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$1299 MacBook: 1.1 GHz Core M, 8GB of RAM, Intel HD 5300

$1299 MacBook Pro: 2.7 GHz Core i5, 8GB of RAM, Intel Iris 6100

10x the processing power, 8x more ports, larger screen, killer battery life. I know which one I'd pick.
Totally agree.
I wouldn't mind a weaker but cheaper Macbook for writing on. That would actually be a really neat device to have for its portability. But additional portability isn't worth that much.
 
I've honestly never seen a Mac that I had absolutely no interest in, until the Retina MacBook. It's just too underpowered. Even if it's "enough" for someone now, a laptop as underpowered as the Retina MacBook isn't going to have anywhere near the longevity of any of Apple's other offerings. It's thin, it's light, but everything else is worse. I can honestly say I do not see a single reason to buy it. It's short-sighted to even consider it.

With so much of one's data in the Cloud, it is pretty easy to move at will between multiple computers. It seems to me the MacBook is well-suited for people who switch between computers depending on their immediate need for power or portability.

If you are concerned with longevity at all, then clearly you are not in an economic bracket that can justify this.
 
And it only took 5 months. Seriously, what happened here!? I hope this isn't how ALL Mac releases will be.

Qanta handled both this and the Watch. My guess is that they were overwhelmed and that Apple will be shifting back to FoxConn.
 
I was really interested in this at first announcement. Now that time has gone by though I have come to my senses. It just doesn't offer enough capability to be worth the asking price. At least not to me. Now the new Surface Pro 4 however....might be buying another Windows machine. (Wow, I can't believe I am saying that.)
 
I was really interested in this at first announcement. Now that time has gone by though I have come to my senses. It just doesn't offer enough capability to be worth the asking price. At least not to me. Now the new Surface Pro 4 however....might be buying another Windows machine. (Wow, I can't believe I am saying that.)

As someone who owns both the rMB and the SP3, I honestly fail to see how the Surface Pro offers a whole lot more functionality. Yes, it is marginally faster, when it is not throttling, but for regular, average use, no, it's no faster, and the reality is that for anything sustained, the Surface will throttle so quickly that the end effect is not all that different. Plus, the SP3 gets about half the battery life of the MacBook while having a wholly crummy interface device in the keyboard and touchpad...
 
I've honestly never seen a Mac that I had absolutely no interest in, until the Retina MacBook. It's just too underpowered. Even if it's "enough" for someone now, a laptop as underpowered as the Retina MacBook isn't going to have anywhere near the longevity of any of Apple's other offerings. It's thin, it's light, but everything else is worse. I can honestly say I do not see a single reason to buy it. It's short-sighted to even consider it.

Looks like you might be the one with myopia. I have a fully decked out 15" rMBP but since getting the 12" MB, I use the latter 80% of the time for photo editing my often quite large panoramic files from the Nikon D810. The colour gamut on the MacBook Air screen is so poor IMO that nobody should be doing photo editing on them. There's not as much difference in speed between my MBP and MP as might be expected since Photoshop is so poor at using CPU cores.
 
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As someone who owns both the rMB and the SP3, I honestly fail to see how the Surface Pro offers a whole lot more functionality. Yes, it is marginally faster, when it is not throttling, but for regular, average use, no, it's no faster, and the reality is that for anything sustained, the Surface will throttle so quickly that the end effect is not all that different. Plus, the SP3 gets about half the battery life of the MacBook while having a wholly crummy interface device in the keyboard and touchpad...
Thats why I am looking at the Surface Pro 4 with Windows 10. But thanks for the input.
 
Thats why I am looking at the Surface Pro 4 with Windows 10. But thanks for the input.

I understand. I'm still not convinced that the end result will be all that different from the 3. It will still use 15w processors. It will still use fundamentally the same type cover. It's a good device for someone who needs a tablet that doubles as a laptop (works well for my specific work needs). Otherwise, it's a poor laptop replacement.
 
In what way is it a budget device? Every part of it is premium. Even the CPU which just values size, power/heat management, and the ability to quickly burst to speed and return to low-power (which it does better than even the more powerful processors) over raw CPU power for extended computation. Guess which scenario better fits a good proportion of modern computing?
Yeah but it's a fairly weak computer, with specs from like 2008
 
Yeah but it's a fairly weak computer, with specs from like 2008

Categorically untrue. If you are going to make a statement like that, back it up. The rMB is fully modern in every way. Sustained CPU capability is far from the only measure of the overall capabilities of a computer. The rMB trades off the ability to do sustained processing, which is relatively rare in most modern ultramobile computing. The rMB is one of very few computers on the market that is built to the recognition of this reality, and instead trades off processor power that is generally unused in such a computer, taking up space, generating, heat, noise and consuming battery, for a processor better suited to the job that can do so in the smallest footprint possible with no fan, minimal heat, and no noise.

If you need a workstation, the rMB is not the right choice. Fortunately, a huge number of people don't need a workstation, a huge portion of those who think they do probably don't, and not to worry, the vast majority of laptops on the market are still built to suit the user who thinks they need a lot of processing power. Like I said, the rMB is one of very, very few laptops built to the paradigm that balances power with size and efficiency.
 
OK. Some users need more ports (including me) to plug many types of peripherals.
Other users store everything inside Macbook, so they don't need to worry about storage.

I am not that guy. I need a USB disk as my library plus download disk and OneDrive sync disk. Internal storage is way too small (128GB ). So I constantly need to use at least one USB port to access those data. And I need even more ports to transfer data between disks without using internal storage.

Maybe a user with more stuff stored at cloud or simply buy Macbook with over 256 GB storage don't need to worry much about this.

Oh, I may need to install more than one system on it for some backup purpose.
 
OK. Some users need more ports (including me) to plug many types of peripherals.
Other users store everything inside Macbook, so they don't need to worry about storage.

I am not that guy. I need a USB disk as my library plus download disk and OneDrive sync disk. Internal storage is way too small (128GB ). So I constantly need to use at least one USB port to access those data. And I need even more ports to transfer data between disks without using internal storage.

Maybe a user with more stuff stored at cloud or simply buy Macbook with over 256 GB storage don't need to worry much about this.

Oh, I may need to install more than one system on it for some backup purpose.

You keep that external drive connected even when out and about?
 
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No - they're not saying that.

They're saying stop making sweeping generalisations based on your particular set of preferences as though everyone's buying choice should be based on your particular set of preferences.

A pathetic laptop with one port, required additional pricey dongles, a dog mobile processor, a 480p camera, etc., and an unjustified ridiculously high price is not a "set of preferences". And pointing out the fact that all this adds up to a pathetic excuse for an Apple laptop is not a sweeping generalization about "preferences". An overpriced, poorly performing, poorly thought out laptop should be criticized for the joke, Tim Cook money grab that it is.

If someone has a "preference" for a such device, buy a $200 Chromebook, but don't defend this ridiculous 12" Macbook as a buyer preference. It's the joke of the industry.

 
A pathetic laptop with one port, required additional pricey dongles, a dog mobile processor, a 480p camera, etc., and an unjustified ridiculously high price is not a "set of preferences". And pointing out the fact that all this adds up to a pathetic excuse for an Apple laptop is not a sweeping generalization based on "preferences". An overpriced, poorly performing, poorly thought out laptop should be criticized for the joke, Tim Cook money grab that it is.

If someone has a "preference" for a such device, buy a $200 Chromebook, but don't defend this ridiculous 12" Macbook as a buyer preference. It's the joke of the industry.


Keep talking. This is entertaining.
 
I really liked the looks of it online in all the photos. Then I finally got to see it in person, touch it, use it, etc. While it doesn't seem that under powered (used it for 20 minutes), I really don't like the looks or ergonomics of it at all. Everything is so crammed together. It looks like Apple tried real hard to fit a full size keyboard edge to edge and it has very little appeal.

Very sad. But at least now my decision to pick up a MBPr 13" has been decided. Now to wait for the CPU upgrade and USB 3.1 spec.
 
You keep that external drive connected even when out and about?
That is right.

I even install some huge applications on external disk to save space on internal one because OS is not suitable to install on external disk.

Therefore external disk will stay with me 7/24.
 
That is right.

I even install some huge applications on external disk to save space on internal one because OS is not suitable to install on external disk.

Therefore external disk will stay with me 7/24.

In that case you are an extreme edge case of mobile users, and someone for whom the rMB is probably not appropriate. Lucky for you, most of the laptops on the market still cater to you!
 
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You really have a major issue you know. You constantly whine about PR pushing things on the gullible and use buzz words like 'apologist'. But you utterly ignore the fact that this may be EXACTLY right for a vast number of people. Just because you can't see a place for it with you narrow mind to fit into your narrow skill set or need what ever that might be you Arbitrarily say it's rubbish and that no one should buy it. I have zero need for a pickup truck. Do I go around saying No one buy one, they are pointless. Get a Sports car.

I have one and it's great. And I have many, many Macs and PCs and nothing is as light or usable for a vast number of jobs. But it has one failing and that's that they could have put another USB-C on the Opposite side.

You just proved my point in the post you replied to. You did exactly what I described. Read my post you replied to and then read your reply. Exactly as described.

And no, I clearly said if this type of device is something one prefers they should buy a $200 Chromebook and not this ridiculous, overpriced excuse for a laptop.

I have zero need for a pickup truck. Do I go around saying No one buy one, they are pointless. Get a Sports car.

Nice strawman. First, no one has a "need" for this 12" Macbook over something similar. They might prefer something like this laptop, but there are similar, cheaper, better alternatives, and there's no excuse for Apple to have made so many ridiculous compromises. It could have been a perfectly good laptop, but Tim got carried away with the obsession on profit margins.

You have zero need for a pickup, but if someone said they were going buy a crippled, slow, one seater, low towing power, low capacity, soon to be obsolete, pickup; that also required additional pricey truck dongles to be able to use effectively; and that's also priced similar to a full featured high-end luxury car, I bet you wouldn't go around defending such a purchase. You would rightly criticize such a pickup and tell pickup buyers to identify the flaws and look for better, similar, price appropriate alternatives.
 
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Isn't worth that much to you.
The difference isn't a mid 90's laptop to the Macbook, it's something slightly larger, slightly heavier. We're talking tiny numbers. Or better still it's not like comparing an iPad to an iPod, I guess.

Miniaturisation costs money but that isn't what the Macbook is. It's standard sized chips, just smaller and cheaper components. So where is that added cost going?
 
I really liked the looks of it online in all the photos. Then I finally got to see it in person, touch it, use it, etc. While it doesn't seem that under powered (used it for 20 minutes), I really don't like the looks or ergonomics of it at all. Everything is so crammed together. It looks like Apple tried real hard to fit a full size keyboard edge to edge and it has very little appeal.

Very sad. But at least now my decision to pick up a MBPr 13" has been decided. Now to wait for the CPU upgrade and USB 3.1 spec.
I disagree, it looks like a cross between the first MacBook Air and the 12" PowerBook. After using the keyboard since April I've come to like it. It's a matter of changing how you type a bit. Think of it more like an enhanced touchscreen. A light touch works best, and is surprisingly efficient. I now find the chicklet-style keyboard on my work PC (similar to the MacBook Air) a bit tiresome.
 
And no, I clearly said if this type of device is something people prefer they should buy a $200 Chromebook and not this ridiculous, overpriced excuse for a laptop.

I hesitate to even respond to you because you are so obnoxious, but I really can't let this stand. Please explain to me how a $200 Chromebook with a crap screen, crap keyboard, crap touchpad, crap battery life, running a cloud operating system that is incompatible with anything other than Google services and websites, with 2-4GB of RAM and 16-32GB of eMMC storage is in any way shape or form the same as a laptop that runs full OS X, can drive an external monitor or connect to virtually any peripheral device made, with one of the best screens to ever grace a laptop at any price, in a 2lb package with near 10 hours of battery life, 8GB RAM and up to 512GB of high speed SSD storage?
 
Nice strawman. First, no one has a "need" for this 12" Macbook over something similar. They might prefer something like this laptop, but there are similar, cheaper, better alternatives, and there's no excuse for Apple to have made so many ridiculous compromises. It could have been a perfectly good laptop, but Tim got carried away with the obsession on profit margin.

Samsung, Acer, and Lenovo make similarly-priced Core M notebooks. Asus makes one that's dirt cheap at around $700, but it has a lower resolution screen, 4GB RAM, and 128GB storage. Core M is a pricey chip.

Every one of your comments was said about the original MacBook Air. My guess is that in a year or two, this will become Apple's mainstream notebook, just as the MacBook Air did. Might they add a second USB-C port or change the single port to Thunderbolt 3? Maybe, maybe not. Skylake will bring some GPU enhancements and when Intel finally does get to 10nm we'll see an increase in battery life.
 
The difference isn't a mid 90's laptop to the Macbook, it's something slightly larger, slightly heavier. We're talking tiny numbers. Or better still it's not like comparing an iPad to an iPod, I guess.

Miniaturisation costs money but that isn't what the Macbook is. It's standard sized chips, just smaller and cheaper components. So where is that added cost going?
Ask Lenovo, Samsung, and Acer, who all have Core M-based notebooks at about the same price as Apple. Only Asus has gone lowball on pricing, and they can't be making much, if any money on it (it's heavier than the MacBook, as well).
 
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The difference isn't a mid 90's laptop to the Macbook, it's something slightly larger, slightly heavier. We're talking tiny numbers. Or better still it's not like comparing an iPad to an iPod, I guess.

Miniaturisation costs money but that isn't what the Macbook is. It's standard sized chips, just smaller and cheaper components. So where is that added cost going?

The 13" Pro is nearly twice the weight and twice the volume as the rMB. It's extremely noticeable.

And no, the chips used in the rMB are NOT standard size, and the components used are NOT cheaper.

Sheesh, if you guys are going to make these kind of ridiculous statements, there needs to be SOME semblance of truth behind them.
 
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