First Impressions

[brvhrt]

Just got mine and setting it up.

First three attempts to configure at boot time resulted in spinning beach ball at different parts of the setup. Worked on the fourth attempt.

Keyboard backlighting is very uneven vs the marketing - regular keys are fine but the delete, return, shift, etc have a noticeable variation in backlight intensity. Very disappointing.

Keyboard itself is a joy to type on. Sounds and feels nice and tight and precise.

Played 4k from Youtube no issues while concurrently running a bunch of different apps, safari tabs and downloading updates. Got a little warm but nothing I would call hot or uncomfortable.

The three finger drag seems to be gone in favor of one finger click and drag but that might just be a config issue in prefs.

Final Cut X works, albeit a bit of a stutter now and again when hover editing, etc but very useable if you only do occasional work in it.

Currently have a bunch of apps open and am using the Office Mac preview version of Word with a bunch of Loris Ipsum pages (40-ish) and the machine is cool to the touch.

Superb machine I will keep but I want to check out the in store demo units to see if my backlighting is normal. It's nowhere near as impressive as the marketing would imply. I have the 1.2 / 512 version.

Hope this helps anyone on the fence. For what I need, it is perfect.

 

[shenan1982]

Keyboard backlighting is very uneven vs the marketing - regular keys are fine but the delete, return, shift, etc have a noticeable variation in backlight intensity. Very disappointing.

Keyboard itself is a joy to type on. Sounds and feels nice and tight and precise.

For what I need, it is perfect.

Weird about the keyboard lighting. I had commented on how spectacular it is.

I agree the keys feel so nice. Funny, when I go back to my Air or my iMac chicklet keyboard, it feels like my fingers are straining to press the keys, like the old-school keyboards. LOL

I'm going to agree with you, it's a perfect laptop for my needs as well.

 

[hamedatl]

Yup, it took me 2 or so attempts to configure. It froze on me, thought it was just me.

WIFI seems a little spotty though

Just got mine and setting it up.

First three attempts to configure at boot time resulted in spinning beach ball at different parts of the setup. Worked on the fourth attempt.

 

[legioxi]

Very similar experience, right down to the backlit key variation.

Extremely happy with it. Can't wait to sell off my 11" MBA now.

 

[maclook]

Mine froze on the FileVault step so I decided to reboot and just setup with a time machine backup instead.
It doesn't bother me but I do see what you mean by the uneven backlighting on the bigger keys. I like how there isn't a backlight outline around each letter though unlike my MBA. That may be due more to the flat keyboard than the individual backlights though.

 

[legioxi]

Mine froze on the FileVault step so I decided to reboot and just setup with a time machine backup instead.

Mine beach balled there as well. After 5-10min, it proceeded onto the next step. I was still working off my MBA so I just let it run.

 

[brvhrt]

Well I just took a quick trip up to the Apple Store (to pick up a USB > USB-C adapter....doh!) and all the display models had the same backlighting inconsistencyon the keys with words on them. It's not terrible but it's not what I expected given the all the claims they made about the backlighting.

 

[3bs]

Well I just took a quick trip up to the Apple Store (to pick up a USB > USB-C adapter....doh!) and all the display models had the same backlighting inconsistencyon the keys with words on them. It's not terrible but it's not what I expected given the all the claims they made about the backlighting.

Do you think you'd be able to take a photo or video that would show what you mean exactly or will it be too hard to capture?

I'm not too bothered by this since I almost never use my keyboard backlighting on any of my Macs but it would be nice to know it works the way it should without flaws, especially for how much we're paying for this device.

 

[doboy]

The three finger drag seems to be gone in favor of one finger click and drag but that might just be a config issue in prefs.

That setting is in the accessibility

 

[brvhrt]

That setting is in the accessibility

Many thanks - I think they must have moved that from the original Pref.

----------

Do you think you'd be able to take a photo or video that would show what you mean exactly or will it be too hard to capture?

I'm not too bothered by this since I almost never use my keyboard backlighting on any of my Macs but it would be nice to know it works the way it should without flaws, especially for how much we're paying for this device.

I tried to take a photo but the exposure made it look less obvious than it is in real life. I'll give it another try later.

 

[doboy]

Many thanks - I think they must have moved that from the original Pref.

Yeah, it was moved from Touchpad setting. Don't know why. I had to google it yesterday.

 

[matt2053]

Do you think you'd be able to take a photo or video that would show what you mean exactly or will it be too hard to capture?

I'm not too bothered by this since I almost never use my keyboard backlighting on any of my Macs but it would be nice to know it works the way it should without flaws, especially for how much we're paying for this device.

Here's one I found online:

 

[3bs]

Here's one I found online: Image

I think I see what you guys mean. Could it be because the keys other than the letter keys have a bigger hole but same size light bulb so there's inconsistency?

 

[brvhrt]

Here's one I found online: Image

Yes, mine is like that but it looks slightly worse in person. The letter keys are fine but every other key has a fair degree of variation. Not what I expected or what was claimed IMHO. I still love it but I'm just a little disappointed in that aspect.

 

[GiantCow]

Those that have received theirs already, has anyone tried extended video playback on a soft surface? Say a bed or lap? Wondering if there's any performance issues with poor heat dissipation and throttling.

 

[ryanide]

Awesome!!!

This is amazing. Weighs about the same (or less ) than my iPad air with a leather cover on it. The keyboard and trackpad are both excellent - very solid. I actually like how the keys travel less as I don't have to pound as hard on it. I see what some people are saying about the backlighting being uneven on the keys with full words (Return, Command, etc) but to me that's no big deal as the main letters are all consistent. The screen is fantastic and I would never even look at the MB Air models without it. I also like the format and shape of this screen compared to the Air models which seem too wide and not tall enough.

I also had the beachball during the setup at the FileVault step. I restarted it and it made me go through the setup again, but it had already created the 1st user. So, I finished the second setup, logged out of that user and into the 1st one (which had my preferred Home folder and Username) then deleted the second user from the System Preferences. No big deal for me.

Running all the updates and installing software now. So, far it is a winner.

 

[dexterbell]

I think I see what you guys mean. Could it be because the keys other than the letter keys have a bigger hole but same size light bulb so there's inconsistency?

I think it looks kinda cool on mine, like two tone haha

 

[newellj]

Interesting about the freeze during configuration. I had the same issue. Decided to do an Internet Recovery installation and had no issues at all.

FWIW, my backlighting is quite even. (Either that or my vision is a lot worse than I think )

Just got mine and setting it up.

First three attempts to configure at boot time resulted in spinning beach ball at different parts of the setup. Worked on the fourth attempt.

Keyboard backlighting is very uneven vs the marketing - regular keys are fine but the delete, return, shift, etc have a noticeable variation in backlight intensity. Very disappointing.

Keyboard itself is a joy to type on. Sounds and feels nice and tight and precise.

Played 4k from Youtube no issues while concurrently running a bunch of different apps, safari tabs and downloading updates. Got a little warm but nothing I would call hot or uncomfortable.

The three finger drag seems to be gone in favor of one finger click and drag but that might just be a config issue in prefs.

Final Cut X works, albeit a bit of a stutter now and again when hover editing, etc but very useable if you only do occasional work in it.

Currently have a bunch of apps open and am using the Office Mac preview version of Word with a bunch of Loris Ipsum pages (40-ish) and the machine is cool to the touch.

Superb machine I will keep but I want to check out the in store demo units to see if my backlighting is normal. It's nowhere near as impressive as the marketing would imply. I have the 1.2 / 512 version.

Hope this helps anyone on the fence. For what I need, it is perfect.

Yup, it took me 2 or so attempts to configure. It froze on me, thought it was just me.

WIFI seems a little spotty though

Mine froze on the FileVault step so I decided to reboot and just setup with a time machine backup instead.
It doesn't bother me but I do see what you mean by the uneven backlighting on the bigger keys. I like how there isn't a backlight outline around each letter though unlike my MBA. That may be due more to the flat keyboard than the individual backlights though.

 

[Z3man]

What is the text size like in default setting.

Is it bigger than on the MBA's.

Is it as big as on the 13" rMBP's or somewhere in between.

 

[iBilal]

love..

I love the keyboard .. the trouble with me is that I'm going to be between several computers .. a PC keyboard at work (hate it) .. the MBP Retina I have at home and loved for three years .. and now the 12 inch one ..

 

[brvhrt]

Just installed the latest Office for Mac preview update and it is like butter. Scrolls really smoothly and looks really nice. I'm really glad I took a chance on this machine. Such a pleasant experience and it's not stopped working as I need it to. I admit I was skeptical but it is a peach. I think they are going to sell a ton of these.

 

[3bs]

Just installed the latest Office for Mac preview update and it is like butter. Scrolls really smoothly and looks really nice. I'm really glad I took a chance on this machine. Such a pleasant experience and it's not stopped working as I need it to. I admit I was skeptical but it is a peach. I think they are going to sell a ton of these.

What happens to the Office preview when the official release is out? Their website says "You will receive regular updates automatically until the official release in the second half of 2015."

Does that mean you can keep on using the last update they issued out before public release or will it expire?

Edit: found the answer in FAQ

How long will the preview be available?
Every build will expire roughly 60 days after it is posted. The last preview build will continue to function for roughly a month after our official launch date.

 

[msb3079]

Just installed the latest Office for Mac preview update and it is like butter. Scrolls really smoothly and looks really nice. I'm really glad I took a chance on this machine. Such a pleasant experience and it's not stopped working as I need it to. I admit I was skeptical but it is a peach. I think they are going to sell a ton of these.

Has that worked ok for you? I have SO many issues with Excel. Almost not useable.

 

[nj-mac-user]

The key backlighting does have minor inconsistency on some of them, but to be honest I noticed the same exact thing on the 13" rMBP (2015) I just returned when I had them side by side. It's just a little more noticeable on the rMB because the backlight doesn't bleed from beneath the keys the same way it does on rMBPs. But if you look at the actual light coming from the letters/words on the keys, its the same.

 

[pasadena]

Has that worked ok for you? I have SO many issues with Excel. Almost not useable.

I've been using Excel and Word 2015 Preview for a month or so now, and I've had zero problems. Just the odd little bug here and there (which I always report to MS). They're both infinitely better than Office 2011.

What kind of issues do you have ?