iMac and MacBook Early Reviews: Iterative Updates With Welcome Performance Boosts

[CWallace]

The MacBook should be much cheaper by now. Make it $999 and $1199 and get rid of the MacBook Air.

That I imagine is the eventual goal, but the Intel U series CPUs need to get more powerful (to better match the performance of the more powerful CPUs in the MBA) and cheaper (to keep the margins). The Retina LCD panel also needs to come down in price (the MBA's must be dirt-cheap by now considering it's age).

And if you really need MagSafe, Griffin has the breakaway USB-C adapters. Not as elegant, to be sure, but still functional.

 

[Nunyabinez]

Yikes... you gave in. Apple without SJ is slowly jedi mind tricking people, and you gave in. I'm not talking about some out dated technology. A 1000 years from now, if there is some product tethered to some cord, it will be awesome to have some simple release mechanism like mag safe so you don't break the product when you forget to remove the tethering. Tim Cook took that away from us. Let me know if I'm conceptually wrong, and I'll stop complaining.

Have you used a MacBook recently? I still have the first iteration of the 12" and the thing is so light that I'm pretty sure that if it had a magsafe and I tripped on the cable the thing would still fly off the table.

And BTW, I still love this machine.

 

[thekeyring]

Does anybody has any idea why Apple still sells the iMac with a maximum HDD (as part of the Fusion Drive) of 3 TB? A 3 TB Fusion Drive was first offered in the 2012 iMac. Five years without an adjustment in the sizes offered? I don't expect them to offer 8 or 10 TB drives. But what about 5 or 6 TB drives?

Does the Fusion Drive become less efficient for larger HDD sizes? Or is it simply that Apple thinks that the vast majority of consumers will be fine with 3 TB? And that people who need more than 3 TB are professionals who would want to use a RAID anyway?

Probably the latter.

 

[mazz0]

WTAF? They really charge $1,600 for a 1.3ghz dual core laptop?! What yea4 is this?!

Also, how man6 peo0le are 8nsertin* n7mners and symbols all over the place on the new iPad keyboard?

 

[Mad Mac Maniac]

They're all still so expensive. They should cut the prices of the MB and MBP and discontinue the MBA.

Are you kidding, the MBA is the best computer Apple makes.

 

[ShufromChina]

Don't be fooled by Apple/Intel's naming scheme on the extremely low voltage i5/i7 on the new 12'' MacBooks. They are basically still m5 m7's. Last year's m5 becomes this year's i5-5Y74.
[doublepost=1496886326][/doublepost]

The MacBook should be much cheaper by now.
Plus that 480p FaceTime camera is an embarassment in 2017.

Make it $999 and $1199 and get rid of the MacBook Air.
Cleans up the product matrix as well.

It will be. In 3 to 6 months. As early as Labor Day, you could possibly see $350 off on the newest 12'' MacBooks.

Got my 1st gen MacBook brand new for $950 in early 2016.

 

[yukonsnow]

Am I the only person who thinks that the bezels on the imac are hideous? I understand that Apple needs to put the internals somewhere behind the screen, however the black bezels combined with the big silver one on the bottom (to make the asymmetry complete, hooray!) just makes my skin crawl.

 

[amycishere]

At the WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple announced a collection of hardware refreshes for the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac, which users are already able to order on Apple.com. Across the line of Macs, Apple added faster Kaby Lake processors, faster SSD options, made a Fusion Drive standard in the iMac, introduced more maximum RAM in the iMac, and improved GPUs.

Now, the company has allowed members of the press to test out both the MacBook and iMac refreshes to see how the computers stack up in comparison to the previous generation, as well as to Apple's competition. Below we'll round up opinions on the MacBook, 21.5-inch iMac, and 27-inch iMac. As many sites noted, first impressions and reviews for the all-new iMac Pro aren't expected to arrive until later in the year, ahead of the computer's December launch.

12-inch MacBook

Apple sent reviewers the base 1.2GHz Core m3 model ($1,299) of the new 12-inch MacBook, and CNET came away largely impressed by the slightly beefed up machine. The site noted that the biggest and most welcome addition was found in the new and improved keyboard with a second generation butterfly mechanism, which has been adopted from the same keyboard on the MacBook Pro line from last year.
Otherwise, CNET liked the default Intel Core m3 CPU in the MacBook, which remains fine for activities like web browsing and streaming video but still lacks any sort of power needed for heavy multitasking or high-end video editing. Upgraded configurations of the MacBook are available with 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 ($1,599) and dual-core Core i7 ($1,749), along with available RAM bumps from 8GB to 16GB ($200), but Apple has kept review units focused on the base tier. All versions retain the MacBook's slim 2.03lb body and Retina display.

Image via CNET​

Both The Verge and CNET noted that power users will remain disappointed with the MacBook, which still only has one USB-C port. But for everyday tasks and low-power activities, anyone who can get over the port and power limitations should still find a lot of usage out of the 12-inch MacBook in its third generation.

The Verge: CNET:

Click here to read rest of article...

Article Link: iMac and MacBook Early Reviews: Iterative Updates With Welcome Performance Boost

[doublepost=1496889555][/doublepost]I bought the base model 12 inch gold MB with an upgraded i5 on release night. Can't wait to try it out!

 

[macaddict06]

This is a great update for people who don't give a **** about RAM. Good luck running a machine with 8GB RAM in 5 years. Apple, what's with this garbage?

 

[Abazigal]

Why would anyone be buying the MacBook for heavy video editing? Wouldn't you get a MacBook Pro instead? It's like the tech press has to find a way to ding this machine so they say it's not capable of doing something it was probably never intended for in the first place.

The MacBook is actually capable of editing 4K video via Final Cut Pro, and does it reasonably well too. Look up Jonathan Morrison's YouTube video on this.

 

[ShufromChina]

This is a great update for people who don't give a **** about RAM. Good luck running a machine with 8GB RAM in 5 years. Apple, what's with this garbage?

A majority of the portable computers (all brands) sold on the market currently have RAM set at 8GB or below--and yes I mean soldered. Just check any website. I guess either the majority of the users don't give a **** about RAM or the majority of the users figure out that 8GB is sufficient for their use in the coming 3+ years.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Does anybody has any idea why Apple still sells the iMac with a maximum HDD (as part of the Fusion Drive) of 3 TB? A 3 TB Fusion Drive was first offered in the 2012 iMac. Five years without an adjustment in the sizes offered? I don't expect them to offer 8 or 10 TB drives. But what about 5 or 6 TB drives?

Does the Fusion Drive become less efficient for larger HDD sizes? Or is it simply that Apple thinks that the vast majority of consumers will be fine with 3 TB? And that people who need more than 3 TB are professionals who would want to use a RAID anyway?

Does anyone have an idea why Apple still sells the base 21.5" and base 21.5" 4K iMac with a 5400 RPM HDD spinner? I sure don't.

Don't say they won't sell them either. The standard config is what gets shipped to the stores and are the models in stock at retail.

Must be the $$$.

 

[ShufromChina]

Does anyone have an idea why Apple still sells the base 21.5" and base 21.5" 4K iMac with a 5400 RPM HDD spinner? I sure don't.

Don't say they won't sell them either. The standard config is what gets shipped to the stores and are the models in stock at retail.

Must be the $$$.

Could be aiming for the senior market, where the target crowd probably wouldn't care about the hard drive speed. This would keep the cost of the machine down, making the buy a relatively economical one.

Similar reasons for Apple keeping the non-retina screen on the Air.

Both targeting the crowd looking for an affordable machine for their use while at the same time live without certain bells and whistles.

 

[dampfnudel]

The MacBook should be much cheaper by now.
Plus that 480p FaceTime camera is an embarassment in 2017.

Make it $999 and $1199 and get rid of the MacBook Air.
Cleans up the product matrix as well.

Yeah, the MBA should've been discontinued this year, instead of soldiering on as Apple's inferior "value" option. Maybe Apple is waiting until next year when it's possible that the MacBook gets a second USB-C port to make it more appealing as a MBA upgrade, along with a lower price.

 

[thewap]

The way I see it, the 12" Netbook, makes the line up illogical as illogical to hold back improving the MBA.

 

[sidewinder3000]

Kind of stupid for them to send the m3 version of the 12" MB, the biggest difference is getting an i5/7 in there and 16gb ram. Would have really liked another port, and updated Retina display that can reach the same brightness as the Pro.

As most people who are familiar with Apple know, they generally do not change their designs much when doing processor upgrades. The new keyboard in the MacBook is way more than they usually do. Excepts a larger redesign in a year so so.

Also, making the screen as bright as the Pro means Pro prices. This thing is basically an updated Air. for people who browse the web and type.

 

[ZipZap]

I'd hoped for a 2nd port on the macbook, and both of the TB. That would have made it possible for me to replace my 11" Air from 2011... sad..

I do see it, if they added a 2nd port and made them both TB then it would be in too close competition with the Macbook Pro 13" which sells at the same price.

What apple don't get is that it's a question of size and weight....

The very best you will ever see is a second USB-C. The Thunderbolt port is too tall for this design. I have a 2015 model and I surf and run Parallels. Work fine for me. The new ones seem faster but I am not sure that is what was needed. 16 GB is a nice addition.

For me I would rather spend my money on one of the iMacs. I have a the late 2014 5K and its been great. For what I paid (sales and discounts) it is the best workstation I have ever owned. When the warranty expires I will pick up this new one. By then there should be sales and refurbs.

 

[manu chao]

Does anyone have an idea why Apple still sells the base 21.5" and base 21.5" 4K iMac with a 5400 RPM HDD spinner? I sure don't.

Don't say they won't sell them either. The standard config is what gets shipped to the stores and are the models in stock at retail.

Must be the $$$.

Either because somebody is willing to take that speed hit to save some money (eg, institutional buyers) and/or because it gets people into the store who can then be upsold.

 

[recoil80]

Glad they changed the keyboard on the MB, I thought it was only a CPU and SSD update but that's a good news.
I like the idea of a fanless Mac and I'm willing to sacrifice CPU power, but it is too expensive at the moment, I hope it will eventually be priced like the MBA.

 

[Yank in UK]

At the WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple announced a collection of hardware refreshes for the MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac, which users are already able to order on Apple.com. Across the line of Macs, Apple added faster Kaby Lake processors, faster SSD options, made a Fusion Drive standard in the iMac, introduced more maximum RAM in the iMac, and improved GPUs.

Now, the company has allowed members of the press to test out both the MacBook and iMac refreshes to see how the computers stack up in comparison to the previous generation, as well as to Apple's competition. Below we'll round up opinions on the MacBook, 21.5-inch iMac, and 27-inch iMac. As many sites noted, first impressions and reviews for the all-new iMac Pro aren't expected to arrive until later in the year, ahead of the computer's December launch.

12-inch MacBook

Apple sent reviewers the base 1.2GHz Core m3 model ($1,299) of the new 12-inch MacBook, and CNET came away largely impressed by the slightly beefed up machine. The site noted that the biggest and most welcome addition was found in the new and improved keyboard with a second generation butterfly mechanism, which has been adopted from the same keyboard on the MacBook Pro line from last year.
Otherwise, CNET liked the default Intel Core m3 CPU in the MacBook, which remains fine for activities like web browsing and streaming video but still lacks any sort of power needed for heavy multitasking or high-end video editing. Upgraded configurations of the MacBook are available with 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 ($1,599) and dual-core Core i7 ($1,749), along with available RAM bumps from 8GB to 16GB ($200), but Apple has kept review units focused on the base tier. All versions retain the MacBook's slim 2.03lb body and Retina display.

Image via CNET​

Both The Verge and CNET noted that power users will remain disappointed with the MacBook, which still only has one USB-C port. But for everyday tasks and low-power activities, anyone who can get over the port and power limitations should still find a lot of usage out of the 12-inch MacBook in its third generation.

The Verge: CNET:

Click here to read rest of article...

Article Link: iMac and MacBook Early Reviews: Iterative Updates With Welcome Performance Boosts

[doublepost=1496918472][/doublepost]"Really, it's only mainstream consumers and creative types with more-limited needs (or means) who can safely buy an all-in-one now."

Not true. Many now find that for travel the combination of our iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch give the computing power we need on the road. The MacBook, which used to be the only way to take computing with you, now stays home. A light bulb goes off that reminds that since the MacBook now stays home, its replacement can easily be an iMac with all the advantages of a desktop.

 

[jouster]

Yikes! And people WILL buy them!

What would be the spec (or otherwise) advantage of buying a $5.3k i7-based iMac over a $5k Xeon-based iMac Pro?

 

[Allards]

Not yet for me:

- only one USB type c port
- no TB 3 over USB c (so can't pair it with my Apple TB display)
- those bezels around the screen start to look old fashioned
- 480p webcam
- disappointing battery life

Until fixed I keep using my 2013 MacBook Pro.. 2017 MBP (whithout emoji bar) is nice but since I'm not a power user I would basically pay for the shell while not gaining any useful new features.

 

[iDento]

[doublepost=1496918472][/doublepost]
"Really, it's only mainstream consumers and creative types with more-limited needs (or means) who can safely buy an all-in-one now."

Not true. Many now find that for travel the combination of our iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch give the computing power we need on the road. The MacBook, which used to be the only way to take computing with you, now stays home. A light bulb goes off that reminds that since the MacBook now stays home, its replacement can easily be an iMac with all the advantages of a desktop.

Exactly, I don't need macOS all the time and the iMac is very reasonably priced for a home computer, it looks great and I get a quad core CPU for 1/2 the price of 15' MBP.

 

[Solomani]

Magic Keyboard! Full sized and wireless, +finally+

I wonder how fast that extended (wireless) KB sucks up the battery?

 

[recoil80]

- 480p webcam

I'm afraid they can't put a 720p or 1080p there because the display is too tiny.
Macbook Air ships with a 720p camera and is cheaper, so I don't think it is a commercial choice.
I guess we'll have to wait until they find a camera module tiny enough to fit into their machine capable of delivering 720 or 1080.