Agreed. I wouldn't be surprised if they knock off a few hundred by the end of the year.
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Apple Confirms Retina MacBook Build-to-Order Pricing for 1.3 GHz Processor
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Agreed. I wouldn't be surprised if they knock off a few hundred by the end of the year.
These new macs are overpriced by about $300 considering I can get a Macbook Pro Retina 13" with more power, same ram, bigger retina display and more ports same memory for nearly the same price.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Understood. I have an iMac for home use. I tend to think of my rMBP as a mobile computer to take on the road when I'm working with clients. Not all clients have accessible wifi or permissioning open so I can print on their wirelessly-connected printers and so on. Often, they want me to connect via ethernet and that's the way they manage security and peripheral usage.
Or I'm at a hotel and need to connect directly to their printer or even their ethernet link (because the wifi is too slow or too overloaded).
So, if I was buying this solely for home use, I could do just like you. But if I use a desktop mostly at home and a laptop is a mobile computer, I need it to work well as a mobile computer. Thinner & lighter definitely has value in the mobile computer concept but so does utility, hardware ports and good power at a good price... which anyone looking at this can get with either the Air or the rMBP at this price. And even thinner & lighter has some cost (for me) here in that I'd also need to lug along the adapters to make up for the port decision and they do weigh something. Not an issue if I only use it at home, but something else to consider in a mobile computer.
Because you are not looking at the big picture. Many people prefer not to carry a huge laptop bag around. Weight+bulk quickly adds up when you add other things like charger, wallet, phone, a book or two, keys etc. A lighter and thinner laptop avoids reduces the strain on the back and shoulders and provides more comfort.
Just for the reference, before all the usual 'hit the gym' comments come in: I am a 1,90m tall amateur MMA fighter, so I am sure my physical condition compares quite favourably to the majority of users on these forums. Still, when you are walking around all day (and I easily walk/bike 15+km daily), your back will thank you for every gram that you can leave at the desk no matter in how great a shape you are.
P.S. Of course, if (following the american cliche) you are a desk-sitter who only travels by elevator and car, then the notion of lighter and thinner laptop might appear ridiculous to you
But not to me. I'm not sure I'll pay $1749 for the 1.3GHz version, but I am eying the 512GB 1.2GHz version at $1599. I'll keep my 2013 13" rMBP around as a "server" so I can set up a remote drive, but plan to make the MacBook my travel Mac. It will fit into the inner pocket of my messenger bag alongside my Windows PC that I use for work (an HP 820 with a MacBook Air-class processor).
Aesthetics are not completely disconnected from functionality, especially in our minds. At the same time, the sacrifices that they made for aesthetics on the rMB are extremely minimal: dipping a planned amount in one or another anode bath instead of just the clear bath.
I think we'll see plenty of tech geeks who routinely lambast the gold options ending up with a space grey option now or in a few years.
They actually skipped the backlit Apple logo. This machine is as bare bones as it gets (which is an aesthetic choice it itself).
I don't get the complaints. I miss the white macbooks and black powerbooks. We've had austere aluminium for far too long.
It's different because it's slower (even with the fastest Core M), get's worse battery life, and more expensive to boot.
Unless Apple has defied the laws of physics, this rMB will be slower than any computer than Apple has made since 3 years ago. The fanned Windows laptops of these Core-M's still throttle quit a bit and unlike the MBA/MBP's these cpu's don't run anywhere near max turbo boost speeds for any prolonged period of time.
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If I walked or biked that much per day with a laptop, I'd go for the rMB over the rMBP too. Not sure I'd go for it over the 11" air, but it would be a consideration.
But, I'd guess your use case is very rare. You're probably carrying your laptop an order of magnitude further than the amount most people carry theirs each day.
Yeah. The interesting question (I think) is whether this can be a primary/sole laptop. I am thinking about buying one, but as a secondary laptop. Seeing real reviews will be interesting. Seeing the real world user feedback will be more interesting. Maybe it will bomb? Maybe it's an instant hit. Please pass the popcorn!
I think it theoretically could, of course, but its not what is was designed for. I think it fits in best as part of a little ecosystem. It would fit in perfectly as a the replacement for my 2011 11" MBA, whilst I have a Mac mini as the home/media server in the house, there are iPads and iPhones and ATV's in the mix as well.
The MBA serves as my office work machine solely (I work 75% at location at my clients, so rarely sit down at a regular wrokspace), the Mini handles all the media work, family photo collection/editing, music and TV Show/Movie library, and home video editing/creation.
This new MB will be a pretty good upgrade in performance for what I am using it for, and will cost pretty much the same as my MBA did when I bought it new as well, have the latest connectibility tech, a 16x10 retina screen in a thinner and lighter package.
Sounds pretty good to me.
As far as the pricing goes...when I look at all the 13" and smaller laptops in Apple's line up, and give them all 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD's, I see that it is more expensive than the 11" MBA, the same price as the 13" MBA, and cheaper than the 13" MBP. Seems about right for the performance/form factor packaging combination when looking at the line-up as a whole.
Anyone who's surprised if history repeats itself is...well, not very well-informed.
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Agree, I'm skeptical that the bump would be noticeable.
I have said that a dozen times. You'd be surprised at how many people are seriously wedded to that archaic analog audio jack!!!
I leave the adapters in a separate compartment of my notebook case. Yes, it can get annoying sometimes, and if you frequently use the ports, then the MacBook might not be for you. However, I don't like HP's approach of cramming in every single port, either. My HP 820 is considerably thicker because it has a bunch of ports built in (Ethernet, which I never use as we are wireless at my office and most of my clients), Smartcard, VGA, Displayport (not even mDP), and a proprietary docking port, along with 3 USB ports, only one of which actually charges. It's overkill.
I thought this was supposed to be an entry level Apple device?
Seems pretty expensive for something that is the lowest-end Apple computer product available.
This macbook is just another nail in the coffin of post Steve Jobs era.
Apple's brand grew from making less products with better quality... and now Apple is making more products will less quality.
Bad Apple... Bad.
Seems pretty expensive for something that is the lowest-end Apple computer product available.
This macbook is just another nail in the coffin of post Steve Jobs era.
Apple's brand grew from making less products with better quality... and now Apple is making more products will less quality.
Bad Apple... Bad.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
So you do realize that you could significantly lighten your load for less than $1599 by buying an Air or rMBP and leveraging bootcamp or something like Paralells for the Windows needs. Instead of 2 laptops in one bag, you can cut that to one, better Mac laptop, spend less than you are thinking and have a full Windows AND OS X computer in one sleek Apple case?
For those that need Windows too (like me), one of the very best things about Apple laptops is this easy ability to run either OS... or even both at the same time. Unless that HP has something (hardware wise) that you absolutely must have (and can't get in any Apple laptop), I suggest you give each Apple laptop a fresh look with the above in mind. Windows runs great on Apple hardware (bootcamp or parallels) and killing 2 (heavy) birds with one stone should save you a lot of weight vs. keeping the HP and adding this new MB.
At the end of the day, I won't disagree, but I will say that for me personally the TN displays on the MBA are just too much to take. I've tried three times, once last month. They're great machines. The 11" is light, slick, highly portable. I am just not willing to put up with the display. YMMV, for sure, and that's ok. I'd rather pay more - apparently a LOT more - for a better (MUCH better) display.
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I am not Apple...
...personally, agreeing with you, I would have popped a 1080p IPS panel into the MBAs. It would have been an out-of-the-park home run, I think. What do I know...? ----------
Hmmm...neither agreeing or disagreeing, I use Word (when I have to) on my iPad Air. I don't recall lagging, but I could just be missing it. Interesting thought.
With this computer, you're paying extra for less weight, thickness, fans, and amount of battery in it
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
See 13" retina MBP: http://www.apple.com/mac/compare/results/?product1=macbook&product2=macbook-pro-retina-13 More horses, adapter (ports) built in, about the same-to-cheaper price depending on specific hardware "guts" you might want.
My employer supplies us with PCs and that's not changing anytime soon. I like to travel with my Mac and frequently did back when I had an 11.6" MacBook Air, but less so since I switched to a 13" rMBP.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I know how that goes (with the employer). However, if you're thinking of laying out $1599 anyway, if you buy a Mac and ask IT to set it up as your Windows computer (bootcamp or parallels) then you can park that whole other (HP) computer at home and have one Mac to do everything. Of course, if your employer demands that they work is only done on that HP, there's less you can do. But if they would be willing to let you use your own "windows" laptop, the weight of your bag would be cut HUGE and the same money would buy you a much more powerful Mac for OS X work too.
This macbook is a perfect product for my wife who does not know anything about computer component.
1.2ghz is "better" than 1.1ghz.
That's how she would understand, and that's how a sales representative would explain to her.
And worse, the specs looks just fine for what she does. Email, facebook, iPhoto, and net surf.
Then, I am the one paying.
The components are expensive. That core M itself costs hundreds; 8gb of memory, SSD, proprietary battery, logic board, case. The price sounds about right to me. I would not buy that one for myself though.
1.2ghz is "better" than 1.1ghz.
That's how she would understand, and that's how a sales representative would explain to her.
And worse, the specs looks just fine for what she does. Email, facebook, iPhoto, and net surf.
Then, I am the one paying.
The components are expensive. That core M itself costs hundreds; 8gb of memory, SSD, proprietary battery, logic board, case. The price sounds about right to me. I would not buy that one for myself though.
I am not Apple...
At that point, there's not much difference between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. The base 13" rMBP with the 28W Core i5 is about as fast as the MBA with the upgraded 15W Core i7 processor.
My guess is that Apple wants to re-differentiate the lines between Pro and "regular," but the current crop of Core M processors isn't powerful enough to make it mainstream yet. It will be in 2 years or so.