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Early Benchmarks Put Retina MacBook CPU Performance in Range of 2011 MacBook Air
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This thing has pretty much the same scores as my 2010 MBP, which still runs like a champ -- fast enough for all I throw at it as a tech savvy consumer, anyway. It's an impressive looking machine. They'd be "2011" or "2010" specs if they were targeted at pros, but they're not. People will find it plenty fast enough for what they're doing with it, with much better battery life and a screen that blows those old machines away.
I agree, but not for this price. It should start at 899$ and not 1299$. This should be the cheapest Apple laptop.
For the same money you get the 13" MacBook Pro, which is almost as mobile and is better in every respect. I understand that this is the iPad of OS X laptops, but it is still a computer. I don't see that many advantages of using the Macbook over a MacBook Air and/or MacBook Pro. Not for this price.
Yep, but the price. Think about it - where does this fall? The price falls right between the bottom and the pros. It just lands nowhere. People have their phone/tablet already for the stuff this does. I'm guessing the consumer has a "mental" acceptance of forking over 1k for a MacBook but it's not based on the actual technology.
Apple is all about maintaining the 1k price point, damn the details. It's a behavioral psychology approach to products, not a technological one.
This is priced totally wrong, and it's relying on the ecosystem, marketing, image. This is not innovation, its commoditization. Apple used to be better than that. Aah but its the era in which we live.....
Commoditization:
In business literature, commoditization is defined as the process by which goods that have economic value and are distinguishable in terms of attributes (uniqueness or brand) end up becoming simple commodities in the eyes of the market or consumers. It is the movement of a market from differentiated to undifferentiated price competition and from monopolistic to perfect competition.
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You guys do realize that new Apple products tend to be on the expensive side? Within 2 years, MBA will be gone, and a better specced rMB will be around $1,000 or less. If you're buying this rMB, just accept your role as an early adopter and fork over the cash.
Don't understand all the comments bashing the performance and price. This is priced right in line with all the Mac line-up. In fact it is right in with the 11" And 13" MBA.
Pricing the entire line with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, you get:
11" Air: $1199
12" MB: $1299
13" Air: $1299
13" Pro: $1499
For a 512GB SSD it looks like this:
11" Air: $1499
12" MB: $1599
13" Air: $1599
13" Pro: $1799
Also, the performance is great for a fanless design, you couldn't have imagined that even a year ago, before the iPad Air 2 came along and EVERYONE was saying what a game changer the A8X was. This is going to be a good upgrade performance wise for ANYONE with a 2011 Air or any Mac notebook (or Mac mini) from 2010 or earlier.
The port issue is another dicussion. But performance and price seems right in line with everything Apple has in its line-up right now. Looks a solid machine.
Pricing the entire line with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, you get:
11" Air: $1199
12" MB: $1299
13" Air: $1299
13" Pro: $1499
For a 512GB SSD it looks like this:
11" Air: $1499
12" MB: $1599
13" Air: $1599
13" Pro: $1799
Also, the performance is great for a fanless design, you couldn't have imagined that even a year ago, before the iPad Air 2 came along and EVERYONE was saying what a game changer the A8X was. This is going to be a good upgrade performance wise for ANYONE with a 2011 Air or any Mac notebook (or Mac mini) from 2010 or earlier.
The port issue is another dicussion. But performance and price seems right in line with everything Apple has in its line-up right now. Looks a solid machine.
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The iPad Air 2 is also an ultra low power fanless system, yet the iPad Air 2 has a higher benchmark score.
Who would've thought that a $1300 MacBook would be outperformed by an iPad?
What a delightfully obsurd comment. You know a laptop and a desktop have different use cases..right? I love how people don't understand what this computer is aimed at. It's sad honestly. All the tech nerds on here being so butt hurt that it isn't the most powerful computer possible for 2015. It's embarrassing that they don't understand that this computer is for 98% of the world using computers for next to no programming heavier than itunes or HD video. It's embarrassing that they don't realize that this computer is designed to be the most mobile laptop ever built. It's a phenomenal computer, and it doesn't need 2015 power to be a phenomenal laptop for 98% of the world, because a phenomenal laptop today, isn't in power, it's in everything else, which this blows all the others away in. For the 2% that need the power, they also make this laptop with the funny name: MacBook Pro.
I am afraid to actually see and hold one. I know if I do, I will buy it. This thing is even lighter than an 11 inch air and comes with retina display. My wife is bummed she got a 13 inch MBA a couple of months ago, she would much prefer this machine.
No, it's a laptop. It's a laptop for almost the entirety of computer users. I'd hoped the reason for that was clear, but I'll let you guys know. It's because almost everyonethat is, almost every human that uses a computerdoesn't need more power than this laptop provides. You enjoy that rMBP though, thanks for letting us know.
It's the price vs. the value. Try to stay neutral, and provide a rational debate, it works better.
Let's help you out: A false premise is an incorrect proposition that forms the basis of an argument or syllogism. Since the premise (proposition, or assumption) is not correct, the conclusion drawn may be in error.
You're very transparently exaggerating the argument for the other side to support a tenuous and flawed position. It's ummm...embarrassing you.
Your comment is actually. It will sell like crazy. How can people or see past what they do? 98% of computer users don't need more power than this provides, ergo it's amazing.
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It's hilarious how little you know about what you are saying. Go get that rMBP! It's ohhhh soooo powerful and it makes you happy in your nether region I bet! The rest of us will get the computer that does everything we need it to, exceptionally well. You know nothing about the price vs. value.
Yes it is, only faster than MacbookMy iPad Air 2 gets 45k
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No, it's faster.
So I guess iPad air 2 is capable of running os x then xD
But who is to say performance "sucks?" Those Geekbench scores will be good enough for Macbook to do what it is intended for. You're not doing video or 3D work on the new Macbook, this is pointed toward students and general consumers.
It's a fanless notebook with a Retina screen. There's tradeoffs. If the tradeoffs don't work for you, buy a Macbook Pro.
Perhaps it's me, but it doesn't seem that hard. Seems to me some are making a bigger deal of it than it needs to be.
Some people just don't understand, I don't think we can convince them.
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Thinness and lightness in a laptop matter immensely. I'll lay it out for you in simple chapter and verse.
Macbook: for nearly everyone
MacBook Pro: for the minority that need the power
thats as simple as I can put it.
Wow. I am so amazed at all the negative comments on this thread. It has the same power as a 2011 i7! My wife currently runs the 2011 i7 MacBook Air and it runs every app she can throw at it with no issue: Yosemite, Office 2011 (running Outlook 2016 beta), Quickbooks Pro, iWork, Safari, Chrome, Remote Desktop (for work access), Parallels with Windows 7 (also for wok), Facebook and the like. Again, all with no issues other than the fan ramps up occasionally and the battery time isn't that great. This will be a perfect machine for most people. The fact that it can run all those apps I just mentioned and the fact that it has more RAM and a faster SSD than the 2011 model referenced, means it will perform better, never make too much noise (since it's fan less) and have a much better screen to boot. I personally cannot wait to pick one of these up on 4/10 and then sell my 2014 Pro. I moved to the Pro last year for the retina screen but really hate how heavy it made my bag. For me the size and weight alone are worth it. Yes it's a bit costly but ALL first-gen Apple products are that way.
Hell, I spent $3100 on the first 2008 MBA for that first 64GB SSD. Yes it was expensive--my best friend thought I was insane (maybe I was) but at the time, it was the fastest thinnest-lightest ultrabook type laptop on the market, period. It was worth it too me and I could afford it. I was happy with my expensive purchase. (As an aside, that laptop is still running, on its third owner--I still get the occasional email from the guy who now has it.) This new smallest-lightest-thinnest Apple laptop is almost a bargain at $1300-$1600 compared to 2008 and that first MBA.
For those that think it's too expensive or doesn't have enough ports or horsepower... get a damn rMBP. They are great machines. They just weigh more. Having more power means you get bigger and heavier and it requires at least one potentially noisy fan. That's just the way it is right now in April 2015. It's simple physics and the current state of CPU architecture. Deal with it. If you really want this, but without any compromise, I am afraid you will need to wait for gen-two or gen-three. I'm sure, like that first MBA did, that it will get cheaper, faster, etc. And by next year or the year after, there will be plenty of USB-C peripherals so the limited ports wont be such a big deal.
Hell, I spent $3100
on the first 2008 MBA for that first 64GB SSD. Yes it was expensive--my best friend thought I was insane (maybe I was) but at the time, it was the fastest thinnest-lightest ultrabook type laptop on the market, period. It was worth it too me and I could afford it. I was happy with my expensive purchase. (As an aside, that laptop is still running, on its third owner--I still get the occasional email from the guy who now has it.) This new smallest-lightest-thinnest Apple laptop is almost a bargain at $1300-$1600 compared to 2008 and that first MBA. For those that think it's too expensive or doesn't have enough ports or horsepower... get a damn rMBP. They are great machines. They just weigh more. Having more power means you get bigger and heavier and it requires at least one potentially noisy fan. That's just the way it is right now in April 2015. It's simple physics and the current state of CPU architecture. Deal with it. If you really want this, but without any compromise, I am afraid you will need to wait for gen-two or gen-three. I'm sure, like that first MBA did, that it will get cheaper, faster, etc. And by next year or the year after, there will be plenty of USB-C peripherals so the limited ports wont be such a big deal.
People with your opinion are really annoying me.
I'm a freelance graphic designer; I use professional apps and I'm rocking a 2009 15" MBP with 8Gb of RAM and a hybrid drive. It has a slightly worse geekbench result than the new MacBook yet I use Illustrator and Photoshop without any trouble. I use CAD apps on Windows 7 running through a VM, i'm learning to use Xcode and in the past I have run Logic and Final Cut Pro just fine.
Pro apps will run on this machine, obviously it won't be as fast at running them as on an iMac or a new MBP but to say this is a Facebook machine is just ridiculous. You and your ilk don't know what you are talking about.
To put things in perspective, when I started out in around 1999 I used a blue and white PowerMac G3. It has a geekbench score of 164! 164!! and that was super fast compared to the pre G3 Mac's I had used previously.
I'm guessing all the people complaining about a geekbench score of 4000 are new to this game.
rezenclowd3
macrumors 65816
That's what my 3 46" HDTVs are for on my Windows PC.....
which is also setup to stream to any other TV or Android device in the house.I HAD a 15" MBP, 11 and 12 is as large as I would like to go anymore for a laptop.
Losing Magsafe however is not agree with.
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