Grossly? Meh, it IS overpriced, but I wouldn't' say grossly. The MBA was $1,800 when it came out.
I think this system will drop by $100 to $200 next year and will eventually hit the $999 category, but it's new.
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Early Benchmarks Put Retina MacBook CPU Performance in Range of 2011 MacBook Air
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Grossly? Meh, it IS overpriced, but I wouldn't' say grossly. The MBA was $1,800 when it came out.
I think this system will drop by $100 to $200 next year and will eventually hit the $999 category, but it's new.
I do think it's about $200 overpriced, but it's an engineering model, the thinnest Mac around, and a new Apple product so its price isn't crazy.
The Mac air really had no competition when it came out though. There were no ultra books, and it was different. The new macbook has competiton from the same apple products at better prices.
If I'm only doing stuff the vast, vast majority of computer users are doing, why would I want to pay pro level pricing for a consumer level laptop? The math doesn't add up for me.
.... for 2011.
Being able to maintain 2011 performance with a chipset that uses 80%+ less power is impressive to me.
Yes, in a few years it will amazing, but it has to start somewhere and this is a good start IMO.
Of course I will wait for a more comprehensive benchmarks few weeks after release. Also I want to look at it in person to make a final judgement.
I won't do any batching of RAW files. Just light editing when I am on the road. My main computer is a MacPro so I hope I won't need to use the Macbook too much for this tasks, but it is good to have it when a work emergency happens. I like the portability aspect of the Macbook and that's why I am thinking about it.
My 2011 has a 256 gig SSD and 1TB HDD in the optibay. Being limited to 1 apple SSD blade kills the deal for me.
I've got 16 gig now (cost me less than $100 back in 2011). Paying the apple tax on ram is pretty annoying, but I'd get over that. I also do use the ethernet port enough that I'd rather not use a dongle, but that's something else I could live with. It's really the lack of storage that ruins it. I'm not interested in carrying external drives.
No, they stopped when the cMBP went out of production. This new piece of junk is just another indication that Apple is not the company they were 4 years ago.
Their MacBook line is too crowded, I wholeheartedly agree, but I still don't think the new MB's price is out of left field.
Within 3 years I think we'll see a $999 and $1199 MB take over the MBA's place under the MBP's slot.
you think a half inch thick 2lb laptop running OS X with new trackpad tech and a retina screen - from apple - should be ~$600-700?
And with a chipset that uses just a fraction of the power of the 2011 model. I think it's impressive.
you think a half inch thick 2lb laptop running OS X with new trackpad tech and a retina screen - from apple - should be ~$600-700?
I don't think it should cost the same as a MacBook Pro. That is what I am getting at. $1099 at most
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I agree with all of this.
I agree, but all technology starts with a high price and gradually comes down.
Even for a basic user, I would not recommend the new MB over an equally priced MBP, but I do think the MB will make a great portable complement to an existing system.
if you conflate apple's new iPad-with-a-keyboard with their high end offerings in the same breath you evoke nostalgia about machines that don't hold a candle to said high end offerings, then sure. whatever floats your boat.
Hmm...I seem to remember Steve Jobs pulling a MBA out of a manila envelope and crowing about how thin it was. Can you tell me in what way(s) the 2008 MBA was better than the rMB? I can't think of any.
The "Black Knight" Book
Ap(ple)ologists delight! "'Tis but a scratch"...."I'm invincible!"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Knight_(Monty_Python)
Ap(ple)ologists delight! "'Tis but a scratch"...."I'm invincible!"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Knight_(Monty_Python)
THe Performance is better than I expected for a Core M.
As a user of the 2011 MBA with i5, you have enough power for your web browsing, light office work, maybe some coding and text editting.
Exactly what most average users use. in a small form factor, with no fan, it's not a bad computer
The lack of a 2nd USB-c port is a bummer, and hopefully v2 will remedy this
the big stopper for me is the price. if this computer is aimed at "mom and pop"http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/severance.php so to speak, the price seems high.
Nevermind that in Canada, this is a $1549 laptop (tax not included). when shopping, if you consider viable alternatives, there are alternatives that are cheaper, with better performance, with less tradoffs in the port numbers.
As someone who tends to be progmatic and recommends the best product for the job at hand, this would be a bad buy because the size difference is fairly negligable, for the trade off.
An example of what you can get from Dell (first thing that popped into my mind, don't currently own any dell products).
http://www.dell.com/ca/p/xps-13-9343-laptop/pd?oc=nxps134_f_s003e&model_id=xps-13-9343-laptop
Dell XPS 13" laptop
i5-5200u CPU (better than MB) ,
8GB RAM (Equal)
128gb SSD (MB wins here, 256 is $200 MORE MAKING this laptop 1699 instead of 1499)
3200x1800 Touchscreen display with 282ppi (Better than MB)
2 x USB3, MiniDisplay port, SD Card reader, earphone jack, Locking port (more options than MB)
based on these alone, the MB is a terrible deal. But, We must consider size and weight in this since there is a tangible there.
MB Dimensions
1.31cm tall, 28.05cm wide, 19.64cm Deep
XPS Dimensions:
1.5cm tall, 30.4cm wide, 20cm deep.
Difference in favour of MB:
0.21cm tall, 2.35cm, 0.36cm deep
Weight:
MB .92KG
XPS 1.18KG,
Favour of MB .26kg
So, in it's current state, unless you must have the absolute smallest, Lightest package available running OSx, for the current expected cost of the MB, most users would be better served by the Dell, the MBA only wins out on size, weight and base storage
the difference maker will be the intangibles. That cannot be easily quantified and I have not taken into account personal opinions or experiences one may have had and obviously those are all personal to ones self (looks / feel)
however, if Apple could cut the cost by $100 even, or $200, they would seriously have a contender for Great buy. This is similar to the V1 of the MBA where Apple completely misjudged
EDIT: adding battery info to comparison
Dell claims 12 hours on this model per charge: since it has been out a short while, Reviews have been able to hit 9.75 - 11 hours of use.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8983/dell-xps-13-review/6
Apple is claiming 10 hours of video playback.
without tests I cannot claim anything as it i hard to compare claimed battery life vs real tested battery life since different testing methodology can be in use. if the Apple hits the 10 hour claim, i would rate it equal to the Dell since they both should be around the same battery life
As a user of the 2011 MBA with i5, you have enough power for your web browsing, light office work, maybe some coding and text editting.
Exactly what most average users use. in a small form factor, with no fan, it's not a bad computer
The lack of a 2nd USB-c port is a bummer, and hopefully v2 will remedy this
the big stopper for me is the price. if this computer is aimed at "mom and pop"http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/guide/severance.php so to speak, the price seems high.
Nevermind that in Canada, this is a $1549 laptop (tax not included). when shopping, if you consider viable alternatives, there are alternatives that are cheaper, with better performance, with less tradoffs in the port numbers.
As someone who tends to be progmatic and recommends the best product for the job at hand, this would be a bad buy because the size difference is fairly negligable, for the trade off.
An example of what you can get from Dell (first thing that popped into my mind, don't currently own any dell products).
http://www.dell.com/ca/p/xps-13-9343-laptop/pd?oc=nxps134_f_s003e&model_id=xps-13-9343-laptop
Dell XPS 13" laptop
i5-5200u CPU (better than MB) ,
8GB RAM (Equal)
128gb SSD (MB wins here, 256 is $200 MORE MAKING this laptop 1699 instead of 1499)
3200x1800 Touchscreen display with 282ppi (Better than MB)
2 x USB3, MiniDisplay port, SD Card reader, earphone jack, Locking port (more options than MB)
based on these alone, the MB is a terrible deal. But, We must consider size and weight in this since there is a tangible there.
MB Dimensions
1.31cm tall, 28.05cm wide, 19.64cm Deep
XPS Dimensions:
1.5cm tall, 30.4cm wide, 20cm deep.
Difference in favour of MB:
0.21cm tall, 2.35cm, 0.36cm deep
Weight:
MB .92KG
XPS 1.18KG,
Favour of MB .26kg
So, in it's current state, unless you must have the absolute smallest, Lightest package available running OSx, for the current expected cost of the MB, most users would be better served by the Dell, the MBA only wins out on size, weight and base storage
the difference maker will be the intangibles. That cannot be easily quantified and I have not taken into account personal opinions or experiences one may have had and obviously those are all personal to ones self (looks / feel)
however, if Apple could cut the cost by $100 even, or $200, they would seriously have a contender for Great buy. This is similar to the V1 of the MBA where Apple completely misjudged
EDIT: adding battery info to comparison
Dell claims 12 hours on this model per charge: since it has been out a short while, Reviews have been able to hit 9.75 - 11 hours of use.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8983/dell-xps-13-review/6
Apple is claiming 10 hours of video playback.
without tests I cannot claim anything as it i hard to compare claimed battery life vs real tested battery life since different testing methodology can be in use. if the Apple hits the 10 hour claim, i would rate it equal to the Dell since they both should be around the same battery life
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