Musical.ly launches another video-centric app in the form of Ping Pong

Why it matters to you

Musical.ly is the biggest app since Snapchat among younger users. Now, it’s hoping its 100 million members will adopt its latest video messaging app, dubbed “Ping Pong”

Musical.ly, the social platform for creating and sharing short videos beloved by teens, is releasing a new app to build upon its success.

The Chinese startup (which, by its own account, boasts 100 million users on its flagship service) recently debuted a new video messaging offering for iOS entitled “Ping Pong.”

There’s just one major problem: the app isn’t currently allowing sign-ups. Having installed Ping Pong, we tried logging in with a Musical.ly account, and signing up via Facebook and Twitter, but were denied. The app didn’t even offer an error message, it just got stuck on a loading screen until we were forced to quit. We pointed out the issue to Musical.ly in an email, but have yet to receive a response. Ping Pong could be in test mode ahead of its public debut, claims TechCrunch, which first spotted the app.

More: YouTube begins rolling out live-streaming, starting with creators

With that in mind, here’s what Ping Pong is all about, in case you’re still interested in downloading it in the hopes that Musical.ly gets around to giving it a proper launch (we’re presuming it will). Ping Pong lets you record and share video messages with friends asynchronously, in the vein of Snapchat and Marco Polo. However, judging from its App Store description, it doesn’t seem like Ping Pong offers customization features like its rivals.

Whether or not Musical.ly’s large collective of younger users adopt Ping Pong remains to be seen. The startup has reportedly already found success with its Live.ly live-streaming service, released last summer. Just three months after its launch, the app had already overtaken Twitter’s Periscope on iOS with almost 4.6 million monthly active users, according to Variety. And, last month, Musical.ly quietly dropped a group video chat app for iOS in the form of “Squad,” which immediately drew comparisons to Houseparty (the buzzing comeback app from the makers of live-streaming also-ran Meerkat).

Ping Pong is available to download on iOS now. This is a developing story — we’ll update this article with more info as and when it is released.

What’s on TV: ‘Planet Earth II,’ ‘Chef’s Table’ and ‘The Good Fight’

It’s time. Nearly ten years after the original Planet Earth documentary showed us what our HDTVs were for, Planet Earth II is arriving Sunday night. Even better, if you have Dish Network, you can watch it in 4K (everyone else will have to wait for the Ultra HD Blu-ray.) Other viewing options this week include the season premiere of Humans on AMC, as well as a new season of Chef’s Table on Netflix, while Marvel’s Doctor Strange is available for purchase on your digital movie store of choice.

CBS is launching its sequel to The Good Wife, called The Good Fight, on broadcast and its streaming All Access network this weekend, while Halo Wars 2 brings RTS action on Friday if you’re willing to buy the Ultimate Edition. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Blu-ray & Games & Streaming

• Arrival (4K)
• The Edge of Seventeen
• Priceless
• Star Trek Enterprise: The Complete Series
• One Million Years B.C.
• It Came from Outer Space
• Bleed for This
• Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition (Xbox One)
• How to Survive 2 (Xbox One)
• iO (PS4)
• Sniper Elite (PC, Xbox One)
• Ride 2 (Xbox One, PS4)
• Monster Loves You (PS4)
• For Honor (PS4, PC)
• Semispheres (PS4, PC)
• Blackwood Crossing (Xbox One, PS4)

Monday

• 24: Legacy, Fox, 8PM
• The Bachelor, ABC, 8PM
• Supergirl, CW, 8PM
• Kevin Can Wait, CBS, 8PM
• Shadowhunters, Freeform, 8PM
• WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
• Man with a Plan, CBS, 8:30PM
• The Young Pope (season finale), HBO, 9PM
• APB, Fox, 9PM
• Superior Donuts, CBS, 9PM
• Beyond, Freeform, 9PM
• Jane the Virgin, CW, 9PM
• 2 Broke Girls, CBS, 9:30PM
• Humans (season premiere), AMC, 10PM
• Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis, HBO, 10PM
• Hate Thy Neighbor, Viceland, 10PM
• Timeless, NBC, 10PM
• Quantico, ABC, 10PM
• Scorpion, CBS, 10PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM
• Startalk, National Geographic, 11PM

Tuesday

• Girlfriend’s Day, Netflix, 3AM
• Katherine Ryan: In Trouble, Netflix, 3AM
• Project Mc² (S4), Netflix, 3AM
• White Nights, Netflix, 3AM
• The Mindy Project (winter premiere), Hulu, 3AM
• Creative Galaxy: Heart Day, Amazon Prime, 3AM
• The Tough Mudder: The Challenge Within, CW, 8PM
• The Wall, NBC, 8PM
• The Fosters, Freeform, 8PM
• New Girl, Fox, 8PM
• The Game of Dating, TV One, 8PM
• WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
• 60 Minutes Sports, Showtime, 8PM
• American Housewife, ABC, 8:30PM
• The Mick, Fox, 8:30PM
• The Challenge: Hall of Fame, MTV, 8:30PM
• The Challenge, MTV, 9PM
• Switched at Birth, Freeform, 9PM
• Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
• D.C.’s Legends of Tomorrow, CW, 9PM
• Outsiders, WGN, 9PM
• This is Us, NBC, 9PM
• Fresh Off the Boat, ABC, 9PM
• Bones, Fox, 9PM
• The Real O’neals, ABC, 9:30PM
• Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
• Imposters, Bravo, 10PM
• Teachers, TV Land, 10PM
• Chicago Fire, NBC, 10PM
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC, 10PM
• Taboo, FX, 10PM
• Killing Fields Discovery, 10PM
• Noisey (season finale), Viceland, 10PM
• Detroiters, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
• Throwing Shade, TV Land, 10:30PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Wednesday

• The Path, Hulu, 3AM
• Blindspot, NBC, 8PM
• Madiba: Part 3 (miniseries finale), BET, 8PM
• Arrow, CW, 8PM
• Hunted, CBS, 8PM
• Lethal Weapon, Fox, 8PM
• Unsung: Case, TV One, 8PM
• Speechless, ABC, 8:30PM
• The 100, CW, 9PM
• Are You the One?, MTV, 9PM
• The Magicians, Syfy, 9PM
• Nova, PBS, 9PM
• Star, Fox, 9PM
• Doubt (series premiere), CBS, 10PM
• The Expanse, Syfy, 10PM
• Legion, FX, 10PM
• The Quad, BET, 10PM
• Suits, USA, 10PM
• Workaholics, Comedy Central, 10PM
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FXX, 10PM
• Match Game, ABC, 10PM
• Bong Appetit (season finale), Viceland, 10PM
• Man Seeking Woman, FXX, 10:30PM
• Jeff & Some Aliens, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Thursday

• Supernatural, CW, 8PM
• Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 8PM
• The Big Bang Theory, CBS, 8PM
• Superstore, NBC, 8PM
• The Great Indoors, CBS, 8:30PM
• Powerless, NBC, 8:30PM
• The History of Comedy, CNN, 9PM
• Riverdale, CW, 9PM
• Scandal, ABC, 9PM
• Chicago Med, NBC, 9PM
• Mom, CBS, 9PM
• My Kitchen Rules, Fox, 9PM
• Life in Pieces, CBS, 9:30PM
• Lip Sync Battle, Spike TV, 10PM
• How to Get Away With Murder, ABC, 10PM
• Baskets, FX, 10PM
• Colony, USA, 10PM
• The Blacklist, NBC, 10PM
• Portlandia, IFC, 10PM
• Nirvanna the Band the Show, Viceland, 10PM
• Training Day, CBS, 10PM
• Nightwatch, A&E, 10PM
• People Just Do Nothing, Viceland, 10:30PM
• Desus & Mero, Viceland, 11PM

Friday

• Chef’s Table (S3), Netflix, 3AM
• The Seven Deadly Sins (S2), Netflix, 3AM
• Race to the Edge (S4), Netflix, 3AM
• The Vampire Diaries, CW, 8PM
• Grimm, NBC, 8PM
• Macgyver, CBS, 8PM
• Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
• Rosewood, Fox, 8PM
• Dr. Ken, ABC, 8:30PM
• Reign, CW, 9PM
• Rise, Viceland, 9PM
• Shark Tank, ABC, 9PM
• Emerald City, NBC, 9PM
• Hawaii Five-0, CBS, 9PM
• Sleepy Hollow, Fox, 9PM
• Cut-Off, Viceland, 10PM
• The Wheel, Discovery, 10PM

Saturday

• Britney Ever After, Lifetime, 8PM
• Cops, Spike TV, 8PM
• Ransom, CBS, 8PM
• Planet Earth II: Islands (series premiere), BBC America, 9PM

Sunday

• The Good Fight (series premiere), CBS, 8PM
• The Paley Center Salutes NBC’s 90th Anniversary, NBC, 8PM
• The Missing, Starz, 8PM
• Mercy Street, PBS, 8PM
• The Simpsons, Fox, 8PM
• Son of Zorn (season finale), Fox, 8:30PM
• Big Little Lies (series premiere), HBO, 9PM
• NCIS: LA, CBS, 9PM
• The Good Fight, CBS All Access, 9PM
• The Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
• Black Sails, Starz, 9PM
• Homeland, Showtime, 9PM
• Family Guy, Fox, 9PM
• Victoria, PBS, 9PM
• Bob’s Burgers, Fox, 9:30PM
• Billions (series premiere), Showtime, 10PM
• Trapped (series premiere), Viceland, 10PM
• Elementary, CBS, 10PM
• Girls, HBO, 10PM
• Talking Dead, AMC, 10PM
• Crashing (series premiere), HBO, 10:30PM
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11PM

Humble’s latest bundle benefits ACLU, Doctors Without Borders

Humble Bundle has raised millions for charities like the American Red Cross and Girls Who Code, but its latest offering is not only for a good cause — it’s making a political statement. The Humble Freedom Bundle is offering $600 worth of games and e-books for a minimum donation of $30, with the proceeds going to the ACLU, Doctors Without Borders and the International Rescue Committee.

The Humble Freedom Bundle features an impressive line-up of recent indie games, such as critical darlings The Witness, Stardew Valley and The Stanley Parable. Humble Bundle said it’ll match contributions up to $300,000. It more than doubled that goal in a couple of hours.

This latest bundle is a direct response to President Donald Trump’s recent executive order restricting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, Humble Bundle’s Jeffrey Rosen told Ars Technica. “Our employees, our business partners and our millions of customers come from all around the world,” he said. “We stand together in dismay over Trump’s recent immigration ban. We find it to be un-American and damaging to global businesses like ours.”

A number of game developers publicly opposed the travel ban — currently on hold due to recent court decisions — by raising money for the ACLU. iNK Stories, the creator of 1979 Revolution, donated proceeds from sales made between February 1st-10th, while Ridiculous Fishing studio Vlambeer gave a day’s worth of revenue. Donations to the ACLU surged in the days following Trump’s executive order; the organization received over $19 million in a single weekend, according to CNN.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Humble Bundle

Apple CFO Luca Maestri to Speak at 2017 Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference Tomorrow

Apple CFO Luca Maestri will speak at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference tomorrow afternoon, according to Apple’s investor news site. Maestri will speak at 1:20 p.m. Pacific Time, and Apple will provide an audio webcast of the session.

The Technology and Internet Conference is hosted by Goldman Sachs each year, and while Tim Cook has attended the event multiple times in the past, it will be Maestri’s first time speaking at the event.

As CFO, Maestri may be asked about Apple’s impressive iPhone sales and return to revenue growth last quarter. Other topics could include Apple’s capital return program, overseas cash, growth in emerging markets, and other finance-related topics. No major announcements have been made at the conference in the past, but Maestri’s comments may offer an interesting look into Apple’s business.

MacRumors plans to provide coverage of the event and will share details on what Maestri has to say.

Tags: Goldman Sachs Conference, Luca Maestri
Discuss this article in our forums

Twitter briefly stops notifying people when they’re on lists

Twitter just made a big (if momentary) blunder when it comes to fighting abuse. The social network briefly stopped providing notifications whenever someone adds you to a list, ostensibly to make sure you only see the “notifications that matter.” However, it quickly backtracked when users pointed out that this only made harassment easier. Hate groups could build their hit lists in secret, leaving targets woefully unaware until the threatening tweets were already on the way.

We’ve asked Twitter for comment will let you know what it says. Whatever the response, the about-face suggests that Twitter is still struggling to understand the nature of abuse on its service. The issue isn’t usually that people see notifications they don’t like, it’s that harassers are sometimes free to run amok until they become particularly reprehensible. When you know that you’re on a harassment-oriented list, you have a better shot at reporting abuse before it becomes completely unbearable.

We heard your feedback – this was a misstep. We’re rolling back the change and we’ll keep listening. https://t.co/9ozPS4XlVI

— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) February 13, 2017

Source: Twitter Safety (Twitter), Ed Ho (Twitter)

A closer look at Nintendo’s ‘1-2 Switch’ mini-games

I played plenty of Nintendo Switch titles during last month’s launch event, but it was the mini-game collection 1-2 Switch that I couldn’t get out of my head. (I suppose virtually milking a cow with highly suggestive gestures has a way of sticking with you.) It was unlike anything I’ve ever played — it often has you glaring at your opponent and following audio queues, instead of looking at a TV screen. It’s more like an actual party game, but instead of reading off cards or booklets, you’re relying on a console.

To give us a better sense of 1-2 Switch’s appeal, Nintendo invited journalists to its New York City headquarters to get some more hands-on time with it. And after playing a few more short games, it’s pretty clear Nintendo made the right move. When it’s not competing for attention with Zelda and Splatoon sequels, the sheer ingenuity of the mini-game collection really shines — especially when you’re playing it in front of lots of people.

To that end, Nintendo announced a new mode for the game, Team Battle, which lets large groups of people pick sides and go head-to-head. Reporters were split into two teams, and we were led by two Nintendo developers who worked on 1-2 Switch. We were also introduced to a new mini-game, Signal Flag, which has you follow an announcer to mimic flight control arm gestures. The catch? You have to do exactly what the female announcer says, but also do the exact opposite of what the male announcer tells you.

Signal Flag isn’t something I’d see myself playing with just one or two friends, but it’s lot of fun with a bigger group. And that’s a theme I noticed throughout plenty of the mini-games. Fake Draw is a slight twist on 1-2 Switch’s other shooting mini-game, except this time you have to avoid shooting when the announcer shouting other words that rhyme with “fire.” And for fans of Wii Boxing, there’s Boxing Gym, which has you swinging boxing moves on command. It’s fun, but not nearly as visceral as pummeling your friends’ adorable cartoon faces on the Wii, though.

Given that this was my colleague Chris Velazco’s first time with 1-2 Switch, we decided to completely embarrass ourselves with Runway mini-game. As you might have guessed, it’s all about strutting your stuff like a supermodel. With your hands at your hips (along with a Joy-Con controller), the game tracks how many times you successfully sway down the runway. And at the end, you also have to pose for a mini-photo shoot. Don’t ask me how it calculates points for that, though. We also clocked in some more time with the 1-2 Switch cow milking mini-game, which will likely end up being the first thing I have friends try whenever I show off the console.

Since this wasn’t my first time with the Switch, I was far removed from the initial “wow” factor from the launch event. It’s clear that 1-2 Switch, in particular, will be a hit with friends. But I also wonder how fresh these games will seem after you’ve been playing them for a few months. It’s launching with 28 mini-games, but Nintendo developers at the event hinted that there are plenty more they’re considering. They haven’t yet decided what they’ll do with additional mini-games, though. Some could eventually head to 1-2 Switch via future updates, while others could end up becoming individual games.

Fox’s impulse-buy Movie of the Day app comes to Apple TV

Fox is always open to new ideas on how to goose digital movie sales, and one of its recent developments has been the “Movie of the Day” app on iOS. Starting tomorrow, it will also be available on Apple TV, which should provide a fitting home for its rotating selection of content. Via the app, prices are usually deeply discounted from their usual purchase prices, to somewhere between $5 – $10 per movie. To go with the new launch, Fox has revealed the lineup over the next few days, which will include Kingsman: Secret Service, Deadpool and a few others.

• 2/14: Kingsman: The Secret Service
• 2/15: Deadpool
• 2/16: Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters
• 2/17: Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates
• 2/18: Epic

Source: iTunes

Fox’s ‘Movie of the Day’ App Offering Discounted Titles Expands to Apple TV

20th Century Fox today announced that its popular Movie of the Day app is expanding to the Apple TV ahead of Valentine’s Day, giving Apple TV users an opportunity to get iTunes movie titles at a discounted price.

The app offers a different movie each day at prices that are generally more affordable than other online sources. Each deal is available for 24 hours.

Tomorrow’s movie, Kingsman: The Secret Service, will be available for purchase for $7.99. The Movie of the Day app normally keeps upcoming titles a surprise, but Fox is offering a sneak peek to celebrate the release of the Apple TV app. This week will include the following titles:

2/14: Kingsman: The Secret Service
2/15: Deadpool
2/16: Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters
2/17: Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates
2/18: Epic

To help users decide what’s worth purchasing, the Movie of the Day app provides user reviews, information on a movie’s cast, and a film synopsis to help users

The Movie of the Day app can be downloaded for free on the Apple TV, and it’s also available on iOS devices. [Direct Link]

Tags: iTunes, Fox
Discuss this article in our forums

MacBook Pro 13-inch with Touch Bar review

Research Center:
Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch with Touch Bar

Update 2/13/2017: We’ve updated the battery life to reflect our most current testing conducted after MacOS 10.12.3 was released. The new figures are not substantially different from those originally published.

Have you grown bored of seeing your local Starbucks awash in silver, mid-sized laptops, all sporting that glowing Apple logo? We don’t blame you. Apple has remained committed to the MacBook Pro’s design over the last four years, counting on engineering excellence to persevere through multiple product cycles. That decision drove Mac fans wild, as many itched for a newer, faster Pro – and ended up with “new” models that looked the same as what they already owned.

Now, the wait is finally over, and it’s unfortunate that Mac fans have been left starving for an update – because the new MacBook Pro’s price is hard to swallow.

The base 13-inch model without the Touch Bar is $1,500, a $200 upcharge over the old entry-level Pro. If you want the Touch Bar model we reviewed, you’ll have to shell out $1,800, though you at least get a processor upgrade as part of the deal.

$1,800 is a lot for a MacBook Pro 13 with a Core i5 processor, even by Apple’s standards. The sharp increase in price means you can only obtain a Core i5 MacBook Pro at prices that used to get you a Core i7, and perhaps a RAM upgrade as well. Can the new model live up to the expectations set by its price?

Still the most luxurious laptop

One look at the new MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar is all you need to know it’s a Mac. That’s even more impressive now that Apple has decided to take attention away from its branding, ditching the glowing white apple in favor of a slick, subtle gloss logo similar to what’s on the MacBook, the iPhone, and the iPad.

As before, the MacBook Pro 13 features an all-unibody design lacking any visible seams aside from those on the bottom. But the new version is slimmer and trimmer, shaving weight down to 3.02 pounds from 3.48 pounds, while thickness drops from 0.71 inches to 0.59 inches.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

And that’s not all. Apple, like Dell, has aggressively shaved space from the display bezels to reduce the overall footprint. The new MacBook Pro 13 remains slightly larger than the Dell XPS 13 overall, and a couple tenths of a pound heavier. Users with the older Pro model will appreciate the improvement.

Oh, and the new model comes in Space Gray, which hopefully is the beginning of a wider color selection. The 12-inch MacBook comes in Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold, and Gold. Color choices may seem petty, but they add a touch of personality.

There’s no arguing with the new MacBook Pro’s elegance. The beauty of Apple design has always been subtle, which is why the company is sometimes accused of being safe, or boring. The new Pro doesn’t even try to side-step those criticisms. It’s not the smallest 13-inch laptop, or the lightest, and its materials feel much as before. There’s something to be said for design that works, though, even if it’s not innovative, and the new MacBook Pro remains the most luxurious laptop around.

Any port you want, as long as it’s USB Type-C

While the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar has a headphone jack, it makes another connectivity choice that’s just as controversial and, functionally, more important. Apple has decided that USB Type-C / Thunderbolt 3 is the future, and has ditched every other port.

Yes, USB Type-C is all you get. The MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar has four of these ports, two on each side. Even the card reader is missing. Crazy as it sounds, the decision has it benefits. The simplicity of the port selection is hard to argue with, and every port is a charging port, so you can plug the wall adapter into whichever is more convenient. The ports are quick, too, so you can hook up multiple displays or use fast external SSDs without worry about connectivity bandwidth.

You’re going to need adapters, and you might need lots of them.

Now, for the bad news – you’re going to need adapters, and you might need lots of them. Do you use an external display? That’s an adapter. External hard drive? Adapter. Wired input of any sort? Adapter. Ethernet? Adapter. SDcard? Adapter. At best, you’ll need to purchase one or two dongles. At worst, you’re going to need a dock solution, which can add another $100 to $200 to the price.

The greatest irony? Even Apple’s iPhone can’t plug into any MacBook Pro 13 without purchasing an adapter.

At least it can communicate wirelessly. Speaking of which, the new Pro 13 has the usual 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapter paired with Bluetooth 4.2. It’s good to see the latest version of Bluetooth here, as it’ll help connect with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

The keyboard of the future isn’t very good

The 12-inch MacBook, released last year, debuted an all-new “butterfly” switch that’s much thinner than any used in a laptop keyboard prior. Though Apple touted it as having great feel, we complained that “typing for more than an hour [left our] fingers with a dull ache,” due to the keyboard’s stiff feel and limited travel.

Now that same keyboard can be found on the MacBook Pro. Well, not exactly the same.  The Pro’s keyboard has a “second-generation butterfly mechanism,” with slightly more travel than the first. And it is an improvement. If you’re a writer, the MacBook Pro 13 will serve you better than the MacBook Pro 12.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

That’s not to say it’ll serve you well. While travel has improved, the keyboard continues to suffer a stiff, abrupt bottoming action that can make long typing sessions tiresome. The degree to which this will bother you is a matter of preference. A few Digital Trends writers thought it was perfectly acceptable, and most thought they could learn to live with it. No one said they preferred it over the previous MacBook Pro 13.

And it’s not clear why this sacrifice was made. While the new MacBook Pro 13 is thin, it’s as thick or thicker than many competitors with better keyboards, such as the Acer Swift 7, HP Spectre, HP Spectre x360, and Dell XPS 13. Whatever the reason, it’s clear Apple had to make a compromise between size, performance, and keyboard quality, with the latter getting the bad end of the bargain.

The keyboard suffers a stiff, abrupt bottoming action that can make long typing sessions tiresome.

Below the keyboard is a revised, plus-sized touchpad. Unlike the keyboard, this is an unmitigated plus. The spacious surface improves the ease of using multi-touch gestures, which work consistently well. While the new, larger surface means constant contact between it and your palms, we didn’t notice a single instance of unintended input throughout our testing.

And don’t forget Force Touch. The haptic feedback system, which uses vibration to simulate a click, is so good at emulating real movement that most users never notice a difference. It also offers force sensitivity, which can enable special interface functions – just like the iPhone. The feature isn’t widely embraced, even by Apple’s own software, but it’s great when offered.

The Touch Bar searches for purpose

In May of 2014, Apple Insider published an article talking about upcoming Macs with “in-key displays,” a rumor that began to snowball in early 2016. After several misses (the rumormills thought it might appear in early 2016, then in summer), it’s finally here in all its OLED glory.

If nothing else, the Touch Bar is great to look at it. It boasts Retina-equivalent pixel density, which means icons are rendered with crisp, vibrant graphics. And because it’s OLED, blacks look inky black – so dark it’s often hard to find the Touch Bar’s boundaries.

As a conversation starter, then, it holds up. As a functional tool? Less so. Apple tries to integrate the Touch Bar in a way that makes it relevant even in everyday web browser, note-taking, and photo-viewing. Its display changes constantly as new apps are opened, and old ones closed. It performs well, keeping up no matter how quickly apps are switched, or how many are open.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Yet there’s rarely much use for it. At best, it provides a quick way to scroll through lists, such as your Photo Stream. It can also be useful if you’d like to scroll through a video – and it’s great at picking up on such content, activating a scroll bar even when browsing YouTube.

In other cases, though, it’s clearly a solution searching for a problem. Take typing, for instant. As you input text in Safari, Word, and other apps, the Touch Bar constantly flashes word suggestions. It’s a feature that works well on the iPhone, where typing is often slow and cumbersome.

More: Macbook Pro 13-inch with Retina review

On a laptop, though, it’s pointless. Type in “office,” for instance, and the Touch Bar will suggest alternatives. Did you mean “officers”? Or, perhaps “off-season”? This happens whether a word is spelled properly or not. Even if you do slip in a typo, it’s hard to imagine why a user would look to the Touch Bar for help when MacOS already presents a correction on-screen and, in most cases, will correct the spelling automatically.

If nothing else, the Touch Bar is great to look at it.

Even where it might be useful, the Touch Bar is limited by its size. It automatically displays open Safari tabs, complete with miniature content previews, a feature that could prove helpful. Yet the previews are so small that it’s often hard to tell the tabs apart, even with just three or four open. If you open six, or eight, or ten tabs, then the previews become smaller still, until they’re so tiny that it’s hard to even tap the right one. Similar problems trouble its photo preview and video preview capabilities. In theory, you can scroll through photo collections. In practice, it’s harder to do than with the touchpad.

In short, the Touch Bar isn’t great. But giving the function row over to an OLED display does come with an important perk called Touch ID. Yes, you can now log in with your fingerprint, and it works as seamlessly as it does on iPhone. Fast, secure login authentication methods are a great way to improve security for the average user. And Touch ID integrates with Apple Pay, so you can use it to securely make online purchases – from stores that accept Apple Pay.

Display

A quick look at the specifications could make you think Apple’s new MacBook Pro 13 had an old display. It’s still Retina, which means the resolution is still 2,560 × 1,600. That was stunning in 2012, but today it seems mediocre next to QHD+ (3,200 × 1,800) and 4K screens.

But don’t worry, Mac faithful. You can banish any concerns about the display from your mind. It’s fantastic.

We measured a maximum brightness of 548 lux. That’s ridiculously brilliant, and complete overkill for use indoors, but it can help make the screen, which is still very glossy, usable in extreme situations. By comparison, the Dell XPS 13 with QHD+ display only hits 278 lux, and the HP Spectre x360 hits 355 lux. Both those systems can have a problem with glare in bright conditions, though Dell gives you the choice to combat that with a matte display option.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Brightness is only important in a bright room. What’ll stun you, no matter where you use the MacBook Pro 13, is its color. The display can achieve 100 percent of the sRGB gamut, as well as 91 percent of AdobeRGB. It also delivered an average color error value of .72 (lower is better). Anything below one is generally unnoticeable to the human eye, and this reading is the lowest we’ve ever recorded from a laptop. The previous record holder, Dell’s XPS 15, boasted an average error value of .78.

Even the contrast ratio of 1,200:1 is excellent. The Pro can deliver dark blacks next to brilliant colors without trouble.

The only flaw we found is gamma, which came in at a reading of 2.3. The ideal curve is 2.2, and the MacBook Pro 13’s result indicates it portrays content a bit darker than it should. But this is a very minor fluctuation, and plenty of competitors miss it, too.

The Retina display may not be this Pro’s headline feature, but it remains its most attractive trait.

When the numbers are tallied, the new Retina display comes away a winner. It defeats the Dell XPS 13, Acer Swift 7, Asus Zenbook 3, HP Spectre x360, and Lenovo Yoga 910, beating all of them in color gamut, color accuracy, and contrast ratio.

That’s not to say it lacks competition, though. Microsoft’s Surface Book can go toe-to-toe with it. Though our tests found the Surface Book had a narrower contrast ratio of 1010:1, its gamma curve reading was the proper 2.2.

There’s also a small handful of Windows systems, like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga, available with OLED displays. These clobber the MacBook Pro 13’s strong contrast ratio, and deliver an even wider color gamut, all with accurate gamma. But they don’t match the Mac’s out-of-the-box color accuracy.

Numbers aside, the display on the MacBook Pro 13 is excellent, and looks it in everyday use. Games and movies are crisp and vibrant, and high-quality photos render with such detail that you might think your display was switched with a canvas print. The Retina display may not be this Pro’s headline feature, but it remains its most attractive trait.

Pump up the bass

Apple has always shown an affinity for audio quality rarely found elsewhere, and the MacBook Pro is no exception. In fact, its speakers are the best we can recall hearing in a 13-inch system. That’s saying a lot, because a few recent laptops in this category, like the Asus’ Zenbook 3, have surprised us with their quality.

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch with Touch Bar Compared To

Lenovo Ideapad 710S

HP Spectre

Acer Aspire S 13 S5-371-52JR

Dell XPS 13 (Skylake)

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch with…

Apple Macbook Pro 13-Inch (2013)

Apple MacBook Air 13.3-inch…

Apple MacBook 2009

Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2008)

Apple MacBook (2.4GHz, 2008)

Apple MacBook Air (80GB)

Apple MacBook Pro 15″ 2.4GHz

Apple MacBook Pro 2.33GHz

Apple MacBook 2.0GHz

Apple MacBook Pro 15.4-inch 2.16GHz

The MacBook Pro 13 offers a wide range of volume and, at maximum, it’s far louder than most people will need in normal use, and capable of filling a large room with tunes. Bass is present and accounted for in minimal but noticeable amounts – the thump can be felt through the keyboard at higher volumes. High and mid-range sound remains clear and free of distortion.

External speakers will be an improvement, as always, but the audio quality present here is surprising, and may convince you there’s no need to plug anything into the headphone jack.

A fast processor, facing stiff competition

Specifications have never been Apple’s area of focus, but that used to be a marketing concern, rather than an indication of the company’s preference for hardware. Over the last few years, though, that has changed. The MacBook Pro fell behind, adopting new Intel processor lines late, or not at all.

The new Pro only partially addresses the problem. Our entry-level MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar has an Intel Core i5-6267U. As the numbers suggest, it’s part of Intel’s sixth generation Core line, rather than the newer seventh generation. Can it stand up to Intel’s latest hardware?

For the most part, yes. The system’s Geekbench 3 multi-core score of 7,638 is not the best we’ve seen, but it’s certainly in range of competitors. The Lenovo Yoga 910 hit 7,973, and the Dell XPS 13 hit 7,835. Both were tested with Intel’s Core i7-7500U. The MacBook Pro 13 scored even better in Geekbench 3’s single-core metric, beating all competitors, if only by a hair.

You might wonder how the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar can keep up, given it has an older architecture. The secret is the specific processor used by Apple. It has a 28-watt Thermal Design Power, while most Intel Core mobile chips are designed under a 15-watt Thermal Design Power. Put simply, the MacBook Pro 13 keeps itself competitive by drawing more juice under load.

While the Pro does keep up, it’s still disappointing to see it stick with an older generation of hardware, especially given the price. The faster Core i7 competitors we tested can be had for hundreds less than the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar. Though quick, this level of performance is typical in laptops priced above $1,000.

The hard drive to rule them all

Drive performance is often overlooked by consumers, but it’s important to a system’s overall capability. Apple knows this, and has been a leader in storage performance for years. The new MacBook Pro line is no exception. It quotes read speeds of 3.1 gigabytes per second, and write speeds of 2.2 gigabytes per second.

We can’t do an apples-to-apples comparison with Windows competitors here, because the tools we normally use to test performance aren’t compatible with MacOS. However, we did test using two benchmarks that run only on Apple’s operating system.

First up was Blackmagic, a test designed to tell professionals if a drive is up to the task of handling content at specific framerates and resolutions. It produced a write speed result of 1,348 megabytes per second, and a read result of two gigabytes per second (annoyingly, this appears to be the maximum result the benchmark can show). That’s a big improvement over the MacBook Pro 13 with Retina (2015). It hit a write speed of 647MB/s, and a read speed of 1,056MB/s.

We also fired up DiskMark. It spat out sequential read performance of 1,826MB/s, and sequential write performance of 1,289MB/s.  We hadn’t tested with that benchmark before, so take the numbers with a grain of salt. Still, they’re good figures, and reasonably consistent with Blackmagic.

Again, these benchmarks do not run on Windows, so we can’t make an apples-to-apples comparison of hard drive performance. But numbers we have from CrystalDiskMark, our Windows test, suggest Apple is at the head of the pack.

The Dell XPS 13 with 512GB solid state drive scored a read speed of 1,285MB/s and a write sped of 572.8MB/s. The best drive performance we’ve seen from a Windows laptop came from the Vaio Z Flip. It scored read speeds of 1621.7MB/s, and write speeds of 1565.3MB/s.

If this all sounds confusing, don’t worry. While the numbers are outstanding, you don’t need to obsess over them. It’s clear the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar has outstanding drive performance, and it’ll handle any workload you ask of it. This is the most future-proof component in the entire system.

Mac gaming is still a bad idea

As in most past incarnations, the Apple MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar relies on Intel integrated graphics. If you want a more powerful discrete graphics solution, then you’ll need to accept the MacBook Pro 15’s larger footprint.

With that said, our review unit did boast Intel Iris Graphics 550 which, in theory, should be much quicker than standard Intel HD graphics. Compared to Intel HD 620, the solution most common in modern Windows laptops, Iris Graphics 550 has double the execution units (48 vs. 24) and a higher maximum clock speed (1,100MHz vs. 1,050MHz). Better still, Iris Graphics 550 has 64 megabytes of dedicated eDRAM, something you’ll never find with Intel HD 620.

But does that mean you can play games better than with a typical Windows ultrabook? To find out we fired up Civilization VI, testing it at 1,440 x 900 resolution on the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar, and on the same resolution on HP’s Spectre x360, with minimum detail and memory consumption selected.

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

The game performed identically – and poorly – on both, delivering 21 frames per second through the in-game benchmark. But the HP was the better experience, as the Mac suffered graphical glitches that weren’t present on the HP Spectre x360.

If you’re curious why the game performs poorly despite greater technical capability, blame Apple’s OpenGL support, which hasn’t been updated significantly for years. Instead, the company prefers Metal, its own API which can be used on both iOS and MacOS devices. The problem? Porting a game from Windows’ popular DirectX API to Metal is unfamiliar territory. Developers of Windows PC games don’t have a good option for porting to the Mac, and the result is often performance that’s less impressive than you’d expect.

You’ll have better luck with games ported over from iOS, such as CSR Racing Pro 3, Super Octagon, and Limbo. There’s a fair selection of such games on the Mac App Store. These also tend to suffer problems, though, especially in control, which is often poorly converted from touch to keyboard and mouse.

A smaller battery leads to adequate endurance

While the MacBook Pro 13 takes a step forward in processor performance, it takes a significant step back in battery capacity. The previous model had a 74.9 watt-hour battery, but the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar has 49.2 watt-hour battery (the model without Touch Bar has a slightly larger 54.5 watt-hour battery). That’s a reduction in capacity of almost 35 percent.

Despite that, Apple quotes the same battery life as before. The company obviously thinks that efficiency will make up for the smaller battery, but we didn’t find that to be the case.

Peacekeeper, a looped web browsing benchmark, drained a full charge in five hours and three minutes. That’s not a bad result, but it’s not amazing, either. The Dell XPS 13 with Core i7 lasted five hours and seven minutes, while the Acer Swift 7 lasted five hours and 56 minutes. The HP Spectre lasted a tad bit less at four hours and 54 minutes.

We also tested the system in a video loop, using iTunes. It drained the battery in ten hours and 17 minutes. That’s another solid result, though behind the HP Spectre x360, and barely ahead of the Lenovo Yoga 910. The Dell XPS 13 with Core i7 comes up a bit short here, hitting nine hours and 12 minutes.

In real-world use, we found battery life to be average. Most 13-inch laptops priced about $1,000 can last through nearly a workday of a use, and the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar can, as well. But this assumes your “normal” use isn’t constant use, and that you stay away from demanding applications.

Some users have noted that Safari seems to drain the battery more quickly than hoped. We’ve noted that, as well, even after the 10.12.3 update, which fixed a bug that caused Safari to use more graphics horsepower than needed.

If you want amazing portability, you should aim for Dell’s XPS 13 with 1080p display and Core i5 processor. It lasted an outstanding six hours and 12 minutes in Peacekeeper, and twelve hours 43 minutes in our video loop. The MacBook Pro 13 used to be the last word in battery life, but the new model — or, at least, the Touch Bar version — has lost the crown.

MacOS or Windows 10? You’ve probably already decided

The MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar of course runs MacOS, while most other laptops run Windows. For some, that’s all the information needed. If you prefer MacOS, then you’re going to need to buy a MacBook, and the new Pro models are the most powerful Mac laptops available.

More: What’s the best MacBook for your money?

If you’re not familiar with Windows 10 and MacOS, give our reviews a read. We generally recommend Windows 10 over Apple’s operating system. It offers better task management, superior notifications, a more versatile digital assistant, and extensive cloud integration. MacOS does have strengths, though. It remains intuitive to use, and it works extremely well with iOS devices, as users can quickly share content between them or send text messages through the MacOS iMessage app.

The usual warranty terms, with Apple Store convivence

Apple ships every MacBook with a one-year warranty that includes 90 days of phone support. The terms are typical for the industry. The company’s retail stores give an edge, though, because owners can stop by for in-person support. That’s much more convenient than calling a hotline or shipping a system back – if you live near an Apple store, of course.

Our Take

Apple’s new MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar is a beautiful machine, but it has several flaws, and it’s far too expensive.

Is there a better alternative?

That depends on if you’d consider a Windows computer. If not, the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar is an attractive option – though you should consider the model without Touch Bar first. It’s more affordable, and has a larger battery. The processor is not quite as fast, but the downgrade won’t be significant for most people.

If you’re open-minded about choosing between Windows 10 and MacOS, there are numerous competitors. They include the Dell XPS 13, HP Spectre x360, Lenovo Yoga 910, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga with OLED, Surface Book, and Razer Blade. Many of these are a bit quicker, some have better battery life, and all offer a better keyboard. The Windows alternatives also offer an optional touchscreen, and some are 2-in-1 devices usable as either laptop or tablet.

The main sacrifice you’ll make with these alternatives is display quality. Only Microsoft’s Surface Book, and the handful of OLED laptops currently available, can go toe-to-toe with the new Pro in that area.

The DT Accessory Pack

ProCase Sleeve Cover

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Kensington SD4500 USB-C Docking Station

$179.99

Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Mobile Mouse

$35

How long will it last?

Apple has control of each Mac’s lifespan by dictating which systems will receive MacOS updates. Since the MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar was just released, it’s safe to say it’ll last as long as any Mac currently available.

Should you buy it?

Probably not, even if you prefer a Mac.

The MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar is not a bad laptop. On the contrary, it’s good. But the $1,800 price tag demands more than just good. A laptop sold for that, as an entry-level model, must be among the best of the best.

Former MacBook Pro models achieved that comfortably, but the new model is lacking. It doesn’t have a performance edge over alternatives in any area aside from hard drive speed, and battery life is merely competitive. Even the gorgeous display, which is very, very nice, just matches the best alternatives.

We’re disappointed with Apple’s vision of cutting-edge computing. With the new MacBook Pro, Apple has ignored the best features offered by its competitors, while also introducing a Touch Bar of questionable use. The MacBook Pro 13 with Touch Bar is a great Mac – but it’s no longer a great laptop.

This mesmerizing video isn’t just cool — it offers clues on how atmosphere works

Why it matters to you

A video of blue lightning is prompting further studies that could help astronauts better understand how the atmosphere protects the Earth from radiation.

Airline pilots have long shared tales of a blue lightning above the clouds, and now there’s a new way to study the phenomena — from outer space.

European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen filmed a series of electrical discharges while aboard the International Space Station in 2015. Now, the National Space Institute has published the results of Mogensen’s work.

More: Astronauts will attempt to control an Earth-based rover from the ISS next month

According to the video and a corresponding study, the blue lightning flashed around 18 kilometers (about 11 miles) above the earth, often in flashes that were several kilometers wide. Mogensen’s video, a first of its kind, also captured a pulsating blue jet that raced for 40 km — nearly 25 miles — across the sky. In only 160 seconds of video, 245 blue flashes were recorded from the top of the cloud turrets.

Mogensen shot the storm while traveling about 18,000 miles per hour over the Bay of Bengal near India. He was asked to see if he could capture the phenomena using the ISS’ best camera while over a thunderstorm.

Besides confirming the existence of blue lightning, the ESA says the video is also important because it confirms that space station based studies could gather the data needed to better understand the phenomena. While satellites have attempted to investigate it, the ESA says the viewing angle wasn’t optimal. Because of that initial video, the Atmosphere-Space Interaction Monitor is expected to launch later this year to continuously monitor similar thunderstorms.

“It is not every day that you get to capture a new weather phenomenon on film, so I am very pleased with the result — but even more so that researchers will be able to investigate these intriguing thunderstorms in more detail soon,” Mogensen said.

Electrical storms like the ones Mogensen captured carry implications for how the atmosphere protects the earth from radiation, something that’s still not very well understood, according to the ESA.