First Impressions of New 12-Inch MacBook: Ridiculously Light, but Thin Keys and Trackpad Take Getting Used To

[MacRumors]

Following today's "Spring Forward" media event, Apple allowed members of the media in attendance to get some hands-on time with the brand-new 12-inch Retina MacBook. Many sites are now sharing their first impressions of the notebook, which includes an incredibly thin design (13.1mm), a revamped trackpad, a Core M processor, silent operation thanks to the lack of a fan, an edge-to-edge keyboard, and a single USB-C port.

We've gathered up some of the initial thoughts below to give our readers an introductory look at what to expect from the new MacBook.

To begin with, TechnoBuffalo has a hands-on video of the 12-inch Macbook, which gives a good look at the various features of the device, including the edge-to-edge keyboard, the Touchpad, and the new USB-C port. It also gives us a clear picture of just how thin the new MacBook is.

Engadget's Dana Wollman says the new MacBook at 2 pounds "makes the Air feel like a heavy old thing." Wollman was initially skeptical of the new keyboard, which has keys with less travel, but ultimately found that the keys are "still springy."

Though the buttons are indeed flat, and though they aren't cushy, they are still springy. They pop back up when I hit them. That means I can type at a gingerly pace and know that for the most part, I won't miss a key, and that most of my button presses will register. If this were another machine, I might unconsciously start mashing the buttons, just to make sure I don't have to go back and re-type anything. I was prepared to do that here, but quickly felt my hands relax once I realized they didn't actually need to work that hard. Again, though, there could still be a learning curve for those of you upgrading from an older MacBook.

Image via Engadget​

The Verge's Dieter Bohn says the new MacBook is "ridiculously thin and so light" that he didn't believe it when he picked it up. He was impressed with the "insanely thin" 2304 x 1440 display. The trackpad, he says, is accurate, but Force Click is "far from intuitive" and that it will take him some time to get used to it.

You press down hard and keep pressing through the click, as though you were karate chopping with you finger and trying to hit a target behind the trackpad. Do that and you'll feel a subtle second click happen, and ta-da you've activated force click. For the company that famously refused to put more than one button on the mouse, putting an extra interaction like this on the trackpad seems weird.

Gizmodo's Sean Hollister was also impressed with the lightness of the new MacBook, writing "it felt like I was holding nothing at all. It's so light," but he went on to say that the notebook is "not completely lovable" due to the MacBook's keys, which are too thin. The screen, though, is "gorgeous" and he loved the new Force Touch trackpad.

Apple's new Force Touch pad sounded a little bit gimmicky during the announcement... but I love it. I love it so much. Not because it's easy to press like the laptop buttons of yesteryear--it's not--but because it's so smart. Forget copy and pasting text when you want to look up an address or add events to a calendar: Mac OS is now smart enough to do those things automatically the moment you push down on the trackpad.

You just physically push down harder--the sensitivity's adjustable--to take an action on what looks like plain text on the web or even in a text document, and boom, you're getting **** done.

Image via Gizmodo​

SlashGear's Chris Burns calls the display "incredible" with huge viewing angles and crisp, clean details. Burns highlights the single USB-C port on the MacBook, which is the only port on the device. It handles all necessary functions like charging and USB input. He also points out that the FaceTime camera on the MacBook is only 480p, lower quality than Apple's other notebooks.

Image via SlashGear​

Wired's David Pierce says the MacBook is "amazingly sturdy" for being so thin, and its screen is "lovely."

Everything about the MacBook is about beauty, whether it's the single USB-C port on the left side--the only port on the entire device save for a headphone jack on the right--or the new Gold, Space Gray, and Silver colors. The Gold is actually much more handsome than gaudy, but the Space Gray is my favorite of the options. It's dark and sleek, fitting for a device that's so, so very thin.

Like the other reviewers, Pierce was not impressed with the MacBook's keys, which he says he "immediately hated." The MacBook, he says, runs "quite well" for a device that uses an ultra low power Core M processor.

Apple's new MacBook will be available for purchase beginning on April 10. The 256GB base model with a 1.1GHz Core M processor and 8GB of RAM is priced at $1,299, while the upgraded model with a 1.2GHz Core M processor, 512GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM is priced at $1,599.

Article Link: First Impressions of New 12-Inch MacBook: Ridiculously Light, but Thin Keys and Trackpad Take Getting Used To

 

[Sirious]

For once, the rumours and mock-ups nailed it (in terms of design).

 

[Legend of Ive]

We designed the new macbook with one port, so you don't have to worry about where to plug which port you just plug everything into one. It is so simple, you don't think you just Do.

 

[manhattanboy]

Is Force Click really that much more useful than the two finger tap?

 

[Scellow]

Does it heat a lot? That's the only thing i want to know since it's fanless

 

[Rogifan]

Wow a new product that might take some getting used to. Duh. On Twitter Ben Thompson said the new trackpad is "crazy" and "plays tricks with your mind". Jason Snell called the keyboard "impressive".

 

[Andrei90]

Good thing it has a headphone jack, for a moment there I thought I'd to use bluetooth headphones.

 

[boringwifi]

WWDC waiting...

Well... I'm gonna stay for WWDC, to know if Apple brings any update for MB or change USB on rMBP for USB-C and bring space gray color '-'

 

[manhattanboy]

We designed the new macbook with one port, so you don't have to worry about where to plug which port you just plug everything into one. It is so simple, you don't think you just Do.

Apple blow up dolls... they keep it simple with only one hole
You don't think, you just Do.

 

[Rogifan]

For once, the rumours and mock-ups nailed it (in terms of design).

Except the 9to5Mac mockup showed a different speaker grill/air vent. Their mockup has 4 separate grills spaced apart (which looked horrible). Also I think the original mockup had aluminum bezels just thinner than the current MBA.

 

[The Phazer]

I really hope Apple has the guts to backtrack on this awful sounding keyboard on the next version of this machine.

Even if it has to be *gasp* thinner.

Apple thought no backlight on the keys was a good idea once. They were wrong. They seem to be wrong here.

 

[usersince86]

Coming soon: new MBP and Air?

Remember how the 2008 MacBook unibody came out the same time as the new MacBook Pro?

Apple has reintroduced the MacBook, and I think it will serve as a precursor to a very different MBP and MBA.

 

[spectrumfox]

Great, only one port on the laptop.

I can't wait to see the spider's nest of cables and plugs that some people are going to need with this one.

HDMI, power, USB for external devices, Thunderbolt... All going through one port.

Who thought this would be a good idea? Oh, right. Jony...

 

[MacFather]

Deleted.

 

[iPadProXL-2.5]

17" MB Pro retina ultra-slim ultra-slick anyone ?

...and where is the 17" MB Pro retina with Broadwell and @ 75% lighter and 80% slimmer?
...I bet they would sell boatloads if they decide to bring it back @ this year's WWDC or in the fall.
______________
iMac 27" 2011, i7 3.4Ghz Sandy Bridge, 24GB RAM, 256GB SSD
iPad 3, 64GB wifi

 

[Ries]

480p front facing? The 90'ties want their webcam back...

 

[agalenko]

looks nice but kinda too similar to the first MBA, i.e. nice design and all but CPU is probably not there yet for somewhat serious work. Definitively will get 2nd or 3rd gen though.

 

[jbachandouris]

I really hope Apple has the guts to backtrack on this awful sounding keyboard on the next version of this machine.

Even if it has to be *gasp* thinner.

Apple thought no backlight on the keys was a good idea once. They were wrong. They seem to be wrong here.

Awful sounding keyboard? Are we reading the same articles? From what I watched on the Keynote, this is the only keyboard they're going to make. Apple rarely backtracks.

 

[Intelligent]

Do you have to tap it to have normal function? I really hate the 3 finger drag because it feels unstable, and sometimes you have to hold the trackpad in.....

 

[TC03]

I don't like the force touch thing. Sounds confusing, leaves you guessing what to do (double tap, single tap, force click, too many options). Personally, I prefer touchpads that don't click at all. Just tap on the touchpad. Works flawlessly on my $500 Dell.

 

[dazz87]

apple has more money than any other company........but they cant throw in the usb adapter for free on a $1300 notebook.......

 

[Archer1440]

Glowing Apple logo gone for super thin retina display is a nice trade. Now I have a reason to get rid of my 11" work issued Air, which I only use for travel.

 

[BrockC]

Does it heat a lot? That's the only thing i want to know since it's fanless

No, thanks to the ultra low power Intel chips.

 

[doelcm82]

I'm disappointed that they didn't include TouchID on this MacBook.

On the other hand, I'm currently using a Mid-2014 MBP. It isn't time yet for me to get a new notebook. Hopefully, by the time I'm ready, Apple will be too.

Also, I have a number of Firewire and USB external drives (both portable and desktop), and I sometimes plug more than one in at a time. Will I need a docking station in order to do this?

Eventually, these design changes will filter to the other entries in the MacBook line. I will have time to prepare. I had enough warning that CD/DVD drives were going away (or going external), so I was able to wean myself from dependence on them before I had to go cold turkey.

 

[theSeb]

Great, only one port on the laptop.

I can't wait to see the spider's nest of cables and plugs that some people are going to need with this one.

HDMI, power, USB for external devices... All going through one port.

Who thought this would be a good idea? Oh, right. Jony...

I know I have already posted this in another thread, but it's worth repeating here. I would not be surprised to find the 15" Skylake rMBP with only two ports: Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C

Here's a summary of what to expect. Note that the next-gen Thunderbolt is tied to Intel's Skylake chip architecture, which isn't due until 2015.

--2X jump in speed. Bandwidth increase to 40 gigabits per second from 20Gbps.

--Displays. Can drive two 4K displays over a single cable, as The Tech Report points out.

--Support. PCIe Gen3, USB 3.0, DisplayPort 1.2, USB 3.0, and HDMI 2.0

--Charging. Support for devices up to 100 watts.

Getting back to the plug: the height will apparently be slimmed down to just 3mm from the current