Apple’s October Event: Revamped Mac, revamped TV OS

   Apple’s October Event showcased two very important new items: A new MacBook Pro with better tech under the hood and a more streamlined TV OS for the Apple TV.

   The new MacBook Pro was announced with a new processor from Intel, a new Space Grey color option, a thinner body along with a thinner keyboard and the controversial Touch Bar. The Touch Bar is Apple’s version of a touch screen; instead of the traditional row of function keys on the top, you now get a OLED strip on the top that provides  more options when switching into different applications. For example, if you’re in Safari surfing the web, you can use the Touch Bar to switch into different tabs or select the website you want to visit. In Photoshop, you can select different options for editing your photos; for Pages, you can use it to switch into different fonts or different options for your document. The new MacBook Pro is currently on sale starting at $1,499; a $200 increase from its predecessor. A MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $1,799, a whopping $500 increase from the previous generation. Whether it’s worth it to upgrade to the new MacBook Pro is really all down to personal preference.

   Along with the new MacBook Pro, Apple also gave people a teaser of an improved TV OS, where you don’t need to re-enter your credentials every time you want to watch your favorite TV show. The new TV OS also includes a improved version of Siri, where consumers can now control their smart home accessories from your Apple TV, as it includes the same home kit from iOS that’s found on Apple’s iPhone and iPad. Other new features include viewing photos from your iPhone or iPad, Apple Music compatibility, automatic App downloads from the app store on the iPhone. if there’s a Apple TV version for it, you will see the app on your Apple TV, ready to launch. But the biggest change to TV OS is the new TV app, where it allows people to select different TV shows or movies that the app recommends based on individualized preferences. The TV app also streamlines the library selection to just three simple categories: TV shows, movies and rentals. The TV app will also be installed on the iPhone and iPad to allow users to continue where they left off at home.

   Overall, the October event arrived with many expectations from technology critics, due to Apple’s huge hype of their products; whether the same critics are satisfied, it all hinges on whether Apple can fully deliver their promises, or lets people down by releasing sub-par products.