Key takeaways from the Apple event: Thinnest MacBook Pro and a new TV app

The major attraction of the event was Apple's new MacBook Pro models featuring a touch-control interface

Apple on Thursday introduced new MacBook Pro models, touted as the the "thinnest and lightest" devices from the company's stable of laptops to date and which come with a new interface that replaces the traditional row of function keys with a multi-touch display called the 'Touch Bar'.

The models were unveiled at a special event at Apple's headquarters in Silicon Valley. The other reveal of the event was a new TV app for Apple TV, iPhone and iPad.  

Here's what Apple revealed at the event:

1) Touch Bar: The new MacBook Pro models come with a "retina-quality multi-touch" display called the Touch Bar, which is placed above the keyboard. Describing the function of the new hardware feature, Apple said that it "places controls right at the user’s fingertips and adapts when using the system or apps like Mail, Finder, Calendar, Numbers, GarageBand, Final Cut Pro X and many more, including third-party apps". 

According to techcrunch.com, the touch screen allows users to select  sections while editing videos, select an emoji, scrub though a video with a swipe, and users can select a picture without having to bring controls on their screen while looking through a photo slideshow, among other things.

2) 'Thinnest and lightest': According to the figures released by Apple, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is thin at just 14.9 mm, is 17 per cent thinner and has 23 per cent less volume than the previous generation, and is nearly half a pound lighter at just three pounds. The new 15-inch MacBook Pro, at just 15.5 mm, is 14 per cent thinner and has 20 per cent less volume than before, and weighs just four pounds. It is nearly half a pound lighter.

3) In-built Touch ID: The other feature that was introduced on the new laptop models is the Touch ID feature integrated into the power button. This will allow users to also make secure online purchases through ApplePay. The new Apple T1 chip provides security when using the Touch ID.

4) Larger trackpad: The new MacBook Pro models also offer much larger Force Touch trackpads. According to figures provided by Apple in its release, the trackpad is 46 per cent larger on the 13-inch MacBook Pro and twice as large on the 15-inch MacBook Pro. 

5) Huge leap in graphics performance: The 15-inch variant of the new  MacBook Pro packs a Radeon Pro discrete graphics, which the company claims delivers up to 2.3 times more performance than the previous generation. For the 13-inch variant, its Intel Iris Graphics provides performance up to two times faster than before. 

6) New TV app: Apple also unveiled a new TV app. According to Apple, a new Siri feature has been introduced for Apple TV, which lets viewers tune in directly to live news and sporting events across their apps. The new app operates across AppleTV, iPhones and iPads. The new features include 'Watch Now', 'Up Next', 'Recommended', 'Library', and 'Store'. 

7) Minecraft on Apple TV: According to techcrunch.com, there are now 8,000 Apple TV apps, from just 1,000 an year ago. The report added that two thousand of these apps are games and Minecraft will be arriving on the platform by year-end.