Apple finally killed off the 13-inch MacBook Pro

Apple today announced a refreshed MacBook Pro range powered by its all-new M3 processors, and with it, has axed the somewhat confused 13-inch model. This has been replaced by a new entry-level 14-inch model, which brings it in line with Apple's more expensive Pro laptops.

The new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro uses the same overall design as Apple's other 14-inch MacBook Pros. It has a notch, ProMotion display, MagSafe charging, a HDMI port, and an SDXC card reader. The Touch Bar has also been axed, replaced by a more conventional row of function keys.

The main trade-off made compared to more expensive models is that it has a base-line M3 processor, rather than an M3 Pro or M3 Max. Apple still says the MacBook Pro with M3 is up to 60% faster than the MacBook Pro with M1, however. Just note that unlike the M3 Pro versions, the entry-level model is limited to one external display. Apple rates the MacBook Pro with M3 for up to 22 hours of battery per charge.

The MacBook Pro with M3 starts at $2,699 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That's $700 more expensive than what the MacBook Pro with M2 launched at last year, but $800 cheaper than a MacBook Pro with M3 Pro. It comes in a choice of space grey or silver.

Joining the new entry-level model are new 14-inch and 16-inch models, available with a choice of the new M3 Pro or M3 Max processor. Apple says M3 Pro models are up to 40% faster than M1 Pro models, and M3 Max models are up to 2.5x faster than M3 Max models.

Other than the new chipsets, the laptops are largely unchanged. M3 Max models do however support up to 128GB of RAM now, up from a maximum of 64GB.

Prices start at $3,499 for a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro, which gets you a config with 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Upgrading to a 16-inch display takes the starting price to $4,299. Going all in on M3 Max will cost a minimum of $5,599 for a 14-inch model with 36GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. That jumps to $5,999 for a 16-inch model.

M3 Pro models and up come in a choice of silver or an all-new space black finish. Pre-orders for all new MacBooks start today ahead of a November 7 release date.

Apple also announced a refreshed 24-inch iMac. As with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, the new 24-inch iMac is largely identically to its predecessor, bar the new processor. Instead of an M1 processor, you get the M3. You don't have the choice of upgrading to an M3 Pro or M3 Max.

Notably, Apple's Mac accessories - the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad - all still charge via Lightning. Rumours suggested Apple would release USB-C versions of these, as it did with the iPhone 15 this year.

The 24-inch iMac starts at $2,199 with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. Upgrading to the $2,499 gets you two extra USB-C ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and Touch ID on the Magic Keyboard. The iMac is still available in a choice of seven colours. These include blue, green, pink, orange, yellow, purple, and silver. Pre-orders are now open ahead of a November 7 release date.

Across the board, Apple says the M3 represents the largest leap forward in graphics architecture for its own chipset so far. In addition to new dynamic caching technology that is said to significantly increase the performance of demanding apps, the M3 family support new rendering techniques like mesh shading and ray tracing.