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

[fisherking]

So we're now saying 2010 performance is acceptable in 2015 for $1300?! This MacBook's cpu is slower than every MBA in the last 3 years.



Given how Apple likes to take away things, we don't know how long we'll have both of those lines to pick from. With Apple's track record, we'll be down to MacBooks only in 2 years.

why not wait & see the reviews of people actually using the new mac? or get your hands on it yourself?

you're paying for state-of-the art design (not state-of the art power). for some people, that's workable, for others not. if you need to do final cut, this isn't your mac. if you surf the web, write, maybe do some photoshopping...this might be your new mac.

either way, i want to see it, try it; see the benchmarks, read user's experiences...before i decide about it.

 

[fat jez]

The Time Capsule is too slow for that to make a difference (at least in sustained transfer, pinging time might be slower over WiFi). And for the small group of people that has a fast NAS, TB to Ethernet adaptors solve that problem (I was explicitly talking about MBPs which have TB).

Disagree, my own experience has Ethernet much quicker than wifi. Agree with TB adaptor, but you can't use one with new MacBook

Fundamentally, my problem with it is that (screen aside) it's s budget spec, slimmed down as much as possible at a premium price.

 

[mchoffa]

The things like one USB-C port I could handle, but a 480p camera is unacceptable... they can't even put 720p in? It SHOULD have 1080p though. How hard would it be to stick the camera from the iPhone in there?

 

[gri]

Are you serious? None of those are in prevalent use today (although the Kensignton slot is still quite useful).

I love those arguments; how people bring back BS to support their blind cheereleading.

They completely ignore the truth:

This machine is, cuttting-edge as it may be, incompatible with EVERYTHING out there TODAY (wi-fi aside).

You need OTHER DEVICES to make it compatible, even with Apple's OWN ECOSYSTEM.

It's OK to like the machine for what you want it to do (lighter-weight to carry, that's it).

But it is also OK to point out what it CAN'T do, and how inferior that makes it to even Apple's own offerings (past and present, besides only its weight).

What do you mean with "other devices"? Adaptors - Apple users need them since many years, in fact, I am not sure if there was ever a DVI port on a Mac laptop (think presentations here). That said the paucity of ports on the new MB is not to my liking while the weight is...

 

[fat jez]

What do you mean with "other devices"? Adaptors - Apple users need them since many years, in fact, I am not sure if there was ever a DVI port on a Mac laptop (think presentations here). That said the paucity of ports on the new MB is not to my liking while the weight is...

There was a dvi port on the pre unibody MacBook pro.

 

[Altis]

Sorry, when I pack a bag I have to carry around, every pound counts. If it is only the laptop, then fine but once you have other stuff to carry around you quickly come to a point where you notice the weight of your bag...

Fair enough, but the point is you have to make a fair bit of sacrifice to lose that extra 1lb. Sure it's great that it's lighter, but it had penalties for being lighter too.

My point is you're still carrying the same bag with you and overall, nothing will change in that department. Arguably you're unlikely to notice that 1lb unless your bag is light and otherwise empty. What you may actually notice is not having USB ports or having an underpowered processor.

 

[zhenya]

Wow, I am a huge Apple fan but this product just seems so DOA to me.
The only way I can see this working at all is if the multiport adapter was more akin to a dock and less like a USB hub. (oh whoops, it's not even as good as a USB hub!)

I could handle the lack of ports if the other specs were a tad better. But 480p facetime cam? And only a dual core CPU with 1.1-1.3ghz speed, and Intel's latest Iris video. 8gb ram? Seriously?
The storage capacity is nothing to write home about either. I'm just really unenthusiastic about this Mac product and that surprised me.
I feel that Apple's designers just went to a couple Starbucks and observed how people in those environments use their laptops.

OTOH I guess the iphone color scheme and lightweight performance position this more as a students laptop than one a businessperson, musician or artist would use.


I have to agree with the earlier statement that this is disconcerting because this most likely signals the type of direction that they will take the rest of the laptop line in eventually.

Frankly I am getting kind of sick of these unilateral moves by Apple where they just chop off vast areas of functionality and put a ton of emphasis of looking cool. It used to be good at both.

This is really a simple calculus. If you need or want a power machine, you buy something else. If you want the lightest laptop available, you buy the new MacBook. This has a more useful screen than the 13" MBA in a footprint equal to or smaller than the 11" MBA yet it's almost a POUND lighter than the 13". That's 1/3 of the weight gone off what was already one of the lightest laptops on the market.

You cannot buy an ultrabook that is anywhere near the class of this machine from ANY other major manufacturer with more RAM or SSD space. Dell XPS 13? Starts at 4GB, maxes at 8GB. Same with the Lenovo X1 Carbon.

It blows my mind that people take it as some sort of personal affront that manufacturers might actually try to develop a new category of computer rather than making the same old 15" 4lb model with every port that most people never use.

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Fair enough, but the point is you have to make a fair bit of sacrifice to lose that extra 1lb. Sure it's great that it's lighter, but it had penalties for being lighter too.

My point is you're still carrying the same bag with you and overall, nothing will change in that department. Arguably you're unlikely to notice that 1lb unless your bag is light and otherwise empty. What you may actually notice is not having USB ports or having an underpowered processor.

Losing 1lb off this computer will be hugely noticeable. There is about a 1lb difference between my Lenovo T440s ultrabook and my Surface Pro 3. They feel like totally different devices. And there is about another pound between my Surface and my iPad Air. Again, that pound transforms the device entirely.

I'll gladly keep a 1oz adapter tucked in my bag for the small portion of time that I actually need those ports.

 

[bobob]

To understand Apple's choice of the USB-C port, you only have to look at the amount of space available on the new 12" MacBook for a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

An Audio jack is the same size as a regular USB port.

Your photo proves that to be untrue.

Are you serious ? It's the same length from top to bottom.

A USB-3 port is 4.5mm from top to bottom and a headphone port is 3.5mm from top to bottom.

You can not make a computer 13.1mm thick and dismiss a 1mm difference as the "same".

If you want to argue that its shorter vertically, then yes... a circle is not the same at a rectangle.

The term "vertically" means the same thing as from top to bottom.

 

[gri]

There was a dvi port on the pre unibody MacBook pro.

That is correct (but those are also almost 10 years old by now) and - sorry, I meant to write in my original post AVI port. All the standard cables coming with projectors are still AVI... So even with the DVI port you were required to have a DVI to AVI adaptor.

 

[chabig]

Okay, please stop calling this the "entry level Macbook". An entry level product would, by definition, be the cheapest. This thing costs $400 more than a Macbook Air, $200 more than a Macbook Pro, and has the exact same price as a 13" Macbook Pro Retina!

This is the entry level MacBook in terms of features and performance. Apple positions it that way on their website.

 

[Steve121178]

So we're now saying 2010 performance is acceptable in 2015 for $1300?! This MacBook's cpu is slower than every MBA in the last 3 years.

Yes.

The new MacBook is designed as a highly portable machine. Therefore unless you want a 45 minute battery life, you don't need a quad core CPU, you don't need a cutting edge discreet GPU and you don't need other energy guzzling features for the target market this is aimed at.

I thought the Core-M would be woeful, but after studying the performance it's around about the same as the i5 520M CPU that is in my VAIO Z and that was more than capable of anything I threw at it.

As you are so upset about the CPU performance, just buy a rMBP which will satisfy your needs and stop crying.

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This is the entry level MacBook in terms of features and performance. Apple positions it that way on their website.

They position is as the 'future of notebooks' so the tech inside it will drip-feed to the rest of the MacBook range in time. This is not entry level, it's simply another option.

 

[macduke]

Anyone else kinda more excited about this new MacBook than the Apple Watch, even though they don't really need one?

I want one. I can't justify it. It's slower, has less RAM, slower graphics, etc. But I still want one on the side with a 5K iMac.

 

[diegogaja]

Why do people always comment as if they are the target audience for all of Apple's products? I suppose it would be too difficult to actually flex those imagination muscles and consider that this may actually be very useful to a large demographic...

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...

 

[Mr. Gates]

A USB-3 port is 4.5mm from top to bottom and a headphone port is 3.5mm from top to bottom.

You can not make a computer 13.1mm thick and dismiss a 1mm difference as the "same".

Image





The term "vertically" means the same thing as from top to bottom.

You're correct. I meant to say horizontally. But are you really going to argue that 1 millimeter is going to prevent a USB port when it's 4.5 mm from top to bottom and the Macbook is 13.5 mm ?

Really ??? Has it come to this level of insanity ?

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS ! ! !"

 

[APlotdevice]

This is the entry level MacBook in terms of features and performance. Apple positions it that way on their website.

Well that's just brilliant then... "MacBook 2015: The only Entry Level notebook priced ＄400 MORE than the next model up!"

But I agree that spec wise this is very much entry level. That you can get the much more powerful Pro Retina for the exact same price is just insane.

 

[diegogaja]

Do you really think you are the majority? I travel a lot and see and work with a lot of road warriors with MBA's. No peripherals, no wires, etc. In fact, I'm now looking at one of these for when I travel. Will I use it like I use my home computer? Not in the least but it does have a target audience that is substantial.

I am concerned by the negative reports of the keyboard. It's one of the most critical parts of a laptop, and in sounds like no one likes it. I'll be trying it out when it gets to the stores, but a bad keyboard could easily be a dealbreaker to anyone who writes on it.

The single port is likely to be a dealbreaker for anyone who (like me) uses a MBA as their primary machine for a wide variety of tasks. I frequently have thumbdrives, USB devices, and SD cards in my MBA - simultaneously - while it's plugged into power.

The only big segments of the MBA's market that's left after those categories are lightweight users, who are increasingly moving to iOS devices.

I can't help but think this thing is going to be a bit of a flop. Too many design sacrifices for the sake of thinness.

 

[bobob]

But are you really going to argue that 1 millimeter is going to prevent a USB port when it's 4.5 mm from top to bottom and the Macbook is 13.5 mm ?

Yes - - yes I am.

 

[zhenya]

Anyone else kinda more excited about this new MacBook than the Apple Watch, even though they don't really need one?

I want one. I can't justify it. It's slower, has less RAM, slower graphics, etc. But I still want one on the side with a 5K iMac.

Absolutely.

I have no need for this in my life - I already have an ultrabook, a SP3 and an Air 2. But I lust after it all the same.

I was even instructed today to buy an Apple watch for development purposes as soon as we can get one and I haven't even been to Apple's page to read anything more about it. I'll be excited about that when it develops enough capabilities to be freed from the phone a little more regularly.

 

[subsonix]

Yes - - yes I am.

Image

That image, really puts into perspective how thin this thing is.

 

[CE3]

I keep looking at Apple laptops (I'm a happy iPhone & iPad Air2 user), but I guess I'm just not their target demographic. While the HD display & battery life of the HP Envy laptop I purchased last year isn't as good as I'd like it to be, I paid around $1000 to configure a machine that would have been about $2600 or more on a MBP. That's not in my price range and even if it was I'm not sure I could justify spending that much more for Apple. This Envy is still pretty sleek and slender looking and gives me the power and performance I need. Apparently thinner and lighter is more important than performance, because this is another new Apple release where older models are better performers and have more features.

 

[torana355]

1. Says who?
2. Buy an adapter.
3. Okay, but a lot of us are and it's awesome.
4. Barely.
5. Totally depends on what you're doing.
6. As compared to...what?

1. The previews have said it hard to get used too

2. The adaptor is very expensive, i shouldn't have to pay even more money to do a simple task.

3. Yes you a right i would have to give it some time i guess.

4. Well a few hours less battery is more then barely....

5. Again this would probably do for my needs but not at this price point.

6. As compared to a 13" rMBP which is the SAME price.

Im a huge Apple laptop fan but i will be sticking to the MBA and rMBP due to the points above. Taking away features and having less performance in newer models at a high price point is just crazy.

 

[kelon111]

The 12" MacBook isn't the only light laptop.

A laptop like the LaVie Z HZ550 weighs 1.72 lbs.
I'm sure some of you would complain it's not thin enough but at least it has more ports.

 

[manu chao]

Fair enough, but the point is you have to make a fair bit of sacrifice to lose that extra 1lb. Sure it's great that it's lighter, but it had penalties for being lighter too.

And Apple gives you the choice whether that is worth it for you by offering currently three lines of laptops.

 

[fisherking]

1. The previews have said it hard to get used too

a few people? all people? perhaps trying it yourself will tell you more.

2. The adaptor is very expensive, i shouldn't have to pay even more money to do a simple task.

if you can afford a macbook in the first place, you can afford the adapter. not everyone will need it. (and there are other, simpler adapters for simpler needs).

3. Yes you a right i would have to give it some time i guess.

4. Well a few hours less battery is more then barely....

5. Again this would probably do for my needs but not at this price point..

then not for you...

6. As compared to a 13" rMBP which is the SAME price.

Im a huge Apple laptop fan but i will be sticking to the MBA and rMBP due to the points above. Taking away features and having less performance in newer models at a high price point is just crazy.

it's also a new design, which, in terms of size, weight, and (dare i say it?), aesthetic, may appeal to a lot of macusers...

 

[manu chao]

Disagree, my own experience has Ethernet much quicker than wifi. Agree with TB adaptor, but you can't use one with new MacBook.

A USB 3 to Ethernet adaptor should easily be fast enough for Gbit Ethernet. USB 2 to Ethernet, which is what you had to use for the 2008 through 2010 MBAs, was noticeably slower than standard Gbit Ethernet.

Fundamentally, my problem with it is that (screen aside) it's s budget spec, slimmed down as much as possible at a premium price.

Which is what the MBA was initially as well. It's processors are still somewhat budget-spec compared to the MBP.

And the 13" MBA with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage costs the same as the new MB with the same RAM and storage specs. In essence, you pay a premium of $x00 for the retina screen and then get a $x00 discount for the slower processor and less expandability (through less ports and slower ports, the new MBA has TB 2, ie, 20 Gbit, the new MB has 5 Gbit).