New MacBook processors questions

[Slimmyhendrix]

I have a mid 2013 1.3 ghz air. These new MacBooks have 1.2 ghz apu. Are they actually a step back from my 4+ year old Mac?

Is it just the new apu have better graphics for the retina displays and that’s it? Should I just get a pro to upgrade my old laptop?

 

[casperes1996]

As we learned in the processor wars of many years ago, megahertz, now gigahertz, doesn't mean anything when you're comparing different architectures. The processors in the MacBooks are much better. Well, depending on what you do. If you push 4 threads constantly you might not really notice a difference, but at single threaded and boost multi-threaded tasks, the MacBook CPU is way better. It also uses way less power, has much better media blocks for video codecs and such and support more instructions that can benefit specific workloads.

 

[maerz001]

It's faster than ur air. CPU, GPU AND SSD speed

 

[EugW]

These machines throttle at 2.6 GHz multi-core, and more efficient per MHz, so they are noticeably faster than all of the 2013 Airs. They also have superfast SSDs.

The main downgrade with these is the lack of ports and the keyboard. The 2017 MacBook keyboards is OK, but the 2015/2016 keyboard sucks.

 

[Slimmyhendrix]

These machines throttle at 2.6 GHz multi-core, and more efficient per MHz, so they are noticeably faster than all of the 2013 Airs. They also have superfast SSDs.

The main downgrade with these is the lack of ports and the keyboard. The 2017 MacBook keyboards is OK, but the 2015/2016 keyboard sucks.

What’s so crappy about the keyboard? I don’t care for a touchbar

 

[EugW]

What’s so crappy about the keyboard? I don’t care for a touchbar

Ars Technica described it pretty well, and I agree with this assessment of the first generation Retina MacBook keyboard (2015/2016) vs the second generation Retina MacBook keyboard (2017):

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/06/mini-review-the-2017-macbook-comes-into-its-own/

Apple's low-travel butterfly switch keyboard has been upgraded with the new second-generation switches first introduced in the MacBook Pros last year. The keys still have the same amount of physical travel as before—Apple keeps both the keyboard and the trackpad shallow to get the MacBook to its desired level of thickness without shrinking the battery too much—but the perceived travel is noticeably improved.

I won't say that the difference is night and day, and neither will I say that everyone who hated the old keyboard will automatically love the new one. But I'll say that going back to the first-gen version after using the second-gen version feels like trying to type on a pizza box with a keyboard drawn on it. For those who hated the 2015 MacBook's keyboard, this one may be able to get you into "tolerable" territory. For those of you who could tolerate the first-gen keyboard, the second-gen version is almost comfortable.

 

[adam1080]

I have to say I love typing on the 2017 MacBook. I can type quicker on it than most other keyboards. I now HATE my keyboard on my dell XPS 15 and didn't realize how tiny and spaced out the keys were on that thing. Truly awful.

I honestly can't decide if I like the MacBook keyboard more or less than my Apple keyboard with my iMac. There is something satisfying about it. That said, the 2015 keyboard is bloody awful and the difference for me is night and day.

ymmv...

 

[EugW]

I have to say I love typing on the 2017 MacBook. I can type quicker on it than most other keyboards. I now HATE my keyboard on my dell XPS 15 and didn't realize how tiny and spaced out the keys were on that thing. Truly awful.

I honestly can't decide if I like the MacBook keyboard more or less than my Apple keyboard with my iMac. There is something satisfying about it. That said, the 2015 keyboard is bloody awful and the difference for me is night and day.

ymmv...

I much prefer the keyboard for my iMac 2017. I have the wireless one with numeric keypad. However, as mentioned, I think the keyboard on the MacBook 2017 is OK, and yes, the 2015 MacBook keyboard is awful.

 

[adam1080]

I much prefer the keyboard for my iMac 2017. I have the wireless one with numeric keypad. However, as mentioned, I think the keyboard on the MacBook 2017 is OK, and yes, the 2015 MacBook keyboard is awful.

Ha, maybe I am still in the honeymoon/novelty phase since I've only had it a month...