The XPS 13 seems to win out in terms of battery life (15hr) and ports, while using the U series processors (up to i7 3.0).
Pretty compelling competition, indeed.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
First Impressions of New 12-Inch MacBook: Ridiculously Light, but Thin Keys and Trackpad Take Getting Used To
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The XPS 13 seems to win out in terms of battery life (15hr) and ports, while using the U series processors (up to i7 3.0).
Pretty compelling competition, indeed.
Well, pretty sure this will eventually replace the MBA altogether... and I'd wager maybe even the 13" rMBP.
The one question that really gets under my skin is: why didn't Apple designers build-in the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adaptor into the charger?
It should have been something like this Twelve South Adapter. With USB-A ports, and HDMI. Unless someone makes a port replicator and a charger in one device/brick the new MacBook is pretty much a useless iPad running OS X.
It should have been something like this Twelve South Adapter. With USB-A ports, and HDMI. Unless someone makes a port replicator and a charger in one device/brick the new MacBook is pretty much a useless iPad running OS X.
I'll probaby get one of these things, and keep my 15" Retina MacBook Pro. The larger/heavier/more powerful/more versatile machine will travel with me between home and office. The 12" Retina will go everywhere else. And I mean everywhere! I hate lugging my 15" between states when I travel, to client meetings and presentations. The 12" is perfect, and the port limitations really won't effect me at all in those scenarios.
However, people should note that the Apple dongles for this thing just do screen mirroring at 1080p, according to Apple's specs for them. You'll have to use someone else's eventual product to do full second display at higher resolution. If someone comes out with a device that can do that, pass through a charge, AND offer USB data, I'll be stoked.
However, people should note that the Apple dongles for this thing just do screen mirroring at 1080p, according to Apple's specs for them. You'll have to use someone else's eventual product to do full second display at higher resolution. If someone comes out with a device that can do that, pass through a charge, AND offer USB data, I'll be stoked.
Nerds are loud. But at the same time, who's going to spend $1300 for a Facebook/MS Office computer? You can get that out of a $300 HP machine, or even a $500 iPad?
I'm not gonna be going out too far on a shaky limb to say that this new Macbook is about perfect for the audience it's targeting (this'll be especially true when the price drops by $200 next gen to match the Air it'll eventually replace). It's powerful, portable, and gets the job it's meant to do done well. People who buy it likely don't need all those extra ports. If they did, they wouldn't buy it.
But can you say the same thing about the rMBP? A lot of the old faithful crowd are worried that Apple's stripping the flexibility and expandability out of their computers in order to court the casual user crowd. And for good reason. It's been their modus operandi these last few years. If they end up removing all the ports but one out of the rMBP will you say the same thing? That it's only the nerds that are complaining?
So it's basically more "Air" than the Air. Way too expensive for such a meek processor and the battery life isn't even any better than the Air.
I understand Apple wants to keep the Air cheap but this really should've been the new Air. There should've been enough savings in the cheaper processor, smaller frame and smaller battery to offset the cost of the retina screen.
This product segmentation is really about commanding a premium on anything new. In this case I think they've gone a bit too far.
It's very expensive for a computer that can only handle light duties. I'd recommend a 13" rMBP over this.
I understand Apple wants to keep the Air cheap but this really should've been the new Air. There should've been enough savings in the cheaper processor, smaller frame and smaller battery to offset the cost of the retina screen.
This product segmentation is really about commanding a premium on anything new. In this case I think they've gone a bit too far.
It's very expensive for a computer that can only handle light duties. I'd recommend a 13" rMBP over this.
If they included the $79 adapter standard with USB type A and hdmi, it would make a lot more sense. I'd expect it to be made by third parties for half that price in short order.
Can't plug in a flash drive or any other USB type A device out of the box? That's a dealbreaker for most people.
Also, the design doesn't look tapered, so it could have fit a few more USB type C. Would be nice to charge and use USB without an adapter.
Can't plug in a flash drive or any other USB type A device out of the box? That's a dealbreaker for most people.
Also, the design doesn't look tapered, so it could have fit a few more USB type C. Would be nice to charge and use USB without an adapter.
Oh great--Apple essentially created the near-equivalent of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. 
And with less port connectors than the Microsoft device, too.
And with less port connectors than the Microsoft device, too.
You are making my point. Have you been to a college campus recently? How much do you think the majority of these students are pushing their MacBooks to the limit? $1300 Facebook and MS Office computers are incredibly common.
Again, nerds don't understand what the public wants. "Who's going to spend $1300 for a Facebook/MS Office computer?" Everyone, that's who.
Optical drives and ethernet are niche, not legacy. Blue Ray/dvd hold a lot of data at a cheap unit price. Gigabit ethernet is faster in real world benchmarks than even 802.11ac 3x3. If you have gigabit internet speeds, the only way to get full speed is from gigabit ethernet.
I would argue that thunderbolt is niche as well. It is not widely used, and even apple only has a few products that interface with thunderbolt (display and two adapters). However, it is very fast and has a direct connection to PCIe.
No, they don't. But they know what they want. And what they want is what the current rMBP offers and then some. They're the ones who buy all of Apple's higher end offerings and software.
Don't scoff at nerds, man. Without the 3D loving nerds at Pixar, or the photography nerds, or the movie nerds in Hollywood, Apple wouldn't be in the position they're in today. Nerds poured the foundation the House of Apple is built upon.
I would argue that the 13" mbp is better in every way, except it weighs slightly more. It's more of a situation where another of apple's own products is superior.
except in terms of weight, size. simplicity. and for some people, that's going to matter (plus, of course, the 'cutting edge' design).
You are thinking it as a replacement to desktop which is wrong. This is a different category where most people don't need that many peripherals to connect, i think this is crossover laptop/tablet.
Weight and size, yes. But simplicity? Last time I checked the OS was the same on both machines.... oh but of course, only one port, no no risk of people forcing a USB into the Thunderbolt port.....
Yep, just what I was thinking. Love my rMBP 15 - just getting tied of lugging it around.
And I really don't need many ports.
Presentations at work I connect to Google Chromecast or Apple TV - don't need HDMI
Don't need USB's and don't even need 3.5mm audio jack.
I guess I could get by with a single port.
Last edited:
I agree with you. I mean they shrunk the logic board by 2/3. You're telling me they couldn't just stick another regular USB port in there? Unlike optical drives, I don't think USB ports are going the way of the dodo, at least not for another 5-10 years. I don't think this pushes the envelope in a good way at all. What it DOES do is drive up the selling price and probably the margins. Market it as not a Macbook Air, but a regular Macbook, and they can command almost as much as a Pro. Smart pricing, but not sure the consumer gets much out of it unless they just want the fanciest looking computer on the block.
I definitely agree with you there. The new MacBook looks impossibly light and thin, but I'm not sure if the power tradeoffs are worth it. I would probably still buy the MacBook for the portability, though I wouldn't need a laptop for power, I'll lean on my powerful desktop for anything I need a lot of power for.
By simplicity, I don't think anyone that owns it is going to praise the lack of USB type A ports to plug in every device they own unless they purchase a $79 adapter...
Weight and size are of course a personal preference, but they would give a lot up for some very small gains.
This seriously looks amazing... for something that should cost $400-500.
Why in the heck would anyone spend a whopping $1300 for something like this?!?! Just get a MacBook Pro.
I mean, if I'm forking out over a thousand dollars, I'm gonna want more than one freaking USB port on my computer. What happens when I want to transfer something from a thumb drive to an external hard drive? ...And then what if I need to charge it also while I'm doing those transfers? Or what if I want it plugged in while using HDMI?
I, for one, would absolutely HATE to have a spiderweb of dangly cables/splitters coming out from ONE port. It's absurd. Couldn't it have just been a tad thicker in order to have at least TWO USB-C ports?
But anyway, it's a BEAUTIFUL netbook. Can I say that? Yeah, it's a netbook.
And if it was in the $400-500 price range, I'd say Apple is super smart for putting something like this out on the market. But I just can't see why ANYONE would spend SO MUCH MONEY on something that's simply just not worth it.
Why in the heck would anyone spend a whopping $1300 for something like this?!?! Just get a MacBook Pro.
I mean, if I'm forking out over a thousand dollars, I'm gonna want more than one freaking USB port on my computer. What happens when I want to transfer something from a thumb drive to an external hard drive? ...And then what if I need to charge it also while I'm doing those transfers? Or what if I want it plugged in while using HDMI?
I, for one, would absolutely HATE to have a spiderweb of dangly cables/splitters coming out from ONE port. It's absurd. Couldn't it have just been a tad thicker in order to have at least TWO USB-C ports?
But anyway, it's a BEAUTIFUL netbook. Can I say that? Yeah, it's a netbook.
And if it was in the $400-500 price range, I'd say Apple is super smart for putting something like this out on the market. But I just can't see why ANYONE would spend SO MUCH MONEY on something that's simply just not worth it.
But we're not talking about the higher end stuff.
Nerds know what THEY want. They're nerds. Their downfall is that they assume what they want is what everyone wants.
I hope you don't take my posts as me scoffing at nerds. I consider myself a nerd in a few different topics. Having spent a great deal of time around nerds, I have seen how upset they get when they are presented with situations that run contrary to their experiences. As good as they are with many technology subjects, understanding the public's needs (in general) is not one of their strengths.
Only one port? No Thunderbolt? Ugh. Impressive design work, but useless for practical purposes. Whatever fraction of an ounce and fraction of a millimeter was save in no way makes up for the huge inconvenience this is going to cause. Not to mention yet another new port standard before Lightning and Thunderbolt have even really taken over. Just annoying.
When they said they wanted to make it more like an iPad, I would have preferred the actually useful stuff, like a touchscreen, not the annoying stuff like lack of ports.
When they said they wanted to make it more like an iPad, I would have preferred the actually useful stuff, like a touchscreen, not the annoying stuff like lack of ports.