Let's talk about this reasonably...

[joshlalonde]

With the announcement of the next Macbook, there has been a lot of buzz. Some positive, some negative... In fact, most of what I've seen is negative.

To review, the next Macbook finally gained Retina... and erm, that's about it. Oh and a redesigned trackpad, better keys, thinner, fanless... but you know.

And then... it lost battery life (to be fair, it's still pretty good for Retina... though, I'm going to say that if they want us to only have one port then they should have somehow increased battery life. Perhaps 'thinning' the device wasn't the best choice), lost most of its ports in favor a single USB-C for everything (including charging), lost CPU power, lost webcam pixels..

Okay. Well, I'm going to go back and correct some things. I suppose I've been comparing this new Macbook to the 13". But some of you have rightly pointed out that it's probably more comparable to the 11" which didn't have as many ports, etc.

And also, the next Macbook is pushing towards more wireless. Less hardware peripherals and more wireless connections (bluetooth, Wi-Fi)...

But I can't help but feel they lost their direction on this one. It's pushing towards wireless, so I guess, cloud, and yet I haven't heard about bundled-in cloud storage you get for buying this device. And despite having a Retina display, why is it more expensive then a current Macbook? I suppose having 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD makes up for that, but still... Is it really worth that much money? Oh, and I have to say there's probably something wrong when they have to sell an adapter to make up for the lack of ports...

And where does this fit in? It's arguably not as good as the current Macbook Air, but costs more as I said. I sure hope they don't want to phase out the Air for this thing.

Idk... What are your thoughts?

 

[fisherking]

good thing you started a new thread for this...

there are adapters (and sure there will be 3rd party ones), there are usb c/usb drives (and more coming).

you're paying for the new tech (smaller, fanless logic board, the new battery design, the new casing, trackpad, keyboard).

it's first-generation, so we'll see improvements. but everything starts with first-generation (which should be obvious, but not sure, considering the panic/anger/hate on these forums).

it's a macbook for some, not for others. and apple has the airs, the pros, for those who want/need those things...

 

[joshlalonde]

good thing you started a new thread for this...

there are adapters (and sure there will be 3rd party ones), there are usb c/usb drives (and more coming).

you're paying for the new tech (smaller, fanless logic board, the new battery design, the new casing, trackpad, keyboard).

it's first-generation, so we'll see improvements. but everything starts with first-generation (which should be obvious, but not sure, considering the panic/anger/hate on these forums).

it's a macbook for some, not for others. and apple has the airs, the pros, for those who want/need those things...

Thanks for your input.
My problem is that the adapters are kind of...

You're paying +$1K and you still have to buy an adapter in addition to it?
I'm hoping for lots of improvements by the time I'm in the market for a laptop next time. Just bought a MBA 2014 last fall. But I like to stay updated.

So, where do you feel this fits in exactly?

 

[fisherking]

Thanks for your input.
My problem is that the adapters are kind of...

You're paying +$1K and you still have to buy an adapter in addition to it?
I'm hoping for lots of improvements by the time I'm in the market for a laptop next time. Just bought a MBA 2014 last fall. But I like to stay updated.

So, where do you feel this fits in exactly?

not everyone needs an external monitor, or an external drive (or one connected at all times). for a lot of people, this is a great option: a small, cutting-edge, light, macbook. if you need to use a flashdrive, we're already seeing them (sandisk, for example has a usb-c/usb3 one). and we'll see lots more; usb-c is the new standard, so pc makers will start incorporating it.

also, if you can afford this mac, you can afford a $19 adapter (or an $79 one).
depends on your needs.

what i see is a mac that's self-reliant; i can sync my phone over wifi, access the cloud (or dropbox, etc). personally, i'm already using an online backup (crashplan), which i could continue to use.

and if i need it, i can get a usb-c flashdrive (or use that $19 adapter)...

 

[shenan1982]

This is an ultra-portable CONSUMER laptop designed for the masses. Most people will use this as a second computer, or as a primary computer for casual use... email, Facebook.... etc.

It's easy to forget that 92% of Apple's users are non-business users. Want a sure-fire way to remind yourself? Go stand at the Genius Bar for half a day. You'll see customer after customer coming in just looking to learn how to surf the web, download music, watch a movie, etc. Just because the average mac rumors users is above average in tech savvy, you have to remember that a huge portion of Mac users are STUDENTS, who this machine will be amazingly perfect for.

The price is steep, which is why there are cheaper not as thin and light options available. The primary focus of this laptop is to be thin and light, and with that comes sacrifice, and cost.

Before Apple started making ultra-portables, I had a Sony Vaio... it cost me 2x what my Mac did... but it was tiny.... and guess what, to plug in a modem and a ethernet I had to use a dongle... it goes with ultra thin and light, LOL

So instead of whining, realize that there are many students, or people like me who want the most portable high-res laptop available as a secondary computer for travel-use only. When I saw this, I jumped for joy. The one thing I don't like about my MB Air 11" is the screen resolution is so poor. This solves that.

Heck, I thought this unit was going to have a $1399 or $1499 price tag on it, so to me the price is actually surprisingly reasonable.

 

[tillsbury]

As an ex-computer nerd, I admit it's a bit freaky to consider a computer with so few ports.

But this isn't a MBA replacement. The base (cheapest) 11" Air is still there, the Airs have been updated, they're good middle-of-the-road small laptops. And, apart from the screen, they're about as good as it gets.

The MacBook is a different kind of thing. It's just that there isn't a word for smaller than ultraportable.

As a secondary computer, it's just perfect. Why would I need more cables? Why would I need to connect all and sundry to a laptop, when it's already connected to my network and can be accessed anyway?

I wouldn't have been brave enough to make the decisions Apple has made.

 

[ByteTheBooty]

Heck, I thought this unit was going to have a $1399 or $1499 price tag on it, so to me the price is actually surprisingly reasonable.

Same..started screaming when i saw that price tag with 8gb ram AND 265 SSD!

 

[Souli]

for you it is a disappointment but for me it is exactly what I wanted since a few years.
I own a Macbook Air and have never used the webcam nor the displayport. If I even use my USB port then I don't need more than one. I'm not doing anything CPU intensive on my laptop ever. So all your cons are not an issue for me.
But all those advantages are super awesome for me: the weight, thinness, retina display, fanless (this is my personal favourite)

You are just not in the group of ppl that this laptop is designed for but that doesn't mean that someone else might look for something like this.

 

[paolo-]

It's just like the original macbook air when it came out. It made sense to very few people. But eventually, the air replaced the standard macbook and they changed some things along the way, namely adding more ports.

It's a rev1 product, it's a bit of an experiment and things will probably change in the next version...

If you need the absolute smallest computer, get the rMB. For anyone else, the MBA is still a fine option (though somewhat dated next to the competition).

Price is similar if you put the same amount of ram and ssd in the MBA.

Though I do agree with you, it's an odd choice from Apple to go strictly with strictly USB-C. You'd think they could have made a device that's ever so slightly larger to accommodate a few more ports and just replaced the whole MBA lineup.

 

[NewbieCanada]

Thanks for your input.
My problem is that the adapters are kind of...

You're paying +$1K and you still have to buy an adapter in addition to it?
I'm hoping for lots of improvements by the time I'm in the market for a laptop next time. Just bought a MBA 2014 last fall. But I like to stay updated.

So, where do you feel this fits in exactly?

I read exactly the same posts about the rMBP when it came out, only then it was not including Ethernet, not including Firewire, not including an optical drive, not including user upgradable RAM.

I suppose the next generation of MBPs (by which I mean redesign) will have those two or three USB-C ports.

 

[shenan1982]

Same..started screaming when i saw that price tag with 8gb ram AND 265 SSD!

No kidding... since I paid $1599 for my current macbook air 11" (non retina, and hideous bezel), which is thicker, and only 6 months old.

11" Air\256GB flash\8gb ram\non-retina Air - $1599 .. yeah I'll get the new MB for $1299 any day.

Seriously, the price on this shocked me.

hehe, it's awful though... it's dreadful... nobody buy it... nobody order it, nobody go to the store on release day... so I can get in and get out with my amazing new Macbook real quick, hehe

 

[mtneer]

The rMB has thinness and lightness going for it, along with the retina display. However, the user does give up connectivity (without a dongle) and some capability (not sure how that fanless design can handle anything but the lightest loads). But the price sure did go up.

If someone has such a light user load and expect a lightweight machine - why wouldn't they just buy an iPad and a keyboard?

Maybe OSX is the answer to that price markup?

Puzzling.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

To me, it's simple: This new MacBook has a market - it's not a market for everyone.

I have waffled over the years between "full feature" and "slim/light/minimalist" notebooks.

Right now, my next purchase will be a new desktop - I'm waiting for the second generation Retina iMac, specifically so that it supports use as a display like the non-retina models. Once I get that, my next notebook will be the "minimalist" model - and the new MacBook fits the bill perfectly. Yes, I would prefer having two USB ports to one, to be able to connect a device plus a charger at the same time, but I connect power+device to my notebooks so infrequently now that it's not a deal-breaker. (Excepting my work laptop, which has Bluetooth disabled by work policy, so I *HAVE* to use wired when Bluetooth devices would be preferred.)

And I'm positive we'll see a new Apple Display soon that uses just the one USB Type-C connector to provide power, display, and USB connections. (Although "soon" could be toward the end of the year...)

 

[neile45]

this is replacing my 13" MBA. I don't use the extra ports, only the power cord. I love the size, I love the idea of a new trackpad. I love the slim border around the screen.

 

[Fissure]

The problem with the 2015 MacBook is that it's trying to satisfy a niche that doesn't have a use case. From a pure consumption device standpoint everyone uses a portable iPad. From a productivity standpoint everyone uses their portable MacBook Airs or rMBP's. It's trying to fit between an iPad and the other MacBooks.

Portability being the key here, they are all already portable enough. What would you do on a 2015 MacBook that couldn't already be done on an iPad or MacBook Air or rMBP? Their all just as portable from a practical standpoint. Thin is great but you're still gonna carry it around in a backpack or man purse or something that really isn't that much smaller than what you already use for the other devices.

I'd consider buying one as a replacement for my rMBP because "it is" smaller but the neutered connectivity options don't work for me. You can't power the thing and output to 2 monitors at the same time. You can't power the laptop and connect to an external thunderbolt storage device at the same time. The adapters don't bother me so much but they should have at least either added a 2nd type-c USB port or made an adapter with more than one usable display/storage output while the laptop is plugged into power. If they would have just kept the MagSafe power port and had the one typ-C USB port then it would have all been good.

I suspect the laptop won't sell well until they add a bit more connectivity. The original MacBook Air tanked. It was before its time. I think the same is true for this laptop.

 

[fisherking]

The problem with the 2015 MacBook is that it's trying to satisfy a niche that doesn't have a use case. From a pure consumption device standpoint everyone uses a portable iPad. From a productivity standpoint everyone uses their portable MacBook Airs or rMBP's. It's trying to fit between an iPad and the other MacBooks.

Portability being the key here, they are all already portable enough. What would you do on a 2015 MacBook that couldn't already be done on an iPad or MacBook Air or rMBP? Their all just as portable from a practical standpoint. Thin is great but you're still gonna carry it around in a backpack or man purse or something that really isn't that much smaller than what you already use for the other devices.

I'd consider buying one as a replacement for my rMBP because "it is" smaller but the neutered connectivity options don't work for me. You can't power the thing and output to 2 monitors at the same time. You can't power the laptop and connect to an external thunderbolt storage device at the same time. The adapters don't bother me so much but they should have at least either added a 2nd type-c USB port or made an adapter with more than one usable display/storage output while the laptop is plugged into power. If they would have just kept the MagSafe power port and had the one typ-C USB port then it would have all been good.

I suspect the laptop won't sell well until they add a bit more connectivity. The original MacBook Air tanked. It was before its time. I think the same is true for this laptop.

we'll certainly see, but i bet these are VERY successful. for the majority of basic users on an older macbook air, or the heavier (and of course, more powerful) 13" macbook pro...this might be a definitive upgrade.