Apple updates MacBooks and unveils medical research platform

Apple, along with confirming the launch date for the Apple Watch, has also updated its MacBook and MacBook Pro computer lines, and unveiled a platform that will allow medical researchers to track information directly from the company’s devices.

Unsurprisingly, the key selling point for Apple is the latest MacBooks are thinner, with the new MacBooks 24% slimmer than a MacBook Air. Other key new features include the use of USB-C port that allows data transfer, video out and charging in a single connector and haptic feedback on the trackpad.

In terms of tech specs, the entry-level MacBook features a 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 2.4 GHz, 8 GB of memory, 256 GB of flash storage and Intel HD Graphics 5300. It also includes a 12-inch display with a resolution of 2304 x 1440 and a 16:10 aspect ratio.

Apple has also improved the tech specs across its 13-inch MacBook Pro, 11-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Air product lines, with haptic feedback on the trackpad also coming to the MacBook Pro.

On the MacBook Pros, Apple now offers 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8 GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This can be upgraded further to a dual-core 3.1 GHz Intel Core i7, up to 16 GB of RAM and 1TB of flash storage on a “configure to order” basis.

The tech giant also showed off a framework called ResearchKit that, with permission from the user, allows researchers to access data from the company’s HealthKit framework for the purposes of large-scale medical research.