apple is working on four new iPhones (5G iPhone SE, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max), an updated low-end MacBook Pro,...
Thursday January 20, 2022 4:01 pm PST by Juli Clover
The watchOS 8.4 release candidate that was seeded to developers and beta testers this morning addresses an ongoing bug that could cause some Apple Watch chargers not to work properly with the Apple Watch.
Back in December, we reported on a growing number of charging issues that Apple Watch Series 7 owners were facing. Since watchOS 8.3, there have been a number of complaints about...
Thursday January 20, 2022 1:30 pm PST by Juli Clover
The macOS Monterey 12.2 and iOS 15.3 release candidates that came out today appear to address a Safari bug that could cause your recent browsing history and details about your identity to be leaked to malicious entities.
As shared last week by browser fingerprinting service FingerprintJS, there is an issue with the WebKit implementation of the IndexedDB JavaScript API. Any website that uses...
Friday January 21, 2022 12:43 pm PST by Juli Clover
Earlier this week, Apple began requiring that customers taking advantage of educational discounts in the United States verify their status as a teacher, student, or school staff member through UNiDAYS.
The requirement was a major change as Apple had never asked customers to go through a verification process in the United States before, and now, just three days after verification was added,...
Top Rated Comments
So yes, it DOES take away function. Not to mention the fact that it should be an OPTION. Why is Apple forcing an emoji bar on so-called "pro" users?
I’d like an updated no-touchbar MBP 13. Touchbar is a terrible addition to an even worse keyboard.
And to add further insult: There's still no real Delete key on Apple's laptops, and you can't even add one to the emoji bar. WTF?
What is wrong at Apple to result in this perpetual state of incompetence in regard to HIDs? Hideously defective keyboards, laughably incompetent mice, and even the trackpads are now way too big... constantly in contact with the heels of your hands and working overtime (and not always successfully) to filter out spurious touches.
Oh... and again, we pay a penalty for the incompetently giant trackpad while Apple fails to provide what would be an obvious benefit: making the Pencil work on it!