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MacBook Review Roundup: Major Design Appeal, but Too Many Key Compromises
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Maybe you could cook all your food on a campfire in the backyard and use solar for charging your wireless devices, get an out-house and get completely off the grid?
The reviews generally seem both reasonable and about as expected. Can't ask for much more that.
I agree that it will follow the arc of the MBA - it will get better and better as time goes on. In the meantime, if you like it, buy it. And if you don't like it, don't buy it. Easy.
I agree that it will follow the arc of the MBA - it will get better and better as time goes on. In the meantime, if you like it, buy it. And if you don't like it, don't buy it. Easy.
I heard the same thing for the Apple store in Idaho. My daughters boyfriend works at the store and when I told him I was coming in to pick one up tomorrow, he told me they will have display units but you'll have to order online and would not be able to purchase in store.
This is disappointing if it does turn out to be true. Even *seems pretty vague on if these will be available in store or just available to order tomorrow.
Still planning on being there at open to see if I can score one, but I just was reading the most recent watch post on MR and there was an individual in New York saying the same thing, only order tomorrow, no in store purchase.
Hope some more light is shed on this later today. Anyone else heard about this?
I think the 2nd generation will have better appeal when the processors are stepped up, one more USB port is added, and the price is dropped by about $400. There is a market for a basic retina laptop but not at this price. Having said that this is a good first run at the concept, imho.
I could live in that world too if all I did with a laptop was browse Facebook and check emails.
They weren't 'hand-picked' by Apple. They're the writers of major technology-related press (Print/Web/Etc.)
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Personally, if it was priced down around there, I think so much of the negative wouldn't be flying. That's the problem. It's weak in terms of computing power but it's priced up with the highest-priced line (the pros).
If it was priced at about $999, I think we'd be saying stuff like entry level power with entry level pricing... a great little machine.
Instead, we're trying to reconcile & justify what seems like pricing too high for what it is, really trying to rationalize the value of "thinnest & lightest" and an idea that a Retina screen here must be so much more than a non-retina screen in the much lower-priced Air which also comes with commonly-used (or useful when needed) ports.
This is just a tough one to get some kind of consensus. A niche will buy it and love it. The rest won't.
Personally, the only way I'd be interested in an Apple laptop with an A processor inside is if it comes in addition to an Intel processor. Rosetta made the shift from PowerPC to Intel somewhat tolerable back in the day but there is no Rosetta ready to make it work again. People forget how much fairly major software not made by Apple themselves took years to get to Intel versions.
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Where did they buy the MBs they are reviewing? Not EVERY major tech reviewer were given MBs ahead of the launch.
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Unfortunately, form over function
In the Steve Jobs era, we had both form and function at the same time. Under Ken Cook / Jony Ive, it seems we have one or the other, but not both. This is as true for iOS as for the new Macbook. Absolutely beautiful, at the expense of usability.
Perhaps part of the true genius of Steve Jobs was keeping people like Jony Ive in line, helping them remember the mission.
Dan
In the Steve Jobs era, we had both form and function at the same time. Under Ken Cook / Jony Ive, it seems we have one or the other, but not both. This is as true for iOS as for the new Macbook. Absolutely beautiful, at the expense of usability.
Perhaps part of the true genius of Steve Jobs was keeping people like Jony Ive in line, helping them remember the mission.
Dan
"Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive." - William F. Buckley, Jr.
Apple has been pushing thinner and lighter which is fine. But at some point it becomes anorexia. I think we've passed that point with the MacBook. Sure it's thinner and lighter than the Air but is a couple of g and a few mm worth what was lost?
Apple has been pushing thinner and lighter which is fine. But at some point it becomes anorexia. I think we've passed that point with the MacBook. Sure it's thinner and lighter than the Air but is a couple of g and a few mm worth what was lost?
Thsi is what surprises me most about these reviews.
They are all sites I believe have shown extreme pro-apple biases in the past. they are sites constantly saying how everything Apple typically does is gold.
The Verge is a good example of this. They have editorials almost every week about something Apple has done which is the best in the world. Their writers have even come out and said "I have a bias, Deal with it". (look at dietrse fulll review of this. even after the criticism he says "BUT YOU WANT THIS CAUSE ITS APPLE" hint, Dietre is a terrible opinionated reviewer without a brain, avoid his reviews if you want real world information)
and their review was probably one of the harshest. (on the watch).
this doesn't bode well when you're largest "fanboys" are even having trouble promoting your product in the best light.
i'm honestly shocked as it's the first time in a long time that two products launches, around the same time, have both met with moderate reviews.
Could this be expectations aren't met so the reviewers aren't please? or is it possible that Apple has just not hit their promises?
I can't tell till I get a chance to review these items myself in some form, but it's an oddity.
Especially with how strict, and how currated Apple's "favourites" list is supposedly kept. They are very very VERY strict on rules and regulations that their press and marketing support is supposed to have.
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If you take away the screen, the keyboard, trackpad, and reduce the battery then add on the iPhone, this would be a nice iPhone with a full Mac that you hook up to a docking station when you get in the office.
Am I the only one who looks at the negative comments about what this laptop is lacking and laugh??
Come on, you are forgetting that Apple is constantly thinking about the future in mind. Were you one who freaked out when they didn't include a DVD/CD drive on the macbooks??? There's a reason why this computer doesn't have USB, HDMI, Displayport, etc. and it's not only to save space. See below:
Your World:
1. USB for external hard drive
2. Another USB for syncing your phone
3. HDMI port for watching movies onto your flatscreen
4. SD Card slot for your digital camera
5. Charging port for the obvious
Apple's World:
1. Time Capsule storage (no cables)
2. iphone sync over wifi (no cables)
3. Apple TV airplay for displaying onto your flatscreen (no cables)
4. iCloud for photos you took on your iphone (no cables)
5. Charging port (yes, still need this one cable)
Come on, you are forgetting that Apple is constantly thinking about the future in mind. Were you one who freaked out when they didn't include a DVD/CD drive on the macbooks??? There's a reason why this computer doesn't have USB, HDMI, Displayport, etc. and it's not only to save space. See below:
Your World:
1. USB for external hard drive
2. Another USB for syncing your phone
3. HDMI port for watching movies onto your flatscreen
4. SD Card slot for your digital camera
5. Charging port for the obvious
Apple's World:
1. Time Capsule storage (no cables)
2. iphone sync over wifi (no cables)
3. Apple TV airplay for displaying onto your flatscreen (no cables)
4. iCloud for photos you took on your iphone (no cables)
5. Charging port (yes, still need this one cable)
I think that for someone who is a casual user, and not a professional needing a computer for work, this is just perfect.
Air is still affordable, and for those who want a prettier display in something ultra portable, there is the MacBook.
USB thing is not really that much of an issue, I know I only use it to connect my camera and hard drives. We live in the wireless age.
Air is still affordable, and for those who want a prettier display in something ultra portable, there is the MacBook.
USB thing is not really that much of an issue, I know I only use it to connect my camera and hard drives. We live in the wireless age.
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Apple has gotten too greedy. Base model should be no more than $899 since it's an overdue Macbook Air refresh with fewer ports and for that price you can get business class touch and precision tablets. Core M is getting old anyway since it's been on the market for nearly five months and the market is ready to transition to Skylake.
You fail to realize that a machine that does only as much as another a third of the price from the same company deserves ridicule. It's called perspective. You can have the best computer in the world but if no one can afford it is there even a point to sell it? You can have a cheap computer that doesn't do anything well, is that worth buying?
This is essentially what I have been saying also. What people wanted was an air with a better screen - it woulda been a near-perfect ultraportable. Instead we have two flawed ultraportable lines - one compromising on display, the other on power/ports/MagSafe. So the negativity comes from people who thought they'd have an easy choice for a really excellent notebook and instead have a hard choice between two flawed notebooks.