Apple’s new M3 MacBook Pro marks the end of the Touch Bar

Apple is finally moving on from the Touch Bar. The company has just announced a new entry-level version of the 14-inch MacBook Pro, replacing the 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar keyboard. This new model has the standard M3 chip; the 14-inch model previously was only available with the higher-end Pro or Max chips.

The biggest news about this new MacBook Pro is the M3 chip. As rumored, the M3 is a 3nm chip, and Apple is promising some big performance improvements over the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro, including Final Cut Pro rendering that’s up to 60 percent faster. As usual, Apple only shared some selective performance stats, so it’s not entirely clear how much of a jump this new chip might have compared to the old M1 model, let alone the M2.

Because Apple’s new base-level MacBook Pro uses the same external design as its other 14-inch MacBook Pros, it has a 14-inch screen and a notch.

However, the new specs mean a higher starting price, too. This M3 MacBook Pro will start at $1,599, which is up $300 from the M2 MacBook Pro’s starting cost of $1,299. It also includes just 8GB of RAM in its base configuration, which is low considering the laptop’s premium price. You also can’t get it in Apple’s new space black color; that’s reserved for the higher-end 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros with the M3 Pro and M3 Max, which still start at $1,999.

The Touch Bar hung around for a long time, as Apple first added it to MacBook Pros in 2016. While it had its fans, it wasn’t popular enough for Apple to stick with in the long term; the company dropped it from the redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros it introduced in 2021. Apple continued to refresh the 13-inch Touch Bar model with the M1 and M2 chips, keeping it around until Monday.

The new MacBook Pro will be available for preorder on Monday and will be released on November 7th.