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Have the reviews changed your mind?
- Thread starter iRun26.2
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not for me. I like that the performance is solid and that is the most important thing for me. What most of the reviews don't like is the lonely usb port but since I don't use my usb ports on my Air it is not an issue for me. Now I only have to decide which Cpu I'll go with.
YES! As I said in another post,these two issue's are deal breakers for me...ill wait for rev B:
engadget: 1.1 Run's hot!
"At one point during my testing, I was typing this review in a Chrome browser tab while streaming music through the Spotify desktop app. I only had three browser tabs and three applications open, and yet the heat coming off the bottom side was so intense that at one point I could feel it through my pant legs"
theverge: Slow!
"Chrome has really become something of a resource hog for me lately. Its not a problem most of the time, but load up enough tabs, and any computer will start to chug. On my MacBook Air, that happens at around 20 tabs. On the new MacBook, its about half that"
engadget: 1.1 Run's hot!
"At one point during my testing, I was typing this review in a Chrome browser tab while streaming music through the Spotify desktop app. I only had three browser tabs and three applications open, and yet the heat coming off the bottom side was so intense that at one point I could feel it through my pant legs"
theverge: Slow!
"Chrome has really become something of a resource hog for me lately. Its not a problem most of the time, but load up enough tabs, and any computer will start to chug. On my MacBook Air, that happens at around 20 tabs. On the new MacBook, its about half that"
Nope. It tests a little faster than I expected, and I already new everything else up until today, so I'll definitely buy one.
I don't think I've changed my mind about buying it and giving a thorough wring-out. I am less sure it will actually survive the 14 day return period, though. Notes in some of the reviews about things like slow app opening and sluggish UI at max res leave question marks. It's clearly a great machine, but we're so used to having more power than we need that there may be a few surprises with this one. Only using it will really tell.
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Honestly, IMO, Chrome is always a problem. I don't like the way it runs on my Windows machines, either - I've given up on Chrome.
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Honestly, IMO, Chrome is always a problem. I don't like the way it runs on my Windows machines, either - I've given up on Chrome.
Looks like I might have to make the move to Safari if the rMB is going to be my main device.
No,the problem is it run's like a 2011 Mac Book Air,but way hotter! (and this was testing the 1.1...have to wonder about the heat from the 1.3!)
heat issue really bugs me.
It's not a desktop replacement.
But after reading a few reviews i'm in.
I'll buy one tomorrow
It's not a desktop replacement.
But after reading a few reviews i'm in.
I'll buy one tomorrow
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No,the problem is it run's like a 2011 Mac Book Air,but way hotter! (and this was testing the 1.1...have to wonder about the heat from the 1.3!)
![2015-MacBook-2.001-980x720.png]()
FWIW, the new 1.1Ghz Macbook actually tests somewhere in between the 2013 and 2014 Macbook Air with the i5-4250U and i5-4260U processors. ARS just didn't have those test to compare it to. I'm certainly fine with the Macbook testing like the entry level Air from the last year or two. It's better than I expected.
See here: http://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks
after finishing up all the reviews, i am definitely feeling better about it. Seems apple did a great job making this weak little processor work on osx. Even if the benchmarks aren't up to snuff, the real word usage seems to be more than enough for what most people will put their ultraportable notebook through.
I think the reviews are about what everyone who is realistic expected. It's a machine for web browsing, emails, documents, writing and streaming videos and that's about it.
I didn't get that impression from the reviews. It tested better than I expected. Users were able to run Logic and other more intensive programs, too, albeit with exporting and whatnot being slower, as expected. It's basically like an entry level Air from the last year or two.
And RDP/Terminal
I spend most of my time in a text editor, terminal or on occasion RDP. Most heavy lifting is offloaded to servers at work or at home. Outside of gaming, I can't remember the last time I needed my own desktop/laptop to do any heavy lifting actually. But I always assume my requirements are not the same as the typical user.
Yes, they changed mine into not getting one. I'm on the road a ton and have an iMac at home so figured this would be a great replacement for my 11" air. The biggest advantage to me wasn't the size but rather the better display, particularly scaled for maximum real estate. I have already decided I don't want to live with the cramped screen on the 11" air another year but just couldn't decide between the rMBP or this new rMB. After reading that the machine struggled a bit when scaled resolutions were used I think I'm going to pickup a refurb rMBP instead and see what future years bring.
If apple can either improve the performance of the rMB in future models, or bring a retina screen to the air I'll make a move. The resale value of the rMB scares me a bit assuming the next iteration follows the same path the original MBA did. Hard to sit this one out as it looks like a beautiful machine but the consensus of most of the reviews seemed to agree that waiting for the next release might be the smarter play.
If apple can either improve the performance of the rMB in future models, or bring a retina screen to the air I'll make a move. The resale value of the rMB scares me a bit assuming the next iteration follows the same path the original MBA did. Hard to sit this one out as it looks like a beautiful machine but the consensus of most of the reviews seemed to agree that waiting for the next release might be the smarter play.
Have the reviews changed your mind?
The reviews have definitely made me a little skeptical. The iMovie/Photo library comments concern me. I mean, that's pretty basic stuff these days. I love the completely wireless concept - I'm all setup for that anyway. NAS, Time Machine, various cloud services - most of my stuff is floating around already.
That being said, I would absolutely not be buying this rMB if I didn't have my iMac to get stuff done. It's pretty clear the target market for this laptop is probably not the same demographic that frequents MacRumors. Generally speaking, of course.
Changed my mind? Probably not. This product suits my needs, almost to a tee. Just raised concerns about longevity - two year usage, at best?
Four years ago*
According to the reviews, that is.
The reviews have definitely made me a little skeptical. The iMovie/Photo library comments concern me. I mean, that's pretty basic stuff these days. I love the completely wireless concept - I'm all setup for that anyway. NAS, Time Machine, various cloud services - most of my stuff is floating around already.
That being said, I would absolutely not be buying this rMB if I didn't have my iMac to get stuff done. It's pretty clear the target market for this laptop is probably not the same demographic that frequents MacRumors. Generally speaking, of course.
Changed my mind? Probably not. This product suits my needs, almost to a tee. Just raised concerns about longevity - two year usage, at best?
Four years ago*
According to the reviews, that is.
I was pleasantly surprised by the reviews, especially since they were using the entry level rMB.
Although I would like a new laptop in the next month or so, I'm going to wait to see the reviews for the 1.3GHz. I read in one review that they don't expect to see much difference, but I'd like to see the comparison. I'm planning on keeping this for a few years at least, so I rather go for the increase in processor power if they notice a decent difference between the two, but I'm not going to spend $250 for a barely noticeable difference.
In the end, I suspect that the short bursts of processing power will result in faster application opening times, but that batch processing of files or handbraking (requiring sustained periods of increased processing) will be on par with the 1.1. This is fine with me since I don't intend to do very processor intensive tasks on the rMB, but I hate having to wait a long time for photoshop or illustrator to open.
Although I would like a new laptop in the next month or so, I'm going to wait to see the reviews for the 1.3GHz. I read in one review that they don't expect to see much difference, but I'd like to see the comparison. I'm planning on keeping this for a few years at least, so I rather go for the increase in processor power if they notice a decent difference between the two, but I'm not going to spend $250 for a barely noticeable difference.
In the end, I suspect that the short bursts of processing power will result in faster application opening times, but that batch processing of files or handbraking (requiring sustained periods of increased processing) will be on par with the 1.1. This is fine with me since I don't intend to do very processor intensive tasks on the rMB, but I hate having to wait a long time for photoshop or illustrator to open.
No I still would like one, as the MacBook would not be my primary Mac, and as I have maintained a product I must test first hand. There is obviously good and bad across the reviews, however some of the bad may conflict my workflow/performance need.
Hopefully see later today at`s the 10th now here
Q-6
Hopefully see later today at`s the 10th now here
Q-6
I am eyeing the 1.3 GHz model but I'm worried if it will run warmer and whether this will be always or just when pushing the CPU to do intensive tasks.
I think as Douglas said, the issue is they are testing midrange previous year model Airs against the base model rMB, as no-one seemed to have anything other than the base model (1.1, 5Y31) rMB for review. Plus the very detailed analysis of CoreM on Anadtech http://anandtech.com/show/9117/analyzing-intel-core-m-performance shows Geekbench isn't the best way of measuring their performance (or rather, it only measures some aspects). They had an even lower CoreM, the 5Y10, beating a current core i5 in some aspects, and much of it was down to the design of the machine rather than the processor. I hope Anandtech test a high spec rMB as they will do a thorough job of it, not just stick it through Geekbench and attempt to play a game or two... They hinted they might in that review of CoreM performance.
The other aspect is the 1.1/5Y31 in the review models is at TDP 6W, whereas the 1.2/5Y51 and 1.3/5Y71 should be lower (likely around 5.25W if it is linear) so should both run cooler and throttle less, meaning real-world and synthetic benchmark performance should both also be higher...
Anyway, looking forward to online and user reviews of the 1.3/5Y71, and will try the keyboard, otherwise the rest of it seems to fit my useage well and will be a great replacement for my ageing 2010 maxed out 13.3" MBA!
The reviews just don't have a large sample size of older MacBooks. According to Geekbench Browser, the entry level 1.1 Ghz Macbook tests somewhere around the entry level i5-4260U processor, which was available in both the 11" and 13" Air in 2014.
Here's a much more complete list of various Mac Geekbench tests: http://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks
No, it really is Chrome. Lately it's been making both my Macbook Air and my friend's Macbook Pro whine like crazy with just a few tabs open.
Fortunately I mostly use Safari, but it's still ridiculous. The review should really have mentioned this.