Apple Confirms Retina MacBook Build-to-Order Pricing for 1.3 GHz Processor

[aristobrat]

I think the down side is many who dont understand what they are buying will buy them for the fashion aspect - and ultimately fall out of love with the mac ecosystem and osx when they find it running like poo in the not too distant future.

Again, what app is the average person who understands nothing about specs going to run on such a frequent basis that's going to make their MacBook run like poo to the point that they fall out of love with Apple?

Mail, Safari, iTunes, Photos, iWork/Office are probably the majority of the apps that they'll be using, and based on none of them pushing the processor of my 2012 Air over 10-15% (except for quick bursts when importing photos), I simply don't see how these are going to peg the new MacBooks processor at 100% to where it's slowing the MacBook down to poo status because things are waiting in a queue for processor time.

 

[Narcaz]

You mean the "tests" that were posted with the video with the fake machine, the video that was posted on April Fools Day, the video that was taken down on April Fools Day?

But I digress. The question is: since when do we live or die by benchmarks? That's especially true where benchmarks haven't been tuned to reflect real world hardware and use cases, which is very likely true with Core M.

The 1,3ghz CPU Upgrade is still questionable. A german techblog tested all Core M models and all of them start to throttle after 2min to match the thermal profile. So the higher clock speed helps only for few seconds under heavy load. But maybe Apple has a special voodoo processor.

Maybe. The retina screen panel is .88mm thick. That sounds stupidly thin. Is there a better camera that's in that same range of thickness?

The Facetime HD Camera from the iPad Air 2 (which is 6,1mm thick)?

 

[639051]

My rMBP is much more of a machine than this, but it was 2500.

and it weighs twice as much, and is twice as big.

obviously, you're not the target demographic.
you can get a desktop PC for half the price of your rMBP that's triple the performance...

Point:
These aren't the same types of computer, just like you can't compare a desktop to a laptop, you can't compare a laptop to an ultra-portable. They didn't aim for power, they aimed for portability and low energy consumption.

Yeah I must not be the target demographic as it sounds like they're targeting the folks that cant curl a 5lbs dumbbell. This whole "ultraportable" stuff is a bit of nonsense .. my rMBP is super light and I cannot imagine "requiring" a more portable laptop. People think they "need" it simply because it's new.

 

[tentales]

MacBook will go down the same way as iPhone 5c.

Go down ?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspe...myth-holds-an-ominous-warning-for-the-iwatch/

http://appleinsider.com/articles/14...indows-phone-and-every-android-flagship-in-q4

If that's your definition of "down", then the retina Macbook will be a success.

 

[Zaft]

you people really care about the quality of your FaceTime camera?

Excuse me but if I'm paying upwards of $1300 it better have at least an HD camera.


Its ok, apple will use the HD camera as a selling point for the next MacBook.


You know some people here really cant stand to say anything bad about apple. Its crazy, apple is not perfect.

 

[KPOM]

The 1,3ghz CPU Upgrade is still questionable. A german techblog tested all Core M models and all of them start to throttle after 2min to match the thermal profile. So the higher clock speed helps only for few seconds under heavy load. But maybe Apple has a special voodoo processor.



The Facetime HD Camera from the iPad Air 2 (which is 6,1mm thick)?

AnandTech did a more detailed analysis. I think based on this I'll skip the CPU update.

http://www.anandtech.com/print/9117/analyzing-intel-core-m-performance

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Yeah I must not be the target demographic as it sounds like they're targeting the folks that cant curl a 5lbs dumbbell. This whole "ultraportable" stuff is a bit of nonsense .. my rMBP is super light and I cannot imagine "requiring" a more portable laptop. People think they "need" it simply because it's new.

In my case my Mac is a personal notebook and I travel a lot for work. When I had an 11" MacBook Air I took it along with me when I traveled on business, along with my work PC. The 13" rMBP I have now is nice, but less convenient to take with me. I'm looking forward to the 12" MacBook.

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Do I have to explain it to you? The 2011 MBA didn't have to push a retina display. The new rMBP 13 is having problems with UI lag and you think a Core M is going to fair better? Lol

I have a 2013 13" rMBP and have no issues with UI lag on Yosemite.

 

[tentales]

rip off ...


anyone know if macbook airs will get a retina upgrade this year ?

Yes, they're the new 13" rMBPs

If they had dropped a retina display into the existing 13"-MBA form factor, battery life would suffer significantly, guessing around 7-8hrs.
After setting expectations at 12hrs+, that would've been a non-starter.
They traded off CPU power for visual enhancements, by essentially creating a larger iPad with a keyboard that runs OS X.

But then, to increase battery life back up to 12hrs, the increase in battery size & weight would end up pretty close or exactly at the dimensions of the existing 13" rMBP !

To me the rMB is hybrid between a media consumer device, like an iPad and a light work laptop. Movies & Photos will look great and with 12" be more enjoyable than on an iPad. In addition, web browsing, email & document editing will also be a breeze.

Need more power AND portability, get the MBA, need all that AND retina, well there's rMBP.

The only thing I'm also critical of is the high price, especially outside the US. If it drops at least 20% I'll consider one.

 

[aristobrat]

Like others have commented, I think the Apple bubble is going into dangerous new fashionista, weird culture, where prices are set on fashion aspects and desirability. I doubt this can work long term, and the bubble will eventually pop.

If you want to make that point, I think one of the best examples you can use is from back in 2008, when the original MacBook Air launched.

Starting at $1,799 for a Mac with the slowest processor in the line-up, 2GB of RAM, and a 80GB HDD of the type found in iPod Classics, ... all to get a thin, light-weight Mac.

Honestly, eight years later (and for $500 cheaper), the MacBook isn't really a good example of your point. The Apple bubble has already "been there", and for a lot more (in terms of price-point).

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The Facetime HD Camera from the iPad Air 2 (which is 6,1mm thick)?

Could be. I was guessing that the camera would need to be as thin as the screen (.88mm, which is about 7x thinner than 6.1mm), but I've never been able to find a list of camera thicknesses.

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You know some people here really cant stand to say anything bad about apple. Its crazy, apple is not perfect.

And you know, the flip-side exists too. Some people really can't stand to say anything positive about an Apple product, so long as they can find one aspect of it that won't apply to their use case, even if they weren't considering buying the product in the first place.

Apple could cure cancer, but if the cure was only available in a shot instead of a pill, people would bitch.

 

[jermy4]

I happen to agree that these are overpriced but that's not too surprising since apple tends to price their new computer lineups fairly high (look at the original macbook air launch).

I do think space grey is cool on a laptop.

 

[rajat8676]

Go down ?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspe...myth-holds-an-ominous-warning-for-the-iwatch/

http://appleinsider.com/articles/14...indows-phone-and-every-android-flagship-in-q4

If that's your definition of "down", then the retina Macbook will be a success.

You really need to stop blindly praising Apple. If it was so much of a success, why has Apple discontinued development of the 5C line. I am an Apple fan too, but then resort to constructive criticism, not blind faith.

 

[Dustman]

You really need to stop blindly praising Apple. If it was so much of a success, why has Apple discontinued development of the 5C line. I am an Apple fan too, but then resort to constructive criticism, not blind faith.

... They havent discontinued development of the 5C line. There is expected to be a 6C to be launched alongside the 6S, as per leaked parts that are circulating around the internet.

 

[WrQth]

That's not the case here,the new Macbook performance is equal to 2011 Macbook Air,while the asking price is more than the 2015 Macbook Pro.
That's not acceptable.
Or are you going to argue it's fine to lower the specs of a 2015 model to 4 years old model just because it's now slimmer and have more attractive body?

Again you're just stuck on the spec part, not everyone needs the performance of a Macbook Pro. Performance is not the only metric that determines price, things like design, functionality, and portability do as well.

 

[Mal67]

you people really care about the quality of your FaceTime camera?

I for one do and I guess we'll see it upgraded in the next version.

 

[brinary001]

Check out the price of the HP Elitebook 1020 and get back to us. The bottom line is that this is the latest technology with the new keyboard and trackpad along with a higher resolution screen. Apple is charging a premium for it, but that's nothing new.

You almost make it sound as though I'm defending Apple, which I'm not. This is expensive eye candy and nothing else.

 

[newellj]

a light work laptop.

I think that's a fair summary. Let's face it, a ton of work gets done with Word, Excel and Powerpoint, and they are simply not going to tax the rMB at all.

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Again you're just stuck on the spec part, not everyone needs the performance of a Macbook Pro. Performance is not the only metric that determines price, things like design, functionality, and portability do as well.

Excuse me, you don't seem to realize that people here at MR do not actually use computers. They read spec sheets the way some people look at porn. Please get with the program here.

/humor

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I for one do and I guess we'll see it upgraded in the next version.

Bet you're right. Maybe a 4GB/128GB version and a price drop, too.

 

[alvindarkness]

If you want to make that point, I think one of the best examples you can use is from back in 2008, when the original MacBook Air launched.

Starting at $1,799 for a Mac with the slowest processor in the line-up, 2GB of RAM, and a 80GB HDD of the type found in iPod Classics, ... all to get a thin, light-weight Mac.

Honestly, eight years later (and for $500 cheaper), the MacBook isn't really a good example of your point. The Apple bubble has already "been there", and for a lot more (in terms of price-point).

Yeh thats a good point. No bubble bursting there, just a readjustment in price. I concede to you kind sir!

 

[Tech198]

look as thin as the new iMac...


I'll stick with my "Pro" ... I need the performance..

 

[Vesuvio Cat]

I'm going to retract my earlier statement about this. I can actually see it being pretty awesome, assuming that Apple isn't stupid enough to make an underpowered notebook in 2015 that would be as sluggish as the original MBA. I'd say a desktop (MacPro or iMac), a rMBP, a rMB, an iPad, an iPhone, and an Apple Watch would make a nice constellation of work stations. I think the rMBP is making the MBA more obsolete than the rMB will.

It looks stunning and so easy to carry. Size and lightness do count. I loved my 11" Air but it was admittedly very ugly.

 

[newellj]

There's a really interesting comparative test/review of Core M CPUs and three different devices on Anantech's front page today. One takeaway is that the manufacturer's design and engineering really affects performance. We will have to see how the actual rMB performs in real life. If Apple got it right, it could be awesome. If they made some bad compromises, it could be a great paperweight.

 

[Ploki]

Yeah I must not be the target demographic as it sounds like they're targeting the folks that cant curl a 5lbs dumbbell. This whole "ultraportable" stuff is a bit of nonsense .. my rMBP is super light and I cannot imagine "requiring" a more portable laptop. People think they "need" it simply because it's new.

Well people said the same thing when rMBP came out. "classic unibody is light enough".

Why something being lighter is bad, is beyond me. Also, they didn't kill any of the lines, they re-introduced the MacBook line, a new product in a new product line.

Fact is, its a passively cooled (literally silent) laptop that's extremely portable. It's not for me, I work mostly from my desk and when I do need to work I have no trouble hauling a 15" with me and setting it on my lap. But I can still see people that would find this form factor useful.

I don't know whats wrong with that, to have options? You still have the rMBP line you can buy and I seriously doubt they'll kill that off.

Why complain about something that you aren't even going to buy? Why even care? I care what are they going to do with the rMBP line.

Excuse me but if I'm paying upwards of $1300 it better have at least an HD camera.

Its ok, apple will use the HD camera as a selling point for the next MacBook.

You know some people here really cant stand to say anything bad about apple. Its crazy, apple is not perfect.

Not that actually, just curious. It's just that I have it and never really cared about the FaceTime camera. I can understand what you're saying.

I for one do and I guess we'll see it upgraded in the next version.

For skype? I don't Skype much (or FaceTime), but I rarely care about the quality. Just wondering though, because this has never been a deal-breaker for me.

 

[dexterbell]

Like others have commented, I think the Apple bubble is going into dangerous new fashionista, weird culture, where prices are set on fashion aspects and desirability. I doubt this can work long term, and the bubble will eventually pop.

Yep. Its embarrassing that a top tech company like Apple is still selling a high end Macbook for $2500 that carries a pathetic, two year old 750M GPU in 2015. Every other manufacturer has several models out with the 800 series and several have at least 1 model out running the 900 series. Apple could have easily released an early 2015 rMBP 15 with an updated GPU. There are PLENTY of working professionals like myself who need a PRO laptop and feel Apple has completely forgot about us as they cater to the hipsters. We have already started picking out which Windows laptop we are going to go with next.

 

[Narcaz]

Could be. I was guessing that the camera would need to be as thin as the screen (.88mm, which is about 7x thinner than 6.1mm), but I've never been able to find a list of camera thicknesses..

The MB screen is way more thinner. I got that. I added the hint with the 6,1mm thickness to show that Apple managed to squeeze a HD camera in a very small chassis. But it was probably a bad example. The camera is not directly attached to laminated screen and not blocked by the battery.

 

[dexterbell]

Where are the reviews on this? AppleWatch is over two weeks from release and reviews just went up. This thing is less than two days from release and not a peep. I think Apple is scared of the bad reviews and horrible benchmarks that are sure to take place.

 

[aristobrat]

There are PLENTY of working professionals like myself who need a PRO laptop and feel Apple has completely forgot about us as they cater to the hipsters. We have already started picking out which Windows laptop we are going to go with next.

I don't necessarily disagree with your point.

What's interesting to me is that people have been making that point for the entire decade I've been reading stuff here on MacRumors, ... way before the current hipster phase started. Back then, the point was that Apple was "catering to the wants of iPod users", not hipsters.

Anyhow, it looks like after a decade (plus) of working video/photo professionals having switched away from Apple, it's had no noticeable impact on Apple.

I have a feeling for that every one video/photo professional that Apple loses due to lack of strong GPU, they probably gain three more professionals whose workflow doesn't revolve around a GPU. I know where I work, over the last year or two, almost all of the network security guys have switched from Dell to rMBPs because of the weight, battery life, and screen.

The camera is not directly attached to laminated screen and not blocked by the battery.

It'll be nice when iFixIt has a hardware teardown to view.

 

[dexterbell]

I have a feeling for that every one video/photo professional that Apple loses due to lack of strong GPU, they probably gain three more professionals whose workflow doesn't revolve around a GPU. I know where I work, over the last year or two, almost all of the network security guys have switched from Dell to rMBPs because of the weight, battery life, and screen.

Its sad because Apple used to be the go to platform for photo/video pros, graphic artists, designers...not anymore. Oh and your security guys should have stuck with Dell. The XPS 13 is lighter, has a better display (QHD+) and the battery life is better in the FHD version and almost as good in the QHD+ and you can get it cheaper than the rMPB 13.