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First Impressions of New 12-Inch MacBook: Ridiculously Light, but Thin Keys and Trackpad Take Getting Used To

malexandria said:
Jesus, no one is asking for a LOT of ports, but expecting at least a USB Port, HDMI and port to connect to a monitor for a $1,600 computer isn't asking for a lot. God you people really drinking the ***** cool aid on these forums.
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You mean drowning in it.

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556fmjoe said:
GHz is misleading. It's faster than an i5-540M, which itself is still well more than capable for all everyday tasks that the average person does.

There are lots of things I don't like about this laptop, but the CPU is not one of them.
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C'mon guys. Let's please stop defending a company we give thousands of dollars to (some of us every year) and stop pretending that they are not purposely holding back features and capability. You think they couldn't put a 2ghz in this computer? I know, I know... it works together better than other OS's etc. That's the usual go-to flag that you guys wave. I used to wave the apple flag, too. But now you need 3 adapters to wave that flag so I'm all set.
 
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Mal67 said:
I'll bet there's at least 1 more connection added for the next version.
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Maybe. It will depend on how ubiquitous devices using the type-c connector are by that point, and what has developed in adapters. Personally, I see an adapter market that is going to boom with a ton of adapters available in any configuration imaginable, including ones that are compact and basically stay permanently attached to the power cord. Remember that this computer is becoming the laptop equivalent of the iPad Air. Space is at such a premium that adding another port will mean some other kind of sacrifice.
 
tattooedyuppie said:
You mean drowning in it.

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C'mon guys. Let's please stop defending a company we give thousands of dollars to (some of us every year) and stop pretending that they are not purposely holding back features and capability. You think they couldn't put a 2ghz in this computer? I know, I know... it works together better than other OS's etc. That's the usual go-to flag that you guys wave. I used to wave the apple flag, too. But now you need 3 adapters to wave that flag so I'm all set.
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you're making all kinds of assumptions. like every mac before it...this is what it is. for some, it will be a revelation, and (obviously), for others, not. but apple moves in the direction it chooses; we follow, or don't.

i remember when firewire started to disappear from the mac; the 'community' was in an uproar. but people survived, adapted. the same is true of scsi, the floppy drive, the optical drive.

this is the next step forward for apple, so...adapt, or don't.
 
the8thark said:
In a while the force click will be 2nd nature to everyone and it'll be a great trackpad gesture.

And for the people who talk about the rat's nest of cables at home because of this Mac totally miss the point of why this Mac exists. This mac is not designed to be your main home computer. To me this feels like the iPad of the OS X world. Ultra light, ultra portable and excellent for consuming data. The weak CPU and no fan don't allow any intense content creation but for the Macbook Air crown who just need a light Mac on the go, this fits the bill perfectly.

This is not an MBP replacement that needs lots of ports. This is the OS X iPad (sort of). And you'll do everything wirelessly with it (just as you do on the iPad. But you still have one port to use for everything.

But I can't plug things into this while it's charging? Most people never use the iPad while it's charging apart from large App/OS installations. And the same deal will exist with this Mac.
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Exactly, and as another post points out, even the price starts to make sense when you consider iPad pricing plus RAM and storage upgrades plus the cost and weight of a good keyboard. If there's magic in this product, the magic is that you get access to the OS X file system in a upmarket iPad. For a lot of users it will make a lot of sense.

It may not be the computer that a lot of people here want to buy, but there are still other choices in the lineup.

Interesting essay topic: do manufacturers lead market demand, or do their best to read it and respond? If you think that they respond to existing market demands or at least respond to where they think demand is going, there is really no reason to blame Apple for this - Apple is only the messenger. Blame you family, friends, co-workers and fellow students. ;)
 
tattooedyuppie said:
You mean drowning in it.

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C'mon guys. Let's please stop defending a company we give thousands of dollars to (some of us every year) and stop pretending that they are not purposely holding back features and capability. You think they couldn't put a 2ghz in this computer? I know, I know... it works together better than other OS's etc. That's the usual go-to flag that you guys wave. I used to wave the apple flag, too. But now you need 3 adapters to wave that flag so I'm all set.
Click to expand...

Do you understand that Intel makes processors at all different levels? With this new MacBook, Apple is now using all of them.

Y-series (Core-M. 5w) in the MacBook
U-series (15w) in the MacBook Air
U-series (28w) in the 13" MacBook Pro
H-series (47w) in the 15" MacBook Pro

If this lineup doesn't suit you, choose one of their other offerings.
 
fisherking said:
you're making all kinds of assumptions. like every mac before it...this is what it is. for some, it will be a revelation, and (obviously), for others, not. but apple moves in the direction it chooses; we follow, or don't.

i remember when firewire started to disappear from the mac; the 'community' was in an uproar. but people survived, adapted. the same is true of scsi, the floppy drive, the optical drive.

this is the next step forward for apple, so...adapt, or don't.
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Exactly. People have short memories. :eek:
 
malexandria said:
Jesus, no one is asking for a LOT of ports, but expecting at least a USB Port, HDMI and port to connect to a monitor for a $1,600 computer isn't asking for a lot. God you people really drinking the ***** cool aid on these forums.
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I just love the way they give us superslim designs by taking something away which we can then get back by purchasing a dongle or external to replace the function that was removed in the first place in order to get the slimness that everybody ooohs and ahhs over.
 
Mal67 said:
I just love the way they give us superslim designs by taking something away which we can then get back by purchasing a dongle or external to replace the function that was removed in the first place in order to get the slimness that everybody ooohs and ahhs over.
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Half a pound of weight reduction for the device I hold 100% of the time in exchange for carrying a 1oz adapter for the 2% of the time I need it?

Yes please.
 
newellj said:
Interesting essay topic: do manufacturers lead market demand, or do their best to read it and respond? If you think that they respond to existing market demands or at least respond to where they think demand is going, there is really no reason to blame Apple for this - Apple is only the messenger. Blame you family, friends, co-workers and fellow students. ;)
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Thank for your comments. And I agree with you totally.

And to answer your essay question. That's simple. Most manufacturers read demand and respond to it. The few market leaders (in innovation, not marketshare) read what is currently demanded and start making now what they think the demand will be in a few years time. So when that demand is there, so is the finished product to sell. Sure that's a huge risk if you guess wrongly about the future demand. But some of the bigger companies like Apple seem ti get it right more often than not.
 
I'm of the opinion that this is aimed at he people looking at an iPad air but ask themselves what about the times I need a laptop. This is actually a lot of people in my experience. The kind of people who want to get rid of the traditional computer altogether but are worried tablets will be a pain in certain situations.

I think the price is wrong at this point but I think like the macbook air this will come down in time to just above the bigger iPad Air prices.

This laptop isn't for me but I look forward to the effect it has on the MacBook Pro in the future. Longer battery life, a move to usb -c and lighter without all the compromise here.

It's a shame it doesn't have a thunderbolt port or a second usb-c port.

Maybe, and I might be talking nonsense here, they are waiting on a smaller thunderbolt port? Thunderbolt 3... I know the port is rumoured to be different. Maybe it will be smaller and be of similar size to the usb-c. This could allow all the laptops to slim down in size but retain a choice of connections.
 
SnowLucas said:
I'm of the opinion that this is aimed at he people looking at an iPad air but ask themselves what about the times I need a laptop. This is actually a lot of people in my experience. The kind of people who want to get rid of the traditional computer altogether but are worried tablets will be a pain in certain situations.

I think the price is wrong at this point but I think like the macbook air this will come down in time to just above the bigger iPad Air prices.

This laptop isn't for me but I look forward to the effect it has on the MacBook Pro in the future. Longer battery life, a move to usb -c and lighter without all the compromise here.

It's a shame it doesn't have a thunderbolt port or a second usb-c port.

Maybe, and I might be talking nonsense here, they are waiting on a smaller thunderbolt port? Thunderbolt 3... I know the port is rumoured to be different. Maybe it will be smaller and be of similar size to the usb-c. This could allow all the laptops to slim down in size but retain a choice of connections.
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There is actually a pretty important niche in my life that this machine would plug, but the price is too high for this commuter. I go back and forth on iPad vs. MacBook for use on commuter rail. Keyboard and OS X are a plus for the MB, but the train wifi is very poor and insecure so the iPad's cell access and runtime (without running down my phone as a hotspot) are a plus for the iPad.

The rMB would almost be a no-brainer for me if either of the following were true: (1) it had a cell radio) or (2) it had a $999 entry price rather than a $1299 entry price. But even if it were $300 cheaper it's still an extravagant use of cash for about one hour of my day, even if it's one hour of every day. Not sure if I'd bite, especially on a gen 1 device that's almost a proof of concept machine.
 
spectrumfox said:
Great, only one port on the laptop.

I can't wait to see the spider's nest of cables and plugs that some people are going to need with this one.

HDMI, power, USB for external devices, Thunderbolt... All going through one port.

Who thought this would be a good idea? Oh, right. Jony...
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Anyone else notice that whenever Jony Ive videos were shown yesterday, the stock would drop? Even when it was climbing higher it ticked down when he began to drone...
 
Mal67 said:
I just love the way they give us superslim designs by taking something away which we can then get back by purchasing a dongle or external to replace the function that was removed in the first place in order to get the slimness that everybody ooohs and ahhs over.
Click to expand...

If you need the ports, get another Mac. It´s thatsimple now. Never has the choice of Apple laptops been greater
 
bobob said:
It's striking to see how difficult it is for some people to imagine a typical use-case for the new 12" MacBook. Most people use their portable computer for simple writing and connectivity - - who wouldn't want a 2 lb beauty for this situation if money wasn't an issue? And if you're a power user... well there's good news! Apple has not discontinued the MBP, but instead upgraded it.
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For simple writing this is probably the worst Macbook in the company's history, given the keyboard...
 
Fishrrman said:
So much for thunderbolt.

How long did that last?
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Thunderbolt is still going strong. I guess you weren't paying attention. The updated MacBook Air and Pro now have Thunderbolt 2. Only the entry-level MacBook lacks it.
 
Just ordered a base 11" Air 2014 (refurb) for the equivalent of USD 655 - now that is value for money!

If next year the 12" is past its teething problems (more ports and the price has dropped) it will be replaced, maybe :)
 
Apple shoot himself in the foot:

- accessories are a copy of Samsung notebooks, just worst. You want to show a presentation(VGA/HDMI), while charging and someone pass you a usb thumb drive? Thats 2 accessories chained up, a real mess
- the keyboard is a copy of the Surface Pro 3, what a shame
- No MagSafe FCOL, how can you don't have MagSafe!!!!
- No ThunderBolt FCOL
- No FireWire FCOL

Incredible engineering, incredible innovation, incredible materials, all going to waste because there is no one left in Apple with taste and vision.

Lets do Fashion instead.
 
Wow. The new Macbook is absolutely stunning.

Perhaps some of the resistance to this product is a result of mismatched expectations/desires. I know quite a few people who were hoping for an rMBA 12" that was essentially the same size as the current MBA 11" (smaller bezels accommodating a larger screen). Many of those people are disappointed.

Others, were perhaps hoping for some sort of hybrid device similar to a Surface Pro 3. That might come in the form of an iPad Pro/Plus later this year (or not).

And still others were hoping for a device that could be a replacement for what they currently have.

I've seen the new Macbook being compared to iPads and Chromebooks, both comparisons IMO are misplaced.

But I can see the new Macbook being very popular in business settings... not as workstations, but as mobile office uses.
 
omg, the whining and 'absolute' statements on this forum are unbelievable. get your HANDS on this, TRY the keyboard, etc. consider your needs. and if this isn't the mac for you, get a different one. or a pc. or whatever.

this is where apple is heading with it's laptops. it's their PLAN, not something thrown together over a weekend at a spa. if their plan fails, so be it. but apple has (mostly) proved to have a good idea of where tech is heading. we can go along for the ride...or not.

discussion is a great thing, but all this whining, and hate...just sad....:rolleyes:
 
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