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

[torana355]

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...

Fair enough, what doesn't make sense to me is Apple are doing everything to make the laptop ultra thin and portable but then we have to plug a big ugly adaptor into the side of it to make it functional, it defeats the whole purpose of making the laptop so thin in the first place. One extra usb-c port and a price reduction would make this a MUCH more appealing product.

My 2011 MBA is due for an upgrade so i waited to see what the 12" macbook retina would be like but i just cant do it. It looks like the MBA will slowly be phased out over the next few years so i think ill grab a 2015 model while i can.

 

[fisherking]

Fair enough, what doesn't make sense to me is Apple are doing everything to make the laptop ultra thin and portable but then we have to plug a big ugly adaptor into the side of it to make it functional, it defeats the whole purpose of making the laptop so thin in the first place. One extra usb-c port and a price reduction would make this a MUCH more appealing product.

My 2011 MBA is due for an upgrade so i waited to see what the 12" macbook retina would be like but i just cant do it. It looks like the MBA will slowly be phased out over the next few years so i think ill grab a 2015 model while i can.

it's an all new design, with new tech (the smaller, fanless logic board, the new battery design, the new casing, the touchpad, keyboard). and many people work with their laptop travelling, or at school, or at a coffeebar; somewhere away from their desk, in which case, they probably don't need a lot of peripherals. at home, you can connect what you need with an adapter.

anyway, you're paying for new tech...

 

[Kendo]

How often do you guys use the ports on a MBA? I pretty much exclusively use mine to charge and that's it. Other than that, very rarely would I use my MBA to charge my iPhone, 99% of the time I charge it from the wall outlet.

 

[torana355]

How often do you guys use the ports on a MBA? I pretty much exclusively use mine to charge and that's it. Other than that, very rarely would I use my MBA to charge my iPhone, 99% of the time I charge it from the wall outlet.

I use alot of those really small usb sticks that i leave plugged into the usb port.

 

[fat jez]

How often do you guys use the ports on a MBA? I pretty much exclusively use mine to charge and that's it. Other than that, very rarely would I use my MBA to charge my iPhone, 99% of the time I charge it from the wall outlet.

On my cMBP, all except FireWire and SD are used regularly. The SD card is used, but less frequently.

 

[Kendo]

Will the GPU be able to handle Counter-Strike: Source or Global Offensive at a decent resolution? CS is pretty much the only game I play.

 

[GalileoSeven]

A beautiful machine with a great screen, but this is a classic example of form over function IMO. 9 times out of 10, when I'm out running around somewhere, I've either got a thumb drive and/or my phone (with music) that I want to plug in which is why I'm plenty satisfied with my 11" MBA.

Like I'm sure someone's already said........this is nothing but an 'iPad Pro' with a keyboard. Though whatever floats your boat I guess......

 

[fisherking]

A beautiful machine with a great screen, but this is a classic example of form over function IMO. 9 times out of 10, when I'm out running around somewhere, I've either got a thumb drive and/or my phone (with music) that I want to plug in which is why I'm plenty satisfied with my 11" MBA.

Like I'm sure someone's already said........this is nothing but an 'iPad Pro' with a keyboard. Though whatever floats your boat I guess......

no, it's not. it runs OS X, not iOS. and there's a $19 usb adapter if you need it. AND there are usb-c (and already, usb-c/usb 3 hybrid) drives...

 

[manu chao]

I've noticed that about 95% of laptops released to this day still include both ethernet ports and optical drives. That's quite a big percentage of current machines to carry so-called "legacy" technology.

Apple surely must know something that the other 95% of the computer world doesn't. There's no other explanation.

I don't know how prevalent VGA still is but it was there for a long time after anybody actually wanted to use it. Optical drives are legacy because the vast majority of people don't use them anymore or only very occasionally, not making it worth carrying it around with you all the time.

 

[iShater]

It's striking to see how difficult it is for some people to imagine a typical use-case for the new 12" MacBook.

...

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...

It is typical Apple to think looks first, and then functionality. The functionality should come first, and then see what design would accommodate it.

I am pretty sure there are people who are buying their first laptop that it would be perfect for them. But it would be nice if the changes are not radical to make everything you own not work with a new laptop.

I'll bet there's at least 1 more connection added to the next version.

I doubt it.

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.

I fear what they decide to do with the the rest of the line. And for FW, there were still adapters or other connections on external HDs that you could still use.

Here we have a single port. ONE. Uno. 1

oh, yes.... its a camera kit, only with more ports.

or less

 

[the-msa]

I'm excited to listen to Marquess Brownlees and Austin Evans opinion.

Anyway, 1 port and the obligatory absurd expensive extension is beyond ridiculous, but obviously it's hard to do more ports with such a thin design. The question is: is it really worth the thinness?

 

[dealmaker]

One port?

ONE PORT??

Kills it for me as a traveller who hates dongles and also needs to charge iPhones and IPads with as few chargers as possible....idiotic move IMHO...

 

[fisherking]

One port?

ONE PORT??

Kills it for me as a traveller who hates dongles and also needs to charge iPhones and IPads with as few chargers as possible....idiotic move IMHO...

then you're in luck, there are macbook airs, and pros... so if this one's not for you, you have choices.

why is this so hard for people to grasp? this is where apple is headed, but in the very-real present, you have choices...

 

[bobob]

I'm excited to listen to Marquess Brownlees and Austin Evans opinion.

MKBHD has his initial thoughts up...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GttoIyB_lEQ

 

[melendezest]

dude, it's a joke, anyone can tell that. a 'parallel port'? anyway, u missed the joke. but...with the adapter, you can connect several things. u can add a usb hub. and as far as apple's ecosystem, with wifi syncing for ios, the cloud, the timecapsule...there's NOTHING u can't now do. so, speakers from the headphone jack, usb, a monitor and power from the adapter. you're good.

if you need firewire, or scsi...then you're out of luck.

Hahaha. English as a second language...I need a Bazinga in there.

But serio, the fact that it's a single port, that is not prevalent today, is what I take the most issue with.

If they'd thrown in the adapter I'd understand (a little). This is definitely an Apple-only machine, for all-Apple ecosystems. It's just too inflexible for my taste.

 

[fisherking]

Hahaha. English as a second language...I need a Bazinga in there.

But serio, the fact that it's a single port, that is not prevalent today, is what I take the most issue with.

If they'd thrown in the adapter I'd understand (a little). This is definitely an Apple-only machine, for all-Apple ecosystems. It's just too inflexible for my taste.

but for many people, the adapter is not needed. for some, a $19 usb to usb-c adapter will do. and am sure we'll see lots more options over time (especially as other companies start using usb-c ports).

 

[melendezest]

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...

My point is that you need adapters for anything you want to connect to.

And pointing out we Apple users have always needed adapters is a blind defense.

There is a reason why Macs have had standard ports, standard hard drives, standard RAM for a long, long time until now. They were (and still are) useful. I had a mini DVI to DVI adapter (I think it actually came with my PowerBook), and a TB to HDMI (which they now build-in).

But Apple is all about the money now. They've become so popular, that they can put out this ridiculous machine, charge whatever they want for it, and people are loving it.

Never mind that they are offsetting the cost of connectivity to you, and at a ridiculous cost to boot.

Again, this thing is nice, but not for the price, and definitely not for functionality.

----------

but for many people, the adapter is not needed. for some, a $19 usb to usb-c adapter will do. and am sure we'll see lots more options over time (especially as other companies start using usb-c ports).

Agreed.

Let us pray they don't do the same to their other devices, though I'm pretty sure they will.

This is just like the Mac Pro: external everything.

Boooooooooooo!!!

 

[drsmithy]

So buy one of the other models. Why on eart are people upset about this.

Because what a huge swathe of us wanted was an 11" MBA with a slightly larger Retina-capable panel (addressing its only major failing), and what we got was this.

 

[CE3]

no, it's not. it runs OS X, not iOS. and there's a $19 usb adapter if you need it. AND there are usb-c (and already, usb-c/usb 3 hybrid) drives...

+ iOS is made up entirely of applications that are tailor-made for lean configurations like this. An iPad pro will be just as portable but more powerful simply because it's an iOS device. It will also likely have a higher resolution display, better cameras, and you'll still be able to take notes, check email, browse the web and watch videos.. which is what this (overpriced) laptop is designed for.

 

[erasr]

Because what a huge swathe of us wanted was an 11" MBA with a slightly larger Retina-capable panel (addressing its only major failing), and what we got was this.

Most of the customers I see in Apple Stores buying a Mac look like naive people who are looking for their first or second Apple computer purchase. I don't think you are Apple's target audience. No offence.

So to that everyday person, they weren't looking for a better 11" Air. They are simply in the market for a small, thin, cool looking laptop that is powerful enough to run Word or Pages and browse the web....

And in that respect, Apple has just blown the competition out the market.

 

[karlwig]

Good thing it has a headphone jack, for a moment there I thought I'd to use bluetooth headphones.

They had to save one "feature" for the next generation!

 

[drsmithy]

Something like the PlugBug is certainly going to become popular with this MacBook.

Indeed.

The more I think about it, the more obvious it is that the stock power brick should have had at least two USB ports and a HDMI on it. It's incomprehensible that this didn't occur to the designers themselves.

 

[drsmithy]

How often do you guys use the ports on a MBA? I pretty much exclusively use mine to charge and that's it. Other than that, very rarely would I use my MBA to charge my iPhone, 99% of the time I charge it from the wall outlet.

When I travel, which is the primary purpose for which I have the MBA, I use the ports constantly:

• Charging my (and my wife's) iPhones.
• Transferring movies, etc, from an external drive onto it to watch on the plane.
• Pulling photos off cameras (and then copying them off to an external drive for safety).

Even when I'm not travelling, I probably want to plug in a thumbdrive a couple of times a week - and usually when I already have something else like an external screen connected.

It's particularly frustrating, as it seems from the pictures of this machine that it would have been quite feasible to put 2-3 USB-C ports on it, or at the very least include the functionality of the port breakout dongle in the power brick.

To me this machine is the epitomy of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory (especially considering the price). I'm sure lots of people will buy them because they look cool (and they do), but it's a struggle to see how anyone like a student or business user could compare one to a MBA objectively and prefer it.

 

[fisherking]

When I travel, which is the primary purpose for which I have the MBA, I use the ports constantly:

• Charging my (and my wife's) iPhones.
• Transferring movies, etc, from an external drive onto it to watch on the plane.
• Pulling photos off cameras (and then copying them off to an external drive for safety).

Even when I'm not travelling, I probably want to plug in a thumbdrive a couple of times a week - and usually when I already have something else like an external screen connected.

It's particularly frustrating, as it seems from the pictures of this machine that it would have been quite feasible to put 2-3 USB-C ports on it, or at the very least include the functionality of the port breakout dongle in the power brick.

To me this machine is the epitomy of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory (especially considering the price). I'm sure lots of people will buy them because they look cool (and they do), but it's a struggle to see how anyone like a student or business user could compare one to a MBA objectively and prefer it.

for $19, you can get a usb to usb-c adaptor...one simple, small cable, and you'll be able to do all those things (albeit one-at-a time...). if u need usb AND an external monitor, get the $79 adapter (if you can afford the mac, you can afford the adaptor)..

 

[Wild-Bill]

The fact that won't include ANY adapter in the box makes it all the more ridiculous. An overpriced machine with an overpriced adapter.