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Apple's new entry-level MacBook Pro loses the Touch Bar -- but still looks sweet

With Apple skipping a MacBook Air redesign, this new MacBook Pro is the next best thing.

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While it's missing the buzzworthy Touch Bar, the entry-level MacBook Pro is effectively the redesigned and updated 'Retina MacBook Air' that you've been waiting for.

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A new keyboard with shallower keys, modeled after the nearly flat keyboard on the 12-inch MacBook, joins a larger touch pad and a pair of USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports.

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Lost in the shuffle is the traditional port collection of a MagSafe power plug, USB-A ports -- the familiar rectangular ones that match all your existing accessories -- HDMI output and mini-DisplayPort Thunderbolt connections. The old SD card slot is gone, too.

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Excising those ports and slimming down the keyboard means the new MacBook Pro has a body that's a few millimeters thinner and about half a pound lighter than the previous MacBook Pro.

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While you're saving some money by foregoing the Touch Bar, this is still more expensive than the MacBook Pro it replaces. The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with retina display was previously $1,299. This new 13-inch Pro starts at $1,499, £1,449 and AU$2,199 and includes an updated Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB solid state drive.

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