The biggest Apple news of this week was obviously the launch of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, which debuted on Wednesday with a new "Magic Keyboard" and some other nice upgrades.

Other popular topics this week included confirmation from Apple that the new Mac Pro will ship in December, rumors about Apple's AR headset/glasses project, a launch of the Research app that Apple previewed back in September, and some of our favorite tips and tricks for the new AirPods Pro.

16-Inch MacBook Pro Debuts With New Magic Keyboard, Physical Esc Key, Up to 64GB of RAM, and More

It's finally here. After months of seemingly endless rumors, Apple has finally introduced the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

macbook pro 16 hands on
New features include a larger 16-inch display with slimmer bezels, a so-called Magic Keyboard with a redesigned scissor mechanism, a physical Esc key, up to 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core processors, up to 8TB of SSD storage and 64GB RAM, and AMD Radeon Pro 5000M series graphics.

First impressions of the notebook have praised the new keyboard, which should hopefully prove to be more reliable than the issue-prone butterfly keyboards on recent MacBook Pro models. We have an early hands-on video with the new MacBook Pro and will have more extensive coverage next week.

The new 16-inch MacBook Pro is available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app, with pricing starting at the same $2,399 as the previous 15-inch MacBook Pro, which has been discontinued. In-store availability and customer deliveries have begun, and some third-party retailers are already offering discounts from Apple's pricing.

Apple Said to Release AR Headset With 3D Sensing in 2022, Followed by Sleeker Glasses in 2023

A report from The Information this week claimed that Apple plans to release an AR/VR headset with 3D sensing and advanced human detection in 2022, followed by sleeker AR glasses in 2023.

ipad augmented reality
The report claims Apple's headset will resemble Facebook's Oculus Quest virtual reality headset released earlier this year, but with a sleeker design.

A separate Bloomberg report claimed that Apple is working on an advanced 3D sensing system for multiple upcoming products, including iPad Pro models with dual rear cameras and a new AR sensor in the first half of 2020 and new iPhones in the second half of the year.

New Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR Launching in December

In addition to unveiling the 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple this week announced that its new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR will be available to order in December. No specific date was provided.

mac pro xdr display
Apple says the new Mac Pro will now be available with up to 8TB of SSD storage, up from its original promise of 4TB. The new Mac Pro will start at $5,999, while the Pro Display XDR will be priced at $4,999 with an optional $999 stand.

Top 14 AirPods Pro Tips and Tricks

Last month, Apple released the AirPods Pro, a higher-end pair of its existing AirPods with an in-ear design, active noise cancellation, a customizable fit with silicone ear tips, and a more expensive $249 price tag.

airpods pro tips tricks
In this guide, we've shared 14 of our favorite ‌AirPods Pro‌ tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Apple's latest wireless earphones. We have also shared a video with many of the tips and tricks over on our YouTube channel.

Subscribe to MacRumors on YouTube for new Apple-related videos every week!

Apple's Research App Launches With Heart, Women's Health, and Hearing Studies in United States

Following a preview back in September, Apple's new Research app is now available on the App Store for the iPhone and Apple Watch.

apple research trio
The app is designed to make it easier for iPhone users to contribute to medical research. Three multi-year studies are available in the United States at launch, including the Apple Women's Health Study, Apple Heart and Movement Study, and Apple Hearing Study.

After enrolling in a study, participants using an iPhone or Apple Watch can contribute movement, heart rate, and noise level data captured during everyday activities. Apple ensures strong privacy measures are taken.

Trio of Friends Make Challenging Hike Across Catalina Island to Recreate the macOS Catalina Wallpaper

A few months ago, photographer Andrew Levitt teamed up with his friends Jacob Phillips and Taylor Gray on a one-week road trip to try to recreate all of Apple's default wallpapers included in macOS.

catalina island photos
Just a few weeks after the video, Apple publicly released macOS Catalina, giving Levitt and his friends one more wallpaper to recreate. The task was more challenging this time, however, as the default ‌macOS Catalina‌ wallpaper showcases the remote, northern tip of Santa Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California.

To accomplish the feat, Levitt and his friends embarked on a challenging hike across Catalina Island, making for quite a fascinating video.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...