12-Inch Retina MacBook Receives Mixed Reviews From Early Adopters

[carrrrrlos]

I keep laughing at this...I have a 13" Air and a 13" MBP....the pro is now smaller than the air just weighs 1/2 pound more.

What exactly are you laughing at? I have the latest 15" MacBook Pro totally loaded, which compares nothing to the Air or new MacBook. I am not comparing Pro models to the new MacBook.
I also have a mid 2013 13" MBA and the most recent one as well, which regardless of less than a lb. outperform the new MacBook hands down.

 

[TEBnewyork]

What exactly are you laughing at? I have the latest 15" MacBook Pro totally loaded, which compares nothing to the Air or new MacBook. I am not comparing Pro models to the new MacBook.
I also have a mid 2013 13" MBA and the most recent one as well, which regardless of less than a lb. outperform the new MacBook hands down.

I'm laughing at the people that say just stick a retina display in the MBA and I would have my dream machine. A retina in a MBA is essentially a MBP. Please explain to me what I'm missing. A 13" MBA is bigger than a 13" MBP. The battery life is not significantly different.

So with a MBP you get a smaller footprint that weighs 1/2 pound more and retina.

I have both machines side by side. Until I had both and had to take both on a recent trip I hadn't fully realized how much they've been able to pare back on the dimensions and thickness of the MBP.

So, buying new today, what is compelling about the MBA?

 

[WhackyNinja]

You don't need to spend $80 to use your USB. I spent $19 on the Apple USB-C to USB adapter and can use any USB device around. Please inform yourself before making such ridiculous claims.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/M...3d808db6c4afc675cc7e5bdf8d2544a2f3822f99aa028

You were saying? (I acknowledge the fact that theres a USB Adapter that is $19...but its JUST for USB.) I was referring to the multi port adapter that regardless you can't deny its still too expensive.

So is this a ridiculous claim or?

 

[\-V-/]

I'm laughing at the people that say just stick a retina display in the MBA and I would have my dream machine. A retina in a MBA is essentially a MBP. Please explain to me what I'm missing. A 13" MBA is bigger than a 13" MBP. The battery life is not significantly different.

Not a hard concept to grasp ... a thin and light laptop with a retina display with functional ports. They removed functional ports for the sake of thinness. In the process they also had to invent a battery to work in such a thin design while also sacrificing battery life.

 

[brdeveloper]

I'm laughing at the people that say just stick a retina display in the MBA and I would have my dream machine. A retina in a MBA is essentially a MBP. Please explain to me what I'm missing. A 13" MBA is bigger than a 13" MBP. The battery life is not significantly different.

So with a MBP you get a smaller footprint that weighs 1/2 pound more and retina.

I have both machines side by side. Until I had both and had to take both on a recent trip I hadn't fully realized how much they've been able to pare back on the dimensions and thickness of the MBP.

So, buying new today, what is compelling about the MBA?

I don't care with retina. Actually, retina is overrated. What it's not overrated is IPS. I doubt there isn't available technology to put a low-res IPS display inside of an Air lid. It could be a silent upgrade on Macbook Air. This would bring the Macbook Air back to the game. A lot of people don't give a **** for retina, but would love IPS.

 

[iChrist]

All we wanted was a Macbook Air with Retina display. Apple over-designed this one.

lol

Jonny I've had to make up for the fatness of the iWatch with an overly thin macbook.

 

[brdeveloper]

lol

Jonny I've had to make up for the fatness of the iWatch with an overly thin macbook.

Interesting point. Seems that Apple doesn't care about keeping a design uniformity when releasing stuff. But I think it only applies to the Watch since the iPads and iPhones hold some similarity with the nMB.

 

[djbuu]

Interesting point. Seems that Apple doesn't care about keeping a design uniformity when releasing stuff. But I think it only applies to the Watch since the iPads and iPhones hold some similarity with the nMB.

Hyperbolic and sensational to say "Apple doesn't care about keeping a design uniformity." They are literally the most consistent company I have ever seen. Pull out a MacBook from 10 years ago and it will look and feel indistinguishably like an Apple product.

The Apple Watch has no visible logo on it and it's easily identifiable as an Apple product.

 

[sampaul]

Everything included, makes it a deal-breaker for me. Not just the third point alone.

How often would you ever see that .... or even need to care about it. Granted its a neat element when looking at other peoples machines but.... a deal breaker?

 

[radiologyman]

rMB is overpriced for what it offers? Wait a year and get it for $800 or so.

 

[iChrist]

Hyperbolic and sensational to say "Apple doesn't care about keeping a design uniformity." They are literally the most consistent company I have ever seen. Pull out a MacBook from 10 years ago and it will look and feel indistinguishably like an Apple product.

The Apple Watch has no visible logo on it and it's easily identifiable as an Apple product.

No. The iWatch is very clunky looking, not nearly as elegant and seamless as the iPads, iPhones, and new macbook.

 

[dec.]

No. The iWatch is very clunky looking, not nearly as elegant and seamless as the iPads, iPhones, and new macbook.

I disagree. I wasn't a big fan of the design until I saw it at an Apple store. People - and especially friends of the previous Smart Watches - seemed to have a great time laughing at the "huge" Apple Watch, then it arrived and had a much smaller foot print than jokes like the Moto 270 or Samsung Gear 1387.

But obviously it's all a matter of taste, someone who finds the Apple Watch "clunky" might enjoy the massive Moto 270 or vice versa...

(On Topic: the new MacBook Retina does not interest me at all right now, I have an Air and a rMBP, no upgrade needed before the next upgrade cycle)

 

[maknik]

I thought I would get used to a laptop without a VGA port when I got my first Apple laptop without one 20 years ago. I still miss the absence of the VGA port almost every week. I live in a world with a lot of presentations, and the Mac people (myself included) are always scrambling for a dongle, and probably every few months I see someone severely embarrassed by not having the little device that allows them to make their lovingly-prepared presentation. (And that's not including all the people I personally have saved by carrying mine everywhere with me.)

20 years, and the absence of such a ubiquitous port is still a major pain in the ass. I expect the absence of standard USB in the world where people make quick swaps of files and presentation slides, often in environments without reliable internet (such as conference hotels), will be a similarly major pain in the ass for at least a decade. Nobody in their right mind with the kind of work I do -- which is a lot of people -- should buy this thing now or for years to come unless they make a USB adapter you can carry in your wallet.

 

[Michael Goff]

Like what? Okay, I've heard that the stylus has connection issues and the thing overheats, but those are technical issues. Realize that most professional digital graphic artists use some kind of stylus input, be it a desktop tablet or a stylus-enabled screen. (Usually Wacoms)

That the UI sucks for touch?

 

[Karma*Police]

I need a normal USB port for flash drives, wireless mouse/keyboards, and other EVERYDAY items. For those that use this as a big tablet and never plug anything in...great. Apple should have made the iPad 12 with a single port, but I think most people really DO need to be able to easily plug things in NOW (not in 2 years when USB-C finally catches on).

I have a 15" MBP and I probably plug something in maybe once a month. The vast majority of the time, I'd be better served by a smaller footprint and lighter weight and plugging in a dongle for the few times that I need to plug something in. I'd wager that's true for a lot of users, if not the majority of users.

If you need a mouse and external keyboard as an everyday item, it sounds like you may be better served by a desktop as your primary machine? It's certainly more bang for the buck.

 

[djbuu]

No. The iWatch is very clunky looking, not nearly as elegant and seamless as the iPads, iPhones, and new macbook.

I couldn't disagree more. I own 10 watches and have bought and sold several over the years. This Watch is literally written in Apple design language. Simple geometric shape, minimal buttons, conservative size. Bands that are very thoughtful for use.

I think you're looking at a watch and comparing it to a computer. That's wrong. Look at a watch and compare it to a watch.

 

[Karma*Police]

No. The iWatch is very clunky looking, not nearly as elegant and seamless as the iPads, iPhones, and new macbook.

Have you seen the Apple Watch in person? Pictures and videos don't do it justice. Like a lot of people are saying, it's one of the most impressive products Apple has produced in terms of design, quality and fit and finish; from the actual watch to the bands. Heck, all the innovation they've introduced with just the bands is remarkable.

 

[iLLUMI]

To everyone who mentions the Retina Macbook Pro...

Isn't the Retina Macbook Pro about 75% heavier than this new Macbook?

You know Apple values thin and light... and they price accordingly!

I wish they would make the price thin and light.

----------

Yes, 2 USB-C ports, like the Chromebook, would have been better. USB-C will catch on, and so in a year or so we will see more devices. It's too bad USB didn't start out in this form factor. We'd never have had the myriad attempts at "smaller" USB ports (mini-USB, micro-USB, various types of proprietary micro-USB 3.0 ports).

Yeh, they could have easily had 2 USB-C ports, one on either side.
After all there is space on the other side for one.
That way you can be charging your MB and still have one port free for a USB drive or whatever without have to buy a USB-C dock.

Maybe MB 2 will have a second USB-C port?

 

[Dayv]

Have people forgetten that the MBA was $1799 when it first launched? Did anyone really expect this to launch at $999? In what universe?

The MBA was more performance challenged, higher priced, and released to a less wireless world than the new Macbook.

It's a great computer. Unlike most of the people decrying it, I'm typing this on one right now.

----------

I thought I would get used to a laptop without a VGA port when I got my first Apple laptop without one 20 years ago. I still miss the absence of the VGA port almost every week. I live in a world with a lot of presentations, and the Mac people (myself included) are always scrambling for a dongle[...]

Nobody in their right mind with the kind of work I do -- which is a lot of people -- should buy this thing now or for years to come unless they make a USB adapter you can carry in your wallet.

This is a flaw with meeting spaces, not modern computers. VGA should have disappeared back when DVI was standard issue.

I have to console into devices via a serial port on occasion for my job, and it's an increasingly silly chain of dongles used to do it. That doesn't make this a flaw in computers not having an enormous 9-pin serial port.

 

[APlotdevice]

That the UI sucks for touch?

It does certainly suck for finger input. An active stylus should work fine though.

Now after a little research, I do see one really big drawback to the Surface 3 pro's stylus: It uses N-trig technology rather than Wacom. This sucks for several reasons: N-trig styli are heavier as they need a battery, not as many programs support it, the cursor lags when you're hovering, and it doesn't have the intuitive "eraser" function.

 

[Dayv]

The most recent failures are PoE (power over Ethernet) and BPL (broadband power line.) Both could not solve data errors or sideband emissions during different power cycles. The latter was almost a $100 million failure with power utilities attempting to use their infrastructure to enter the broadband market.

I see PoE used daily at my work with no issues. Can't comment on BPL, except to say that power line technology and quality vary widely, and is often decades old. I'm fairly sure the wiring in my 85-year-old house was installed by a drunken boy scout troop on a dare.

 

[carrrrrlos]

I'm laughing at the people that say just stick a retina display in the MBA and I would have my dream machine. A retina in a MBA is essentially a MBP. Please explain to me what I'm missing. A 13" MBA is bigger than a 13" MBP. The battery life is not significantly different.

So with a MBP you get a smaller footprint that weighs 1/2 pound more and retina.

I have both machines side by side. Until I had both and had to take both on a recent trip I hadn't fully realized how much they've been able to pare back on the dimensions and thickness of the MBP.

So, buying new today, what is compelling about the MBA?

Retina is not a big deal for my daughter, and shaving off approx .5 lbs helps a great deal. A Pro is several hundred dollars more for the same amount of storage, but does have additional processing power and memory, which would come in handy if your are actually using the computer for some slightly intense processing.

For school assignments, surfing the web, connectivity, and portability, the MBA wins over both the MBP and new MacBook.

 

[brdeveloper]

It does certainly suck for finger input. An active stylus should work fine though.

Now after a little research, I do see one really big drawback to the Surface 3 pro's stylus: It uses N-trig technology rather than Wacom. This sucks for several reasons: N-trig styli are heavier as they need a battery, not as many programs support it, the cursor lags when you're hovering, and it doesn't have the intuitive "eraser" function.

I don't know if it's a Galaxy Note-only issue, but their passive Wacom pens have precision problems, that is, the pen tip phisically touches an area of the screen, but you're actually touching a slightly offset area in the software side. Not really an issue when writing, but it's a real problem when sketching. It passes unnoticed with Wacom tablets, since you see the result in a different surface, but when the drawing surface is the actual screen, it's annoying.

 

[happyslayer]

I LOVE this little laptop. By far, the best MacBook (Air, Pro or otherwise) I have ever had and I have had several over the years. For what I do, this is all I need. Plenty fast, great battery and the screen is amazing. And it noticeably lightens my bag which I carry everywhere I go. Again, the best laptop Apple has ever made.

 

[brdeveloper]

I LOVE this little laptop. By far, the best MacBook (Air, Pro or otherwise) I have ever had and I have had several over the years. For what I do, this is all I need. Plenty fast, great battery and the screen is amazing. And it noticeably lightens my bag which I carry everywhere I go. Again, the best laptop Apple has ever made.

What about the resolution? 2304x1440 seems to give the lowest workspace among Macbooks. It actually will behave like a 1152x720 screen, although it's crisper. So you have to go for a scaled resolution, like 1440x900.