Is it safe to buy now or is there an update coming?

[scaramoosh]

It's just that GPU, the Skylake core M would in no way compete with what they put in the Air, it's a fanless low powered chip. However the GPU is 40% better and that makes all the difference, plus it's better on battery...

They have to upgrade to it at some point.

I did go into the store however and it's exactly what I'm looking for, the screen is gorgeous, great keyboard that worked well for me, touchpad is amazing, speakers are amazing, I love the tiny form factor.

Just putting £1300 down on it when it has that one major flaw isn't worth it for me. People say "just get a Macbook pro or Air", for me having a fan in anything is a no no, I even took it out of my Desktop Windows PC and put in a fanless giant heatsink.

 

[SteveJUAE]

It's just that GPU, the Skylake core M would in no way compete with what they put in the Air, it's a fanless low powered chip. However the GPU is 40% better and that makes all the difference, plus it's better on battery...

They have to upgrade to it at some point.

I did go into the store however and it's exactly what I'm looking for, the screen is gorgeous, great keyboard that worked well for me, touchpad is amazing, speakers are amazing, I love the tiny form factor.

Just putting £1300 down on it when it has that one major flaw isn't worth it for me. People say "just get a Macbook pro or Air", for me having a fan in anything is a no no, I even took it out of my Desktop Windows PC and put in a fanless giant heatsink.

40% graphics increase is just a nice to have it's not going to make excel or word etc suddenly a lot faster. you have to place the rMB in the slot it's intended for

 

[whodatrr]

I agree 100%! I bought my MacBook as a 2nd system. I tried, unsuccessfully, to use a 15" MBP as my only system. In doing so, i found it to be not as good a desktop as my 27" iMac, and not as good a portable as, say a MacBook Air. So, when I went back to my iMac as my workstation, I want something very small and light for my portable, which is the rMB.

I do not do heavy duty tasks on it, aside from some very complex MS Office stuff. I do not now hook it up to more than one external display I don't game with it etc. It is purely a 2nd system, for me. Ultra mobile, yet capable enough.

If you're talking MacBook Pro, graphics are very important, as I'd be hooking it up to a few external displays. But while my iMac spends 100% of its life running 3 big displays, my rMB spends 95% of its life driving it's own screen. In other words, the current rMB graphics are just find for my needs. The current CPU is fine for my current needs. Heck, even the one port is fine for my current needs. So, for me, there's not a whole lot that a bump could offer that would seriously impact my life. A few more hours of battery life would be kind of nice, but the current rMB is no slouch in that department either.

Buy an open-box or refurb unit now at a nice discount. Or wait for the next rev. Either way, you're good. But there will always be something better coming down the pipe.

40% graphics increase is just a nice to have it's not going to make excel or word etc suddenly a lot faster. you have to place the rMB in the slot it's intended for

 

[scaramoosh]

I play CS:GO, Dota 2, some indie games and the 5300 isn't really cutting it with them, it can run them but all at low. The new Skylake chip can run them at nice settings, it can even run things like Alien Isolation, GTA V and Bioshock Infinite at 30FPS.

I know it's not a gaming Laptop, but when I'm at work or where ever else, I want portability with flexibility and the current chip isn't there. I didn't realize until I looked at people doing tests on Youtube, I thought the 5300 had to be a step up from what is in my Haswell CPU on Windows, but it's one of their worst GPUs.

I'm not going to be gaming on it 24/7, I have a Windows PC for that, but I want the ability to do so.


While there is always something better, Skylake is what is finally there to what I can be happy with. These consoles aren't getting better, we've hit the peak of what they can do, so it means games wont become more demanding until the next round of consoles. So that means the Skylake chip will last me two years before I upgrade due to the battery being shot, where as the current one already isn't good enough.

I've talked myself out of it any ways, I do love the Laptop though, it's so nice, I just hope they do a second

It's a very capable chip and it's already in Laptops, so I cannot imagine Apple waiting too long. Having looked at their history, they often do updates every 6 months, so there is a high chance it's coming soon.

 

[SteveJUAE]

I play CS:GO, Dota 2, some indie games and the 5300 isn't really cutting it with them, it can run them but all at low. The new Skylake chip can run them at nice settings, it can even run things like Alien Isolation, GTA V and Bioshock Infinite at 30FPS.

I know it's not a gaming Laptop, but when I'm at work or where ever else, I want portability with flexibility and the current chip isn't there. I didn't realize until I looked at people doing tests on Youtube, I thought the 5300 had to be a step up from what is in my Haswell CPU on Windows, but it's one of their worst GPUs.

I'm not going to be gaming on it 24/7, I have a Windows PC for that, but I want the ability to do so.


While there is always something better, Skylake is what is finally there to what I can be happy with. These consoles aren't getting better, we've hit the peak of what they can do, so it means games wont become more demanding until the next round of consoles. So that means the Skylake chip will last me two years before I upgrade due to the battery being shot, where as the current one already isn't good enough.

I've talked myself out of it any ways, I do love the Laptop though, it's so nice, I just hope they do a second

It's a very capable chip and it's already in Laptops, so I cannot imagine Apple waiting too long. Having looked at their history, they often do updates every 6 months, so there is a high chance it's coming soon.

Seems the rMB is on the fence with respect to your expectations and needs so you should wait or look elsewhere like Dell or MS Surface range

 

[boltjames]

It's just that GPU, the Skylake core M would in no way compete with what they put in the Air, it's a fanless low powered chip. However the GPU is 40% better and that makes all the difference, plus it's better on battery...

They have to upgrade to it at some point.

I did go into the store however and it's exactly what I'm looking for, the screen is gorgeous, great keyboard that worked well for me, touchpad is amazing, speakers are amazing, I love the tiny form factor. Just putting £1300 down on it when it has that one major flaw isn't worth it for me.

It's not a "flaw". It's a "benefit". RMB owners do not care about horsepower. If we did we'd own a Pro already and be done with it. The RMB is not designed as a Pro or Air replacement. It's a premium product for those who value the sleekest form factor possible and are perfectly comfortable with Excel launching 0.00001 seconds 'slower'. It's not the family minivan; it's the weekend convertible. If you have 4 kids, the RMB is not for you.

40% graphics increase is just a nice to have it's not going to make excel or word etc suddenly a lot faster. you have to place the rMB in the slot it's intended for

You'd think they'd listen to RMB owners by now and stop trying to create the RMBPROAIR already.

BJ

 

[scaramoosh]

It's not a "flaw". It's a "benefit". RMB owners do not care about horsepower. If we did we'd own a Pro already and be done with it. The RMB is not designed as a Pro or Air replacement. It's a premium product for those who value the sleekest form factor possible and are perfectly comfortable with Excel launching 0.00001 seconds 'slower'. It's not the family minivan; it's the weekend convertible. If you have 4 kids, the RMB is not for you.



You'd think they'd listen to RMB owners by now and stop trying to create the RMBPROAIR already.

BJ

It's not a benefit, it's last years chip, there is a new one that uses less power while providing more power. For my use case that extra power is exactly what I need and it'll make the device worth buying.

 

[boltjames]

It's not a benefit, it's last years chip, there is a new one that uses less power while providing more power. For my use case that extra power is exactly what I need and it'll make the device worth buying.

Skylake will have a fractional benefit to a machine like the RMB, the "extra power" as you call it would be unnoticible.

Accept the RMB for what it is, buy the RMB today for what it is, or choose another notebook. It's not going to turn into an ultra-slim MacBook Pro no matter how many posts you make.

BJ

 

[jetjaguar]

Im tempted to sell my rmbp 15" and get a maxed rMB .. All i do on my system is browse the web .. email .. word and excel and that is pretty much it.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Im tempted to sell my rmbp 15" and get a maxed rMB .. All i do on my system is browse the web .. email .. word and excel and that is pretty much it.

Do it you won't stop smiling as you walk around holding your rMB in one hand after a 15 MBP

 

[lite426]

It's not a "flaw". It's a "benefit". RMB owners do not care about horsepower.

Rubbish. Of course we care about horsepower. We just happen to also care about weight and form factor. What's wrong with wanting both? I'm a RMB owner. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are too ugly and heavy for me after using this. I like the MacBook, and if the second one gets a better GPU then I'd want that one even more. 40% increase in GPU isn't going to be "unnoticeable". A slower GPU is in no way a benefit.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Rubbish. Of course we care about horsepower. We just happen to also care about weight and form factor. What's wrong with wanting both? I'm a RMB owner. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are too ugly and heavy for me after using this. I like the MacBook, and if the second one gets a better GPU then I'd want that one even more. 40% increase in GPU isn't going to be "unnoticeable". A slower GPU is in no way a benefit.

In a strange way the current rMB chip is a benefit to us else the product would of come much later and probably more expensive and we would not physically been able to have this debate

 

[Queen6]

For the Skylake rMB we are likely to see a 10% increase computationally. As for the iGPU 40% is the absolute upper value from Intel. The real world number may be considerably less, depending on drivers & OS. For current owners of the rMB it will be clearly prudent to wait and see if the performance of the next generation is actually meaningful to their usage/workflow. Likely most important feature of the update for the rMB will the extension of battery life.

For those aspiring to "game" on the rMB your looking at the wrong Notebook, unless like me it`s extremely casual, and the games are so old they will happily run on a toaster

Q-6

 

[boltjames]

Rubbish. Of course we care about horsepower. We just happen to also care about weight and form factor. What's wrong with wanting both? I'm a RMB owner. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are too ugly and heavy for me after using this. I like the MacBook, and if the second one gets a better GPU then I'd want that one even more. 40% increase in GPU isn't going to be "unnoticeable". A slower GPU is in no way a benefit.

No, we don't.

And by "we" I mean the core RMB customer. We don't need more horsepower. For what we use our notebooks for, the current RMB performs brilliantly. The RMB with all the Pro features becomes a Pro. Up goes the weight, up goes the size, here comes Mr. Fan, here comes Mr. SD Card Port, and we're right back where we started from- something larger than it needed to be because it had more horsepower than its customers really needed.

BJ

 

[lite426]

The fact that the current GPU allows the RMB to be fanless, thin and light etc is a benefit. But that isn't the way you worded it. You made it sound like people actually wanted a slower GPU. The fact that it's a slower GPU obviously isn't a benefit in and of itself. It's a trade off we accept because we value the lightness etc more than the GPU, not because we don't care at all about horsepower.

A faster GPU affects not only games, but the simplest of things like scrolling, fluidity of the OS animations. The "core customer" benefits. You can talk about how you have no problems on Windows but not everyone wants to have to buy Windows.

 

[MacRazySwe]

The fact that the current GPU allows the RMB to be fanless, thin and light etc is a benefit. But that isn't the way you worded it. You made it sound like people actually wanted a slower GPU. The fact that it's a slower GPU obviously isn't a benefit in and of itself. It's a trade off we accept because we value the lightness etc more than the GPU, not because we don't care at all about horsepower.

A faster GPU affects not only games, but the simplest of things like scrolling, fluidity of the OS animations. The "core customer" benefits. You can talk about how you have no problems on Windows but not everyone wants to have to buy Windows.

Don't take him too seriously, Blowjob has a greater reality distortion field than Jobs himself. Even three years from now, his old rMB will be vastly superior to the 2018 models, simply because it's worse in every way.

Just like his BMW 420d with wooden panels is better than an M4.

 

[boltjames]

The fact that the current GPU allows the RMB to be fanless, thin and light etc is a benefit. But that isn't the way you worded it. You made it sound like people actually wanted a slower GPU. The fact that it's a slower GPU obviously isn't a benefit in and of itself. It's a trade off we accept because we value the lightness etc more than the GPU, not because we don't care at all about horsepower.

A faster GPU affects not only games, but the simplest of things like scrolling, fluidity of the OS animations. The "core customer" benefits. You can talk about how you have no problems on Windows but not everyone wants to have to buy Windows.

No, what I said was that horsepower doesn't matter to RMB owners, therefore a Skylake upgrade isn't going to sell more notebooks or earn Apple more revenue.

What prospective RMB buyers would value enough to be stimulated to buy would be things like an even thinner design, even lighter weight, a 15" retina display, an HD camera, Touch ID, 3D Touch, Siri, etc. Something physically tangible. Not fractions of milliseconds they can't feel when launching an app. Milliseconds mean something to Pro owners. RMB owners could care less. We didn't buy the thing for its performance.

BJ

 

[lite426]

You could care less? So you do care somewhat. I don't think the faster GPU would affect start up times of apps - I referred to the benefit of greater smoothness and fluidity of the OS animations, scrolling. These are things you do feel. I don't think people necessarily want "thinner" - a bit lighter would be nice though. The MacBook is still a bit heavy for my liking. Better battery life would also definitely be something I'd upgrade for.

 

[boltjames]

You could care less? So you do care somewhat. I don't think the faster GPU would affect start up times of apps - I referred to the benefit of greater smoothness and fluidity of the OS animations, scrolling. These are things you do feel. I don't think people necessarily want "thinner" - a bit lighter would be nice though. The MacBook is still a bit heavy for my liking. Better battery life would also definitely be something I'd upgrade for.

Let me point out that I run Windows 10 on my RMB exclusively.

Perhaps the lag you are experiencing has to do with OSX. Perhaps Windows 10 is the better operating system and your issues aren't with Skylake but rather your OS.

BJ

 

[rsbacon]

No, what I said was that horsepower doesn't matter to RMB owners, therefore a Skylake upgrade isn't going to sell more notebooks or earn Apple more revenue.

What prospective RMB buyers would value enough to be stimulated to buy would be things like an even thinner design, even lighter weight, a 15" retina display, an HD camera, Touch ID, 3D Touch, Siri, etc. Something physically tangible. Not fractions of milliseconds they can't feel when launching an app. Milliseconds mean something to Pro owners. RMB owners could care less. We didn't buy the thing for its performance.

BJ

What if said horsepower was made while sipping less gas? Prospective RMB buyers would definitely appreciate better battery life in addition to the stellar portability, as well as better battery quality than the current (in my opinion) subpar offering.

Core M will always be low on performance relative to the higher W chips, but the disappointing thing about the current Broadwell version is that it isn't very efficient. Skylake MacBooks are coming and Apple will definitely throw in enough "little things" to make it an attractive upgrade.

There are lots of folks with the disposable income - myself included - who would splurge on something thin, light, runs OS X/Win 10 *and* lasts as long as an iPad under similar usage

 

[boltjames]

What if said horsepower was made while sipping less gas? Prospective RMB buyers would definitely appreciate better battery life in addition to the stellar portability, as well as better battery quality than the current (in my opinion) subpar offering.

Core M will always be low on performance relative to the higher W chips, but the disappointing thing about the current Broadwell version is that it isn't very efficient. Skylake MacBooks are coming and Apple will definitely throw in enough "little things" to make it an attractive upgrade.

There are lots of folks with the disposable income - myself included - who would splurge on something thin, light, runs OS X/Win 10 *and* lasts as long as an iPad under similar usage

Hey, I personally would welcome any and all improvements to a device that I think may be the best notebook I've ever owned. Bring it on.

However, this thread asks the question of whether or not a new buyer should take the RMB plunge now or wait for this mythical "Skylake" version in the Spring and the advice that is best is for a new buyer to buy right now and enjoy because a) the likelihood of a physical update to a new processor so soon on a device predicated on other values is very small and b) besides some small incremental battery life atop already fantastic battery life there is not much else that Apple could offer besides a fractional speed bump which cannot be felt in the real-world.

BJ

 

[marcovortex]

What keyboard problems? I have none.



True, but methinks the RMB won't be updated for several years. The big reasons are:

1. The RMB is a niche product, it's for a small segment of the notebook population that wants to overpay for underpowered performance in a super sleek form factor. Specialized products like this have a long lifespan, they aren't changed frequently because the ROI simply isn't there. This isn't an iPhone which gets overhauled every 24 months and tweaked every 12. This isn't even an iPad which gets overhauled every 3-4 years. It sells at a far lower rate than both of those products.

2. The RMB is still best-in-class for what it excels at. And with no reasonable competition in the space, Apple has no incentive to change it at all.

3. If Apple makes the RMB superior or equal to the Air then they have a whole heap of problems on their hands. First, they'd have to add multiple screen sizes to the RMB and make an entire line out of it. Next, it would mean the discontinuance of the Air. The end result would be that their most popularly-priced notebook would be 20-30% more expensive without a bunch of ports that corporations require and limited SSD capacity without anything else beneath it in the food chain. It's financial suicide.

Look for the Air to get the Skylake upgrade because it's a performance enhancement for a budget workplace machine. Look for the Air to not get a Retina display because that's a premium enhancement and the Air is not one of the premium machines. Look for the RMB to remain unchanged until 2017. That's what a businessman would say. And Apple is a business. A very big one.

BJ

If I was a betting man, I would call you on this. No way the rMB doesn't receive any upgrades until 2017. At this point it's looking more like 2016 than late 2015.. but it will happen. Mark my words and refer back to this when it does.

 

[boltjames]

If I was a betting man, I would call you on this. No way the rMB doesn't receive any upgrades until 2017. At this point it's looking more like 2016 than late 2015.. but it will happen. Mark my words and refer back to this when it does.

Okay, let's do that.

I don't see any reason for Apple to release a new RMB with a processor change when said processor's only upside is additional battery life for which the 12" RMB is already well-accomplished.

Now, if you told me they'd update it with a larger 15" screen size and thus Skylake is needed to drive that display and those battery metrics, yes, I'd agree, would be a welcome addition in 2016.

The question being asked is "should I buy the 12" now or wait?" and the answer is "buy now".

BJ

 

[marcovortex]

Okay, let's do that.

I don't see any reason for Apple to release a new RMB with a processor change when said processor's only upside is additional battery life for which the 12" RMB is already well-accomplished.

Now, if you told me they'd update it with a larger 15" screen size and thus Skylake is needed to drive that display and those battery metrics, yes, I'd agree, would be a welcome addition in 2016.

The question being asked is "should I buy the 12" now or wait?" and the answer is "buy now".

BJ

I actually don't disagree with your advise on buying a rMB now. I love mine.

That said; I was just taking issue with you saying it won't get upgraded until 2017. When intel has released improved core M cpus (m3, m5, and m7 skylake) its just a matter of when not if apple jumps at the improved performance and battery life.

 

[Harthag]

Im tempted to sell my rmbp 15" and get a maxed rMB .. All i do on my system is browse the web .. email .. word and excel and that is pretty much it.

Tempted to do the same with my 13" Pro. Checked out the MB at Best Buy tonight for a good 15 minutes and I love it. I do the same activities as you, in addition to scrolling though large PDF files for work. The rMB fits the bill perfectly, the keyboard will take some getting used to though, the key travel is just so shallow. Amazed how the 13" Pro dwarfs the MB, and I thought the Pro was pretty small.