yep listen to your instinct. if you write a lot, the whole iPad thing is a half baked gimmick unless you are using the pencil.
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Any 12" Macbook users holding out for an ARM Macbook?
- Thread starter leeuk321
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I have 2 2011 MBA-11" devices (both still work fine for traveling), and I've been waiting for a next-gen MB w/ new keyboard and TB for years. The light weight and silent operation are great features, and an AS MB can't be released soon enough. As others have mentioned, the present MBA is not appealing.
My hope was to wait for an Apple Silicon 13-14" MBP, but I've been working from home more lately, and needed something faster than my Early 2015 MacBook. And with the latest rumors saying it might be that 12" and not the 13-14" being the first AS Mac, I decided now was the time to purchase. I went with a slightly used 2020 10th gen i5. I figure this will last me as long as the MacBook has.
Yeah I can definitely see it, had my friend let me an iPad with the keyboard over a month and it was a extremely frustrating situation.
the whole finger to scroll and then typing on keyboard doesn’t grow on me
there's a lot of limitation too when it comes to file managements, the new files app is buggy.
you have to delete the app after deleting folders because it doesnt free up space after doing so.
iPad is great for touch-based or pencil-based work and apps, but as far as computing and keyboard use, Mac is still the best.
Yeah and working with Citrix and some others apps I need would be complicated.. I rather have a full Mac experience to work even with Rosetta doing it's thing
Was thinking of getting an i5 or i7 second-hand however at this point I’ll wait to see if/when Apple offers a MacBook refresh with Apple Silicon to update my base 2015 MacBook. It is still my favorite Mac system to date. My MB is still plenty fast for my needs and the size makes it so easy to carry around.
I have 2 12" Retina MB - 2015 first gen and a 2017 i5 which are both going strong as a daily use device.
I am also waiting to see how the Apple Silicon will do when it comes out - since both my 12" rMB are fanless and runs cool, I would love to instead see a longer battery life using AS.
How much real-world difference do you see between the 2015 and 2017 MB? I still debate whether I should sell my 2015 to cover a good chunk of buying a used 2017, however the thought of AS improvements, including battery life as you mention has me in the wait and see camp!
I found the 2015 a bit sluggish even in 2015. The 2015 is definitely quite usable, but the 2017 is noticeably faster. It's not exactly super fast but it's pretty decent.
One benefit of the 2017 though is that it has full hardware VP9 and HEVC video decoding, and the option of 16 GB RAM.
Personally though, I'd just wait for an Arm model, unless you have a workflow that requires an Intel Mac. Hopefully Apple releases an Arm 12", and doesn't make everyone go with a 13" model or larger.
Hardware decoding and 16gb would be nice and I had those points high on the list of reasons to upgrade. I don’t have any workflow that requires an Intel so at this point with AS releases coming out soon, I will just wait. Hopefully the MB is one of the first to be updated.
For what I use the 12" rMB I find no difference in speeds as they are both 16GB and 512GB SSD. The processor difference (1.3GHz M vs 1.3GHz i5) does not make much of a difference...
I'll wait for the AS version and if it's a phenomenal performer, I'll sell both rMB to pay for it...
A 16 GB Core M MacBook does not exist.
Also, the 2015 1.3 GHz Core M is a fair bit faster than the 2015 1.1 GHz Core M.
Full disclosure, the 2015 model I tested was the 2015 1.1 GHz Core M vs. the 2017 1.2 GHz Core m3.
The 12-inch Macbook was one of my favorite Macs. I had the 2016 m7 model up until early 2020. Regret selling that thing and I took that all over the world with me. Kind of tempted in picking up a used one but I will wait for the next ARM model.
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This is exactly what I did about 2 weeks ago and couldn't be happier. I loved my 2015, but started doing some light video editing and while it worked fine, it was a bit choppy at times. I did not want anything larger than the 12 inch so I purchased a second hand 2017 model. I was skeptical as to whether or not I would be able to tell a difference but figured I would go for it and see. The 2017 is faster and more responsive in every way. Apps like FCPX or GarageBand open much quicker and I don't get beachballs hardly at all anymore. I am surprised at how smooth the video editing actually is. I use a 2017 MacBook Pro 13 inch at work sometimes and I find that the 2017 retina 12 handles basic video editing just as well as the MBP. I sold my 2015 and the entire upgrade only cost me $80 bucks. I was planning on getting the silicone 12 when it comes out, but this 2017 is so good that I am going to use it for a few years. If you can find a good deal on a 2017, go for it. Both the 2015 and this 2017 were base models.
This is exactly what I had planned to do. I had seen a few good deals for a 2017 MacBook where the final difference between selling the 2015 and buying the 2017 would have been about $100. I thought it was totally worth it at that price differential. I’ll continue to keep an eye out for a deal. If the 2015 does all I need day to day, I’m sure a 2017 will last me a few more years at least.
Seeing how little Apple has actually worked, sorry, innovated this year (Apple Watch 6 is basically =5, iPhone 12 is basically =11+5G) I have no hope for a new 12er anymore.
Most likely they'll put an A14ish chip in an Air or 13" MBP and call it a day.
Most likely they'll put an A14ish chip in an Air or 13" MBP and call it a day.
Unfortunately, I think you might be right. It seems like Apple moved towards pleasing a mass audience with a limited number (of high-profit margin hardware) products, at the expense of anything considered niche. I would include the 12" in a long list of ignored approaches. It is still in my view the best laptop Apple has ever created, and I am hoping for a return.
I would buy an ARM MacBook, but only if it used a different keyboard, an improved webcam (I don't need 4K but I do need better than 1995 television cable quality), and had either a second port or a more durable single port with greater IO capability. I love the form factor, but I have mixed thoughts on the computer itself. The keyboard is the primary contributor to the not-so-positive side of those mixed thoughts.
I’m curious. What video format and resolution are you editing? The 2017 should help regardless, but with 4K HEVC (or any HEVC for that matter) it would be night vs day difference.
They also need to improve the trackpad response. It’s not as good as on the Pros.
Me too, I ended up getting a 16” MBP after my 2015 and 2017 MBs and hate it. Have a 13” MBP for work that’s in no way better. Heavy and not that much faster to make it worthwhile. Aching to get a new 12”er MB (in gold). But frankly I think if Apple wanted to keep selling the Macbook line they would have put another crappy Core M in it and sell it in low quantities to keep the brand/model alive for one more year before putting a new ARM chip in it. They didn’t. They discontinued the model.
Hard to see they’d bring it back from the dead.
Trust me, I'd be first in line to order a new 12"er!
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Hate fans. Hate scorching hot bottoms. Would love new Apple silicon MacBook.
On a side note, I think it would be in line with what Steve Jobs had always wanted, but the tech was never really there to accommodate fanless designs, as heat has always been a big problem. I believe the only fan-less Macs were the first Macintosh, iMac G3 slot loading, PowerMac G4 Cube, and MacBook Retina (as only fan-less post Jobs Mac). But they all still had some problems with heat management. And during the days of HDD, the fanless design didn't matter much if the drive still made so much noise! Ugh.
Anyway, looking forward to a future of the Mac with less noise.
On a side note, I think it would be in line with what Steve Jobs had always wanted, but the tech was never really there to accommodate fanless designs, as heat has always been a big problem. I believe the only fan-less Macs were the first Macintosh, iMac G3 slot loading, PowerMac G4 Cube, and MacBook Retina (as only fan-less post Jobs Mac). But they all still had some problems with heat management. And during the days of HDD, the fanless design didn't matter much if the drive still made so much noise! Ugh.
Anyway, looking forward to a future of the Mac with less noise.
RIP dear 12" Macbook.
If they don't release an ARM version next week (as rumors indicate only 13" Air/MBP and 16") then I'm afraid there will never be a 12"er again. Pity as I loved the look and feel in gold, the form factor and cheer joyness of the device. The Air is just another entry-level notebook.
If they don't release an ARM version next week (as rumors indicate only 13" Air/MBP and 16") then I'm afraid there will never be a 12"er again. Pity as I loved the look and feel in gold, the form factor and cheer joyness of the device. The Air is just another entry-level notebook.