MacBook Review Roundup: Major Design Appeal, but Too Many Key Compromises

[Renzatic]

How many other 2lb notebooks that are 1/2" thick can you buy, and how much do they cost? The cheaper alternatives like the Surface 3 use processors that are even slower than this.

I'm starting to think that we're all getting so desperate for the next big thing, that we're all getting hyped up over what are really nothing more than minute changes that were hardly necessary, nor deserving of all the accolades we're giving them.

Compare the new MB to the MBA. Do you really think 6mm and a 3rd of a pound is going to make that huge of a difference in day to day use? Is it worth the $300 premium you'll be paying for it? You can't even make the claim that this is the next big step after the MBA, because...hell. Compare it to the Macbook and MBPs of its time. That was a massive difference. This? It's not even a quarter of an inch. It's not a tablet you'll be holding in one hand along the edge. The size and weight difference won't make it any easier to carry, nor any more portable than the MBA.

I don't think it's a bad machine. It's pretty clever when you right down to it. But it's not worth the premium Apple is asking for it. It doesn't give you enough in return to justify it, and what gains were made weren't worth the trade-offs and sacrifices.

 

[MacVidCards]

The thin thing that Apple is doing is not appealing any longer when sacrificing performance.

Has anyone else noted this distinct trend? Launch after launch has offered less performance with an excuse being thinness.

The nMP gave away much of what made it a great machine. You can now upgrade a 2009 MP to be superior to the limited 2013 nMP. The new Mini and iMac also lost things, the Mini didn't even get smaller, just more cheaply built and less able to remain relevant into the future.

Apple keeps moving into the disposable toy market. But EXPENSIVE disposable toys. There is no rational excuse for the single USB-C port. Kind of funny reading all the apologists trying though.

Apple needs to get back to making the BEST machines it can make, not just the trendiest.

 

[biscuitsxluv]

Why didn't Apple update the Air with retina? If they did, I wouldn't mind getting that one even with the ugly frame around the screen.

I might not sell my rMBP and just get a new battery for it. So sad because I wanted a new laptop.

 

[3bs]

"I'd totally sacrifice all of the power of a modern laptop, and use something with the speed of a 2011 MacBook in order to just have it a TINY bit thinner!" - said no one, ever.

To me these just seem like Apple showing off what they CAN accomplish now, and nothing more.

Speak for yourself.

 

[tillsbury]

I stopped caring at M processor and 1 port. The price is just adding insult to injury.

Interesting.

I stopped caring at crazy tiny and retina screen. The price, processor, and ports are irrelevant.

Although I don't know whether I'm the only one here who actually prefers the idea of one port to plug in and disconnect when moving the machine. With my rMBP there were six which was a pain in the neck. The idea of all the peripherals (if any) being at the other end of the single cable is a big plus point to me.

 

[\-V-/]

This entire thread is composed of two comments repeated 100 times. I'm with the others that this is a lot like the first generation Air in that it will be good a few generations from now. But this seems to be the common trend with Apple these days. I'd rather the first generation product be worth getting. If they would stop trying to reinvent the wheel every year and instead try improving upon their existing products they would have some truly great hardware. Or even worse, they take existing products and make them crappier or less customizable. The Mac Mini comes to mind. Apple could do so many great things if they would stop spreading themselves so thin with unnecessary R&D and just focus all their energy on making their existing hardware the best that they can be. And now they might be building a car? I mean holy crap. They have so much money to throw around R&D for existing products they could make things that are so far and above everything else on the market ... but they're stuck in La La Land. I can't say I even know where their focus is anymore. They seem sloppy and all over the place.

 

[KPOM]

Interesting note from the Ars review, the multicore performance of the iPad Air 2 and this new Macbook are about the same...for the low end Apple could kick Intel to the curb if it ever wanted to.

I'm still struck by how much this looks more like an iPad with a keyboard and not a formal Apple laptop.

Compatibility with existing x64 code would be an issue. Could you imagine running the equivalent of Rosetta on this?

----------

I'm starting to think that we're all getting so desperate for the next big thing, that we're all getting hyped up over what are really nothing more than minute changes that were hardly necessary, nor deserving of all the accolades we're giving them.

Compare the new MB to the MBA. Do you really think 6mm and a 3rd of a pound is going to make that huge of a difference in day to day use? Is it worth the $300 premium you'll be paying for it? You can't even make the claim that this is the next big step after the MBA, because...hell. Compare it to the Macbook and MBPs of its time. That was a massive difference. This? It's not even a quarter of an inch. It's not a tablet you'll be holding in one hand along the edge. The size and weight difference won't make it any easier to carry, nor any more portable than the MBA.

I don't think it's a bad machine. It's pretty clever when you right down to it. But it's not worth the premium Apple is asking for it. It doesn't give you enough in return to justify it, and what gains were made weren't worth the trade-offs and sacrifices.

I travel a lot and like to minimize the use of my work PC for personal purposes. When I had an 11" MBA it easily fit in my bag alongside my Windows PC. My 13" rMBP doesn't work quite as well, but I don't want to go back to the non-retina screen. I am looking forward to the new MacBook.

 

[wiz329]

And they were right. The first MacBook Air was a fail - too expensive, too slow, too little connectivity. It wasn't reviewed terribly well, and it didn't sell well. It was when they dropped the price quite a bit and brought the power and connectivity up quite a bit at the same time (2010 model IIRC) that it became the success you see today.

So how does all of that prove that criticism of the CURRENT rMB is wrong?

In my opinion, the original Macbook Air was far from a "fail", despite the fact that I would have never bought it as a first generation product.

It was (as is the new macbook) ahead of it's time. It wasn't any design decisions that made the original macbook air underpowered. It was simply the limits of technology -- there simply wasn't a properly powered CPU with a low enough TDP.

The only "connectivity" MBA gained over time was TB (which I would guess the vast majority of MBA users STILL don't use), BT 4.0 (simply a function of technology and time), and USB 3.0 (which didn't happen until 2012 or 2013 IIRC). In my opinion, it wasn't "successful" at first because:

- underpowered CPU, iGPU for the required TDP
- insufficient battery life
- extremely expensive SSDs.

I would argue that the MBA actually helped DRIVE improvements in all of those areas (read articles from the last few years by Anand lal Shimpi about the relationship between Apple and Intel) by being the first mover. In that sense, I think that when considered as a whole, the MBA line has been a resounding success, even considering the flaws in first few generations.

I think the current situation is exactly the same. Would I buy one of these new MacBooks? Absolutely not. From a practical and technological standpoint, it's just not where it needs to be, nor does it fit my use case. I really need a mobile workstation that can connect to multiple monitors. Does that make it a failure? Absolutely not. It's pushing the technological barrier, as Apple has always done.

 

[TallManNY]

If you are buying this Macbook as your only computer you are "doing it wrong". This is a travel focused ancillary computer. One you slip into your briefcase for a getaway that you don't expect to do too much work on. Or it is your take to class and take notes on. Or take to the coffee shop to do a little writing on. But the owner of one of these should have a more powerful device back at home and at the office.

That said, I know many folks who never play games on the computer, never work with large excel files, never do video editing and rarely do much photo editing beyond hitting the "remove red eye" button. In fact the folks who fit into the above description are numerous. This laptop could serve as their only device pretty easily.

Also, many folks are married with kids, so they live in households with at least three computer using people. There are often three computers in those households and one of them being ultra portable could make a lot of sense. Daddy's computer might be hooked into the printer and backup hard drives, plus need to have the processor for a little Call of Duty action. But Momma's computer doesn't need that. Because she can always use Daddy's computer when she needs to. (Feel free to flip the sexes above to make this a less sexist statement, but the point remains the same.)

 

[phillipduran]

I now have more faith in the Apple Watch. The reviewers were negative about that, and they've been negative about this, too, which I actually think is a really great product.

It doesn't matter that it doesn't have ports any more than the iPad suffers for a lack of ports. Some use cases don't require them. If this laptop isn't for you, you can pretend it doesn't exist and get a MacBook Air or Pro.

Obviously though you get idiots saying "How will I plug in my 15 USB accessories while also charging and using an ethernet cable?" but I genuinely believe this laptop is no more radical than the MacBook Air's lack of optical drive.

2 USB ports is really as low as you should ever go.

Why just one??? I bet having only one USB will be a no buy issue for many people.

Thinness won over an additional USB port, is it worth it?

 

[dexterbell]

Let's not forget the MBA was $1799 when it was released in 08 but later dropped to $999 in 2010 when they killed off the original MacBook. Same will happen here. The MBA will stick around for another year or so and then go away and the MacBook will gain more features and drop to $999. I think Apple should update the 11 inch MBA with a Core M 5Y10, a 1080p display, 4GB RAM and 128 SSD and sell it for $799-$899. That would give them the true entry priced laptop they need, with spec inline with the competition. $1300 is far too expensive to be your entry level laptop.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Has anyone else noted this distinct trend? Launch after launch has offered less performance with an excuse being thinness.

Yes, and I share your concern.

Members of the ADF will argue that "thinnest" involves all of this cost of world-class engineering- and there is truth to that- but benefits like "thinnest" & "lightest", especially when they can be used to rationalize kicking hardware utility out of boxes but not lowering prices, are also very profitable marketing punches. For example, if you can kick common ports out of a laptop but a chunk of those laptop buyers need those ports, very profitable adapters/dongles can be sold. And if you can get your base to pay the same price- or more- you can improve your profit on the laptop and add incremental profit on the accessories that can make it a "whole" laptop again.

Part of my joke a few posts back about ejecting the battery next in the name of thinness is me only somewhat joking. It seems we're quickly marching toward a point where "thicker" components that remain like- say- battery, keyboard and screen have to go to continue the pursuit of "thinnest". Since lots of Apple fans can be counted on to spin ejections of hardware typical of laptops as a positive and buy anyway, why not?

Someone used the phrase "technological anorexia" earlier in this thread. I think that's a pretty good one to not forget. If there were lots of us faulting even products from 2 generations ago as being too onerously thick and/or too heavy to lug around, then there's a clearly defined problem in search of a "thinner & lighter" solution. Now it feels like "thinner & lighter" is the first thing written on the specs plan for the next iteration and anything else that works against those 2 can be jettisoned- or protrude- if necessary.

Personally, I don't want an iPhone that is the thickness of a sheet of paper or transparent because thickness becomes measured in atoms. The ADF will say "add a case" but that loops us back to "very profitable" to sell us that phone for the same money or more AND a case to make it a "whole" phone.

 

[Traverse]

My favorite excerpts

According to the Loop:

People who buy the MacBook aren’t buying it for its expandability, but rather for its other features, namely the size. I don’t have a lot of devices I need to connect to the MacBook, so I’d rather have a smaller laptop with a dongle than carry around a heavier laptop with ports I’m not using 90 percent of the time.

And some excerpts from Macworld:

But the Intel processors in Mac laptops have been so powerful for so long that I’m not sure it matters for most users. I fancy myself a bit of a power user, what with my Photoshop and my Logic Pro, and you know what? I was able to edit a multi-track Logic project on the MacBook just fine. Yes, bouncing the final project to disk took longer than it does on my 5K iMac or even my 2014 MacBook Air, but it still exported.

Similarly, although the MacBook is limited to 8GB of RAM, this seemed sufficient for all of my tasks. If you’re someone who can’t use a laptop if it doesn’t have more than 8GB of RAM, there are better options in Apple’s laptop line—specifically, the MacBook Pro.

I never found using the MacBook sluggish. Then again, I didn’t try to play games on it. But again, if you’re trying to play games on the MacBook, you may be missing the point. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 5300 processor is more than enough to drive the Retina display with no lag, and I found Apple’s various interface animations ran smoothly.

Opting for a tiny, thin laptop doesn’t mean you can’t get your work done. It’s a lesson the 11-inch Air taught me, and the MacBook fits that tale well.

 

[Renzatic]

I travel a lot and like to minimize the use of my work PC for personal purposes. When I had an 11" MBA it easily fit in my bag alongside my Windows PC. My 13" rMBP doesn't work quite as well, but I don't want to go back to the non-retina screen. I am looking forward to the new MacBook.

The retina screen is the one thing that makes it the most appealing. Thing is, Apple could've used that new screen tech on the current MBA, and shaved off probably a 10th of an inch off the depth. Making the bezel a little smaller would've allowed them to make the chassis that much smaller to match, shaving off a tiny bit of weight.

The fact is, they could've made an updated retina MBA without any sacrifices, but instead chose to go with a 3rd option that isn't as good of an alternative, save for the screen.

Granted, it'll improve over time. I'm sure the next gen Macbook will probably give it a healthy speed boost, while knocking $200 off the price tag. But for now, I just don't think it's that compelling of a device when you consider everything together.

 

[wiz329]

Because we expect the gigantic brains of Apple to learn from their own past. People keep spinning this "just like the original MB Air" as if that justifies doing the same thing again. That first one didn't sell that well. Why? Wrong price and underpowered. Are any of us armchair geniuses or complete dummies confused about that? So why roll out a wrong price and underpowered new air again?

Instead of this idea of getting it out as a platform so they can make it better in 2 or 3 iterations, why not just go ahead and make it better? Or save it until they can?

Some of us expect more of Apple- maybe too much? But I think we all can identify what made the Air a success and what stood in it's way. If Apple is smarter than us- and won't most of us passionately argue that they are- they know this too. So skip the first generation air repeat and roll out the equivalent of the latter generation air as the first generation of this rMB. Had that done that, much of this negative- even the negative in these reviews- would probably be much less. It seems to "fit" priced down toward a new entry level Apple laptop.

All IMO which I fully understand is not everyone's opinion.

I just don't think you can just magically skip those first few generations.

The first few generation of the MBA were necessary. In my opinion, it changed the course of the market as a whole. From that point, Intel started placing a much higher priority on lower power CPUs capable of sufficiently powering a computer in a MBA (or ultrabook!) chassis. They were the first major laptops to come standard with flash storage.

Any new product that pushes the technological frontier isn't going to be extremely practical (or at least it is very rare) or cost effective. They are for early adopters. The MBA wasn't. The Apple watch won't be. But that doesn't make the first generations failures.

 

[CE3]

I will say one thing positive after seeing it in action on The Verge video: the design is impressive and the screen looks great.

Not functional enough or worth the price for me.. but it looks nice.

 

[KPOM]

My biggest reservation from Joanna Stern's review is that she couldn't replicate Apple's battery life claims and got 7 hours vs. 9. Granted, she was trying to use it like a MacBook Pro with 25 tabs open, etc. so that may have been part of it. But 7 hours isn't a full day, so the charger will be necessary.

 

[SamIchi]

Comprimise?

Everyone is saying compromise, but in a way, there are no compromises since they still offer the Air and Pro. This will fit a niche, wait... not a niche, this will fit the masses. On these tech forums I always read the same thing, that it's underpowered, but Apple's most popular Air, and original Macbook before that, sold because the people who are using it, are not even close to technophiles.

 

[Rogifan]

The retina screen is the one thing that makes it the most appealing. Thing is, Apple could've used that new screen tech on the current MBA, and shaved off probably a 10th of an inch off the depth. Making the bezel a little smaller would've allowed them to make the chassis that much smaller to match, shaving off a tiny bit of weight.

The fact is, they could've made an updated retina MBA without any sacrifices, but instead chose to go with a 3rd option that isn't as good of an alternative, save for the screen.

Granted, it'll improve over time. I'm sure the next gen Macbook will probably give it a healthy speed boost, while knocking $200 off the price tag. But for now, I just don't think it's that compelling of a device when you consider everything together.

Then what's the point of the 13" rMBP? Eventually the Air and Pro would bump into each other. My guess is the Pros will get thinner and lighter (perhaps with Skylake) and esentially become the retina Air some people are wanting.

 

[citysnaps]

Where are these breathless people that fit "most"? Are you "most" people?

And this implication that this is just repeating the original Air would also imply that the mighty minds of Apple did not learn from that one's shortcomings, getting it right by adjusting price and strengthening it's horses and connectivity in latter generations. Rather than do that again, why not just go ahead and get to the more desirable (latter generation) Air equivalent?

Once more, for your benefit and maybe others...

It's not about Apple learning from shortcomings, mistakes, etc.

Apple designs products to a well-prepared roadmap, looking forward some number of years, my guess is 5 to 10 years. Apple's vendors do exactly the same thing.

When a brand new product is introduced, Apple uses the best technology from their vendors at that point in time, offering reasonable performance with reasonable cost.

As time goes on, Apple's vendors, such as Intel just as an example, improve their process and yield, offering higher performance (clock speed and lower power dissipation), and much better pricing. In follow-up revisions, Apple uses those newer parts letting them create higher performance devices with lower power dissipation yielding longer batter life, and at a much lower cost.

What you are suggesting is Apple screwed up in 2008 with the MacBook Air by introducing a laptop with mediocre performance, an 80 GB spinning hard drive, 2 GB of RAM, one port, and a 5 hour battery. Rather than straight-away offering a MacBook Air (with 2015 specs) in 2008 with 256 GB SSD, more ports (which consume power), and a 12 hour battery. And they probably blew it by not "cramming in" a retina IPS display which consumes even more power.

Yes, if only Apple had got it right the first time... I guess that's how consumers who are keyboard warriors rather than technologists and product designers view product development.

 

[CE3]

Everyone is saying compromise, but in a way, there are no compromises since they still offer the Air and Pro. This will fit a niche, wait... not a niche, this will fit the masses.

This version will not fit the masses.

 

[KPOM]

I just don't think you can just magically skip those first few generations.

The first few generation of the MBA were necessary. In my opinion, it changed the course of the market as a whole. From that point, Intel started placing a much higher priority on lower power CPUs capable of sufficiently powering a computer in a MBA chassis. They were the first major laptops to come standard with flash storage.

Any new product that pushes the technological frontier isn't going to be extremely practical (or at least it is very rare) or cost effective. They are for early adopters. The MBA wasn't. The Apple watch won't be. But that doesn't make the first generations failures.

I agree completely. I'm getting one knowing the limitations. I'll keep my Haswell 13" rMBP around, but I think the MacBook will become my main Mac. I liked the original MacBook Air, and the first revision (November 2008) was, along with the original 11.6" MacBook Air, my favorite Mac of all time.

 

[wiz329]

Yes, and I share your concern.

Members of the ADF will argue that "thinnest" involves all of this cost of world-class engineering- and there is truth to that- but benefits like "thinnest" & "lightest", especially when they can be used to rationalize kicking hardware utility out of boxes but not lowering prices, are also very profitable marketing punches. For example, if you can kick common ports out of a laptop but a chunk of those laptop buyers need those ports, very profitable adapters/dongles can be sold. And if you can get your base to pay the same price- or more- you can improve your profit on the laptop and add incremental profit on the accessories that can make it a "whole" laptop again.

Part of my joke a few posts back about ejecting the battery next in the name of thinness is me only somewhat joking. It seems we're quickly marching toward a point where "thicker" components that remain like- say- battery, keyboard and screen have to go to continue the pursuit of "thinnest". Since lots of Apple fans can be counted on to spin ejections of hardware typical of laptops as a positive and buy anyway, why not?

Someone used the phrase "technological anorexia" earlier in this thread. I think that's a pretty good one to not forget. If there were lots of us faulting even products from 2 generations ago as being too onerously thick and/or too heavy to lug around, then there's a clearly defined problem in search of a "thinner & lighter" solution. Now it feels like "thinner & lighter" is the first thing written on the specs plan for the next iteration and anything else that works against those 2 can be jettisoned- or protrude- if necessary.

Personally, I don't want an iPhone that is the thickness of a sheet of paper or transparent because thickness becomes measured in atoms. The ADF will say "add a case" but that loops us back to "very profitable" to sell us that phone for the same money or more AND a case to make it a "whole" phone.

I agree with you in principle, but I'm not sure I agree it's as big of a problem as you think it is.

The Macbook Pro still exists, and (especially the 15" with dGPU) is a beast of a computer. And I love the portability.

Even if Apple doesn't drift too far into "technological anorexia", I have confidence that the market will sort things out. Android has come a long way in the last couple years in terms of the smoothness of the UI, and I've been very pleased with what's been coming out of Microsoft the last year or two. If Apple starts to make sacrifices that I don't like, I will simply buy a different product.

 

[KPOM]

The fact is, they could've made an updated retina MBA without any sacrifices, but instead chose to go with a 3rd option that isn't as good of an alternative, save for the screen.

But then you basically have the 13" rMBP. I don't think you could realistically have saved much battery vs. the 13" rMBP, so I doubt you could actually save any thickness in the end. What I think they'll do is use those innovations in future rMBP, and ultimately position the MacBook as the base.

 

[6r4ff3r]

Same crapstorm like when they launched the first gen of MacBook Air.