Hello Again: The MAC Is Back!

New Touch Bar offers a treasure trove of possibilites.

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

A REDESIGNED MACBOOK PRO TAKES CENTRE STAGE

“The next thing we’d like to talk about is something dear to all of us at Apple, and that is the Mac.” As Apple CEO Tim Cook uttered these words at Apple’s media event on October 27, the feverish excitement among the audience was clearly audible. After all, Apple’s invite graphic for the event used the slogan “hello again”, surely an indicator that major changes were in store for the oldest of the Cupertino company’s current product lines. So, what did Apple go on to announce?

A COMPUTER WITH CONSIDERABLE HISTORICAL INFLUENCE

It was befitting that, before taking the veil off a single new Mac, Cook pointed out the huge influence that the Mac has exerted – both through the decades and in an array of areas, including the arts and sciences. Noting that “the world’s creative forces use the Mac to push the world forward”, Cook also pointed out that, 25 years earlier, Apple had unveiled its first notebook: the original PowerBook. This computer, he said, “actually defined the modern notebook for its time, changing the category and changing Apple forever”, being “the first portable that featured the keyboard forward design.”

Apple built on that impressive entry into the notebook market. Over the years, Apple brought an array of innovations to the notebook – including the trackpad, built-in Wi-Fi and all-day battery life. So, Cook obviously didn’t fear the possibility of lifting people’s expectations too high when he declared: “For 25 years, we’ve been defining and redefining what a notebook is and what a notebook can do. And today, we’re going to do it again. Let me show it to you.”

TOUCH BAR: A NEW EXAMPLE OF APPLE’S GOLDEN TOUCH?