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It's great that you started this thread OP the performance issues hasn't been mentioned at all yet ...

Exactly.
How massively helpful his thread is, since there aren't already a million threads full of people complaining about the performance, and their own perceived cost/benefit ratio...
 
Your all missing the big point. It costs £1050. For that you can get an i7 MBA.

Oh the irony.

You do realize that the first iterations of the original MBA (2008) and the revamp in 2010 had the same criticisms levied against them, right?

The original MBA had cooling problems so severe that you couldn't watch most youtube videos without throttling, and the 2k10 revamp had an antiquated processor due to an NVidia/Intel dispute. And they were more expensive.

They sold because of the novel design and portability. It wasn't until Sandy Bridge came out that anyone looked at that as being a remotely performant machine.

Same thing will happen with this machine. Concessions are made due to the aggressiveness of the physical design. In a couple iterations all will be forgotten.

No one's insane here, just different priorities.
 
You value performance and don't value a retina display. For others, the opposite may be true.

What's the point of having a great display when it's too slow to run graphic design or photo/movie software?

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Oh the irony.

You do realize that the first iterations of the original MBA (2008) and the revamp in 2010 had the same criticisms levied against them, right?

The original MBA had cooling problems so severe that you couldn't watch most youtube videos without throttling, and the 2k10 revamp had an antiquated processor due to an NVidia/Intel dispute. And they were more expensive.

They sold because of the novel design and portability. It wasn't until Sandy Bridge came out that anyone looked at that as being a remotely performant machine.

Same thing will happen with this machine. Concessions are made due to the aggressiveness of the physical design. In a couple iterations all will be forgotten.

No one's insane here, just different priorities.

The original macbook air was crap. The 2015 model is great though.
 
Actually, it's you that's missing the point. If the product doesn't do what you want for the price you want, it's obviously not the product for you. You value performance and don't value a retina display. For others, the opposite may be true. No computer is designed to meet the needs and pocketbook of everyone.

"This isn't the Mac you're looking for. Move along."

It might be true, but I ask: What are the needs that the new Macbook satisfies and an Air doesn't? The only one that comes to my mind is a retina display, because both have similar portability, it has 1-3 hours less than the Air (depending of 11" or 13") and you can't even do a decent videoconference (480p really?). What I mean is: what's exactly the point of it, that can't be satisfied with an Air appart from the screen? To me this new Macbook is more about design and "hey, I have the thinnest laptop ever, in gold!" rather than focussed on any functionality or use. Just my opinion tho.

The original macbook air was crap. The 2015 model is great though.

That's it, original MBA had low-end cpu and gpu, and look at it now. That's why I wouldn't go with the new MB as an early adopter. I bet it will finally end with i5 when Skylake comes with much reduced consumtion, or with Cannonlake in 3-4 years (similar to what happened with Air), and 1 more port unless wireless charging comes soon. It's clear they didn't make their best with nMB, since they need to have stuff to upgrade next year
 
It might be true, but I ask: What are the needs that the new Macbook satisfies and an Air doesn't? The only one that comes to my mind is a retina display

The fanless design is what intrigues me the most (despite retina being a big deal for me). If it performs to the level that I want to and does it silently, that's a huge plus (that's to be determined). Right now, my MBA's fans are going full blast.
 
It might be true, but I ask: What are the needs that the new Macbook satisfies and an Air doesn't? The only one that comes to my mind is a retina display, because both have similar portability, it has 1-3 hours less than the Air (depending of 11" or 13") and you can't even do a decent videoconference (480p really?). What I mean is: what's exactly the point of it, that can't be satisfied with an Air appart from the screen? To me this new Macbook is more about design and "hey, I have the thinnest laptop ever, in gold!" rather than focussed on any functionality or use. Just my opinion tho.



That's it, original MBA had low-end cpu and gpu, and look at it now. That's why I wouldn't go with the new MB as an early adopter. I bet it will finally end with i5 when Skylake comes with much reduced consumtion, or with Cannonlake in 3-4 years (similar to what happened with Air), and 1 more port unless wireless charging comes soon. It's clear they didn't make their best with nMB, since they need to have stuff to upgrade next year



Exactly!
 
A retina display isn't a major priority.

It is for me! It is almost the entire reason why I would buy a Macbook instead of keeping my 11" MBA.

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What I mean is: what's exactly the point of it, that can't be satisfied with an Air appart from the screen?

It is the screen that makes all the difference!

You get a high-resolution screen which is physical bigger while the physical width of the machine is less thus making the footprint lesser. Also it has less weight.

That is the raison d'être of this machine.
 
What's the point of having a great display when it's too slow to run graphic design or photo/movie software?
Two thoughts:

It's not like the MacBook switches into some special "great display" mode only when you fire up graphic design apps, or photo/movie editing apps. The display is going to look great all of the time -- when surfing the web, streaming videos, balancing checkbooks in Quicken, doing emails, etc.

From having used Aperture on the first generation MacBook Air (back in 2008, with the really slow processor, compared to what was shipping in the other Macs), I didn't notice photo editing being slowed by the processor. Cropping, rotating, zooming, enhancing, etc. don't seem to use enough processor to be slowed down noticeably by a slower one. I don't think the casual photo editor is going to be hindered by the MacBook's processor.
 
The fanless design is what intrigues me the most (despite retina being a big deal for me). If it performs to the level that I want to and does it silently, that's a huge plus (that's to be determined). Right now, my MBA's fans are going full blast.

Depends on the level you want it to perform. Don't expect to do heavier things that watching UHD movies or surfing. If your MBA's fans are going full blast, it means you're doing quite heavy stuff that needs all your CPU/GPU power, otherwise the MBA fans are really silent. In that case, nMB isn't for you and your best choice would be rMBP if you want a retina.
 
What's the point of having a great display when it's too slow to run graphic design or photo/movie software?
Not everyone who appreciates a good display is involved with graphic design. Many just want to view pics and videos on it, and it's not too slow for that. You're assuming that everyone wants to use a computer for the same things that you do, which is false.
It might be true, but I ask: What are the needs that the new Macbook satisfies and an Air doesn't?
You could ask the same thing about the MBA and the MBP for many users. It's not necessarily that one computer can do something another can't. It's also a matter of preference. If you don't prefer a MacBook, don't buy it. It's as simple as that.
you can't even do a decent videoconference (480p really?).
Of course you can. What videoconference requires higher than 480p? You seem to forget that people have been videoconferencing successfully for many years before resolutions went beyond 480p.
 
Your all missing the big point. It costs £1050. For that you can get an i7 MBA. The performance sacrifice of the macbook isn't worth it - it's only slightly thinner than the MBA. A retina display isn't a major priority.

Because the reality is that the vast majority of users aren't limited by the capabilities of their CPU. This new Core-M chip, and the MacBook designed around it is a reflection of this reality. There is no point in running a 15w chip when a 5w part will do the job. In exchange, the user gets a much smaller device that runs cooler and silently.

Keep in mind that this chip is about the same performance level of an i5 from ~3 years ago. Chips that millions of people are using just fine today - and not being limited by in any way.

You say the display isn't a priority? I would say that it's one of the most important factors in choosing a new device. On a laptop it's the one component that you interact with 100% of the time.

It might be true, but I ask: What are the needs that the new Macbook satisfies and an Air doesn't? The only one that comes to my mind is a retina display, because both have similar portability, it has 1-3 hours less than the Air (depending of 11" or 13") and you can't even do a decent videoconference (480p really?). What I mean is: what's exactly the point of it, that can't be satisfied with an Air appart from the screen? To me this new Macbook is more about design and "hey, I have the thinnest laptop ever, in gold!" rather than focussed on any functionality or use. Just my opinion tho.

The 12" MacBook has a display that is more useful than the 13" display, yet comes in a package that is a full pound lighter. That's a huge difference.
 
I think the new 12" MacBook is brilliant, perfect for an on the go person who needs more than a tablet. The only thing I find lacking (and this applies to all Macs) is there isn't a decent properly buttoned Bluetooth mouse on the market.
 
Why do some people think that we will all use the MacBook for the same thing? I for one will be doing zero graphic design but I will still enjoy that beautiful display (if I choose to buy it) in other ways.

People seem really blinkered on this forum.
 
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It costs £1000 for a 1.1ghz intel M cpu, while for the same money you can get a 2.2Ghz i7 Macbook Air. What is the point in the macbook? It is only slightly thinner than the macbook air but way slower. a 2.4Ghz 2009 Macbook doesn't run yosemite super smooth, so how bad is this new one going to be? It is slower than the previous macbook. 1.1Ghz is just not acceptable in 2015. That tim cook is insane and needs heavily sedating.

You are assuming specs is the only item that matters in this comparison. It is not. The screen is considerably better and to many people the screen matters.

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Prove it.

Clue : You can't. No-one has any production hardware to run benchmarks on.

Correct. People want to assume this will be a slow laptop, but there is no proof at all. Compare the specs of the iPhone 6 versus the Samsung Galaxy. The Galaxy specs blow the iPhone specs away - by a lot. But, use both and you can barely tell the difference. It's not about the specs, it's about how the software uses the specs. Sadly, too many people are ignorant and won't listen to reality.

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You can get a retina mbp for £50 less which is still super portable and super fast.

Sorry, but if you think a MacBook Pro is as "portable" than a MacBook Air or the Retina MacBook you are simply making things up. A MacBook Pro is way larger and much heavier than a MBA and the RMB.
 
The 12" MacBook has a display that is more useful than the 13" display, yet comes in a package that is a full pound lighter. That's a huge difference.

You might prefer nMB, that's fair, but I wouldn't say it's more useful. What is useful to you might not be to another one. By that rule, I find more useful having ports and not having to carry dongles... or 3+ hours battery... rather than a little more light laptop or a display that I only use outside home.

@GGJStudios, you might not care about 480p cam but others do, and no, I wouldn't say it a decent resolution in 2015 to do some serious videoconference (like some user here did for a job interview), but that's only an example.
 
You might prefer nMB, that's fair, but I wouldn't say it's more useful. What is useful to you might not be to another one. By that rule, I find more useful having ports and not having to carry dongles... or 3+ hours battery... rather than a little more light laptop or a display that I only use outside home.

zhenya specifically stated that the display is more useful. Still debatable but you went off topic
 
What is useful to you might not be to another one.
And what might not be useful to you may be useful to another.
By that rule, I find more useful having ports and not having to carry dongles... or 3+ hours battery... rather than a little more light laptop or a display that I only use outside home.
And others may not have those same needs or preferences. That's why there are models like the MacBook, which is an ideal fit for some users, but not others, and there are other models, like MBAs and MBPs which may be a better fit for someone with your needs. Just because something isn't useful to you, doesn't mean it isn't useful.
@GGJStudios, you might not care about 480p cam but others do, and no, I wouldn't say it a decent resolution in 2015 to do some serious videoconference (like some user here did for a job interview), but that's only an example.
In the same way, just because you do care about 480p cam, others don't.

The point is, if the MacBook specs don't meet your needs and preferences, simply don't buy it. It's not meant for you. It is, however, the ideal computer for many others.
 
They'd been a lot of whining about the performance of the core-m, however it seems this is a little overblown. Anandtech have benchmarked a Yoga 3 against various laptops, including different vintages of MacBook Air. The core-m for cpu is somewhere between MacBook 13" air 2013/2014 however the GPU is half the speed of the 2014 MacBook Air.

http://anandtech.com/show/9061/lenovo-yoga-3-pro-review/4

So faster them I thought, just the GPU side needs to be examined.
 
Note: If your having lagging while using Yosemite...

Turn on the “Increase contrast” option in the “Accessibility” preference pane in System Preferences, under Vision › Display.
 
Not everyone who appreciates a good display is involved with graphic design. Many just want to view pics and videos on it, and it's not too slow for that. You're assuming that everyone wants to use a computer for the same things that you do, which is false.

I would say it's more assuming that using a computer the way he/she does is the only way worth any consideration. That any other kind of requirements are invalid.
 
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